Plitvice Lakes Tickets: Prices by Season and How to Book
Plitvice Lakes ticket prices by season, what the entrance fee covers, the two-day option and how to buy in advance from the official park webshop.
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A one-day adult ticket to Plitvice Lakes National Park costs 40 euro in the peak window of 1 June to 30 September, 23 euro from 1 April to 31 May and through October, and 10 euro from 1 January to 31 March and 1 November to 31 December. The park's own price list also runs a cheaper peak band, at 25 euro, for entry after 16:00 from June to August and after 15:00 in September. This guide sets out every visitor category and date window, explains what the fee already covers, and walks through booking a timed slot and getting it validated at the right entrance.
What a Plitvice Lakes ticket costs: adult day-ticket prices in each season
Adults pay 10 euro from 1 January to 31 March and again from 1 November to 31 December, 23 euro from 1 April to 31 May and from 1 October to 31 October, and 40 euro between 1 June and 30 September. Because the bands follow calendar dates rather than the weather, a late-May visit and an early-June visit can differ by 17 euro for the same adult ticket. Peak season is split into two prices, which is where most confusion arises. From 1 June to 31 August the 40 euro rate applies to entries up to 16:00, and a 25 euro rate applies after 16:00; from 1 to 30 September the cut-off moves to 15:00. If your dates fall in July or August and you can reach the gates in the late afternoon, the saving is substantial for a family, though you get fewer daylight hours on the trails.
Adult group tickets are slightly cheaper at 35 euro in peak season, and a group means at least 15 people announced in writing to the park's sales department no later than two days before arrival. The saving is modest rather than dramatic, so independent travellers should simply buy individual tickets.
Cheaper tickets: students, children 7–18, under-7s and group rates
Students pay in the peak season band from 1 June to 30 September; the rate drops after the afternoon cut-off, and there is a winter-window rate, with a valid student card checked at the gate. Children aged 7 to 18 pay during peak season, in the April–May and October window, and in the winter months, while children under seven enter free. The cheaper peak band applies to these categories too: children aged 7 to 18 pay after the cut-off.
Free entry is limited to a narrow set of visitors: children under seven, people with movement difficulties or a disability assessed above 50 per cent, and one accompanying personal assistant. Everyone else pays the standard rate, so carry the document that proves your category.
Is the two-day ticket worth it?
A two-day ticket is valid for two consecutive days beginning on the date of sale, and it is priced well below two separate day tickets. For adults, two-day tickets cover peak season, the April–May and October window, and winter. Children aged 7 to 18 have two-day tickets for peak season and the April–May and October window, and students have tickets for peak season and the shoulder window.
The case for two days is strongest if you want to walk both the Upper Lakes and Lower Lakes at an unhurried pace, or if you are arriving from Zagreb or Zadar and losing half a day to the transfer. For a single full day of walking, one day ticket plus an early start covers the main circuit.
What the entrance ticket includes: electric boat, panorama train and insurance
The ticket is not just a gate fee. It covers transport on the park's electric boat and panorama train within the sightseeing programme you select, visitor insurance and VAT, so you do not buy a separate boat ticket once inside. The advertised adult price is therefore the full cost of moving around the lakes.
The boat crosses between lakes on short routes, and the panorama train links the entrance areas with the higher viewpoints. Plan your route so the boat crossing saves your legs for the section you actually want to walk, rather than doubling back on foot; the Plitvice lakes map shows where the piers and train stops sit relative to each entrance.
How to buy tickets: the official webshop, timed entry and validation at your chosen entrance
Tickets are sold online through the park's own ticketing site, and buying in advance cuts queueing time at the gates. When you buy, you choose a specific entrance and a time period, and the ticket is only valid for that combination. Keep the ticket on your phone or print it before you travel, because mobile signal inside the park is not something to rely on.
Validation happens at the official entrance you selected at purchase, within the period the ticket was bought for. Anyone found in the visitation zone with an inactive ticket is treated as being there without a valid ticket under the park rules, so scan the code at the gate rather than assuming it activates itself.
Buying on the day at Entrance 1, Entrance 2 and the Flora auxiliary entrance
Tickets are also sold at the park entrances unless they have sold out, with desks at Entrance 1, Entrance 2 and the auxiliary Flora entrance near Entrance 2. Ticket sales there stop at 15:00, even though the entrances themselves stay open later, so a late-afternoon arrival on the cheaper rate must already hold an online ticket. In peak summer, turning up without a booking is a gamble on availability.
Entrance 1 – Rastovača and Entrance 2 – Hladovina are the two main gateways, with the Flora desk as a small auxiliary option beside the second. Your choice fixes your start point for the day, so pick it deliberately rather than by whichever car park looks emptier.
Park opening hours and last ticket sales, plus boat and train operating times
The park is open 365 days a year, but the hours change with the season. In the published timetable, Entrance 1, Entrance 2 and the Flora auxiliary entrance open from 07:00 to 18:00, with both main car parks running from 07:00 to 19:00. In the colder part of the year most hospitality facilities close and accommodation is limited to Hotel Jezero.
The electric boat runs the short route between the P1 and P2 piers from 07:00 to 18:00 as needed, while the long route between P2 and P3 runs from 08:00 to 16:30 every 30 minutes, with the return between 08:30 and 17:00. Panorama trains run every 30 minutes on their set routes, generally from around 07:30 or 08:00 until the late afternoon. Build your day around the long-route boat schedule if you want to cross the middle of the lakes rather than walk it.
Which entrance to pick: Rastovača (Entrance 1) for the Lower Lakes, Hladovina (Entrance 2) for the higher lakes
Entrance 1 at Rastovača is the gateway to the Lower Lakes, the dramatic end of the park where the biggest drops and main viewpoints sit close to the start of the trail. Entrance 2 at Hladovina puts you nearer the Upper Lakes, a gentler landscape of wooded shorelines and shallower cascades. Choosing between them is really a choice of which half of the park you want to see at your freshest.
If you have one day and want the highlights, start at Entrance 1 and work uphill, using the boat and train to avoid retracing your steps. On a two-day ticket, give each half of the park its own morning. The Plitvice lakes waterfalls, including the tallest single fall, are concentrated towards the lower end, which is one more argument for starting at Rastovača.
Choosing a quieter time of day: the after-4pm summer price and coach peaks
The park's own price structure is a useful crowd indicator: the discounted summer window exists to spread arrivals, and it coincides with the tail end of the coach day. An adult ticket bought for late afternoon buys a quieter couple of hours on the boardwalks, at the cost of shorter daylight. If photography matters more than walking distance, that trade is worth taking.
Early mornings are the other quiet window, since entrances open at 07:00 and the first boats and trains follow soon after. Weather in the park can change quickly and individual trails may close temporarily, so arriving early leaves margin if your route is rerouted.
Should you buy a one-day or two-day Plitvice ticket?
Buy a one-day ticket if you have a single full day and will start early, choose one entrance, and use the boat and train to link the lakes rather than walking every section twice. Buy the two-day ticket if your dates fall in the 1 April to 31 May or 1 October to 31 October window, where it costs barely more than a single day and gives you a relaxed second morning.
Whichever you choose, book online with a fixed entrance and arrival time, and take the late-afternoon band if you are travelling in summer and want the lower price. The published opening hours change with the seasons, so they are worth a final look before you set off.
Explore more Plitvice Lakes guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to print my Plitvice Lakes ticket?
Either format works, but the ticket must be available at the gate: store it on your mobile device or print it, then validate it at the official entrance you chose when buying and within the time period you booked. Do not rely on mobile signal inside the park, so download or screenshot the ticket before you arrive.
Where in Croatia are the Plitvice Lakes?
The park sits roughly halfway between Zagreb and Zadar in the inland karst country of central Croatia, not on the coast. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and covers sixteen interconnected lakes linked by waterfalls, with Veliki Slap the tallest single fall in the park.
Sources
Notes from the Croatian coast
Optional updates when our guides change.
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