The Great Waterfall
A 78-metre plunge at the park’s lower end — best seen from the viewpoint reached by the wooden walkways.
Plitvice Lakes
A cascade of emerald waterfalls
Best time
April – October
Gentle pace
1–2 slow days
Ideal for
Nature lovers · Active families · Photographers
Plitvice is a kingdom of water — sixteen terraced lakes spilling one into the next through a hundred waterfalls, all wrapped in beech forest and crossed by wooden walkways that hover above the spray. It is Croatia’s oldest national park and, on the right morning, the most magical place in the country.
With children, arrive at opening, take the park train up to the upper lakes and walk gently down — the paths are easy and the boats across the big lake are half the fun. Stay a night nearby rather than day-tripping; the park at dawn, empty and misted, is the memory you will keep.
Worth lingering over
The upper lakes circuit
Take the train up and walk down through the quieter, higher lakes where the crowds thin and the water glows.
The electric boat crossing
A gentle boat across Lake Kozjak links the upper and lower lakes — children count it as the best part.
Hidden gem
The upper lakes at dawn
Most visitors pour in at entrance 1 and crowd the lower falls. Start at entrance 2 the moment the gates open, ride the train to the top, and walk the upper circuit while mist still hangs over the waterfalls and the boardwalks are empty. For an hour you will have the emerald pools and the silence almost to yourselves — the park as it was meant to be seen.