Plitvice Lakes is the most famous national park in Croatia, and for good reason. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  Even while flooded with tourists (mostly European) and tour groups, it is a breathtaking experience.

Getting there, however, was not as fun.  We woke up early for our 8:30 bus ride to the park (4.5 hours).  Bus seems to be the preferred mode of transit in Croatia.  It is affordable and relatively easy to do.  Just make sure to look up the schedules while doing your planning, and go to the bathroom before leaving and at any rest stops.

Bryon sleeping during the long bus ride to Plitvice

We arrived at Plitvice around 1 and checked into Hotel Bellevue.  If you are not driving then definitely stay at one of the 3 hotels in the park (Hotels Bellevue, Plitvice, or Jezero) since they are close to the bus station and very handy for visiting the park.

After a short rest we headed out to hike the park.  Per Rick’s suggestion, we started with the lower lakes.  The most stunning scenery is here, but it was completely full of tour groups so there was a lot of waiting and jockeying for position.  The water is the most incredible blue color I’ve ever seen.

Plitvice Lakes lower lake

Fish in the lakes

After the lower lake route, we took the ferry to the upper lake.  It was a lovely, peaceful ride.  By the time we got to the upper lakes there were many fewer people around so it was a much more serene experience.  As a result, we decided to take the ferry back to the lower lakes and see it again with fewer people around.  It was a different experience.

Plitvice Lakes Upper lake

After our hike we went back to the hotel to clean off and rest a bit.  We had a nice dinner at Hotel Plitvice, picked up our packed lunch (they will pack a lunch for you if you leave to early to have breakfast), and went to bed early so we could catch our 6:45 bus to Zagreb.