In late September, we will arrive in Zadar by ship. Between 8 am and 4 pm, is it possible to get a ride to Plitvice and back? Is Krka a better option? It appears to be about 2 hours by car to Plitvice, and 1 hour to Krka, each way. I am of the mind that I would rather go and spend 2 hours, than not go at all, but is it possible?
TIA.
Posted by
TX, USA
4084 posts
Julie, the path is such that it is not easy, maybe not even possible, to just go and stay however long you think you have - especially when it is only 2 hours. I wouldn’t usually say that a short time isn’t worth it for most things - but I am not sure what you are talking about is even feasible for Plitvice. And it would make even me pretty nervous to have that kind of schedule.
A better alternative might be Krka, with only about an hour’s drive each way. But you still need to leave yourself plenty of time for the return since you may have to wait on the boat for a return.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
Yes, Krka seems much practical. Get a ride to the town of Skradin and take a boat from there up to Skradinski Buk, the huge cascading waterfall and park highlight. You can hike up around and across the falls and down the other side, so you can do more than just see the falls.
Posted by
Washington DC
27122 posts
In addition to the tightness of your schedule, a second issue is that the situation at Plitvice is grim for day trippers. The park gets rally swamped, the boardwalks (mostly without railings) absolutely packed. It's nothing like the experience it used to be before Croatia was discovered. These days, the closest you can get to what the part used to be is to arrive mid-afternoon, see some of the park that day, spend the night in or very near the park, and see a bit more of it really early the next morning before the day trippers pour in.
In other words, you needn't feel you're missing something wonderful by choosing an option other than Plitvice for your Zadar port day, because you absolutely are not.
Whether Krka is advisable, I cannot say from experience, but no one has come to this forum to report a Krka visit spoiled by massive crowds.
You also have the option of staying in Zadar for the day. It has a picturesque historic center.
Posted by
OP
Frisco, Texas, US
254 posts
Thank you for your replies! acraven, I did feel that I was going to be missing something wonderful, but now that you told me I'm not, I'm not going to try to get to Plitvice. texastravelmom, when you said 'even me', that hit home too. Will look into Andrew's suggestion for Krka.