I am amazed that these lakes aren’t more famous. When people think of the most beautiful lakes in the world, you think of the likes of Lake Tahoe, Malawi, Torres del Paine, Atitlan, or Lake Bled and Como far closer in Europe. But the Plitvice Lakes are right up there for sheer beauty and have the added advantage of hundreds of waterfalls linking them all together. A must if visiting Croatia.
#1 The stunning views across the turquoise lakes from one of the many lookout points
#2 The hundreds of wonderful waterfalls that interconnect the lakes and leave you regularly stopping for that "wow" moment
33 Just how crystal clear the water all through this National Park is
#4 Finding those prefect spots on one of the hikes where you have that mesmerizing blue from the lakes poking through the bright greens of the trees. Really does feel magical at times
#5 Taking a rowing boat and heading off into the beautiful lakes for that super tranquil feeling
Some simple tips for the visit:
Try to stay overnight nearby – we had a great time with only half a day there, but it would have been awesome to start super early (the park opens at 7am, but only gets busy at 10am) and get the place all to ourselves.
You want to see both the Lower Lakes and the Upper Lakes. Ideally you’ll hike between them (less tourists) but not everyone wants to walk the 3kms or so, nor has the time, so take the ferry or the shuttle between the two.
Start from Entrance number 1 – you’ve got two entrances: Entrance 1 is by the Lower Lakes and Entrance 2 is closer to the Upper Lakes. Take Entrance 1 – its slightly more uphill, but means you will be facing the waterfalls as you walk.
Don’t only spend time at the boardwalks – your basic activity is to walk along the boardwalks that interlace the lakes. They are beautiful and give you some great views of the lakes and waterfalls, but its the walking routes away from the boardwalks that give the better views and get you away from the crowds a bit. When you arrive at the entrance you have 7 walkways or programmes as they call them, which allows you to choose your route. Just ask at the Entrance for what they suggest for more of a hike and the quieter spots.
Be sure to rent a rowing boat – super views and just fun thing to do.
Part of a 2-3 week itinerary – the Western Balkans are a seriously underrated part of Europe and represent one of the best 2-3 week trips you can do in this part of the world with stunning castles and old towns, and some of the best coastline in the world all compactly housed within 8 countries. For the 2-3 week itinerary for the highlights and general tips for this part of the world, see this travel entry and where the Pltivice Lakes fits in –3 week trip around the Balkans States.
The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences
The scores above are the real point of this site.
Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.
Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.
If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.
Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.
