Plitvice Lakes Vs Krka National Park: Which To Visit In 2025
Are you wondering whether to visit the beautiful Plitvice Lakes or Krka National Park? If so, this article’s for you.
Plitvice Lakes is Croatia’s largest national park that’s nestled in the countryside, and home to a series of gorgeous bright blue lakes and waterfalls. Krka National Park is a smaller national park along the Krka River, that’s home to two beautiful cascading waterfalls.
Although Plitvice Lakes was my favorite, Krka may be a great alternative if you have limited vacation time. This article will cover their differences in cost, things to do, distance from nearby cities, and much more.
Here is everything to know before adding Plitvice Lakes or Krka to your itinerary.
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Plitvice Lakes vs Krka At A Glance
Plitvice Lakes is Croatia’s largest, and most visited national park. It’s nestled in the forested countryside, and over a 2 hour drive from any major city (Zagreb/Zadar).
Krka National Park is Croatia’s next most visited national park, that’s just outside of the small town Skradin. It’s less than an hour’s drive from Split and Zadar.
Both of these parks are perfect for day trips, and can be seen in half of a day. Plitvice Lakes is considerably larger, and has boats and trains within the park to allow you to see it within a few hours. Krka is small, and can be seen in just 1-2 hours.
However, the town right outside of the park, Skradin, has a few unique attractions to check out. In Skradin, there’s a river beach, vintage car museum, fortress overlook, and excellent wineries within a 15 minute drive.
Krka National Park has a boardwalk trail that loops around the park’s 7 main waterfalls, watermill, and viewpoints.
Plitvice Lakes has 8 routes (A, B, C, E, F, H, K) that take you around all of the different lakes, waterfalls, and viewpoints.
How To Get To Each Park
Plitvice Lakes and Krka National Park are well connected to the large nearby cities by Flixbus, as well as group tours.
Here’s the distances from each nearby city.
- Split: 1 hour drive to Krka // 2.5-3 hour drive to Plitvice Lakes
- Zadar: 1 hour drive to Krka // 1.5-2 hour drive to Plitvice Lakes
- Zagreb: 3 hour drive to Krka // 1.5-2 hour drive to Plitvice Lakes
- Dubrovnik: 3 hour drive to Krka // 5-6 hour drive to Plitvice Lakes
Flixbus will drop you off at Plitvice Lakes Entrance 1, which is the park’s main ticket office. This entrance is off of a high-speed highway in the forest, and it’s a 20 min drive from Entrance 2.
It’s important to book a hotel near one of the entrances if you plan on staying the night at the park, because there’s no public transportation in the area (I learned the hard way!).
Check out our guide on where to stay at Plitvice Lakes for a list of hotels within walking distance to the entrance.
For Krka National Park, you will book bus tickets to Skradin. This is where the Flixbus bus stop is, and it’s less than a 10 minute walk from Krka’s main ticketing office.
Here you can buy tickets, and hop on a short boat ride (included in your tickets) to reach the park.
Although I got there by bus, group tours are by far the most convenient, and around the same price. The group tours to Plitvice Lakes include roundtrip hotel transportation, and a guided hike inside of the park.
The group tours to Krka National Park also include roundtrip hotel transportation, a guided hike, and free time to explore the town of Skradin. Skradin is less than a 15 minute drive from a few excellent wineries in this small village of Plastovo, so some tours include a wine-tasting.
Here are the best group tour options available.
- Split to Plitvice Lakes: Guided park hike with roundtrip transportation
- Split to Krka: Guided hike with wine-tasting and roundtrip transportation
- Zadar to Plitvice Lakes: Guided hike and Old Town walking tour with roundtrip transportation
- Zadar to Krka: Guided park hike with roundtrip transportation
- Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes: Guided hike and historic village of Plastovo tour with roundtrip transportation
Entrance fees
Plitvice Lakes and Krka National Park both have the same entrance fee of 40€/adult during peak season (Jun-Sep).
For the off season, the entrance fees at Plitvice Lakes range from 10€-23.54€/adult, while Krka ranges from 7€-20€/adult. Both parks offer discounts if you visit after 3-4pm.
Things To Do In Each Park
Plitvice Lakes and Krka have amazing, easy hiking trails that are perfect if you want to spend a day in nature. Plitvice Lakes has 8 routes, which vary in length, and highlight different areas of the park.
The most popular trail, route C, takes 3-4 hours, and will take you to the lower and upper lakes, and dozens of beautiful waterfalls. This trail includes a scenic 30 minute boat ride across the park’s largest lake, and a train ride at the end to get you back to the entrance.
If you don’t want to do a crazy hike, it’s just a short walk from Plitvice Lakes main entrance to a variety of amazing viewpoints. The main trail from the entrance will take you down to a boardwalk besides the lower lakes.
Here you’ll have a view of the gorgeous turquoise blue water, and the water’s so clear you can see fishes swimming in it!
Check out our Plitvice Lakes day trip guide for more details on what to do in the park.
Krka National Park has one main boardwalk trail that loops around the park’s seven waterfalls and viewpoints.
From the boat dock, it’s a short walk to the park’s main waterfall, Skradinski Buk. The park has a variety of viewpoints, and picnic areas to relax and enjoy the views. If you do an entire loop around the park, it will take around 2 hours.
Check out our Krka National Park day trip guide for more on what to do in the park.
Both Plitvice and Krka have souvenir shops and restaurants in the park. Krka National Park has limited restaurant options, so it’s best to stop in Skradin to eat beforehand. There’s restaurants and grocery stores within walking distance to Krka’s ticket office.
Plitvice has a variety of restaurants, cafes, and gift shops in the park. There’s no public transportation in the area, so it’s extra important to pack snacks and drinks if you’re arriving by bus!
Where To Stay Near Plitvice & Krka National Park
Plitvice Lakes has a variety of cozy bed and breakfasts within walking distance to the entrance. Skradin has a few hotel options within walking distance to the main ticket office/marina.
But if you’re looking for nightlife, one of the best places to stay is in Zadar.
Zadar is a charming historic town with excellent restaurants, bars, and a beautiful marina to watch the sunset in the evening. It’s less than an hour’s drive from Krka, and right under a 2 hour drive from Plitvice Lakes.
How Much Time To Spend In Each Park
Plitvice Lakes is the ideal park to spend an entire day exploring, whereas Krka National Park only takes a few hours. It can take around 4-5 hours at Plitvice Lakes to see the popular waterfalls, lakes, and spend time taking photos/dining out.
Krka National Park only takes 1-2 hours to hike around the park, and an extra hour or two to see the attractions in Skradin. They’re both perfect for day trips if you arrive early in the morning.
Best Time To Visit
Anytime of year is a good time to visit these parks, but spring and fall will have the best prices, and fewer crowds.
If you’re visiting during peak season (Jun-Sep), I recommend arriving as early as possible in the morning, or later in the afternoon to avoid the crowds.
Summary: Which Is Better Overall
Plitvice Lakes and Krka National Park are both stunning, but Plitvice Lakes was my favorite to visit.
Plitvice Lakes is much larger, and the most inland, so you really feel like you’re far out in nature. It’s home to these spectacular turquoise blue lakes, and natural travertine barriers that form waterfalls and cascades.
There were endless photo opportunities throughout the park, and it looked straight out of a fairytale!
If you have limited time, however, Krka is a great alternative. It’s much closer to Split, has stunning waterfalls, and is near a relaxed small town to wander around.
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