Overnight in Plitvice Park

Staying at one of the three National park hotels— the Hotel Jezero, the Hotel Plitvice or the Hotel Bellevue— puts you adjacent to one of the park’s entrances and entitles you to buy a “Day Ticket” as one of the government-run hotel guests. The “Day Ticket” costs €40 in high season and allows entry into the park on both the afternoon of your arrival day and again on the morning of the day you check out. This is a big deal because you have access to the park during the times when most daytrippers have departed on day 1 and before they arrive on day 2 during your visit.
Parking at all three national park hotels is free for guests staying at the hotels.
If you take a few minutes to watch a YouTube video of Plitvice Lakes, you’ll see how absolutely mobbed this park gets during much of the year. Visitors walk on elevated walkways just a few feet wide with hundreds of other visitors just ahead of them and hundreds more crowding behind them during the peak hours of 10am-3pm.
Plitvice Lakes National Park is open from 7am to 7 pm April-May and September-October. During June, July and August the park is open from 7am to 8 pm. Bring mosquitoe repellant with you.
If you opt to stay at accommodations outside of the park— be sure you know how far it is from the park entrances because some advertise themselves as lodgings for Plitvice Lakes National Patk when they are actually as far as 40 miles away from the park.

We stayed at Hotel Jezero, and we noted that there was a parking lot there.

It was fine. The rooms are basic, but the public areas are very nice, and the food was good. It was very convenient to one of the park entrances, and, as mentioned, we were able to visit the park twice. We liked it.

We stayed at the Plitvice Miric Inn and we loved it! It is a 5-minute drive from the entrance. Their breakfast buffet is one of the best I've ever had anywhere. At that time they were also serving dinner for an additional fee but I understand they are no longer doing that. We did pay the entrance fee for the second day but that was fine with us. At the time I was planning our trip I had read several negative reviews about the hotels inside the park. I know a woman who stayed inside the park last year, and she complained about the huge bus groups at the buffet all shoving while trying to get food. Maybe this is not the norm but thought I should mention it.

I stayed at Hotel Jezero. It was nice enough and the buffet was solid, but it was expensive. It certainly was convenient access to the park, but if you’re doing the “late afternoon then early morning” (ideal way to do this btw) visit then I don’t think parking would be an issue. If you stay in a park hotel they will extend your entrance ticket into the next day at no cost, which is nice but I doubt it overcomes the savings by staying outside the park. All in all, I’d probably stay outside the park, but Jezero is a very satisfactory option.

Thank you all for your replies. We have decided to stay outside the park at the Plitvice Miric Inn. We will be at the park in the afternoon and the next morning. We need an air conditioned room and the Hotel Jerezo isn’t air conditioned.

campabrok, when we stayed at the Plitvice Miric Inn, we visited the park late afternoon and then early morning the next day. We did not have any issues with parking. It was all very easy and no stress at all. I am sure you will enjoy your stay at Plitvice Miric Inn!