Plitvice Advice (for late July trip)
 

Hubby and I arrive in Plitvice (by car from Zagreb) around 4 p.m and plan on driving to Split late evening the following day. We are staying at a park hotel and have the option of getting a one day ticket extended to 2 days. Is it worth it to try visiting the park on the evening we arrive? or should we just rest and head there early the following morning?

We are leaning towards just resting the first night and heading there early morning but also realize this is a very busy time at the park.

We are traveling with a 3 year old and have done several hikes with him before. Also, any food recommendations in the area for dinner the night we arrive would be great.

Thank you!

Yeah, in July I would definitely try to get into the park at 7AM when it opens, before it gets mobbed, after your first night. I realize that's not necessarily simple with a toddler - they do have their own schedules.

For the first day, I'd play it by ear and be aware of the boat and "train" (tram) schedules. You'll have a long summer day before the sun sets in July, but boats and trams stop running at a certain point in the evening. Check the park website schedule:

http://www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr/en...rs-and-prices/

It is a pretty easy hike/walk down to entrance #2 from the park hotels, which are even closer to the entrances than the big public parking lots on the other side of the highway.

Note that ticket sales stop at 18:00, according to the website; no idea if the hotel sells them or not. To hike the main Upper Lakes trails (at Entrance 2, below the Hotel Plitvice and the other park hotels), you need to get the boat from P1 to P2 (confusingly, P1 is at Entrance 2), a short boat ride that seems to run until 20:30 in the summer. It would be pretty easy to head over there, see a few of the falls in the upper lakes trails, then start at the lower lakes the next morning (take the "train" or tram from entrance 2 to entrance 1) and come back to see more of the upper lakes trails if you have time later. (ry to take the long boat ride between P2 and P3 if you can, between upper and lower lakes, the second day. You'll need to get back to that end to get back to your car anyway before you leave.

But if you don't feel like hiking the first day - rest up and try to get an early start the next morning.

There aren't many restaurants near Plitvice. There must be food options at the hotels - I stayed at one back in 2009 but don't really remember what the choices are. There is also a pizza joint in the place that rents ski equipment just south of Entrance #2, in what passes for the town. You can drive a little further in each direction to find more restaurants I think.

If you haven’t already committed to a hotel, note that many of the B&Bs in the area serve excellent dinners. My mouth still waters when I think of the fresh fish and other dishes that I was served at the Villa Mukinja, which still gets good reviews.

Thank you for the helpful feedback and tips!!! We are very excited about visiting gorgeous Plitvice :)