National Parks in Croatia

Plitvice Lakes is the oldest and largest of the eight: it was founded on 8 April 1949 as Croatia's first national park and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 26 October 1979. Northern Velebit is the youngest, designated in 1999. The Velebit range joined the UNESCO network of biosphere reserves in 1978 and became a nature park three years later; Paklenica and Northern Velebit both lie inside it.

Nature parks such as Telašćica are not national parks and are not part of this list.

One ticket per park, priced by season

Each national park sells its own ticket under its own price list. At Plitvice Lakes and Krka the adult fee changes with the season: one rate from January to March and in November and December, a higher one in April, May and October, and the highest from June to September. Both parks also have a cheaper afternoon rate in summer. At Plitvice it applies from 16:00 in June, July and August and from 15:00 in September; at Krka from 15:00 between June and September. The current amounts are in each park guide under Plitvice tickets and Krka tickets, taken daily from the park authority's price list.

What the ticket includes

• Plitvice Lakes: an online ticket is tied to the entrance and the time slot you choose. Guests staying two nights or more at Hotel Jezero or at the park's campsites, Korana and Borje, can have their ticket extended for their whole stay at no extra cost.
• Krka: from 1 April to 31 October the park boat between Skradin and Skradinski buk and the bus from Lozovac are included. Excursion boats to Visovac Island and Roški slap cost extra. The whole-park ticket is valid for each site only once.
• Mljet: the day ticket includes a return boat trip to St Mary's Island in the Great Lake and, in season, the electric train. The ferry from the mainland is separate. Adults buying a ticket in the park after 16:00 pay 25 per cent less.
• Paklenica: besides day tickets there are three-day and five-day tickets. The Manita peć cave and the visitor centre are charged separately.
• Northern Velebit: tickets for one, two or three days, with the Kuća Velebita visitor centre in Krasno charged separately.
• Risnjak: one ticket is valid on two days, with a higher summer rate in July and August.
• Kornati: if you come on your own boat, the fee depends on the length of the boat, the season and how long the ticket runs. An excursion ticket per person is a different product, sold through the operator.
• Brijuni: the guided excursion to Veliki Brijun includes the crossing from Fažana. The booked departure time is binding.

Lakes and waterfalls

Plitvice Lakes is open all year, but the opening hours of individual services change with the seasons. In winter the Upper Lakes are usually closed, depending on the weather, while the Lower Lakes are normally open. At Krka the park boat from Skradin and the bus from Lozovac, both included in the ticket, run from 1 April to 31 October. Swimming in Krka is allowed only at Roški slap, Stinice and Pisak, from 1 June to 30 September; at Plitvice swimming is not allowed at all.

Islands

Mljet asks visitors from November to April to arrange their visit with the park authority in advance. Brijuni receives groups on request in January and February. Kornati depends on the sea: check the weather and sea conditions with your skipper or excursion operator.

Mountains

The usual season in Northern Velebit runs from early May to mid-November and depends on the snow. In Paklenica the park's campsite on the beach is open from 15 March to 15 November, and the reception at Mala Paklenica opens only in the main season. At Risnjak the Leska nature trail is described as open all year, but conditions on the summit are a different matter.

Summer afternoons

Plitvice and Krka in summer, and Mljet all year, reward a later start with a cheaper afternoon ticket. Check the last return connection before you choose one, above all on Mljet, where the ferry back to the mainland sets the end of your day.

For lakes and waterfalls: Plitvice Lakes or Krka

Both parks show water falling over tufa barriers. Plitvice Lakes is a walking park: official routes of 3.5 to 17.5 km (2.2 to 10.9 mi) lead over boardwalks past 16 named lakes, and you need between two and eight hours, depending on the route. Krka is a river park: the Skradinski buk circular trail is 1.9 km (1.2 mi) long, the official programmes take two to four hours, and the day can include a boat from Skradin.

For islands and the sea: Brijuni, Kornati or Mljet

Brijuni is the easiest to reach: about 15 minutes by boat from Fažana in Istria, either as a guided excursion or on your own with a pocket guide. Kornati is a park seen from the water; without a boat there is no visit. Mljet takes the most planning: the car ferry from Prapratno to Sobra takes 45 minutes at sea, and the park lies in the west of the island, around two deep bays that look like lakes but hold seawater. The park authority calls Mljet the oldest marine protected area in the Mediterranean.

For mountains: Paklenica, Northern Velebit or Risnjak

Paklenica is a canyon park on the coast: the Velika Paklenica canyon is 14 km long with vertical walls of over 700 m (2,300 ft) on both sides, and the park rises from 20 to 1,757 m in just 95 km². Northern Velebit is karst country with mountain huts and shepherds' houses, visited mainly between May and November. Risnjak, in Gorski kotar between the coast and the interior, is forest: the 4.2 km (2.6 mi) Leska trail starts near the park administration at Crni Lug.

If you can visit only one, choose by how you want to spend the day. Plitvice Lakes is for walking: two entrances about 3 km (1.9 mi) apart, routes A, B, C and K1 from Entrance 1 and E, F, H and K2 from Entrance 2, and no swimming anywhere. If you are short on time, the park authority recommends programmes A, B and F through the Lower Lakes. Krka is for a shorter loop and the river: the longest barrier on the river, Skradinski buk, reached by boat from Skradin or by bus from Lozovac, and three places where you may swim in summer.

Without a car, Plitvice works well: scheduled buses stop at both Plitvice entrances; check the timetable with Zagreb bus station or Likaline. At Krka, Skradinski buk can be reached from Skradin on the footpath and cycle path or with the seasonal park boat. Read the Plitvice getting-there guide and the Krka getting-there guide for entrances, parking and buses.