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Does it make sense to squeeze all this in one day? Skocjan AND Plitvice?

Posted by (Atlanta, GA, USA) on

In mid-June 2016 (when the days are long) I would like to drive from Ljubliana to the caves in Skocjan (which, according to Google maps, is less than an hour from Ljubliana). My ultimate destination that night that will be a hotel near Plitvice Lakes Park. Even though I am considering a side trip to Skocjan, my top priority is a visit to Plitvice.

I will not be using public transportation; I'll be in a rental car. Please let me know if you think the following plan is too ambitious.

  1. Depart Ljubliana at 8am
  2. Arrive at Skocjan at about 9am and spend a few hours there.
  3. Drive to Plitvice (according to Google maps it is about 3-hours from Skocjan) and arrive at the park between 3 and 4pm.
  4. Enjoy the park for at least 3 hours and drive approximately 10 to 15 minutes to the hotel before dark.

Apart from drive time, does it make sense to tour Skocjan for two hours and Plitvice for three? Will I want more time in either place?
Thanks for your advice.
Marti

Posted by
27109 posts

I've visited both sights, but by public transportation and from separate base cities, so I can't provide useful info on driving time or conditions. However, I think trying to see Plitvice fully on the day you intend may be difficult.

  • The first English-language tour at Skocjan is at 10 AM. (There may be an earlier one in Slovenian, Italian or German.) I think there were two tours offered, and I did not take the shortest one. I don't remember the running time, and I can't find that info on the website (you might try emailing). You have at least two options for returning to the entry point at the end of the tour. I'm nearly certain that the quicker option would mean less than 2 hours in total.

  • I recall a good bit of curvy, two-lane travel on the way to Plitvice. Difficult to get reliable travel-time estimates in those situations.

  • I had a one-hour wait in the ticket line at Plitvice. Admittedly, that was in the morning on a Friday in late August.

  • If Plitvice is crowded (it was terribly so the day I was there), you will not have the option to walk rapidly. The middle-length path I followed took less that 3 hours (no stops for photos, which would be a major variable) under the difficult conditions I experienced. There is a longer mapped-out route that you might enjoy, but I'm not sure it could be done in 3 hours even if the park was not busy.

  • I can't tell from the website whether there's a time you have to leave the park at Plitvice. Possibly not. And it will stay light pretty late. That's in your favor.

I enjoyed both sights, but I'd definitely choose Plitvice over Skocjan if I could visit only one of them. I suggest, though, that you monitor weather conditions. It's likely to be very sunny in June, but if it isn't, you may feel you don't need to rush to Plitvice. I can't quite imagine tromping along the Plitvice boardwalks in a heavy rain. Rain wouldn't be an issue once inside the cave at Skocjan, though there's some downhill walking to get to the cave that might be a little tricky in wet weather.

Posted by
7356 posts

We saw both back in June 2004, but not on the same day (we had a couple days in Zagreb in between), and we had a rented car. We arrived at our Croatian B&B in the early evening, after touring Plitvice that afternoon. It wasn't overly crowded for us back then, but I'd expect most visitors would want a good 3 hours, at least.

Skocjan caves needed at least an hour and a half to two hours, If you're looking to fit both in in a single day, you might plan on a to-go sandwich in the car for lunch.

Posted by
16893 posts

I'm not really worried about your plan, but is the next day equally busy? At least as plan B, you can reserve the option of seeing the park the next morning; entrance gates open at 8:00.

Posted by
86 posts

We did a huge road trip in this area last summer. Here's my take: from Ljubljana to Skocjan is very quick and on excellent roads, and you will have no problem with that part of your plan. The drive from Skocjan to Plitvice will be more of a challenge, because once you're in Croatia you will spend most of your time on winding back roads on your way to the park. In theory the drive takes about 3 hours, but the roads are narrow, and if there is a slow car ahead you will be stuck behind it. We had no traffic to deal with, and it still took us a bit longer than we had expected (we did the trip in reverse--Ljubljana to Plitvice to Piran). In any case, I think it would be hard to see Plitvice in just a couple of hours. But your plan could still work--you could see half the park when you arrive, sleep at the hotel, and then see the other half the next morning and leave from there. We loved our road trip, by the way--the beauty on the drive is just extraordinary, and Slovenia and Plitvice are two of my all-time favorite places. Good luck!

Posted by
104 posts

I want to thank each of you who took time to reply to my itinerary question.

I didn't consider that the first English language tour at Skocjan wasn't until 10am. Nor did I consider that I might get stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle on my trip from Skocjan to Plitvice. Both of these factors change the calculation for me.

In theory it would make sense to go with Plan B and spend the second day (Saturday) in Plitvice; we could be the first guests to enter the park at 8am. The flaw with that plan is fact that I need to be in Trogir on Saturday no later than 1:30pm. (We will be taking an 8 day bike/boat tour which departs the dock at 2pm sharp.) So knowing myself, I would be watching the time instead of fully enjoying the scenery in Plitvice.

Later in June, we will retrace our steps, so I may attempt to tour Skocjan at that time.

I really do appreciate each of you taking the time to share your wisdom. You're the best!

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