Plitvice lakes with kids: all the info for families!
Visiting the Plitvice Lakes with kids while touring Croatia is definitely a good idea! It is Croatia’s tourist attraction and you can’t ignore these lakes when exploring the country with your family. Also from the capital Zagreb and from the tourist area of Istria, it is possible to visit the lakes in a long day trip. We were impressed by the beautiful lakes and waterfalls in this nature reserve. Following our visit, we list all the information about these lakes for families in this blog.
Plitvice lakes with kids: how to get there?
You can visit the Plitvice Lakes with kids from several cities. The lakes are located fairly centrally in Croatia and therefore you can easily visit these lakes in a day trip if you are not on a tour of Croatia. Personally, during our tour of Croatia, we mapped out a beautiful route from the south of the country to the north and practically passed the waterfalls.
If you are on a city break in cities like Zagreb or Split then a day trip to the lakes is perfectly possible. From the capital Zagreb, it is just under two hours by car from the city center to the lakes. From Split, it is just under 2.5 hours travel time from the city center to the lakes.
Tours to visit the lakes are also offered from the tourist area of Istria , and of course you can also visit the lakes by car from this area itself. You should keep in mind that this will take you over three hours for a one-way trip. With kids it does become a very long day trip and then of course an option is to stay overnight near the lakes and drive back the next day at leisure.
Plitvice lakes with kids: general information
Plitvice lakes are so popular that for several years a maximum of 10,000 visitors per day have been allowed into the park. Tourists can reserve tickets to the national park in advance online. So you can’t buy a ticket to the national park on the spot these days.
These tickets must be ordered at least 48 hours in advance and you will be mailed a voucher to your email address. You print this voucher and then you can exchange this voucher for tickets at the park. Ticket prices, by the way, vary from season to season. Thus, they distinguish between the low season and the high season.
If you want an overview of the park with its lakes, it’s helpful to download the park’s app on your phone so you have a map of the area. Keep in mind that sometimes you’re climbing quite a bit, so walking a mile in this park is different from walking a mile at home. Make sure the kids do have regular shoes on instead of flip-flops. Hiking boots really don’t need to be purchased just for hiking here.
When we visited, we could still swim in the lakes, but unfortunately that is forbidden nowadays. However, you can of course just cool off at the lake if you visit the Plitvice Lakes with kids.
Plitvice lakes with kids: Sightseeing
What can you see during a visit to the Plitvice Lakes with kids. The biggest attractions here are the various beautiful colored lakes and waterfalls. Among the various lakes, we distinguish between upper and lower lakes.
The Upper lakes (upper lakes) consist of about 12 different lakes and some of these lakes are as much as half a kilometer long. The Lower Lakes (lower lakes) consist of four different lakes and are located in a limestone gorge. You walk along and across these lakes using wooden jetties. Of course, with young children, be careful that your kids don’t fall into the water.
Regarding the waterfalls, the most famous waterfall of the park is the Veliki Slap waterfall which is 78 meters high. This waterfall is visited by most tourists in the park. The largest lake in Plitvice is Lake Kozjak and you can take a trip on the lake by boat here.
Plitvice lakes with kids: visiting the park
If you are going to visit the Plitvice Lakes with kids, you have several options for doing so. For example, you have several hiking trails and it is also possible to go boating. Plitvice has two different entrances where you can enter the park. There are all sorts of theories as to what would be better, but if you visit the lakes in the summer, you can assume it will be crowded anyway, no matter which entrance you enter.
The only advice then would be to visit the lakes with your kids as early in the day as possible, so it’s not so hot yet. At entrance 1 you have the lower lakes and the Veliki Slap waterfall and at entrance 2 you have the upper lakes. Of course, you can take a route through the entire park from either entrance, seeing everything.
From all two entrances, you have four different routes you can take. These are lettered and clearly marked in the park. Here you can choose to walk everything yourself or use the little train and boat along the way.
These are the routes for entrance 1:
Route A: On this route you will see the Veliki Slap waterfall and the lower lakes and this route is about a three-kilometer hike. Expect to spend about three hours with this route.
Route B: with this route you actually extend route A with a boat ride on the lake and a train ride and you cover about five kilometers here.
Route C: in this route you see the entire park and also use the boat and train. Expect to need more than half a day to see the entire park with your kids. If you want to see many of the Plitvice Lakes with kids, this is definitely a fun family itinerary!
Route K: this is the most unsuitable route for kids, as you will explore the entire park on foot and that you will have to walk more than eighteen kilometers in total.
These are the routes for entrance 2:
Route E: in this route you visit only the upper lakes and take a boat ride and a train ride here. In total, you cover about 5 kilometers in the park.
Route F: see route B. Only your starting point is somewhere else.
Route H: see route C. Only your starting point is somewhere else.
Route K: this is the same route as at entrance 1, which means it is the full walking route of more than 18 kilometers throughout the park.
Plitvice lakes with kids: Food and drink
Despite being so popular among tourists and the park being crowded, the facilities are minimal. Of course, there are several points where you can go to the restroom and get something to eat and drink, but this is minimal. You have plenty of picnic benches in the park, so make sure you already bring enough food and drink for your family.
Plitvice lakes with kids: Waterfalls of Rastoke
If you are looking for a slightly less touristy option to the Plitvice Lakes, the waterfalls of Rastoke are a great option to visit. These waterfalls are about a 25-minute drive from the Plitvice Lakes and admission is largely free. There is a section where you do have to pay, but this is only a small amount. At this paid section, you do have nice views of the falls at several points. So in that respect, this option is also a lot cheaper.
Near the falls is also a village with several mills. You can also visit these waterfalls if you are going to visit the Plitvice Lakes from Zagreb and want to make a stop along the way with your kids. In fact, these waterfalls are then on the route.
Plitvice lakes with kids: where to stay?
Of course, it is also possible not to go to the Plitvice Lakes for one day with kids, but spread it out over two days. You can then visit the lakes of Plitvice one day and the waterfalls of Rastoke the next. Near the lakes, you have several nice hotels in different price ranges for families with kids.
Budget hotel: 16 Lakes Hotel
Mid-range hotel: Hotel Palcich
Luxury hotel: Lakeside Hotel Plitvice
For a list of all accommodations near the Plitvice Lakes, take a look here.
