Plitvice Lakes Travel Guide – Visit Plitvice Lakes – Budget Travel In Croatia

One of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia, Plitvice Lakes National Park is a chain of 16 lakes with waterfalls, caves and hiking trails that will definitely take your breath away. Visit Plitvice Lakes in winter for a truly magical experience.

I hadn’t really thought about visiting Plitvice Lakes during my stay in Zagreb. In fact, I was totally unaware of them until I noticed a poster in the second hostel. Many guests at the hostel were making return trips to the area.

As I had decided to head to the coast of Croatia, I discovered that Plitvice Lakes was on the way from Zagreb to Zadar (my next choice of destination). The hostel were providing return trips for 80 Euro (without admission) which seemed ridiculously expensive. All the guests simply took a return trip by public bus. It was time to do some research.

Accommodation Near Plitvice Lakes

I discovered that there are many places to stay near the lakes but all were out of my price range. The only place that looked affordable was in a small town called Grabovac which was 7 km away from the Plitvice Lakes entrance. Unsure if there was any local transport, I decided to book it anyway.

Bus To Plitvice Lakes From Zagreb

There are many buses to Plitvice Lakes from Zagreb. The journey is between 2 and 2 1/2 hours and costs 10-13 Euros. Unfortunately, none stopped in Grabovac (which the bus would be passing). I had to look for a local bus that would connect Plitvice to Grabovac.

I used Get By Bus to book my tickets to Plitvice but they did not have any buses to take me the short distance to Grabovac. After much research, I found a site that made the whole trip possible: https://www.putovnica.net/en/transport/bus-grabovac-rakovica-plitvice-lakes-timetable-prices. This had buses running between the two areas. I was set to go.

Zagreb To Grabovac

As I boarded the bus to Plitvice, I asked the conductor which entrance I would need to get off to get the bus back to Grabovac. He seemed confused and then told me that he would drop me off in Grabovac. RESULT! I had emailed the company asking if this was possible and they said it wasn’t. Always ask the conductor or driver. They are usually happy to drop you off as long as it en route.

Arriving In Grabovac

As we started to get close to Grabovac, I looked up from my laptop and saw it had started snowing. That was something I had not seen in a long time. It started to get heavy and I was wondering if the park would even open!

House Vukovic

My accommodation was about 5 minutes walk from the bus stop (map). I was greeted by the owner who spoke very little English. He showed me the communal kitchen (which came with a proper coffee machine) and then to my room. The kitchen had a microwave and two electric hobs. I would not be eating well whilst here.

The room was a twin bed with its own bathroom. It was very comfortable. The heating could be adjusted which was great as it was very cold. With the heating turned up full, I headed to a small grocery store opposite the guesthouse to buy some food. On my second day, I discovered a better supermarket and the only ATM in town that worked at the Hotel Grabovac (map).

The WiFi wasn’t great in the guesthouse but that was the only negative. It was a great base to explore the lakes.

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I paid £33 for 2 nights in a twin room with en-suite bathroom.

Click here to book a stay at House Vukovik.

How To Get From Grabovac To Plitvice Lakes

I booked my ticket for a bus that picked me up at 8.02 am, right outside the tourist information kiosk which was helpfully closed for the duration of my stay (map). The information outside the kiosk said there was a bus between 7.45 – 8.15 am which I presumed was mine. I was still concerned that the bus might not appear but at around 8.10, along came a bus which pulled in. The driver checked my ticket and confirmed I had the right bus!

Arriving At Plitvice Lakes

I had read that, during the winter season, only entrance one is open. However, the driver dropped us at entrance two. “Entrance one is closed,” he insisted. He was wrong. This meant a 40 minute walk back to entrance one that we had passed a few minutes ago. Not the best start to the day. I wasn’t the only one stranded, however. A girl from Argentina who had taken the bus from Zagreb was in the same situation. We headed back up the road together.

Entering Plitvice Lakes

The ticket office was temporarily located on the opposite side of the road to the actual entrance as construction work was taking place. I’m guessing they were doing this whilst it was low season and it would be finished by the time summer came back around.

We bought our tickets and was informed that only one hiking trail was available due to the conditions. This was disappointing but we did get a big discount. For further information on prices and opening times throughout the year, visit the Plitvice Lakes website.

Exploring Plitvice Lakes

I spent around two and a half hours in the lakes with my new Argentinian friend. Whilst it was disappointing to not get to see all of it, experiencing it covered in snow was a truly magical experience. On another blog, I had read “in the winter months, you might get to see some snow if you’re lucky”. I guess I was extremely lucky!

Saying Goodbye And Treating Myself To Good Food

As we finished our trek through the lake, my new friend had only a short time to wait for her bus whereas I had a couple of hours. I waited at the bus stop with her for the bus which was 45 minutes late. After saying goodbye, I decided to treat myself with some great food at ‘National Restaurant Lička Kuća’ (map) which is located in the entrance area of the park.

After the delicious food, I went for my bus which was only slightly late. What a fantastic day that was.

Is Plitvice Lakes Worth Visiting?

Visiting Plitvice Lakes whilst it is covered in snow is an incredible experience. When the big waterfall reveals itself, it is a real ‘WOW’ moment. The whole area is just so magical. Another advantage of visiting in the winter is there are few tourists, meaning you can take some great photos. I would love to return in the summer when it is at its greenest for a whole new experience. Whenever you visit Croatia, make sure Plitvice Lakes is on your itinerary.

For more information, visit https://www.plitvice-lakes.info/