A Wonderfalls Trip

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

Be water, my friend. “– Bruce Lee

Water was a highlight of our Croatia trip – we’re talking an insane amount of water carving out the most gorgeous waterscapes we’d ever seen – the Plitvice Lakes, Rastoke, and the Krka National Park.

Here’s how the falls stacked up.

Day 1 (27/5) – Zagreb

But first, we needed to pick up our car in Zagreb (pronounced zar-grab).

We stayed in an old apartment in Lower Town (Gundulićeva ul. 21), 20 minutes from Zagreb airport (Uber €17-18), and a short walk to the funicular that linked to Upper Town.

Our apartment was in the older part of lower town – most buildings looked vintage. The streets were wide, clean and felt safe to walk at night. Trams ran along the main road just off Lower Town, was cheap and an easy way to get around town. There weren’t many cars on the road (probably the weekend) but we did spot a wedding convoy –  you go kids!

Nothing really stood out but it was a pleasant two hour of strolling through Lower and Upper Town at a leisurely pace.

Bistro Bestija, our first choice for dinner was closed and our second, Theatrium was fully reserved.  We settled for Ristorante Carpaccio an Italian bistro – food was average , service was gruff.

Steps walked: 14,933 (11.1km)
Food: Bistro Beštija or Theatrium by Filho

Day 2 (28/5) – Zagreb | Rastoke | Plitvica Selo

Breakfast was at the excellent Broom44 next to the morning market, then we hopped onto a tram to Carwiz to pick up the car (tram ticket: €0.53/pax). We spent some time checking the car properly, finally leaving Zagreb for Rastoke at 1120am (drive: 1 hour 20 mins).

Rastoke was a little mill village built over a big waterfall but has now turned into a tourist hotspot, though far less visited than the Plitvice Lakes. No fee’s required to enter the village, just pay for the parking (lots quite limited though).

The footprint is not huge (1 to 1.5 hours should suffice) but the sheer amount of water gushing through was amazing. Pay to enter the museum if you wish to get close(r) to the falls (we skipped because we didn’t know it!).

After a languorous late lunch at Konoba Kum (languorous because service was slow, food was forgettable), we drove to Plitvica Selo to our next Airbnb  – Pansion Breza (drive: 1 hour).

Plitvica Selo was an unexpected find. We thought accommodation options near entrances 1 or 2 would be more convenient but Plitvica Selo bested them all. Here’s why: from Plitvica Selo, you can walk/drive to the hidden trails along the Korana River for free panoramic views of the Lakes.

Take the D42 from Rastoke/Zagreb to Plitvica Selo. Once you hit the right turn, you are in Plitvica Selo; this is where D42 narrows into a paved country road (Plitvica Selo is on the same side of the Lakes as the Veliki Slap).

To get to the hidden trails, backtrack to the above turn/T-junction. Our accommodation, Pansion Breza, was quite deep inside so we took a 1.2km walk, a good way to exercise those legs after hours in the car.

At the turn/T-junction, turn left, keeping your eyes peeled for hidden trails just off the road. These trails lead to three vantage points from where you can get panoramic views of the Lower Lakes.

We took some of the most gorgeous shots here (view points 4, 5,6 on map ; on google map search for ‘Vidikovac 5’ and ‘Veliki Slap’).

To the right of the T-junction, there is a guard post and a gantry (only park vehicles permitted). This the entry to Pier #3 which we will use later to access the Park.

Dinner was at Breza itself, a generous course of grilled meats and fish. Taking dinner (and breakfast) at the Pansion was the only option given there’s no restaurant/supermarket in Plitvica Selo. It’s also impossible to drive out on a non-lit forest road at night to get food. Of course, there’s the option of stocking up on rations on the way from Zagreb but what’s the fun?

Distance driven: 136km
Steps walked: 18,134 (13km)
Food: Broom44, Pansion Breza (dinner €30, breakfast €15, per pax)

Day 3 (29/5) – Plitvice Lakes | Zadar

We checked out after breakfast, driving back to the T-junction to start our Plitvice Lakes exploration. It’s best to come early because parking space (free) near the T-junction gets taken up quickly.

We showed our tickets (€23.5/pax) to the staff at the guard post then walked down the paved road to Pier 3 (marked P3 on the maps). From Pier 3, take a ferry to the Upper Lakes (Pier 2).

Start at the Upper lakes, taking the trails to St3 then board the Park bus to get to St1 for the Lower Lakes. At Lower Lakes, follow the trail/signs back to Pier 3. We took five hours to finish this course (9am to 2pm).

Lunch was a quick nibble on breakfast leftovers and fruits in the car and then we were off to Zadar (drive: 2 hours, another 20 mins to reach the Airbnb apartment).

So yeah,  it’s possible to cover all the juicy parts of Plitvice Lakes within a day at an unhurried pace.

The Plitvice Lakes certainly lived up to its hype though sometimes the scenery could be marred by the crowds even though it was only end May/early June (considered the shoulder season). We couldn’t fathom how jam-packed it could get in the middle of Summer.

In Zadar, we stayed in an apartment on the other side of the Gradski Most (bridge) that connected the new town to the old. The old town wasn’t particularly interesting; there were scattered Roman ruins (pillars) and the Sea Organ right by the pier, but otherwise nothing stood out. Dinner at Pet Bunara had been reserved and quite good.

Website: Plitvice Lakes
Distance driven: 148km
Steps walked: 21,911 (11.1km)
Food: Pet Bunara, others: Bruschetta, Restaurant Terracota

Day 4 (30/5) – Zadar | Lozovac | Trojir | Split

The drive from Zadar to Lozovack-Krka National Park was a one hour 10 minutes. There’s a huge parking area next to the main road (free). Get the Park tickets (€15-20) from the ticket house (if not bought online already) just behind the car park area. Board the shuttle bus (included in the ticket) from the bus bay just outside the ticket house to the park trails in the valley below.

The Skradinski Buk waterfall is the main highlight in Krka. There are some smaller falls scattered within the Park but nothing as huge or spectacular. The boardwalk trails are sheltered and a very pleasant walk (~2 hours) and a good way to get acquainted with the flora and fauna (birds, toads) here.

While not as varied or breath-taking as Plitvice, the Skradinski falls is grand and huge. Is it worth the detour? Yes, if you are a falls aficionado, No if you are happy with Plitvice or running short on time.

The ticket covers other sights within the Park but these would have taken an entire day. We shipped out after the falls because lunch beckoned.

It’s not a stretch to say we stopped by Krka because we wanted to try Konoba Vinko’s 12-hr Skradin Risotto. It was one of the best veal risotto we’d eaten and totally worth the small detour (7 minutes’ drive from Lozovack).

After a very heavy lunch, we explored the country side – in search of the obscure viewpoint 7 – and got a bit lost. We found it eventually though the view was nothing to shout about.

The drive towards Trojir was quite scenic (drive: 1 hour) though it might have been even more interesting if we had more time to detour to Šibenik and Primošten.

Trojir was a charming little old town but we were tripped up by a huge rainstorm before we could fully explore it. Parking lots were also hard to find. We finally left at 6pm for Split (drive: 40 minutes).

Dinner was at the lovely Sug Restaurant, a six-minute walk from our apartment. Beautifully executed Dalmatian dishes using fresh, locally sourced ingredients, it was one of our best meals in Croatia. Do reserve ahead.

Website: Krka National Park
Distance driven: 194km
Steps walked: 20,790
Food: Konoba Vinko, Sug Restaurant

Next: island-hopping (Hvar), an ancient roman palace (Split) and the old town made famous by that wildly popular drama series that none of us watched 😛 (Dubrovnik).

Visited 27 May – 30 May 2023

References: Plitvice Lakes, Croatia, 7 Things to Know About Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia, Plitvice Lakes: the Ultimate Guide to Visiting (2023), The 10 Best Restaurants In Zadar, The 26 best things to do in Zadar, Visiting Krka National Park in Croatia, Roski Slap, Ultimate Guide To Visiting Krka National Park