Plitvice Lakes from Split: Day Trip with Transfer & Free Time

4.77

(147 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll admit, I was a little grumpy about the early start from Split — I’m not really a morning person, and the bus was already buzzing with chatter before sunrise. But as we drove north, the landscape started changing. Our driver, Marko, pointed out old stone villages and patches of wildflowers that I’d never have noticed on my own. By the time we pulled up at Plitvice Lakes, I’d woken up properly (with some help from strong Croatian coffee at a rest stop — honestly, don’t skip it).

The first thing that hit me was the sound: water everywhere. Not just one waterfall but dozens, all different shapes and sizes, tumbling over mossy rocks into these crazy-clear lakes. The paths twist along wooden walkways so close you can feel the spray on your arms if you lean over too far (I did). At one point, I just stopped and watched a school group laughing as they tried to pronounce “Plitvice” — even our guide smiled and said most Croatians mess it up too.

You get free time to wander wherever you want inside the park. I ended up losing track of my group for a bit, which was fine — sometimes it’s better to go slow. There’s this spot where the sun hits the water just right and everything goes turquoise; I still think about that view when I’m stuck in city traffic back home. My shoes got muddy (should’ve listened about bringing extras), but honestly, who cares?