Plitvice Lakes Tickets 2026: Prices, Time Slots, Entrances and Routes
A ticket to Plitvice Lakes is priced by season and sold for a specific date, entrance and hour. On the park’s 2026 price list an adult day ticket costs €10 from January to March and in November and December, €23 in April, May and October, and €40 from June to September. In summer the price drops to €25 for late entry: after 4 p.m. from June to August, and after 3 p.m. in September.
The ticket includes the electric boat across Kozjak and the panoramic vehicles that link the stations along the lakes. What it does not do is choose your walk for you. Once you are in, you follow one of eight marked programmes, four from each entrance, which run from 2 hours to a full day. This guide covers the prices, how the time slots work, which entrance to pick and what each programme actually involves.
Ticket prices for 2026
These are the park’s own prices for 2026, per person, for a one-day ticket.
| Visitor | 1 Jan–31 Mar and 1 Nov–31 Dec | 1 Apr–31 May and 1–31 Oct | 1 Jun–30 Sep, price A | 1 Jun–30 Sep, price B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | €10 | €23 | €40 | €25 |
| Student | €6 | €14 | €25 | €15 |
| Child aged 7 to 18 | €4 | €6 | €15 | €9 |
| Child under 7 | free | free | free | free |
The park reserves the right to change its prices, so check the current price list before you buy, especially for a future season.
The summer afternoon price
The cheapest way to see Plitvice in summer is to arrive late. From 1 June to 31 August, price A applies until 4 p.m. and price B after 4 p.m.; from 1 to 30 September the change comes an hour earlier, at 3 p.m. For an adult that means €25 instead of €40.
Late entry suits two kinds of visitor: people staying near the park who can walk a shorter programme in the late afternoon, and people on a second day who have already seen one half of the lakes. It does not suit anyone arriving by coach from the coast, who needs the morning and the middle of the day.
Check the closing times for your date before you rely on it. The hours change with the season, and the boats run to their own timetable: on the October timetable the long boat route finished at 17:00, while the entrances stayed open until 18:00.
Two-day tickets and overnight stays
A two-day ticket is valid on two consecutive days, starting from the date of sale, and on the 2026 list it costs an adult €15, €39 or €60 depending on the season. In summer that is cheaper than two separate day tickets, and it gives you time to walk the Lower Lakes on one day and the Upper Lakes on the next. Check which entrance the ticket is issued for when you buy it.
Staying in one of the park’s own places works out cheaper still. Guests of Hotel Jezero and the Korana and Borje campsites buy a ticket for the first day only, then enter free on each following day of their stay. You extend the ticket at the reception before you set off. If you decide to stay longer at Hotel Jezero, a one-day ticket can also be extended at the hotel.
Free entry and discounts
- Children up to the age of 7 enter free, as do people with impaired mobility or a disability of over 50%, and their personal assistants. These tickets do not need to be bought or booked; you collect a free ticket at the cash desk by showing a valid card.
- Students pay the reduced rate with a valid student ID, and the park accepts student cards from any university.
- Groups of at least 15 people get a group price, but must announce their visit to the park’s sales department no later than 2 days before arrival.
What the ticket includes
The park lists what the price covers:
- the electric boat and the panoramic train, within the programme you choose
- visitor insurance and VAT
- use of the toilets at every stopping station
- 22 km of trails through the lake system
- 36 km of hiking trails
Rides on the boats and the panoramic vehicles are not an extra charge. Things you pay for separately include the rowing boats on Kozjak, food and drink.
How the timed ticket works
This is the part that catches people out. A Plitvice ticket is not a day pass you can use at any hour.
You choose three things when you buy. In the park’s webshop you pick the date, the entrance and the time at which you want to enter, then choose a one-day or two-day ticket. The number of tickets for each hour and each entrance is limited.
The ticket is tied to that entrance and that hour. It is valid only at the entrance you chose, and only within the time period you bought. You cannot go in before the time on your ticket, and you may be at most an hour late.
Paying. The webshop takes credit and debit cards only. You keep the ticket on your phone or print it.
Buying at the gate. Unless they are sold out, tickets are also sold at the entrances: at the desks at Entrance 1, Entrance 2 and the Flora auxiliary entrance near Entrance 2, where you can pay in cash or by card, and at new ticket machines at Entrance 1 and Entrance 2. The park warns that buying on site can take longer in peak season because of the number of visitors, and it encourages everyone to buy in advance.
Cash. The exchange offices at both entrances are closed, so bring euros or a card.
Changes, refunds and bad weather
Under the park’s terms of sale, a ticket that is not used within its validity is not refunded. When you buy, the webshop offers an optional date-change or cancellation service, which lets you cancel up to 24 hours before your entry time for a full refund. If the park itself closes because of extreme weather, tickets are refunded in full. Terms can change, so read them at the point of sale.
Entrance 1 or Entrance 2
Plitvice has two main entrances, about 3 km apart, and the ticket commits you to one of them.
| Entrance 1 (Rastovača) | Entrance 2 (Hladovina) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | The north entrance | The south entrance |
| Programmes | A, B, C and K1 | E, F, H and K2 |
| Nearby | The Great Waterfall and the Lower Lakes canyon | Hotel Jezero and the boat across Kozjak |
| Share of visitors in 2024 | 61% | 39% |
The Plitvice tourist board describes Entrance 2 as generally less crowded, and the park’s 2024 figures agree: fewer than four in ten visitors started there.
The choice comes down to what you want to see first. Entrance 1 puts the Great Waterfall and the deep canyon of the Lower Lakes at the start of your walk. Entrance 2 puts you on the boat across Kozjak and into the Upper Lakes, the larger lakes on dolomite with gentler, wooded shores. On the longer programmes you see both halves whichever entrance you choose.
The eight programmes compared
The park marks four routes from Entrance 1 in green and four from Entrance 2 in orange on its information panels. Each is circular, so you finish where you started.
| Programme | Starts at | Time | Length | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Entrance 1 | 2 to 3 hours | 3,500 m | The Great Waterfall and the Lower Lakes |
| B | Entrance 1 | 3 to 4 hours | 4,000 m | The Lower Lakes, plus the boat and the panoramic vehicle |
| C | Entrance 1 | 4 to 5 hours | 8,000 m | The Lower and Upper Lakes, back mostly by panoramic vehicle |
| E | Entrance 2 | 2 to 3 hours | 5,100 m | The Upper Lakes, with a boat out and the train back |
| F | Entrance 2 | 3 to 4 hours | 4,600 m | Boat across Kozjak, then the Lower Lakes to the Great Waterfall |
| H | Entrance 2 | 4 to 6 hours | 8,900 m | The whole lake area |
| K1 | Entrance 1 | 6 to 8 hours | 16,500 m | A long walk round most of the lake zone |
| K2 | Entrance 2 | 6 to 8 hours | 17,500 m | The same long walk from the south entrance |
Short on time: A, B and F
The park describes A, B and F as Lower Lakes programmes that suit visitors with limited time or anyone who wants an easier walk.
Programme A is the classic short circuit from the north entrance: past the Great Waterfall, the largest fall of the Plitvice Lakes and in Croatia, upstream through the canyon of the Lower Lakes, and back along the top of the east side.
Programme B covers the same canyon and adds an electric-boat ride across Kozjak, the largest of the Plitvice lakes, and a ride on the panoramic vehicle.
Programme F does the Lower Lakes from the other end. You start at the south entrance, cross Kozjak by boat, walk down the canyon to the Great Waterfall, then climb a steep zigzag path to viewpoints on the east side before taking the panoramic vehicle back.
The Upper Lakes: E
Programme E starts at Entrance 2 with a short boat ride across Kozjak, then walks upstream through the Upper Lakes to Lake Prošćansko, and the panoramic train brings you back. It is the shortest way to see the larger, forested lakes, and at 2 to 3 hours it pairs well with programme A on a two-day visit.
Both halves in one day: C and H
Programme C from Entrance 1 and programme H from Entrance 2 take in both the Upper and the Lower Lakes, combining walks, the boat and the panoramic vehicle. The park notes that they take longer and need a higher level of fitness, but they are the way to see the whole lake system in a single visit. H is the one the park describes as covering the entire lake area.
Full-day walks: K1 and K2
The K programmes are for people who want to walk rather than ride. They cover a large part of the lake zone on foot, including the Prštavci waterfalls of the Upper Lakes and the Tomićevo Pogledalo viewpoint, with only a short boat crossing. K1 starts at Entrance 1 and K2 at Entrance 2.
The electric boat on Kozjak
The boats run on Kozjak, the largest lake, between three docks: P1, P2 and P3. On the park’s hours page, checked on 3 October 2026:
- the short route (P1–P2) ran from 07:00 to 18:00, as needed
- the long route (P2–P3) ran every 30 minutes from 08:00 to 16:30, and back (P3–P2) from 08:30 to 17:00
Hours change with the season and boats can be stopped in bad weather, so check the page for your date.
The panoramic vehicles
The panoramic vehicles, which the park also calls the panoramic train, run between stations St1, St2 and St3. On the same October timetable:
| Section | Hours (3 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| St2 to St1 | 08:00–17:45, every 30 minutes |
| St1 to St2 | 08:15–18:00, every 30 minutes |
| St2 to St3 | 07:30–17:00, every 30 minutes |
| St3 to St2 | 08:00–17:30, every 30 minutes |
Timing matters on the longer programmes: on the October timetable the last run from St3 back to St2 was at 17:30. If your route ends with a ride on the panoramic vehicle, plan to be at the station in time.
Rowing boats
Rowing is allowed on Kozjak. Boats can be hired at the P1 dock every day; each takes 4 people and costs €15 an hour, between 10:00 and 15:00. This is separate from the ticket.
Hiking trails beyond the lakes
The ticket also covers the park’s hiking trails, of which the park lists four. They lead into the forest that covers most of the park, away from the boardwalks.
- Čorkova Uvala trail, 21 km, from Labudovac.
- Plitvica trail, 9 km, also from Labudovac, following the Plitvica stream down to the Great Fall.
- The Medveđak trails, which start at the Hladovina car park by Entrance 2 and climb the wooded ridge above the lakes.
These are proper walks on forest paths, not boardwalks. Start early, carry water, and check that the panoramic vehicles are still running if you plan to ride back.
Do you need a guide?
No. The park says a guide is not required: you follow the markings for your chosen programme on your own.
The park’s own guides work only with organised groups of at least 15 people, in Croatian, English, Italian and Spanish. On the 2026 price list a guide for a group costs €120 for a half-day tour of up to 4 hours, covering the Upper or the Lower Lakes, and €170 for a full-day tour of 5 to 6 hours covering both.
If you are travelling on your own or as a couple and want a guide, look at the guided walks on our tours page. One meets you at the park for a 4-hour walk through the Lower and Upper Lakes with your ticket reserved, a train or shuttle transfer and a 15-minute boat ride. Another enters at opening time with a licensed local guide, for a 4-hour walk to the Big Waterfall before most visitors arrive. For getting to the park in the first place, see our guide to getting there.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a ticket to Plitvice Lakes in 2026?
On the park’s 2026 price list an adult day ticket costs €10 from January to March and in November and December, €23 in April, May and October, and €40 from June to September. After 4 p.m. from June to August, and after 3 p.m. in September, it costs €25. Children under 7 enter free.
Are the boat and the panoramic train included?
Yes. The electric boat and the panoramic train are included in the ticket price, within the programme you choose.
Can I buy a ticket at the entrance?
Yes, unless they are sold out. There are desks at Entrance 1, Entrance 2 and the Flora entrance, and ticket machines at both main entrances. In summer, buying online in advance is safer, because each hour and each entrance has a limited number of tickets.
What happens if I arrive late for my time slot?
You may be at most an hour late. You cannot enter before the time on your ticket.
Which route should I choose for a first visit?
With 2 to 4 hours, programme A or B from Entrance 1 covers the Great Waterfall and the Lower Lakes. With a full day, programme C or H covers both the Upper and Lower Lakes.
Can I use my ticket at either entrance?
No. A ticket is valid only at the entrance you chose when you bought it, so check it before you set off.