Zagreb To Plitvice Lakes: 3x Best Ways To Get There & Back

Need to get from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes?

It’s not as difficult as you think. We spent about a month living in Zagreb, made some friends and we organized a fun day trip to see the beautiful Plitvice Lakes!

Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia where most international flights will land before going to other popular travel destinations in the country like Dubrovnik, Split, Pula and more.

If you have a couple of days in Zagreb, a lot of people take the opportunity to see the wondrous Plitvice Lakes National Park. It’s close enough for a day trip and big enough if you want to spend a couple of days getting lost in the beauty of nature. But how in the world do you get there?!

Here’s everything you need to know to get from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes National Park.

What is Plitvice Lakes National Park?

Plitvice Lakes is the biggest and oldest national park located in the Republic of Croatia that has been inscribed on the UNESCO Heritage List. They continue to attract more than 1 million visitors per year to this breathtaking national park.

But what can you see at Plitvice Lakes?

You can spend your day getting lost in the beautiful nature, scenery and waterfalls. There are several trails you can hike depending on the number of hours you want to spend at the National Park. You can also choose the routes you want to take at Plitvice Lakes depending if you want to simply hike or take a boat or bus or all.

Taking a day trip from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes continues to be one of the best excursions you can embark on during your time in Croatia.

Where Is Plitvice Lakes National Park?

Croatia is a beautiful country with plenty of travel destinations only a few hours drive from each other.

Plitvice Lakes is located in the mountainous region bordering Bosnia and Herzegovina.

How Far Is The Journey From Zagreb To Plitvice Lakes National Park?

Plitvice Lakes National Park is located just 130 kilometers from Zagreb, making it about a 2-hour drive (if there’s no road traffic). You can also get to Plitvice Lakes from Split and it will take about 2.5 hours instead. Another popular route is from Zadar which only takes 1.5 hours.

You can say Plitvice Lakes is centrally located in the country, making it easy to get to within only a couple of hours. We were living in Zagreb as digital nomads for July so we drove the 2 (ish) hours all the way from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes.

Your 3x Best Options To Get From Zagreb To Plitvice Lakes (And Back)

Wondering the best ways to get from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes?

We’ve got you covered! We went in July 2022 as a group of digital nomads looking to escape the city life of Zagreb and enjoy a day hiking in nature.

We explored all sorts of transportation options to get from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes National Park. Here’s what we found to be the best ways to get there:

#1. Hire A Rental Car From Zagreb To Plitvice Lakes

We hired a rental car from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes and it was the best option for us. Matthew and I went with 7 of our friends and we booked 2 cars to spend the day exploring the National Park.

As a group, renting a car was the easiest and most flexible option for us. We only booked it for the day – our friend picked it up at 8am and we set off by 9:30am!

You can hire a rental car from reputable companies such as:

• Enterprise
• Dollar Thrifty
• Hertz
• Sixt

There are not that many rental car stores located in the city center of Zagreb but our friend chose a rental car company nearby his Airbnb. The majority of them can be found at the airport, Zagreb Franjo Tuđman Airport. This might require some planning in advance if you want to rent a car from the airport right as you arrive.

How much will a rental car cost, exactly? It depends! You first need to decide if you want insurance included (which we always recommend). Our rental car for the day cost us around 90 euros (including the SUV upgrade, see below). This doesn’t include the cost of gas/petrol and the cost for taking the toll roads.

In total, we paid 125 euros for the car rental, gas and toll costs.

Double-check: Make sure you double-check the car model that the rental company may give you. We were going as a group of 5 in the car and found out the morning that they were going to give us a Fiat 500 (which is TINY). Instead, we paid 30 euros extra and upgraded to an SUV which was much more comfortable.

If you can rent a car, we highly recommend doing it – it’s the best way to get from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes. You can have full independence of the route you decide to go, the number of stops you want to take and you can enter/exit whenever you want (without the pressure of getting back).

#2. Take The Bus From Zagreb To Plitvice Lakes

Don’t feel like driving yourself?

Maybe you forgot your International Drivers License?

Whatever it may be, the next best option is to take the bus from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes. This is a popular way to get there because you don’t really need to plan in advance! There are plenty of bus companies that drive the specific route and it’s easy enough to get to the bus station in Zagreb.

If you’ve never been to the Balkans, be prepared to go with the flow. Not everything is as well organized and/or things don’t happen as straightforwardly as you expect. There’s also very limited info available online and you just figure it out as you go. But here is some information we gathered from our research.

There are 2 trustworthy bus companies that we used throughout our travel in Croatia (and the Balkans):

• Flixbus
• Arriva

We found that they both offer direct bus transfers from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes. Note: when you are searching for the routes Plitvice Lakes can also be known as “Plitvička Jezera”.

Arriva is a German bus company it’s pretty reliable and we found it to be cheaper than FlixBus most times. The buses aren’t as nice or modern as FlixBus but it does get you from A to B. Arriva only has a few departures from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes every day so make sure you plan ahead. The Arriva bus costs around 12.60 euros for a one-way trip.

FlixBus has multiple departures every day and they are a well-known European bus company. Their buses were way more modern and you can book your seats in advance. They also have a very user-friendly app! A Flixbus ride costs around 16 euros for a one-way trip.

Buses from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes start departing as early as 6:30am. This means you’ll arrive in Plitvice by around 9am depending on traffic.

If you’re not sure what time you’ll finish hiking around the lakes, you might not want to book a return bus in advance. Otherwise, you can book your return bus ahead and use that time as a goal to get back around!

Taking the bus from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes is a great, cost-effective option for everyone.

#3. Take A Private Transfer / Guide From Zagreb To Plitvice Lakes

You can take a private tour from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes. This is definitely the most expensive option but it’s the most convenient one too.

You will simply book a tour in advance and they take care of everything else for you. This is a great way to just enjoy the Lakes, the hike and be taken around the beautiful sights nearby.

Get Your Guide has some tours starting from 90 euros per person. This is for a day trip to Plitvice Lakes with a pitstop to the town of Rastoke which also includes your entrance tickets and transportation to and from Zagreb.

How To Get Back From Plitvice Lakes To Zagreb?

Once you’ve chosen your transportation option, simply take the same one back! That’s the easiest way to get back from Plitvice Lakes to Zagreb. You can simply take the car back, the bus back or your private guides already include your return ride all the way back to Zagreb.

Bottom Line: Take The Easy Journey From Zagreb To Plitvice Lakes

We highly recommend booking a rental car! It’s the best way to get from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes. You get the independence to choose your routes, the time you depart and arrive, giving you full control of your excursion!

The bus isn’t a bad option if you can’t rent a car too. Thankfully there are direct buses from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes and it’s fairly straightforward to get on the bus and take it back to Zagreb.

If you are in Zagreb, you’ll enjoy escaping the city for a day in nature. Plitvice Lakes National Parks is one of the best day trip excursions in Croatia!

Frequently Asked Questions – Getting From Zagreb To Plitvice Lakes

Is Plitvice Lakes Closer To Split Or Zagreb?

Zagreb is much closer to Plitvice Lakes than Split. From Split, it will take around 2.5 hours drive and it only takes around 2 hours from Zagreb (depending on traffic).

How Long Does It Take To Get From Zagreb To Plitvice Lakes?

Zagreb is 130 kilometers from Plitvice Lakes. It takes around 2 hours of driving depending on how road traffic and the time of day you decide to go. You can take the toll roads which can get busy or the back roads which is less of a straightforward drive!

When Is The Best Time To Visit Plitvice Lakes?

The best time to visit Plitvice Lakes is during the shoulder season. April, May, September and October are the perfect time to visit because you get fewer crowds and it’s not as hot/cold as the summer or winter season. We went in July and the crowds were pretty big and the entrance tickets cost almost double during the summer than in the winter.

Is Plitvice Lakes Worth Visiting?

If you love nature, scenery and waterfalls – a day trip to Plitvice Lakes is more than worth it! You’ll love exploring the national park, seeing the beautiful waterfalls and walking through the forests.

You can also spend longer than a day, some people stay in nearby hotels. We only did a day trip from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes and that was more than enough time for us! It’s up to you and how much you want to explore the national park and the general area.