Beautiful Krka National Park: the Ultimate Travel Guide
Are you planning to visit Krka National Park in Croatia this year and don’t know what to expect? Don’t worry I got you. In this article, I will be sharing all my tips and resources for you to have the best time ever. Also, I will be sharing my own experience from this trip and I hope that you will find it useful.
This mini travel guide will offer answers to questions like why do you need to visit Krka National Park, where to find the best accommodation, how to get to the park and all the details you need to know about the park before you plan your visit.
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Table of Contents
Why do you need to visit Krka National Park?
- If you are a nature lover, Krka Park will deliver a beautiful encounter with luxurious vegetation, amazing forest trails and stunning waterfalls;
- If you dream to swim someday near a waterfall (I always found it very cool), in Krka you can accomplish that dream;
- If you love waterfalls, know that there are some unique waterfalls views, just perfect for your expectations;
- If you want to see a much smaller version of Plitvice National Park, you can visit Krka National Park.
How to get to Krka National Park?
Depending on your travel itinerary, location, and personal preferences, there are two options for visiting Krka National Park: you can either explore independently or opt for a guided tour to alleviate the stress of planning your visit.
If you choose to explore on your own, having a car is essential. You can find rental prices available here, if you don’t already have one.
To give you an idea, here are the closest cities to Krka National Park:
- If you’re staying in Zadar, it’s just an hour’s drive to the park.
- If you’re based in Split, you can either book a private tour or take a daily bus from the airport to Šibenik, which takes approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. From Šibenik, you can catch a bus for only 20 minutes to Skradin, the nearest town to Krka National Park, situated right on its doorstep.
Alternatively, if you prefer a stress-free experience, booking a guided tour is highly recommended. While the quality of guided tours can vary, selecting one based on reviews and the number of bookings can significantly enhance your overall experience.
Check out the tours below for options that suit your preferences and needs for visiting Krka National Park:
- Krka Waterfalls, Food and Wine Tasting tour from Split (5 stars, over 4000 reviews);
- Split to Krka Waterfalls Tour, Boat Cruise and Swimming (5 stars, over 2000 reviews);
- Krka Waterfalls Excursion from Zadar (4 stars, over 50 reviews)
- Split to Krka Waterfalls – Full Day Private Tour including free detour , (5 stars, over 50 reviews)
Where to find the best accommodation?
If you aren’t doing a one day trip to Krka National Park and want to spend more days in this area, I recommend you find accommodation in Skradin (as I mentioned above is the closest one to the park).
We stayed at Ruza, in Skradin. The house was so cute and located in a kind of secluded place. The view from the villa was very nice and the rooms were big and accommodating. The lady that was taking care of the place didn’t know a lot of English but was very kind to us.
When we arrived, she welcomed us with free drinks and the next morning she cooked delicious home-baked pies (our accommodation included breakfast). We started our visiting day with good coffee, a nice view and a great meal.
If you are looking for a place to stay near Krka National Park, you can try this place.
Things to know before you plan your trip to Krka National Park
You can swim near the waterfalls,
Maybe you already know, if not, you can read more here, but in Plitvice National Park (the most famous one in Croatia) you can’t swim near the waterfall.
In Krka there is one beautiful waterfall where people can swim, so don’t forget to pack your swimsuit. Although, keep in mind that the rocks are a little slippery and the place can get crowded. Personally, I didn’t enjoy this part of the visit, because of the slippery rocks, but I saw a lot of happy people having a great time in the water.
You can enjoy a picnic near the amazing waterfalls
There are a lot of grass spaces where you can organize a cool picnic. I suggest you pack a blanket or a big towel.
They have a place where you can buy food
The prices are a little expensive, because this food area is located at the core of the park. That being said, they have a lot of delicious options like waffles, pancakes, sandwiches to tempt you with.
There is a free toilet, but it can get really crowded
People use the toilet to change their clothes and this is why it gets crowded. I preferred to change mine behind a tree, it was faster that way (better yet, you can wear your swimsuit underneath your clothes and then dry off).
The park is smaller than Plitvice National Park
It can take you a whole day to explore Plitvice National Park, but in Krka National Park you will only need approx 2 hours to explore the area, take photos and find the best views.
That being said, you can plan to spend a whole day here by doing activities like: swimming, eating or relaxing on the grass.
Bellow you can see some of the best views in Krka National Park,
The park can get crowded during Summer season
We visited in the beginning of September and found more people than we expected. You can imagine how it can be during the peak tourist season.
The park is near a beautiful city: Skradin
If you plan to spend more than one day in this area, I highly recommend you put Skradin on your itinerary. This city was an unexpected surprise for us. Initially we didn’t include it on your visit plan, we only booked our accommodation close to the park and that’s it. But, after we arrived and went on an evening walk we quickly were amazed by the beauty that Skradin was showing us.
We enjoyed a serene and peaceful sunset moment near the water, while admiring all the gorgeous swans that were swinging close by. After that, we roamed the narrow and colorful street and found a restaurant where we ate good pasta. Everything about that evening was so relaxing and we felt Skradin like such an inviting little city.
I hope you find this article useful and consider visiting Krka National Park this year. Let me know if I can help you with more information.
If you plan to visit all the waterfalls that Croatia is known for, I recommend you also visit the well-known Plitvice National Park. I wrote an entire travel guide that will help you plan your trip there, please check it out here.
Happy traveling!😁