We did the lower lakes with a guide (recommended) and the upper lakes by ourselves. The lower lakes in my opinion are better but comes down to excellent and more excellent. Can get busy but we were lucky. Short waiting time for Lake ride and return but trip back. Signage is OK but get a map from helpful staff for best experience.

we did the longest route in an easy 5 hours. we did get some rain on the way, but the route is very easy to walk even for the not so fit. the logistics with boats and busses between trips are well organised and very easy to understand. parking at the lakes can be frustrating. I would recommend to go later in the day to avoid the biggest crowds.

Wow. If you go into the park with the right attitude, you will have an awesome day. Right attitude? - this is not Disneyland, even though it will feel like that sometimes. So don’t rush to get in a line. Don’t get annoyed when someone pushes by you. Go at the right time. We were there 2 days after rain in September and we’re told the day before was a nightmare. 1 hour lines to get to the big waterfall. This is a day to relax and enjoy a 20.000 step day in the woods. It is not a race even though it feels that way sometimes. Make time for the upper and lower lakes. If you do both, I would start with the upper first since so many people just come for the lower lakes. Go early in the morning if you can.

We entered the park at gate 3, which is not indicated on the park website. The only people who use gate three are staying in inns nearby. It is above the lower lakes. We wanted to do hike K which is labeled as 6-8 hours. Unfortunately we didn't have that much time. Our innkeeper suggested we see the lower falls, then take the shuttle bus to the far end of the upper falls. Since route K is a loop, we would have been seeing the same things twice if we hadn't taken the shuttle. Doing it our way, we did route K in 3.5 hours. It wasn't overly crowded while we were there (we arrived at 9:00 AM), but the people taking selfies were annoying. We just pushed passed them. If we had waited for all of them to take their photos, it would have taken us 24 hours.

Absolutely beautiful and not to be missed. The water is so clear you can watch the fish swimming. Get there as early in the morning as you can, though, as it gets unbelievably busy during the summer months. We had it to ourselves when we first arrived, but by lunchtime, it was packed and there was literally a queue to see the largest waterfall. Take a picnic to enjoy at the picnic spot. There are lots of outdoor tables and somewhere to buy coffee and hot food if you require.

The park is absolutely beautiful and is worth a visit if you’re staying nearby. The waterfalls were lovely, and the walk is very picturesque, especially in the quieter parts where there are fewer people. We took route C, which has a suggested time of 4-6 hours. We probably completed it in around 3.5 hours, although didn’t have a particularly long lunch stop (took advantage of the boat ride to eat), walk relatively fast, and didn’t queue to take photos. It’s doable if you have limited time (often constrained by fairly infrequent public transport options). The main issue is the sheer number of people let in. We pre-booked our tickets for 11-12 and whilst we didn’t have to queue to get in, the queues of people on the boardwalks in the lower lakes were a bit of a nightmare. The boardwalks are really narrow so difficult to pass people, and if you’re tight for time, it’s really frustrating waiting to get past the instagram models taking their millionth picture and large tour groups walking at snail pace. There aren’t barriers either, so would be easy to slip into the water if you (or others) aren’t careful. Overall it’s worth a visit, but budget time carefully. It’s probably worth arriving early.

Our visit pass was included in our hotel package, so we got a head start in the mornings and beat most of the crowds. This place is beyond spectacular, so plan to spend plenty of time here. If I could do it over again I would stay in a nearby hotel just as we did. Walking distance to park entry is huge. We expected overcrowding and slow tours mid-day so after our first loop in the morning, we were able to return to our hotel for lunch and a nap. Don’t over-sleep since most trails require plenty of time for the hike and inevitable picture or video. Also note that row-boats may be rented until 5:00pm, but that means to catch one you will need to rent before 4:00pm since they are rented in hour blocks.

Beautiful views of lake and waterfalls despite the weather. Be prepared for a bit of downhill and uphill walk at the end. You will be rewarded with beautiful lakes and waterfall views. It’s a must visit National park when in Croatia.

Such an awesome experience to come here from Zadar. The national park is really well maintained so the payment is totally understandable. We took a 10 km hike that ended to the biggest waterfall. Be prepared and bring some rain clothes with you since there might be some unpredictable rainfall in the park,wWe got to experience this. 5/5.

Very beautiful nature. It is worth to take hotel. I stay in Plitvice hotel, wonderful small hotel, 26-27-28 September, breakfast included, free parking for car and 3 days free ticket to Lakes. For 195 €. Considering tickets would cost 120 € plus parking fee 1.50 € per hour it is worth to take hotel. Plitvice Lakes are wonderful, and considering thousands of tourists visiting place organisation is good, buses and boats run frequently, they are clean and in order. I do not agree with any visitors complaining about prices. Prices are real, 40 € is not much considering expensive efforts needed for run the place. For people complaining about being too crowded I recommend them to go to Sahara desert as they will be alone there, OR visit Plitvice in end of September, May begining of June and there will be not much people. Plitvice Lakes is MUST visit place. As a seaman I visit all 5 continents and more than 100 countries but such beauty like Plitvice Lakes do not exist on world!