Exploring Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes, and Krka National Parks

Our Balkan tradventure so far had us explore the popular cities along Dalmatian coast. But Croatia has much to offer beyond their beautiful coast. Late September and early October proved to be a magical time to visit the national parks with fewer crowds and autumn colours coming in.

We highly recommend Plitvice Lakes National Park. It is the most beautiful National Park we have ever visited in Europe. With 16 interconnected lakes that descend dramatically through a limestone canyon, we enjoyed it despite wet weather.

💡Tip: Entrance tickets to the National Parks are much cheaper during non-peak periods. We visit them in October when tickets are 50% cheaper compared to September!

Krka National Park Skradinski Buk

We took a day trip up to Krka National Park between Split and Zadar. The park introduced us to a different Croatia with its stark contrast to the Coastal Cities we have visited so far.

We were looking forward to doing some hiking in Croatia and even brought along our hiking sticks, anticipating rocky paths and steep inclines. However, we quickly realised we over-prepared for the “hike” to see Skradinski Buk when we saw busloads of cruise-liners passengers, dressed casually, and led by tour guides.

The exploration trail was well-defined with wooden walkways that allowed us to explore the area intimately, walking alongside and over the water. We see people of all ages walk the 3,400m trail with relative ease. We saw some waterfalls along the way and it took us just over an hour to reach the main Skradinski Buk viewpoint.

💡 Tip: If you are in a rush for time and only want to see Skradinski Buk, take the “Shortcut” route instead.

We parked for free at Lozovac and there were free toilets for you to clean up after the walk. From Lozovac entrance, you can take a shuttle bus down to the start of the trail, we walked down the 875m route instead, and took the shuttle bus back up later.

There were other hikes we could do, but due to time constraints we drove up to “Vidikovac Torak” and had the whole place to ourselves while we picnicked there! That’s one of the perks of non-peak travelling. We also hiked down to the lake, but would not recommend it as the trail was made up of loose gravel and was very steep. The view from the top was much better, so DO NOT hike down to the lake.

Plitvice Lakes National Park in Autumn Rain

We were expecting rain on the day we planned to visit Plitvice Lakes, and had to buy rain cover at Decathlon the day before. Our host at Split told us that Plitvice Lakes is beautiful in any season and weather, and the rain should not stop us from going.

He was right.

I mean, we were soaked when exploring Plitvice Lakes, literally. It was raining cats and dogs at some moments and my fingers got so cold that it made taking photos with our phones a tough act. If you are expecting rain as well, bring your own thermos flask, gloves and heat packs and thank us later.

There are 8 “Lake Tour Programs”, 4 from Entrance 1 and 4 from Entrance 2. After researching, we decided to take the C Program as it includes both the upper and lower lakes, a boat ride of Kozjak Lake (a must do) and has a total duration of 4+ hours. The routes are marked well, with possible shortcuts if you want to shorten it.

The rain made Plitvice Lakes awesome - transforming this UNESCO World Heritage site, renowned for its cascading lakes and waterfalls, into a mystical, ethereal landscape. Despite “battling” the cold and wetness, we enjoyed the route and loved Plitvice Lakes.

While the weather meant we couldn't capture the park's typically sunny panoramas, it offered a unique and moody perspective that few visitors experience. We hope to explore Plitvice Lakes again during a different season.

💡 Tip: Uber to and from the airport for 2 pax is cheaper than taking the airport shuttle.

Zagreb: A City of Contrasts and Charm

We only had 2 days to explore Zagreb, and booked the MANDA Heritage Hotel to stay near the Old Town for easy exploration on foot. We had to return our car at the airport and Uber to Gostionica Restoran Purger, a popular casual restaurant serving local cuisine, that is a short walk away from our hotel.

We highly recommend your first stop to be the tourist information centre at Ban Jelačić Square. There is a useful map of Upper and Lower Town that informs you where to explore.

It was a lot more fun to explore Upper Town. Instead of following the sequence laid out on the map, we suggest starting with some breakfast at Dolac market (we tried Burek for their local fare - delicious, but a little too heavy for breakfast) then make your way to the funicular to take a short 66m ride up to Upper Town. You can buy the ticket at the counter there.

Going from 11 → 12 → 13 → 10 → 9 → 8 → 7 → 6 → 5 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 1. This route is generally downslope and involves less climbing.

There are lots to explore in Lower Town as well, and we managed to walk both Upper and Old Town in a day. We soon realised that many of the buildings are going through “restoration” and wondered why.

A local informed us about the devastating earthquake that happened on 22 Mar 2020, causing extensive damage to many buildings. Many of which are still closed (you will see this on the map as well), and the facade of the buildings are covered up too (eg. The famous Cathedral towering over Upper Town was covered by scaffolding).

Here are some spots we recommend:

1. Quahwa - Delicious coffee in a laid back environment. We were drawn into it simply from the whiff of their in-house roastery.

2. Statue of Nikola Tesla - For people with inner geeks, and the street near it is colourful and vibrant too.

3. Nikola Tesla Technical Museum - The live demonstration was fun to watch.

4. Museum of Broken Relationships - We found it to be over-rated. There are more stories told in their book - The Museum of Broken Relationships.

5. Zagreb City Museum - Our first choice museum to visit. Unfortunately, it was closed due to the earthquake.

6. Park Zrinjevac - The Meteorological Post wasn’t listed on the maps and it should be. The park is really nice too!

7. Submarine Burger - Simple and good burger. They have a few outlets around Old Town.

This marks the end of our Croatian tradventure. We discovered a country of remarkable diversity and beauty and plan on returning in the future to explore this beautiful country again!

Our posts (in order) for this trip:

1. To the Balkans from Singapore

2. Istanbul, Dubrovnik, Montenegro and Mostar

3. Old Towns of Split and Zadar

4. Exploring Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes, and Krka National Parks

5. Our Complete Experience with Qatar Airways

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