Trips & tickets
A guided day from Zagreb with park entry, the boat and train rides inside the park, and the watermill village of Rastoke.
A long day from Split with a guide and entry tickets: the trail between the upper and lower lakes, the panoramic train and a boat tour.
Park entry and local guides from Zadar, a panoramic boat cruise and a train ride through the forest, plus a guided walk in Zadar's old town.
The full GetYourGuide listing for Plitvice Lakes — guided day trips from Zagreb, Split and Zadar, self-guided trips, guided walks at the park and private trips, with live prices.
Plitvice is reached in several different ways, sold by different operators: the park's own timed ticket, bought direct by people who drive or take the coach from Zagreb, Zadar or Split; guided coach day tours from those three cities with the ticket included; self-guided day trips from Split with the bus arranged; guided walks that meet you at the park; and private drivers and transfers between Zagreb and the coast that stop at the lakes on the way.
Which one is right depends on where you are staying, how long you can spend at the lakes, and whether you want someone else to handle the time slot. These pages compare them plainly.
Plan it properly
Coach, car, day tour or transfer to Plitvice Lakes from Zagreb, Zadar and Split: journey times, which entrance to get off at, parking and when a tour is simpler.
Plitvice Lakes ticket prices for 2026 by season, how the timed entry slots work, Entrance 1 or 2, and the eight routes from A to K2 with their times and lengths.
When to visit Plitvice Lakes: crowds by month, 2026 ticket prices by season, opening hours, what is open in winter, and the park rules, including the swimming ban.
The lakes
Photographs licensed from Shutterstock.
On the park's 2026 price list an adult day ticket costs €40 from June to September (€25 after 4 p.m. from June to August and after 3 p.m. in September), €23 in April, May and October, and €10 from November to March. Children under 7 go free; our tickets and routes guide has the full table.
Yes. Tickets are sold for a date, an entrance and an hour, and the number for each hour and entrance is limited. You can't enter before your time and may be at most an hour late, and tickets are sold at the gate only if any are left.
The lakes are about 130 km from Zagreb, roughly 2 hours by car. Coaches from Zagreb bus station take about 1 hour 50 minutes on FlixBus's estimate and stop at both entrances; our guide to getting there covers every option.
Yes, but it is a long day: the lakes are 242 km from Split. FlixBus estimates about 3 hours 30 minutes each way by coach, and guided tours from Split run about 12 hours.