Their page is not particularly user-friendly and after the first page, once I've entered the date, it refuses to translate to English. I'm wondering if I should purchase our tickets (this is for our trip in early June) through viator or some other third-party online site. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions?
Thank you so much.
I just tested the English website with Chrome as my browser and it worked, though I didn't actually buy a ticket. Sometimes websites prefer one browser over another. I couldn't even get to the starting page with my old version of Internet Explorer.
If changing the browser doesn't work, try a different type of computer (desktop rather than tablet or vice versa).
This is a link to the registration screen. I think you probably need to complete that step before a purchase will go through.
Thank you so much. I'll try it later today and hopefully it will work. I always use Chrome.
I'm going to Croatia in late June/early July and I was successful in buying a ticket to Plitvice for late June using the links acraven provided (thanks) and Chrome as my browser. You do have to register before you can use your credit card to buy your tickets.
I think all one accomplishes by buying the ticket through Viator is making it a few dollars more expensive.
Thank you both. I just registered and was about to order, but I am a little nervous. We are 5 adults and plan on going for two days.
The first day - 4 PM entrance.
The second day - 7 or 8 AM entrance.
I wonder if the two-day tickets allow for entry on the second morning (at 7 or 8 AM). I'm pretty sure that they probably do, but who knows? They don't reply to emails or anything.
I tried to get two separate sets of tickets - one batch for the first day and another for the second, but the maximum number of tickets to get is 8. We would need 10.
Does anyone have experience with the 2-Day Tickets at Plitvice? Do they have restrictions with regards to entry time?
I can only say that no one here has ever specifically addressed the time question with respect to 2-day tickets. In fact, it's only last year that they started selling timed tickets. If the website doesn't require you to choose an entry time for the second day, I'd assume you're free to arrive at any time. I don't blame you for wanting something firmer than my assumption, however.
Several people have stated that the inside-the-park hotels (otherwise considered a bit overpriced) are advantageous because they will endorse your one-day ticket for use the second day. I have no experience doing that.
You do not have to select an entry time for the second day of a 2-day ticket. We bought the 2-day tickets for our trip in September 2019. We selected a 4PM entry time for our first day; you don't select an entry time for your second day. You can arrive whenever you want to. We entered the park about 8:30AM or 9AM on our second day.
Do you have hotel reservations for Plitvice? Because I heard from many people that the hotels inside the park are outdated and the food is bad, we did not stay inside the park. Instead, we stayed at Plitvice Miric Inn, which was recommended to me by someone on a different forum. I highly recommend Plitvice Miric Inn. It is about a 5-minute drive from Entrance 2. The price was 130 euros and that included one of the best breakfast buffets I have ever had.
If you are staying at one of the hotels within the park itself (I stayed at Hotel Bellevue, there is at least one other right next door to it) then you do NOT want to buy a two day ticket. The hotel will stamp your ticket for you and you get in free the second day. This is what we did and it worked perfectly. We booked the ticket for 4:00pm (price is reduced from 4:00 till closing) and got to the ticket booth about 15 minutes early and they made us wait until exactly 4. We then stayed till about two and a half hours, and went back the following morning for another 3 or so hours and that was plenty for us, but you could stay the whole second day if you choose. Once you are past the ticket booth no one looks at your tickets.
Be aware there are two entrances and the one you make your reservation for is the one you have to use, at least the first day. There is a tab at the top of the screen when you are purchasing the tickets to switch from Entrance 1 to 2 or back. I missed that and booked for Entrance 1 but the hotels are at entrance 2. When we checked into the hotel they offered to drive us to the entrance 1. Otherwise you'd have to wait for the little shuttle bus.
Here is my trip report that covers our time at the Plitvice Lakes - https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/blog/2019/10/croatia
I would call one of the hotels and ask them. Or email them.
When we went in 2011, it was before this age of timed tickets. We got there at 8:30 AM on Croatian National Day (we didn't know about that), and were done with the park by 2 PM.
I also want to add that you can have dinner at Plitvice Miric Inn for 20 euros per person. You make your reservation when you check in. The dinner was one of the best meals of our trip. You choose your entrée; we chose fresh trout. First you are served home-made chicken soup and a salad. The entrée comes with a huge assortment of roasted potatoes and vegetables, risotto and polenta. Dessert is the best apple strudel I have ever had.
It is not accurate that staff never ask for your tickets when you are past the ticket booth. At least that was not our experience last September. On our first day we hiked the Upper Lakes. We took the bus from ST-2 to ST-3, and the driver scanned our tickets. Then the next day when we took the boat from P3 to P2 we had to show our tickets. There was a long line waiting to get on the boat, and everyone had to show their tickets. So do not throw your tickets away!
I believe the ticket covers just one ride on the boat and one ride on the bus (or on each bus if there are two bus segments). I think my ticket was checked at those points back in 2015.
acraven, maybe I am misunderstanding you, but are you saying that the ticket allows for only one bus ride (unless there are 2 bus segments) and only one boat ride? I was under the impression the tickets allow for unlimited boat rides and unlimited bus rides.
This was our experience in September 2019: On our first day, we took the bus from ST-2 to ST-3 (where we showed our tickets). Then we hiked down the H Trail. Then we took the boat from P-2 to P-1 (but were not asked to show our tickets). On our second day, we took the bus from ST-2 to ST-1 (and were not asked to show our tickets). After finishing our hike, we took the boat from P-3 to P-2, where we were asked to show our tickets. Then we had to take the short boat ride from P-2 to P-1, where we were not asked to show our tickets. So that is a total of 2 bus rides and 3 boat rides.
Kmkwoo, my most recent visit was in 2015, and at that time I got a strong impression (or perhaps someone said outright) that each transportation segment could be used only once. It's possible I misunderstood, but I don't think I did. It sounds to me as if on each day of your visit, you used each transportation segment only one time.
I'm nearly certain the marked-out routes in the park (which you are not required to follow, but which I suspect most people do) only involve using each boat or bus once.
I don't think I've ever come across a policy statement about the intra-park transportation in print. I've just looked at the English version of the park website and don't see anything there. I guess we need for someone to ask an English-speaking park official and report back.
Thank you all again so much for taking the time to reply and for all your kind help.
kmkwoo, yes, we're booked at the Miric Inn, thanks to you! We're looking forward to the dinner and apple strudel! In fact, I emailed Lili yesterday right after my post and she confirmed that on the second day we can enter from any entrance and at any time. We're doing exactly what you're doing - 4 PM entrance on the first day. Did you find that it got crowded quickly when you got there at around 8:30 or 9 on the second day? It would be ideal to enter then, rather than at 7 AM, but we'd prefer to avoid too many crowds as much as possible.
At the time of my visit back in 2015 (it's surely even more popular now), I arrived on the bus from Zagreb about 10 AM to face an hour-long line at the ticket window. The park was unbelievably crowded when I got inside. Obviously, I don't know what it was like inside the park at 10 AM (I have my suspicions), but I would urge you to make the sacrifice, get up early, and get to the park as early as you can. It is such a wonderful place when it's not crowded. I'm lucky to have seen it that way twice, ages ago.
Bookaholic,
We noticed it started getting crowded around 10AM with tour groups. We got stuck between two groups, and it was hard to escape them because the boardwalks are narrow. But after 10 or 15 minutes, we did manage to get away from them, and then it really wasn't too bad as far as crowds go. The tour groups are the worse. We were at Plitvice in mid-September.
Bookaholic,
Just re-read your post, and I notice your statement about what Lili said. I am not sure about being able to enter via any entrance on the second day. You definitely can enter at any time on the second day. Friends of ours were at Plitvice in May 2019, and they had the 2-day ticket. They also stayed at Plitvice Miric Inn, and they bought tickets for Entrance 2. On the second day, they tried to enter via Entrance 1, but they weren't allowed to do that. Because they were driving to Zagreb after visiting Plitvice, they decided not to spend time taking the shuttle bus back to Entrance 2, so instead they bought one-day tickets for that day. So, when we went, we entered via Entrance 2 on both days.
So I'm not sure Lili is correct about that, unless Plitvice changed its rules for 2020. Maybe you can email the park and ask?
kmkwoo and acraven, thank you so much for both of your helpful replies.
We'll get there as early as we can.
And yes, I had my doubts about entering at any entrance on the second day. I will check with them, and may also confirm about it on our first day.
I am surprised that you were told that Miric Inn was doing dinner. Lili has told me in January they would not be doing it in Sept 2020. I wonder if they changed their mind. Or maybe they will just have stopped by time we arrive.
Skormama, Are you saying Miric Inn is not doing dinners any more at all? Or not in September? We stayed there last September and had dinner there, and it was one of the best meals of our trip. And it was quite busy when we were there. I hope they haven’t discontinued serving dinner because there aren’t too many restaurants in the area. And I’ve heard from many posters that the restaurants at the in-park hotels are mediocre at best.
Unfortunately, the Miric Inn will not be doing dinners anymore. We're sad about that. We were so looking forward to it.
Skormama, thank you for pointing that out. Had you not posted, we would not have known.
Did Miric Inn happen to say why they aren't doing dinners any more? Just curious. Their restaurant was very busy when we were there last September.
kmkwoo, no. She only emailed me back and said that there won't be any more dinners. We were looking so forward to that apple strudel!
