Greetings! My wife and I plan to visit the Plitvice Lakes National Park for the day from Split & back during the first week of June and are thinking of renting a car ourselves for the day and getting a guided tour once there. Is this practical?

Any thoughts and ideas would be wonderful!

Best,
Matt
Sleepy Hollow, NY

No need for a guided tour once there -- the main trail is very clearly marked, and there are rangers at the entrance who can help you with your plan. If it helps you plan, the best route (IMO) is to make a single, long loop through the park -- something on the order of 6 hours or more (including time for the boat that connects the lower and upper lakes) -- starting at the lowest part of the park -- nearest Veliki Slap (I think that's entrance # 1) -- so that you are facing the falls as you proceed.

I agree with kja - no guided tour. Any route inside the park works. There's a "trolley" service inside the park that connects the entrances. And no matter what entrance you use you have to climb.

Renting a car is a good idea. The road is easy and the alternative is a bus, which is more time consuming. We used the parking area by entrance #2. Going in at #2 we took the trolley to #3 and walked down the lakes to #1. This sounds good but involved a lot of stairs to get back up to the trolley stop.

Be aware that this park gets very crowded. If you drive from Split I recommend renting the car the day before so you can leave early.

Thanks for the advice, in particular on getting the car the night before!

I would say that renting a car is a good idea, and I agree with kja that there's no need for a guided tour once there.