Plitvice Lakes Day Trip from Split
Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the most beautiful places in Croatia. If you’re staying in Split it’s doable as a day trip, albeit a long one, but I’m so glad I took this trip!
Plitvice Lakes are a series of sixteen lakes that are connected via cascading waterfalls. The national park has a series of walking trails and boat rides you can take to get across the lakes.
Plitvice is about three hours from Split and can be reached via an organized day tour or you can rent a car and head there yourself. On my recent trip I took an organized day tour to simplify the process and I highly recommend, but have also included details on planning your own trip below!
Day Trip Through Viator
There are many day trip options from Viator to Plitvice from Split. I took this tour, which I’d definitely recommend. The tour leaves right from downtown Split (Riva neighborhood) bright and early to get you to the lakes on the earlier side.
Getting There
It takes about 3 and a half hours to get there. You’ll be taking a mini bus with a group of about 12-15. The bus is a little claustrophobic and doesn’t have a bathroom (just as a heads up) But the driver will stop halfway there at a rest stop for you to use the restroom and grab snacks/drinks
The driver will drop you off near the top of the lakes and the guide will pick up your tickets and get the tour started. I definitely recommend starting at the top and working your way down, the lakes and waterfalls get infinitely more impressive as you make your way down!
The Experience
The tour takes Trail C through the park and allows you to see all 16 lakes. You’ll need to take a boat between the upper and lower lakes. The boat tour is included in your ticket price.
After you take the boat you’ll stop for lunch. There is a cafeteria style option and a bar where you can grab something quickly before continuing on to the lower lakes.
These lakes do not disappoint! The waterfalls get steeper and more impressive, and the water color becomes more and more teal.
Another benefit of taking a guided tour is that the bus driver will come pick you up at the exit near the bottom of the lakes and you won’t have to navigate your way back to the top of the lakes where you parked your rental car.
Planning Your Day Trip to Plitvice
If you’ve rented your car and want a little more freedom you can plan your own day trip to Plitvice.
Getting There
If you have rented a car you can drive from Split. It takes a little over three hours to get there. The drive outside of Split is mostly highway/easy to navigate roads, so the driving isn’t difficult!
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online here. I definitely recommend purchasing them in advance they do tend to sell out in the peak summer season!
Ticket prices vary based on season.
- Jun-Sep – around 40 Euro
- Apr, May, Oct – around 24 Euro
- Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar – around 11 Euro
Parking
There are several parking lots at Plitvice. I recommend Parking lot 2, which can be found on the map here. In my opinion, this is the best place if you’re looking to explore the upper & lower lakes or just the lower lakes. This allows you to work your way up to the most impressive views instead of starting with them!
Which Trail to Take at the Lakes
There are several trail options through Plitvice depending on how long you have, how much you want to see, and how much walking you want to do! You can find maps and specific details on the various routes here.
Plitvice consists of sixteen different lakes. The upper lakes are a series of 12 and the lower area has 4 lakes. If you’re short on time or don’t want to do a ton of walking, you should definitely head straight to the lower lakes. These four lakes are the most impressive and connected by the biggest series of waterfalls.
I took Trail C and would definitely recommend this route! It includes all of the upper and lower lakes and the walk takes around 4 hours (depending on your pace) This route will also require a train and boat ride, both of which are included in your ticket.
**Map tips for the link above- red line is the walking trail, yellow line is each of the two trains, and the path across the lake is the boat you’ll need to take! The trails are all marked and easy to navigate.
Trail C Details:
- Park at parking lot 2 & use Entrance 2
- From here you will take the train towards the upper lakes. You will be dropped of at Lake #1 on the map
- Follow trail C on the marked trails. It will take you on a path through the upper lakes.
- As you follow the trail down (it’s clearly marked and easy to navigate) you’ll eventually reach lake #12 (from the map) and a boat will take you across towards the lower lakes
- At the end of the boat ride is a restaurant/cafeteria that’s a great place to grab lunch/drink or just take a rest!
- Continue on the path towards the four lower lakes
- Once you make it to the end of the trail at the Great Waterfall you’ll need to loop back a towards the train to bring you back to parking area 2.
If you’re planning a trip to Split check out my full Split travel guide here or my two days in Split itinerary here.
