Top 5 Tips

Plitvice National Park Croatia

 

1. Plan your trip in the fall.  In the spring, the trees are bare, its cold in the winter, and the crowds in the summer will seriously limit your mobility, causing you to only see a small fraction of the park.  In the fall, the weather is cooler, crowds are decreased, and you have a chance to see the leaves turning colors.

2.  Get to the park early for easier parking and avoiding crowds.  The park typically opens at 7:00am.  You can find a parking spot quickly, and get around to a lot more places before the tour groups start and cause delays on the boardwalks.  Your entrance fee to the park gives you a free ride on the ferry and on the tram.  Use these rides to your best advantage. We walked from the lower lakes near entrance 1 all the way to the farthest upper lake.  We took the ferry across the big lake to save time.  Then we took the tram from the farthest point, back to the area near entrance 1.  This saved a lot of time and our aching feet!

 

3.  Get to the area near entrance 1 around noon for the best overlook areas with the least shadows for your photographs.

4.  Pack water bottles and a light picnic lunch.  There are several cafes to stop and get food and drinks.  But there are so many beautiful places to see and we did not want to stop.  So our picnic kept us energized and walking for over 7 hours. 

5.  Get off the main trail to find this beautiful overlook.  It is also near entrance 1.

I wish that I would have know about this beautiful overlook before 3:00pm, I was disappointed about the shadows on the waterfalls and the right side.  Below is the location of the overlook, and directions to get there.

*Here are the directions.

-Walk to the big waterfall near entrance 1.

Once close, you will see rock steps off to the left side.  There are a lot of steps, but it is worth it.

Follow the sign through the woods to the black top road.  Take a right onto the road and follow until you cross over a wooden bridge.  Then look for a trail off to the right.

Not far down the trail and ahhhh!  Stunning!

 

Here are a couple extra tips:

• Buy a map when you pay your entrance fee.
• Ask at information offices how to get to specific places.  We brought in pictures of what we wanted to see and asked “How do we get HERE”
• Wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers.
• Make sure you have tons of room on your camera’s memory card and that the battery is full.
• Expect crowds and delays on the boardwalk and in lines for the ferry and tram.  Just make the best of it.  Notice the details of the beauty around you.  Ask them to take pictures of you, and have a great time!