Many visitors are drawn to Croatia's beauty. The balkan country lies between the Dinaric Alps and the Adriatic Sea and is a perfect choice for a Mediterranean road trip.
You can read about most of my favourite spots in the country in a separate post.
However, I decided to cover one of my absolute highlights of the trip, the Croatia's beautiful national parks, in a separate article.
There are a total of eight national parks in Croatia and during our road trip this summer we visited the two most popular ones.
Plitvice Lakes National Park:
Located on the eastern border between Kvarner and Central Croatia, just a stone's throw away from Bosnia and Herzogovina, lies Plitvice Lakes National Park. Deemed one of Europes most beautiful national parks and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, the park includes 16 turquoise and crystal blue lakes surrounded by limestone cliffs and lush green forests.
Visitors can admire the parks beauty by hiking the wooden walkways of the upper and the lower lakes.
Since Plitvice Lakes National Park is located quite far away from Croatia's tourist hubs, it is a little difficult to get there without a car. You can take a bus from Zagreb or Zadar, but unfortunately there are no direct public transport connections from other places.
You can get your tickets on the spot, at the entrances 1 and 2 of the national park, but I recommend purchasing them online and skipping the queue.
Simply choose the time you would like to enter and book the tickets at least 1 day in advance on the official website. If you use the website of any other ticket provider or travel agency you will still have to queue to exchange your voucher for an official ticket.
Prices of the tickets vary depending on the month of your visit. During the high season from June to September they cost 300 kuna (about 40€). There are reduced prices for two-day-tickets and student discounts. The shuttle buses and ferry rides inside the park are included in the entrance fee.
Plitvice Lakes National Park's stunning scenery, attracts about 1.77 million (2019) visitors a year. Due to the park's popularity it is difficult to escape crowds, especially during the high season. However, in addition to the standard tip of waking up early, you can also take a "secret", less crowded route if you have a car at your disposal.
There is a third entrance point between Kozjak Lake and Milka Trnina Waterfall which was created for the convenience of the hotel guests. From there you can hike the trail of the lower lakes "in reverse", starting at the Milka Trnina Waterfall and ending at entance point 1, thus mostly avoiding the crowds that are concentrated at the beginning of the trail.
Then you can ride the bus for two stops to the eastern tip of Prošćansko Lake and hike the upper lakes back to Kozjak Lake, from where you can take a boat across to leave the park where you entered.
This trail takes about 4-5 hours and covers all the highlights of the national park.
If you don't have that much time, you can hike just the lower lakes, since they are a bit more impressive. However, I really recommend taking the time to hike the upper lakes as well, as they are also really beautiful and less crowded.
You can find other trails and further information on the park's official website.
Even though Plitvice Lakes National Park is a little more difficult to get to, it is definitely one of the top 3 things to do in Croatia, which is why I strongly recommend including it in your itinerary.
Krka National Park:
Located on the road from Zadar to Split, between the two cities Knin and Skradin, lies Krka National Park.
Formed by the Krka River, the park consists of seven waterfalls and more than 20 hiking trails.
The Skradinski buk trail leads around the largest waterfall of the Krka river and is the absolute highlight of the national park. The trail starts on a wooden bridge right infront of the Skradinski Buk Waterfall and passes several other viewpoints where you can admire its beauty from other angles. However, this is the most popular and therefore the most crowded trail.
We also chose to hike the Skradin Bridge - Skradinski buk trail, which leads along the Krka river and is more quiet but also beautiful. It starts at the Skradin entrance of the park, ends at the Skradinski Buk Waterfall and takes about 30 minutes. To get back to the city we took the ferry along the river. It is included in the national park's admission fee, however, keep in mind that the ferry drops you at the port which is a 15-minute walk from the entrance.
If you don't have that much time, you can also enter the park at the Lozovac entrance and hike the Lozovac - Skradinski buk trail, which takes only about 10 minutes.
Since 2021, swimming is unfortunately no longer allowed in the Krka National Park. However, the upside is that you can take a beautiful picture of the Skradinski Buk Waterfall without any tourists in the shot.
In this park too, you should book your tickets online at least one day in advance.
Prices vary depending on the month of your visit. In July and August they cost 200 kuna (about 27€). Check out Krka National Park's official website for further information.
In conclusion, I am amazed by both Plitvice Lakes and Krka National Park and think that these stunning places are definitely worth a visit.