Getting to the Plitvice Lakes National Park

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Getting to the Plitvice Lakes

Here are the best ways of getting to the Plitvice Lakes National Park by bus from other parts of Croatia – including Zagreb, Zadar, Split and beyond.

There aren’t any airports that are especially close to the Plitvice Lakes. However, as most holidaymakers will usually take a trip to the Lakes as part of their holiday to Croatia, they are prepared to undertake a bit of travelling to appreciate the full beauty of this gorgeous park!

If you are considering coming to Croatia to specifically visit the Park and want to fly to the nearest airport, take a look at flying to either Zagreb or Zadar Airports.

Getting to the Plitvice Lakes

Getting to the Plitvice Lakes from Zagreb

Zagreb Airport is a good option to fly to if trying to reach Plitvice – as it is about 140km away. From Zagreb Airport, take a connecting bus (they wait outside the terminal building) to the main bus station in Zagreb. From here, you can then take one of the numerous buses to the Plitvice Lakes; the journey time is about 2 hours 20 minutes. You can book tickets on the Zagreb Bus Terminal website.

Given the travel time, and the timing of buses there and back, it’s certainly very possible to take a day trip with public transport from Zagreb to the Plitvice Lakes.

You can also book an organised excursion to the Plitvice Lakes with GetYourGuide – they have a Plitvice & Rastoke Guided Day Trip; a Plitvice Rastoke Tour for Max 8 People or a Private Day Trip to Plitvice Lakes & Rastoke.

Alternatively, you can join a tour from Zagreb that will take you to Plitvice and then on to another Croatian destination – this is a great way of saving time if you’re under time constraints when visiting Croatia. For example, consider the Plitvice Lakes Guided Tour and Transfer to Split package, or the Plitvice Lakes Private Tour that sees you picked up in Zagreb and dropped off in Zadar.

Getting to the Plitvice Lakes from Zadar

Zadar Airport is technically the closest airport to Plitvice, at about 130km away. More and more airlines now fly to Zadar Airport, so it’s actually not a bad place to start from if you’re planning a visit to Plitvice Lakes. If you do find yourself flying to this airport, take a connecting bus to Zadar Bus Station; then another bus from here to Plitvice. Journey time is about 2 hours.

The timings of buses mean it’s very possible to make a return trip in a day! For ease, purchase a return ticket from Zadar Bus Terminal to Plitvice Lakes before you go.

Again, organised tours are also possible. Take a look at some examples below:

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Getting to the Plitvice Lakes from Split

During the summer months (especially during July and August), it is possible to use buses to make a day trip to Split. However, that does involve quite a lot of travelling (about 7-8 hours in total) in one day. Ideally, it would be best to spend at least one night in the Plitvice region before returning to Split. Check out times on the Split Bus Terminal website.

You could certainly stop off at the Plitvice Lakes if you’re travelling from, say, Zagreb to Split (or vice versa). To make your journey a bit easier (but ensuring no ‘leg’ is that long), it might be nicer to travel Zagreb – Plitvice Lakes – Zadar – Split.

Tours that are available from Split include:

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Getting to the Plitvice Lakes from Dubrovnik

There are no direct public transport options from Dubrovnik to the Plitvice lakes – it’s simply too far a journey! (About 450km.)

But to make the trek, you can take one of the frequent daily buses from Dubrovnik to Split, and then another from here to the lakes. It’ll take you a long time, however!

If you’re really keen to visit from Dubrovnik, there are some organised tours or transfer options such as the Private Tour of National Park Plitvice from Dubrovnik. Be warned – it’s a very long day!

Getting to the Plitvice Lakes from Rijeka

Although Rijeka Airport isn’t all that far from Plitvice, it’s not an ideal place to fly to as there aren’t direct travel connections to the Park. After transferring from the airport to Rijeka Bus station, you would then most likely have to take a bus to Karlovac (journey time 1.5 – 2 hours), and then another bus from here to Plitvice Lakes (journey time 1 hour 20/30 minutes). You can use the Zagreb Bus Terminal website to look up timetable details for both legs of this journey.

All in all, it’s a little tricky to try and make a self-planned day trip from Rijeka to the Plitvice Lakes. Instead, why not consider the organised Plitvice Lakes Day Trip from Rijeka, which is a 10-hour round trip.

Getting to the Plitvice Lakes from Istria

As with Rijeka, there aren’t direct bus connections to towns and cities in Istria to the Plitvice Lakes. You’ll need to change buses somewhere – most likely Karlovac – if you are attempting to make the journey. It’s far easier to join an organised tour!

Bus journey times to the Plitvice Lakes

Here’s a brief list of bus journey times from various places in Croatia to the Plitvice Lakes to give you an idea of how long it will take you to get there:

  • from Karlovac: 1 hour 10 minutes – 1.5 hours
  • from Zagreb: 2 hours 20 minutes
  • from Zadar: 2 hours
  • from Split: 3.5 – 5.5 hours
  • from Varazdin: 4 hours 20 minutes (one bus per day)

If you’re travelling from elsewhere in Croatia to Plitvice, take a bus to one of the above places and change for another bus from there.

Buses to the Park should stop outside both Entrance 1 and Entrance 2 – you can always ask your driver to make sure. However, you are unlikely to be the only traveller disembarking at either stop!

Local buses in the Plitvice Lakes region

Local buses run from the Plitvice Lakes to some of the small towns and villages in the area, including to Otocac, Korana, Rastovaca, Mukinje and Grabovac. These buses may not be the most useful method of transport for visitors to the Lakes, but it’s still good to know about them! You can look up timetables and maps on the Lika Line website.

Getting to the Plitvice Lakes – Day Trips

You can also book an organised excursion to Plitvice Lakes from a wide variety of other towns and resorts in Croatia. Call in at a local travel agent for details (you’ll normally see trips to the Plitvice Lakes advertised everywhere); the one-day round trip will normally take all day (so, a little bit on the tiring side), but it may well be worth it if you weren’t otherwise planning on travelling to or nearby this part of the country.

If you’re travelling from either Zadar or Zagreb, we’d probably suggest sticking to public transport. Trips from either city can easily be done in a day; you can go at your own pace when visiting and exploring the park, and your round-trip will also be significantly cheaper!

Here are some organised excursions to the Plitvice Lakes that you can book online:

Getting to the Plitvice Lakes National Park

Parking at the Plitvice Lakes

If you’re arriving by car, you will be pleased to know that there is a car park at both entrances.

For a standard-sized car, parking costs €1.50 per hour from March to May and October and November and €2 per hour from June to September.

If you’re arriving with a campervan or a car with a trailer, parking is €15 a day from March to May and in October and November, and €17 a day from June to September.

Outside of these months, parking is free for all vehicles.

Leaving the Plitvice Lakes

The Plitvice Lakes Park and region doesn’t have a proper bus terminal – rather, small wooden huts (see above) close to the two entrances where you can wait for buses. These should have details of bus departure times; if in doubt, check at the entrances of the Park, as times will be posted there.

If you don’t have a return/onward ticket – purchased from Zadar or Zagreb Bus Terminals, for example – buy your bus ticket from the driver once onboard the bus.

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