Plitvice Lakes

The Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia’s most popular tourist attraction, was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979. Located roughly halfway between capital city Zagreb and Zadar on the coast, the lakes are a definite must-see in Croatia.The beauty of the National Park lies in its sixteen lakes, inter-connected by a series of waterfalls, and set in deep woodland populated by deer, bears, wolves, boars and rare bird species. The National Park covers a total area of 300 square kilometres, whilst the lakes join together over a distance of eight kilometres.

There’s also quite an altitude difference – the highest point is at 1,280m, the lowest at 380m – although the total height difference between the lakes themselves is only 135m. (Veliki Slap, the largest waterfall, is 70m tall.)

The Park is open daily all year round, with longer opening hours during summer (usually 7am to 8pm). There’s an entrance fee which acts as a contribution to the Park’s upkeep and protection: for adults it’s 55 Kuna (£5.50/€7.25/$8.50) January to March and in November and December; 110 Kuna (£11/€14.50/$16.50) during April to June and in September and October; and 180 Kuna (£18/€24/$27) in July and August.

There are two entrances to the Park – excitingly titled Entrance 1 for the lower lakes and Entrance 2 for the higher lakes. Entrance 2 (and therefore some of the park) is normally closed in winter (November to April).

Plitvice Lakes isn’t just for summer. It’s a stunning place to visit any time of year as the different seasons see the Park take on different hues, whether that’s lush greenery in spring/summer, rich colours in autumn, or magical scenes in the snow and ice in winter.

There’s of course stunning scenery almost everywhere you turn in the Park – but for amongst the best photo opportunities (looking down on the lakes and waterfalls from up high – as seen below) it’s entrance 1 that you want to head to.

From Entrance 2 you can choose to start your exploration either by taking an electric boat across the largest lake in the park, or the ‘panoramic train’ (i.e. a shuttle bus) up to higher points in the park. You can also of course take the train back down to the entrance.