Plitvice Lakes with dogs: A Guide to Exploring Croatia’s Natural Wonder

When my husband and I were planning where to go for the summer, we chose Croatia because visiting Croatia’s natural wonders was my dream. I, of course, immediately researched if dogs are allowed in Plitvice Lakes. And so we booked our trip!

If you’re planning a trip to Plitvice, here’s everything you need to know about the best hiking trails in the park with dogs, key highlights, tips, and essential information to make your visit unforgettable.

About Plitvice Lakes National Park

Plitvice Lakes National Park is Croatia’s oldest and largest park and was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. It covers an area of almost 300 square kilometers — 74 thousand acres! — and has 16 named lakes of the clearest turquoise water. These lakes only cover 1% of the park! 

The lakes are divided into two groups: the Upper Lakes and Lower Lakes. The Upper Lakes are larger, formed on dolomite rock, while the Lower Lakes were formed on permeable limestone cut into a canyon.

The park’s 4 hiking trails are designed to showcase the beauty of the lakes, waterfalls, and surrounding forest. There are 7 routes you can take which vary in difficulty level, as well as transportation such as the boat through the Kozjak Lake or the free panoramic vehicle. This allows people to enjoy the park, regardless of their hiking ability!

How to get to Plitvice?

Plitvice Lakes is one of the main attractions in Croatia, so it is well connected! 

There are buses that connect the major cities in Croatia with Plitvice. The bus from Zagreb to Plitvice takes about 2 hours, the one from Zadar to Plitvice takes about one hour and 45 minutes, and the one from Split takes 3 and a half.  Don’t forget to check return buses so you can plan accordingly if only taking a day-trip!

If you are traveling around Croatia with dogs, I would recommend renting a car as buses do not take bigger dogs and smaller dogs are up to the discretion of each bus driver. They might let you get on the bus or they might not. And companies like Flixbus do not accept pets of any size on their buses, only service animals. They might be a budget option for travel but not a good option when traveling with your dog.  

We opted to drive to Plitvice as we had Mishka and Lilo and rented a car in Pula. We were staying in Zadar for this part of the trip before heading down to Split, and we took a whole day to explore the park. We drove directly to Entrance 2. Parking was €2 an hour.

Maybe a guided tour would be an option if you don’t want to drive or take the bus. Check with the individual tour company as they might allow dogs. We did a guided tour in Pompeii that did!

How much does Plitvice cost?

During high season, the entrance ticket costs €40 for adults. You can get a reduced ticket if entering after a certain time, for example €25 if entering after 4 p.m. from June-August giving you 4 hours before closing time. 

November through March it costs €10 per adult and April-May and October tickets are €23. 

Children under 7 and disabled people enter the park for free. 

There is also a two-day ticket available, and honestly, I would have gone back to see the falls! 

During high season, I recommend booking your tickets online so you don’t travel all the way there to find out they are sold out.  All tickets include the boat ride and panoramic train ride. 

What entrance should you use?

Entrance 1 to Plitvice Lakes is closes to the biggest waterfalls, like Veliki Slap, but it is also the one that seems to fill up the most. There is a camping area and cafes and bathrooms. There is also a viewing area that wheelchair users can use to see the Lower Lakes waterfalls and lakes. 

Entrance 2 has fewer people, but it was pretty packed as well. The parking lot is a good 10-15 minutes from the actual entrance to the park, but there were several restaurants/cafes and a hotel —Hotel Jezero. This is the entrance that we used and after seeing the amount of people at Entrance 1 when we finished our hike, I was grateful we chose it.

Where to stay in Plitvice?

There are several pet-friendly hotels in the area! We only did a day trip, but maybe spending more time in the park would have been nice. You can stay in Plitvica Selo, a small town that is on the other side of the main entrances. People report it is serene, quiet, and beautiful. Plitvica Selo has an auxiliary entrance you can use—Entrance 3– but buy tickets online as you can’t buy them on site. Entrance 3 would mean you’ll have to do a bit of route K to get to P3. 

Even if you use Entrance 2 for the other two hotels, I still recommend to buy online! 

Hiking Trails in Plitvice

So finally, on to the park itself! There are 7 routes: A, B, C, E, H, and K. 

Route A starts at Entrance 1 and is the shortest—2-3 hours and 3.5km— only covering the Lower Lakes. It does not have a boat or train ride. 

Route B’s starting point is Entrance 1, then takes you to Lower Lakes, then on a boat ride through Lake Kozjak and brings you back to the starting point in the panoramic ride. It takes 3-4 hours and 4 km. If you don’t have much time or energy, I would recommend Route B. It takes you to the best waterfalls and lets you enjoy Lake Kozjak on a nice boat ride, bringing you back to the starting point in a panoramic vehicle. 

Route E starts in Entrance 2 and covers only the Upper Lakes but does include a panoramic ride and a short boat ride. It takes 2 to 3 hours and 5.1 km. 

Route K does the whole park on foot with a small portion of boat ride. This is the longest and will take 6-8 hours and is 17.5km— or 16.5km if started from Entrance 1. If you have the time or the stamina, this would be a cool hike. 

Route C and H are the same trail with different starting points which makes H a bit longer. Route C starts in Entrance 1 while Route H starts in Entrance 2. They take 4-6 hours and have a length of 8.9km— or 8km for C. 

We did Route H!

There are 3 panoramic ride stops: ST1 close to Entrance 1, ST2 close to Entrance 2, and ST3 at the top of Upper Lakes. They go in both directions. 

There are also 3 boat docks P1 close to Entrance 2 and is the short ride connecting to P2. Then,P2 and P3 go both ways and is the long ride through Lake Kozjak. 

What we did and what I recommend with dogs! 

Visiting Plitvice was one of the best activities we did on our trip! It was exhausting but incredible. 

We did Route H which was a good mix of walking, seeing the whole park, multiple waterfalls, and some rest time on the boat and panoramic vehicle. It was also more than enough walking for Mishka and Lilo, especially since they are small dogs. Or for me, considering my orthostatic and heat intolerance! 

We arrived to the parking lot at around 8:20 a.m. and were inside the park by 9. The temperature was nice at that time but already warm in September. If you have heat issues, like me, I would recommend arriving even earlier because the panoramic vehicle for the first part of Route H opens at 7:30. 

I do recommend to not skip the Upper Lakes. These lakes seemed so incredibly peaceful. It was like everything, except the waterfalls was still. The morning was just starting, there weren’t as many people and I wanted to just sit and enjoy.

There were also some pretty great waterfalls in the Upper Lakes, like Veliki Prštavac.

And great photo opportunities for the dogs. 

I didn’t feel like the Upper Lakes area was crowded but as soon as we arrived to the Lower Lakes, things changed. We not only encountered more people, but also more dogs. Everyone was respectful, but remember to be aware of your surroundings!

I was in awe at the waterfalls seen from above the canyon, especially when I saw Veliki slap, or the Great Waterfall, and Sastavci. They looked like from a movie, the water cascading into these clear, turquoise lakes with lush green around. 

I was glad we had parked at Entrance 2, as Entrance 1 was too crowded, especially by the time we finished around 1:30 p.m.

What I would do differently

So, if I only had one day, I would still do Route H but modified. I would take the route from Station 2 to Station 1 and walk the Lower Lakes first, before all the crowds and the heat. This would have allowed me to enjoy the waterfalls a lot more. I also found it hard to do the inclined climb up from Veliki Slap to Station 1. Stairs and heavy inclination are very hard for me due to my chronic illness, so maybe doing it in the beginning would have helped. I do recommend not missing the Upper Lakes, though!

My husband disagrees as we did most of the trail downhill up until the end. But, by the end I was really struggling with the climb up and wished I could just give up. The not so glorious parts of traveling in general, but especially with a disability. 

If you can spare two days, do the two-day pass! I would do the Upper Lakes one day and the Lower Lakes another, starting at the latest at 7:30 a.m. to avoid crowds and heat. If staying two days in Plitvice, I would do Route B and Route E. 

I would have brought more water as it got too hot and what we had was not enough for two dogs and two humans. And some more food/snacks that I can eat as the food options were all unhealthy and none that I could eat due to my dietary restrictions. 

Accessibility

Some of the wooden decks are hard to maneuver with some steps in areas. If you have limited mobility, they might be hard to walk around. You also need to be very careful about your dogs not stepping off!

I also found there were areas with little to no shade which was a problem for me in the heat. Thankfully, I also found some benches or places to sit along the way. I wish I had had my trusty collapsible stool then.

Each station—vehicle and boat— has bathrooms and water. The bathrooms were clean and didn’t have to wait too long for them. 

If you have limited mobility, or are in a wheelchair, maybe viewing from the viewing area in Entrance 1 is the best option. 

The Best Waterfalls in Plitvice Lakes National Park

Veliki Slap or Great Waterfall

This is the tallest waterfall in the park and Croatia at 78 meters tall. The view from the observation deck of both Veliki Slap and Sastavci plunging into Novakovića brod was one of the best views I’ve seen. It is located in the Lower Lakes. Seeing it after heavy rain has to be fantastic! 

Sastavci

Is around 26 meters and in the Lower Lakes. Right below Veliki and contributes to the beauty of the canyon. 

Veliki Prštavac

This waterfall is 28 m and in the Upper Lakes. While not as impressive as Veliki Slap, it was beautiful! The sound was incredible and I wanted to just stay there and take it all in. You first see it from the side and can get a good close up!

Galovački Buk

Is 16 meters and in the Upper Lakes. This waterfall cascades gracefully into a serene pool with lush vegetation and clear blue water. It was incredibly peaceful.  

Tips for hiking Plitvice Lakes with dogs

Plitvice Lakes was definitely one of the highlights on our roadtrip! It wasn’t as refreshing as visiting one of the dog-friendly beaches, but being able to see nature in all its splendor is an incredible experience! 

If you need any pet travel tips head to this post so you too can take your dog on an incredible adventure! 

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