Plitvice Lakes: the Great Waterfall and the Lower Lakes

From the car park at Entrance 1, pass the ticket office and zigzag down the side of the canyon to the boardwalks below the Sastavci falls. A short spur leads to the foot of the Great Waterfall, Veliki slap, the largest fall at Plitvice and in Croatia. Back at the boardwalks, the path follows the Lower Lakes upstream on wooden walkways laid over the tufa barriers and the water, beside the lakes of Novakovića Brod, Kaluđerovac, Gavanovac and Milanovac. At Kozjak Bridge, below the largest lake, climb the path up the east side of the canyon and walk north along the rim, looking down on the lakes, back to Entrance 1.

It is 3.7 km round with 152 m of ascent; allow about 1½ hours, more in summer when the boardwalks are crowded. The grade is Easy: boardwalks and good paths, with a steep climb out of the canyon. Many boardwalks have no rail and they are slippery when wet.

Adults pay €23 in April, May and October 2026, €40 from June to September and €10 from November to March. Buy online for Entrance 1 and a time; tickets are also sold at the entrance unless sold out. Swimming in the lakes is not allowed.

Entrance 1 has a pay car park beside the D429 road.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.