Footwear for Plitvice Lakes National Park

Are you staying for an hour or a day? Its like walking on wooden decking. The biggest problem will be all the other tourists setpping on your toes.

Plitvice Lakes is a beautiful park!

Some areas in the park can be wet/slippery, and there are elevation changes on the pathways. Sturdy sport sandals with good straps and traction could work, if they have covered toes even better. I also travel minimally and had no trouble walking there in my regular walking shoes. Starting your visit early in the day may help avoid some of the crowds.

It's pretty easy walking, for the most part. I think sports sandals would be fine.

I think I did it with regular closed boat shoes. I don't wear sandals, but I'd point out that many of the "very easy" trails are not paved. So you could turn your ankle or feel the sandal straps while descending a hill. Could you stub your toe? I don't know. The boardwalks tend to be involved with water features or marshes. You will spend some time in single file lines, limited to the speed of the slowest walker.

I should say that I find the current fashion for soft flip-flops to be risky for first-time tourism visits to a new location. But I guess it goes with pajama-wear.

I think you'll be fine with sports sandals unless, as someone has mentioned, a fellow visitor tromps on your toes. You'll be walking partly on boardwalks and partly on the ground. The ground could be leaf-covered (slippery), and there's the occasional tree root to deal with. There are a few steps to negotiate, I think, and I don't remember whether there were any railings at those points. In general, railings are not common in the park. But I have a pretty significant problem with balance, and I don't remember any difficulties in that regard at Plitvice.

I hope you're spending a night near the park rather than trying to visit it as a day tripper. The park is a nightmare during day tripping hours.

I think closed toe sport sandals would be fine, even for my picky feet. Not what I wore there, but have worn them hiking in warm weather.

The worst steps at the park are the "invisible" 2-3" high ones to slowly change levels. Saw so many people trip down them.

Thank you for all of your responses! Most helpful!

I'm just going to add that if you use your cell phone to take pictures, you may want to have it on a lanyard at the park. It would be so easy to get it bumped out of your hand and into the water..... I really wished I had one when I was there.

It is walking, not hiking. Can be slippery. Good note on the lanyard. A family ask me to take their photo and I dropped their camera in the lake when I lost my footing.

Thank you for the lanyard tip! Would never have thought to bring one!