If you’re thinking about visiting Croatia, chances are Plitvice National Park is on your radar (as it should be!) Before you go, here are some helpful tips and suggestions that will make your visit much more pleasant.

I’ll admit, seeing photos from friends and others who’ve visited Plitvice may have been one of the reasons why Croatia was at the top of my travel bucket list. I mean, how can you resist that stunning blue water and cascading waterfalls?

There was no doubt in my mind that we had to visit this magical place, located in the Croatia’s interior not far from the Bosnian border.

We planned to spend half a day in this beautiful national park in the middle of our trip; if you wanted to hike around a bit more you could certainly plan on a full day, though I think any more than that is probably overkill (the area itself is beautiful but there’s not much else to see or do nearby).

Many people visit Plitvice as a day trip, but we opted to stay nearby the night before, mainly so we could wake up first thing in the morning and be at the park right when it opened at 8am (7am in the peak summer season). We rented a car on our way out of Split, and from there made our way 2 1/2 hours inland (stopping for a bit to explore Zadar on the way) to Plitvice. The drive itself was beautiful, and the roads were well maintained and we had no issues with navigation. I highly recommend renting a car, just so you can travel on your own schedule.

We were prepared for cold weather, having seen snow in the forecast just a few days prior. We really lucked out, however, as while the day started out quite chilly, it became an absolutely perfect day with sunshine and blue skies dotted with fluffy white clouds. Even if every other day of our trip was rainy, this one perfect day more than made up for it, and was easily the highlight of our trip.

If you’re going to visit Croatia, you simply have to visit Plitvice—it’s by far one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.

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