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Plitvice / Krka Lakes - end of Oct too late?

Hello, is end of October too late to visit Plitvice and Krka Lakes?
My orig travel plan changed and now looking at Croatia for 3 weeks around Oct 22 onward. Have never been to Croatia and Plitvice Lakes is my #1 priority if I visit. Want to make sure I won't have a reduced experience at Plitvice due to the late season.

I contacted Plitvice NP about Upper Lakes closure and they replied that depends on the weather, so no guarantee. Is it a bummer to only see Lower Lakes? Also only Hotel Jezero will be open. The other two close after 10/16.

Krka has reduced boat schedule 10/16-10/31. Then closes 11/1.

So I could focus my 1st week on Plitvice+Krka to take advantage of what remains open. Then do the Split - Dubrovnik the 1st 2 weeks of Nov. My interests are ruins (Greek, Roman, Venetian), castles, interesting architecture, quint villages, good seafood. Not much of a beach person but could do historic islands. Hopefully these would not be impacted by low season? RS guide books says avoid small towns in Nov.

Advantage of low season is less crowd. Is that enough to offset the rain and winter closures?

Posted by
21 posts

Hi!
While visiting Plitvice Lakes and Krka National Park in late October might come with some uncertainties due to weather and closures, it can still be a worthwhile experience. If you're primarily interested in sightseeing, history, and architecture, the larger cities and historic islands should still provide plenty of opportunities for exploration. Just be prepared for potential rain and some closures, and consider weighing the reduced crowds against the possible inconveniences of the low season.

Posted by
28140 posts

There's a pretty significant risk of rain, I'm afraid. The wettest time of year falls between mid-October and mid-December. Still, it seems that on average there is only significant rainfall on one of every three days.

I hope this webpage works for you; it's flaky:

Average October weather statistics for Plitvice Lakes National Park

It's difficult to decide what to do when there's an outdoor destination you really want to see, but you don't have time to stay a bunch of extra days to be reasonably sure of having good weather. You can run into the same challenge in places like western Scotland and western Norway.