Best Way To Take Photos at Plitvice National Park

Plitvice National Park, Croatia’s most well-known park, is also known as the Sixteen Lakes. There is indeed 16 lakes there, all on elevated ground, which means there are a number of waterfalls as well. It is situated between Split and Dubrovnik, so if you are a backpacker like me, it is a great destination to stop as you travel between the two cities. I recommend you to stay at Hotel Bellevue, it’s located right at the second parking lot, a 2 minute walk to the entrance. They offer cheaper accommodation than the other hotels, around 68 euros a night for two people.

This is the 2nd destination of my backpacking trip: Split -> Plitvice (Sixteen Lakes) -> Korcula Town-> Dubrovnik

Admission tickets for the national park is free, but there is a small fee, 55 kunas (8.61 USD), to take the train and ferry. It is recommended you purchase the ticket and Hotel Bellevue (if you stay there) will upgrade your ticket so the second day is free. If you are the traveller and would like to hike the park on foot, then by all means save money.

Getting to Plitvice Lakes from Split by  Bus Croatia

Best way is by bus. It is around a three hour ride from Split. There are only a limited number of buses from Split to Plitvice so it is recommended searching up the bus schedule ahead of time to know when to be at the bus station. Do not make Plitvice Lakes a day trip from Split. Tickets cost around 140-150 kunas (22-25 USD).

Top Tips For Best Photos

1. Spend at least 3 days and 2 nights there. I only spent 2 days and 1 night and it wasn’t enough. Some days were a bit cloudy and I couldn’t get the photos I wanted. Also, the park is so huge, I missed out on the must-go to places for shots.
2. Sunlight is most important if you are looking to take those turquoise lake shots.
3. Take all the higher-ground photos at midday when the sun is right above you. Or else if you take a photo around 4pm, you will end up with this:

Best Photos From My Trip

Regarding food: There aren’t a lot of stops for food in the national park so it is recommended you bring a sack lunch to nibble on. We had dinner at one of the touristy dinner halls at the entrance of the park. It wasn’t the best food, but we didn’t have much choice. The souvenir shops are great and there is a wide collection of postcards you can buy and send FROM the national park itself. The train is located near the entrance and it takes you directly to where the lakes are– if you don’t want to take it, then you can hike over. The ferry is found in the middle of the park, you need to take it to cross the lake.

 

You can find waterfalls everywhere you walk. Please wear the correct shoes, there are some pathways where you will find your shoes 1/2 immersed in water.

 

Do you have any experiences in Plitvice, Croatia you want to share? Comment below!