How to Get to Plitvice Lakes from Zagreb, Zadar and Split
Plitvice Lakes National Park is inland, in the wooded hills between Zagreb and the Dalmatian coast. The Plitvice tourist board puts it 130 km from Zagreb (about 2 hours’ drive), 118 km from Zadar and 242 km from Split. No railway runs through the area, so you arrive by car, by coach, on a guided day tour with the park ticket included, or on a private transfer that stops at the lakes on the way between Zagreb and the coast.
The short version: from Zagreb or Zadar the public coach is quick enough for a day trip on your own. From Split it is a long day whichever way you go, which is why so many visitors from Split book a tour. This guide covers each route, the two entrances you can arrive at, parking and luggage, and the point at which a tour or a transfer becomes the simpler choice.
The ways in, side by side
| From Zagreb | From Zadar | From Split | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road distance (tourist board) | 130 km | 118 km | 242 km |
| FlixBus coach (its own estimate) | about 1 hour 50 minutes | about 1 hour 30 minutes | about 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Arriva coach (its own route) | about 2 hours 30 minutes | about 2 hours 50 minutes | about 5 hours 35 minutes |
| FlixBus departures | about 2 a day | about 3 a day | about 3 a day |
| Guided day tour on our tours page | 9–10 hours, adds Rastoke | 10 hours | 12 hours |
The coach times are the operators’ own figures for their own routes, and the two companies quote very different times from Split and Zadar, so check the duration of the specific departure you are looking at. Timetables also change through the year: the park says buses from Zagreb, Karlovac, Zadar and Split run frequently, especially in summer, which also means fewer of them in the quieter months.
First decide: Entrance 1 or Entrance 2
Before you look at a single timetable, decide which entrance you are going to. The bus stop you get off at, the car park you use and the ticket you buy all depend on it.
- Entrance 1 (Rastovača) is the north entrance. Programmes A, B, C and K1 start here, and the Great Waterfall, at the far end of the Lower Lakes, is right by this entrance.
- Entrance 2 (Hladovina) is the south entrance, next to Hotel Jezero. Programmes E, F, H and K2 start here, all of them including a boat ride across Kozjak, the largest of the lakes.
The two main entrances are about 3 km apart, and your ticket is valid only at the entrance you chose when you bought it. In 2024, 61% of visitors started at Entrance 1 and 39% at Entrance 2, and the Plitvice tourist board describes Entrance 2 as generally less crowded. If you have not chosen a route yet, our guide to tickets and routes sets out all eight programmes side by side.
For the journey itself, the useful detail is that coaches stop at both entrances. There are stops on both sides of the road at each: one for buses heading towards Zadar and one for buses heading towards Zagreb. Tell the driver which entrance you want when you board, because the two stops are a few minutes apart by road and a long walk apart on foot.
By coach from Zagreb
Zagreb is the easiest starting point if you do not have a car. Coaches leave from Zagreb bus station, which is about 2.5 km from the city centre: about 15 minutes by tram number 6, or a 25-minute walk.
FlixBus puts the journey at about 1 hour 50 minutes and about 85 miles, and lists about two departures a day on its own service. Arriva gives its own route as 136 km and about 2 hours 30 minutes, depending on traffic. Other companies run the same road: bus lines between inland Croatia and the coast use the road past the park.
The park recommends checking current departure times at its information offices or on the Zagreb bus station website, and that is the right place to look, because the station lists every carrier on the route rather than one company’s buses.
Making it a day trip from Zagreb
A same-day return from Zagreb works well, but it needs a little planning around the park’s timed tickets.
When you buy a ticket online you choose a date, an entrance and an hour of entry, and the number of tickets for each hour and each entrance is limited. You cannot go in before the time on your ticket, and you may be at most an hour late. So book an entry slot that starts comfortably after your coach’s scheduled arrival, not the minute it pulls in.
Then work backwards from the return. Find the last coach back to Zagreb from the stop on the Zagreb side of the road, add a margin, and choose a programme that fits the hours in between. The shortest programmes take 2 to 3 hours of walking; the ones that take in both the Upper and Lower Lakes take 4 to 6.
If you are moving on rather than returning, you do not have to carry your bags round the lakes: luggage can be left free of charge at Entrance 1, Entrance 2 and the Flora auxiliary entrance.
By coach from Zadar
Zadar is the closest coastal city by road, at 118 km on the tourist board’s figure.
FlixBus puts the journey at about 1 hour 30 minutes and about 82 miles, with about three departures a day on its service. Arriva gives its own Zadar route as 158 km and about 2 hours 50 minutes, depending on traffic. As with Zagreb, the times depend on the route and the stops each departure makes, so check the one you are booking.
Coming from Zadar you approach on the road that the park’s own directions describe as the D429, which comes in from the Zagreb and Zadar directions and passes both main entrances. Coaches heading inland stop on the Zagreb side of the road; coaches heading back to the coast stop on the Zadar side.
A day trip from Zadar is realistic in the same way as from Zagreb: an entry slot with a margin after your arrival, a programme that fits the time before the return coach, and a check of the last departure for your date.
By coach from Split
Split is the difficult one. The tourist board puts it 242 km from the lakes.
FlixBus estimates about 3 hours 30 minutes and about 166 miles, with about three departures a day on its service. Arriva gives its own Split route as 318 km and about 5 hours 35 minutes, and warns of heavier traffic in the season. Even on the faster coach, a return trip in a day means seven hours or more on the road for a visit whose shortest programmes take 2 to 3 hours on foot.
That is the case for the Split day tours. A guided tour from Split runs about 12 hours with a guide and the entry tickets included, taking in the trail between the Upper and Lower Lakes, the panoramic train and a boat ride. There is also a self-guided version of the same length: the bus from Split, then the boardwalks at your own pace, with free time at the falls, a boat ride and the park train.
If you would rather go independently from Split, the better plan is usually not to come back the same day. Stay a night near the park, or carry on to Zagreb or Zadar and treat Plitvice as a stop on the way.
Local buses, taxis and trains
Local buses. Likaline runs a local bus service across Lika-Senj County, including the Plitvice area. It is useful if you are staying in one of the villages around the park rather than right by an entrance.
Taxis. The Plitvice tourist board lists several local taxi firms, most of them based in the nearby town of Korenica.
Trains. There is no railway through the Plitvice Lakes municipality. The park points to Zagreb, Karlovac and Split as the nearest rail junctions, from which you continue by bus, car or taxi. In practice the train only helps if you are already travelling through one of those cities.
Driving to Plitvice
A car gives you the most freedom: you can be at the gate when it opens, choose your entry slot without worrying about a bus, and visit both entrances on the same day or over two days.
The routes
From Zagreb, the tourist board describes the main road as the D-1 through Karlovac and Slunj to Plitvička Jezera and on to Korenica. It puts the drive at about 2 hours for 130 km. The Croatian Encyclopaedia notes that the lakes are linked to inland Croatia via Karlovac, 86 km away.
From Zadar or Split, you can come up from the coast on the A1 motorway and leave it at Otočac. From there the D52 runs via Vrhovine to Korenica, and the park’s directions list it as the approach from the direction of Otočac. The Encyclopaedia puts Otočac 38 km from the lakes. Croatian motorways are toll roads, so have a card or cash ready for the A1.
Once you are close, the road that passes both entrances is the one the park’s directions call the D429. Entrance 1 and Entrance 2 both sit right beside it.
Parking
Both entrances have paid car parks for all types of vehicle. You pay as you leave, at the payment machines, so keep the ticket you take on the way in.
On the park’s 2026 price list a car costs:
| Period | Car parking |
|---|---|
| 1 March to 31 May | €1.50 an hour |
| 1 June to 30 September | €2 an hour |
| 1 October to 30 November | €1.50 an hour |
On the park’s hours page, checked on 3 October 2026, both car parks were open from 07:00 to 19:00. Hours change with the season, so check the page for your date before you go.
If you are driving to Entrance 1 and walking a circular programme, you come back to the same car. If you want to start at one entrance and finish at the other, remember that the entrances are about 3 km apart; the panoramic vehicles inside the park connect the stations along the lakes, and they are included in the ticket.
Charging an electric car
The park has 13 charging stations with 14 charging points for electric cars, at Entrance 1, Hotel Jezero and Borje Restaurant.
Day tours with the park ticket included
A guided day tour takes care of three things at once: the transport, the park ticket and the entry time. In summer the last of those matters, because tickets are sold for a specific date, entrance and hour, and are only sold at the gate if they are not already gone.
The main formats on our tours page:
- From Zagreb. A guided day of about 9–10 hours with the park ticket, the boat and train rides inside the park, and a stop at the watermill village of Rastoke.
- From Zadar. About 10 hours, with park entry, local guides, a boat cruise and a train ride through the forest, plus a guided walk in Zadar’s old town.
- From Split. About 12 hours, with a guide and entry tickets, the trail between the Upper and Lower Lakes, the panoramic train and a boat ride.
- Self-guided from Split. About 12 hours: the bus there and back is arranged, and you walk the boardwalks on your own.
What to check before you book:
- Is the park ticket included? On the 2026 price list an adult ticket costs €40 from June to September, so a tour without it is only cheaper on paper.
- How long do you actually get in the park? A 12-hour day from Split is mostly road. Compare the time at the lakes, not the length of the day.
- Which entrance and which programme? The Great Waterfall is by Entrance 1; the Upper Lakes are reached more directly from Entrance 2.
Private drivers and transfers with a Plitvice stop
The fourth way in is a private car with a driver. Transfer companies sell trips between Zagreb and Split, or Zagreb and Zadar, that stop at Plitvice for a few hours, and private drivers run day tours from all three cities.
This makes the most sense if you are moving between Zagreb and the coast anyway. The lakes sit on the inland road south towards Knin and Split that the tourist board describes, so a stop costs you far less time than a separate day trip. You can leave your luggage free of charge at the entrances while you walk.
Before you book a private transfer, check:
- Whether the park ticket is included, and if not, buy a timed ticket yourself for the hour you expect to arrive, at the entrance the driver will use.
- How long the stop is. The shorter programmes take 2 to 3 hours; anything that covers both lake systems takes 4 to 6.
- Where the driver will collect you. If you start at one entrance and finish at the other, the pick-up point should be where you come out.
Staying near the park
Staying a night removes the timing problem entirely, and the Plitvice tourist board suggests that the lakes are worth two days rather than one rushed visit.
- Hotel Jezero is next to Entrance 2. In the colder part of the year it is the only accommodation the park keeps open.
- The Korana and Borje campsites have an organised bus to the park entrance and back.
- The free second day. 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 after extending the ticket at reception.
Beyond the park’s own hotels, there are rooms in the villages around the lakes and in Korenica, and Likaline’s local buses connect much of the area.
Which option suits you
- You are based in Zagreb or Zadar and do not want a tour: take the coach, and book an entry slot with a margin after your arrival.
- You are based in Split and have one day: a tour from Split is the realistic choice.
- You are travelling between Zagreb and the coast anyway: a transfer with a Plitvice stop, or your own car, turns the lakes into part of the journey.
- You want the lakes at their quietest: stay nearby and be at the gate for an early slot.
Frequently asked questions
Can you visit Plitvice Lakes as a day trip from Zagreb?
Yes. FlixBus puts the coach at about 1 hour 50 minutes and Arriva’s route at about 2 hours 30 minutes. Book an entry slot with a margin after your arrival, check the last coach back for your date, and choose a programme that fits the time in between. Guided day tours from Zagreb run about 9–10 hours.
How do I get from Split to Plitvice Lakes without a car?
By coach (FlixBus estimates about 3 hours 30 minutes, Arriva’s route about 5 hours 35 minutes) or on a day tour of about 12 hours. Because of the distance, a tour or an overnight stay near the park is usually easier than a same-day return by coach.
Which bus stop should I get off at?
There are stops at both Entrance 1 and Entrance 2, on both sides of the road. Get off at the entrance printed on your ticket, because a ticket is valid only at the entrance chosen when you bought it.
How much is parking at Plitvice Lakes?
On the park’s 2026 price list a car costs €2 an hour from June to September and €1.50 an hour in spring and autumn. You pay when you leave, at the payment machines.
Can I leave my luggage at the park?
Yes. Luggage can be left free of charge at Entrance 1, Entrance 2 and the Flora auxiliary entrance, which makes a stop between Zagreb and the coast easy.
Is there a train to Plitvice Lakes?
No. No railway runs through the Plitvice Lakes municipality; the nearest rail junctions are Zagreb, Karlovac and Split, from which you continue by bus, car or taxi.