Plitvice Lakes, Croatia...is it worth the trip?
 

My family and I, including 3 year old daughter, are heading to Croatia in June. We are trying to plan our itinerary. We are wondering if Plitvice Lakes are worth seeing and also if it is safe to bring our 3 year old there. We've looked at pictures and the boardwalks with no railing frighten me a bit. Our daughter is well behaved and I'm sure she would hold our hand while we are on them but I would still like some input if people think it is safe or not. Also, we only have time to travel the direction of Plitvice Lakes or to Dubrovnik, if you could chose which is not to be missed? Thank you for any and all advice!

travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-39456339

Very pretty plitvicelakeshotels.com

Kind of hard to get to...

for short visit Croatia just Dubrovnik for me.

Otel.com great hotel vlaues there.

Have fun,

We just returned from a two week trip to Croatia during which we spent five days in Dubrovnik, three days in Split, and four days in Rovinj. We stopped at Plitvice on our way to Zagreb the day before we flew out of there. we could have spent more time at Plitvice and wished we had. It is a wonderful place and safe for a three year old if she is carefully looked after. In June theses will likely be a lot of people there. A half day is not much time to see it. it can be done. Lots of walking and some of it a bit strenuous. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]. I can send you a detailed trip report of our stay there. croatia was a wonderful time.

Rusty McKay
Indianapolis

I wouldn't go if I were taking a three year old.

It is crowded, and the unrailed boardwalks can be busy, especially where people stop to take pictures.

But the main reason is that you are going down a gorge along a series of naturally damned lakes. It is gorgeous, but what goes down must come up: you can either walk back the way you came (tedious but relatively gently uphill) or climb up steep switchbacks to the road. I think it is more than most three year olds could handle.

It is a beautiful place but there is alot of walking. On the day I went it had rained and was still drizzly and the boardwalks were very slippery and the water was really rushing under them. You would have to hold on tight to a 3 year old. And climbing back up was tiresome even to me.

If i had to chose Dubrovnik or the lakes, it would be Dubrovnik. it is a magical city

We just returned from 2 weeks in Croatia, including Plitvice Park. I would agree with a previous poster who worried about having a 3 year old in the park. We thought some of the walks on the crowded boardwalks without railings were hazardous to adults, much less a curious child.

Indeed, it is a beautiful and unusual place but I would wait a couple of years before going.

Also, it took us two half days to drive there and back. If time is limited, I'd choose to spend my time on one of the islands or near a beach in Istria.

Do you expect to return to Croatia? If not, I'd hate for you to miss either Dubrovnik or Plitvice. I'd probably skip most of the rest of the sights in Croatia for these two.

Stay overnight at Plitvice and arrive at the park early, before the crowds. With the help of the "rangers"/employees at Plitvice, you could tailor a trip for your daughter. There's a boat and other non-board-walked trails. Definitely some uphill, so you will probably have to carry your daughter some. (I find there's always uphill where there are waterfalls.)

Another option might be Krka. I didn't go there so don't know how appropriate it is for kids. But our host in Dubrovnik liked Krka better or as well as Plitvice.

If you do go, what about getting one of those little harnesses with a leash to hold onto as well as your little one's hand? It was great to use with my GD when walking on busy city streets.

You answer to a person who made this trip two years ago!

Right, didn't notice the date since others had topped it.

Sassafrass, this happens often to many of us. This is the reason that I asked Fodors to mention not only the date of most recent answer, but also the date when the thread started.
But they do not consider this important.
For me is annoying.

My husband and I are going to Plitvice Lakes this August. I'm a bit concerned myself about the boardwalk, esp. since my husband can't swim. And even as someone who can swim, I find it looks a bit scary. Not sure I could save myself if I have to contend with rushing water from the waterfalls.

It is on our way from Zadar to Zagreb, so maybe worth a day stop en route. Are there any parts of the boardwalk that are less scary?

I don't remember ANY scary parts. The boardwalks are there to protect the environment. They are flat and well-designed and wide enough to accommodate visitors and far enough from the falls to ensure that visitors are safe.

And just to be clear, visitors are NOT permitted to swim in the Plitvice Lakes.

> It is on our way from Zadar to Zagreb, so maybe worth a day stop en route

It is definitely worth a stop, and better if you can stay overnight in the area. You can spend just a few hours in the park, but part of what makes it unique is that each lake is different, so a visit of 4 or 6 (or even 8) hours is more likely to allow you to see what makes this place unlike anywhere else in the world.

PS -- I didn't have a small child with me and was there on a clear, sunny day. The advice given above to work with the rangers is good advice.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is a unique experience. 16 interconnected lakes and 300 square kilometres of protected and unspoiled nature. You are in the middle of Europe and yet you have a feeling that you are in the Brazilian jungle 10 million years ago. I doubt that there are so many waterfalls in one place anywhere in the world. You have to walk a lot but if there are small children involved there is still a possibillity to see a lot from small boats (included in the price) that cris-cross the lakes.
see for yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUw7FooI7wM