Bus Station Plitvice Lakes

How to get to the Plitvice Lakes bus station?

No matter from where you arrive at Plitvice Lakes National Park it's important to know, as well as weather condition, that you won't find ordinary bus station there. Plitvice Lakes don't have a classical bus station. Instead of that they have two bus stations, or in other words stops. Yes, two stops. Each stop is related to different entrance in the NP. So Entry 1 - Rastovaca is a northern entrance, and Entry 2 - Hladovina is on the South side of the NP.

Considering that for you it's important to know on which of these you want to get in the park Plitvice, inform yourself in advance of knowing which one you're hunting. This will depend mostly on the booked accommodation, or on, of course, the route you're planning to take. Have in mind that there are half day (3-4 h) and full-day routes (5-6 h).

Each entry is linked to four potential routes, or in other words walks. Before visiting the park we suggest you to study them so you can decide which one suits you the best. Also, it's good to know that there is one extra entrance - Flora. Most time of the year Flora is open for its visitors.

In case of NP Plitvice Lakes all content that is usually located at the bus station, can be found within the national park. For example: restaurants, coffee bars, shops and souvenirs. Prepare yourself for much higher prices than can be found in the rest of Croatia. Okay, okay… except Dubrovnik and its Old Town. Need a wardrobe? No problem. It is located near the entrance to the park itself so it's best for you to ask one of the employees for the directions.

Despite the obvious absence of the regular bus station, buses driving from Plitvice to other places are modernly equipped. According to that they have: functional air condition, TVs, lights and speakers above the adjustable seats, luggage space and WiFi. To be completely honest, in the functionality of the last, if we don't have to, we wouldn't bet.

How much time you'll spend on travel, will depend on your starting point. For example, Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, and Plitvice share approximately 130.02 km and it takes buses 2 to 2 and a half hours from one point to another. Return trip? Same road. Same time.

In any case, the quality of the equipment of the bus guarantees the comfort and safety of driving, so as the arrival at the bus station in Zagreb guarantees travelers a lot of quality content and services.

NP Plitvice Lakes

It was long ago when Plitvice Lakes were proclaimed a national park. To be more precise, it happened in 1949 and today, decades after that important event, Plitvice Lakes have more and more domestic and foreign visitors each season. Added to that, it was 1979 when NP Plitvice Lakes joined the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Guides are not necessary, but surely they will make your tour more complete simply because of the multitude of information they have about the park and its flora and fauna. It's cheaper to hire them if you're traveling in a group, so if you're going solo, this will be a bit out of hand.

What are the Plitvice Lakes at all? Areas of beautiful nature? Sure. Apart from that, it is an area of ​​16 lakes. They slope one to another, and are divided into Upper and Lower lakes. Upper are: Proscansko jezero, Ciginovac, Okrug, Batinovac, Veliko jezero, Small lake, Vir, Galovac, Milino lake, Gradinsko jezero, Veliki Burget and Kozjak. Furthermore, there are only four Lower Lakes and those are: Milanovac, Gavanovac, Kaluđerovac and Novakovic Brod.

In the wilderness and gorgeousness of NP Plitvice Lakes you may be able to convince yourself first by the virtual walk through the park. You have access to it on the park's website. Take your time and visit Plitvice from the comfort of your own home, and you'll find yourself quickly packing your stuff and getting ready to go.

For information, there's a legend that says the Plitvice Lakes were created after long-lasting droughts in the period when all the life in the area had longed for water. People, animals and plants. They all wanted water. Already a bit desperate, people have been praying for rain for days.

Eventually, the Black Queen appeared, and with the strong wind and thunder finally brought rain to desperate residents. It was raining heavily for days and as a result of that now we have 16 beautiful lakes called together Plitvice Lakes. Walking around Plitvice you'll probably ask yourself why it took you so long to come to visit this magical place. Don't worry, we all ask ourselves the same question.

For fans of history it might be intriguing that in the area of ​​NP there were prehistoric settlements, and in the locality of Gradina was confirmed finding the former fort of the Illyrian tribe Japodi.

Furthermore, these cattlemen passed through that area for years, and in 1896 there was the first hotel built in the area of National Park Plitvice Lakes, which had the capacity to receive 200 guests. During the Homeland War the area was occupied, buildings, hotels and houses devastated, and the people were expelled.

If you choose to visit the park accompanied by guides, be sure to ask them about the historical development of the area and the surroundings of National Park Plitvice Lakes. Some of the guests could find the historical aspect equally interesting as natural beauties, water surfaces and waterfalls, and a rich plant and animal world.

Where to stay?

To extend your Plitvice visit you have several options for accommodation: Hotel Bellevue, Hotel Grabovac, Hotel Jezero, Hotel Plitvice, Borje campsite and Koran Autokamp. For more information on each of these accommodation facilities, please visit the official website of Plitvice Lakes National Park, or the pages of the mentioned hotels and camping sites. Plus, it's good to mention that the accommodation prices are just like the tickets for entering the NP and that they're depending on the season during which you travel.

During July and August you can expect higher prices not only in the form of tickets but also in the accommodation aspect. Furthermore, there are available accommodation capacities for increased demand these months and are more expensive.

If you need a parking lot in Plitvice Lakes it's worth knowing that the price of the car is 7 kuna / 0.95 EUR per 1 hour of parking service. Motorcycles are parked free of charge, while the car with trailer, camper and bus costs 70 kunas / 9.45 EUR per day.

At the end of the day relax yourself in one of the restaurants or cafes in NP. Choose among: buffets - Kupaliste, Labudovac, Slap; restaurants: The Poljana, the Borje and Licka house or the coffee bars: Flora and Rapajinka.

Where to go next?

When you get tired of Plitvice the possibilities are practically unlimited. You'll be able to get in the bus and explore other parts of the country, including 7 national parks and 11 nature parks. If you want even more, you can always choose to visit the islands or the hills that Croatia hides. Also, Zagreb, the Croatian capital's waiting for you if you haven't visited it before. Zagreb, besides a new dose of beautiful nature on Medvednica or for example Maksimir, has to offer its old town core in the form of sightseeing of the Upper and Lower Town, and its squares and various historical and cultural buildings. Once you get tired of Zagreb, you can easily visit its surroundings. For example, Samobor - a town of rich tradition and interesting events.

One more option is Split. The second-largest city in Croatia, Split is the absolute center of its county and an unavoidable point on the Adriatic. Split is also the center of events during the summer months. Consequently, Split hosts numerous concerts and festivals, such as Ultra Europe and Croatia Music Week.

The Croatian beauty, Dubrovnik, is a jewel of the coast and one of the most popular destinations. Obviously, when we talk about higher popularity you can count on higher prices too. You should definitely have that in mind when planning your trip.

Rijeka is the best known port in Croatia. Yet, it is so much more: a popular youth gathering place, a music pearl and a city whose streets are best to talk about themselves.

Bus stations in major cities in the Republic of Croatia, such as Zagreb Bus Station and Split Bus Station, include all kind of services so you don't have to worry about the hunger, the opportunity to change your money and so on.

In addition to these locations, Croatia, besides Zagreb, offers the beauty of Slavonia. So, why not visit Pozega and enjoy walk around the old mountain located nearby? It consists of: Psunj, Papuk, Krndija, Dilj and Pozeska Gora. Here the traffic is mostly running neatly. The only exceptions are weather disasters and unexpected crowds due to road stoppages.

Finally, there're some other interesting locations in the Republic of Croatia to travel to, for example: Makarska, Opatija, Osijek, Porec, Pula, Rovinj, Slavonski Brod, Sibenik, Umag, Varazdin, Vinkovci and Vodice.

Plitvice Lakes-Zadar and Plitvice Lakes-Trogir are two examples of popular routes from Plitvice. Furthermore, if there is a classic station in one of these places, the bus station is mostly located near the center of the city.

In general, here are some interesting travel destinations outside of Croatia: Vienna, Budapest, Ljubljana, Prague and Trieste. There are many bus lines that run daily from major cities of the Republic of Croatia for those cities. The departures are arranged in such a way that all periods are covered throughout the day, and between them is only a few hundred kilometers.

Though outside the country, they are not a demanding route for experienced buses drivers. Plus that, breaks during the travel time will provide drivers and passengers with the time to refresh. In addition, along with Vollo, it was never easier to get information about the lines, plan your travel and start your journey. Make sure your passport or ID is in your pocket so take a quick check and take the bus!