Krka and Plitvice to visit

Alexandra, I have not been to either park since 2015. At that time, there were no entry restrictions, but there are now at least at Plitvice. However, I don't know how far in advance you would need to buy them. If there are still tickets available, you can still just show up and buy them at the park without buying in advance, but of course, who wants to risk not being able to get in?

Here's the official Plitvice page for buying tickets.

https://ticketing.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr/Index.aspx?l=EN

If by chance you are staying at a park hotel...you used to be able to use your ticket to enter the park for a second day without paying again (by having the hotel stamp your ticket). Not sure how that works anymore with timed entries nowadays.

Thank you, Andrew.

You really, really need to plan your lodgings so you can see Plitvice late in the afternoon and/or first thing in the morning. The park is swamped by day-trippers, which seriously degrades the experience. Imagine over-water walkways, most without railings, as crowded as Manhattan sidewalks. There's a vast difference between off-hour conditions and what you'll see if you visit at 10 AM.

Thank you Acraven. We will be driving from Split, we are planning to be there early morning. But when I went to check the time and tickets, it shows the earliest time to enter is 8 am?!

That may well be accurate. That's why we recommend spending a night at or just outside the park. When I went to Plitvice in the summer of 2015, I wasn't aware of how crowded it had become. I probably got to the park around 10 AM (on the bus from Zagreb). I was in the ticket line for about an hour, then I was in shoulder-to-shoulder traffic practically for the entire visit. I was very glad it was my third trip to the park rather than my first. It wasn't the sort of experience anyone should settle for.

Our experience was in 2016, so it's been a while. We very much enjoyed arriving mid-afternoon, heading over to spend the afternoon - no crowds and had it to ourselves after a short while, and then getting an early start in the morning. I am pretty sure we were in there before 8, but the electric boats you might want to take won't start earlier. By 10am we wanted to be off the paths - couldn't walk, couldn't see over people. We bought our tickets upon arrival.

Went there in April his year. Got in at 0700. Did all the trails. On way back there were already a lot of people. Narrow boardwalks. They coming, we going. Strollers, dogs. That is April.
Krka similar. Though most people only go to Krka for the falls and not the far reaches of the park sights. Which you would need a car and a map for.
We bought two day tickets at Plitvice. Went in each entrance separate days.

We visited KRKA a few weeks ago and simply bought tickets that morning. No need to buy in advance. It is located in the town of Skradin which is a gem of a small town worth a few hours and a meal at many available restaurants.