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Sometimes you just get lucky.

When I booked a B&B I chose a village above the park simply because it looked peaceful. I’d heard about the crowds and figured a quiet countryside stay would be worth driving to the entrances the next morning.

At check-in, I mentioned this to our host. He looked puzzled. “You don’t need to drive,” he said. “Entrance 3 is just down the road.” Huh?

He pointed to a wall map showing an entrance connected to the park ferryboat — an entrance I’d never seen on any online map. This mattered because some days the park can have 12,000 visitors and every guide says the same thing: arrive early and head straight for the lower lakes. Even with timed tickets, lines build at the main entrances.

Our host also suggested we walk down the road toward an overlook with a view of the park. We followed his advice and, after several missteps, found a dirt path through some undergrowth but we still weren’t sure… until we saw the view.

Since then I’ve learned a lot more about the options, and I’ve realized we stumbled into a great location. But there are many choices for accommodations to fit different needs.

Plitvica Selo — Best for Avoiding Crowds

Plitvica Selo is a tiny hamlet perched above Plitvice Lakes National Park, offering a peaceful village atmosphere and excellent family-run B&Bs. As described above, it provides easy access to the locally known “Entrance 3,” along with beautiful viewpoints overlooking the lakes.

Several excellent restaurants are located within the lodges, making it easy to enjoy dinner without driving elsewhere, although there are no grocery stores or village shops. Staying here also makes it easy to catch the early ferryboat to the Upper Lakes, letting you explore some of the park’s most beautiful areas before the crowds arrive from the main entrances.

Park Hotels — Best for Maximum Convenience

The three park-owned hotels — Hotel Jezero, Hotel Bellevue, and Hotel Plitvice — are located inside the national park boundary near Entrance 2, but outside the ticketed area. Their biggest advantage is convenience.

One word of caution: these hotels are often marketed as the park’s “splurge” option, but they’re not luxury hotels in the traditional sense. Reviews are mixed — while some rooms have been renovated, others still feel dated, and the larger hotels often cater to tour groups rather than independent travelers. If you’re paying primarily for luxury accommodations, you may be disappointed. However, if being within walking distance of the park, avoiding parking hassles, and having restaurants and park services just steps away are top priorities, many travelers find the convenience well worth the higher price.

Rastovača — Best for Entrance 1 Access

It’s the front porch of Plitvice Lakes National Park — a small wooded village where, during the day, you’ll see visitors arriving with backpacks, walking to the entrance in the morning and returning in the afternoon. It’s busier during the day than the other villages nearby, but evenings are peaceful. Rastovača’s lodging is mostly small, family-run vacation rentals — private houses and pensions with a handful of rooms or apartments, not standalone cabins or full-service hotels.  A few have an on-site restaurant. This is the closest alternative if you want to walk to the main entrance without staying in a park hotel, but check the distance prior to booking. Some require a short drive. While there are a few restaurants nearby, most travelers choose Rastovača for its unbeatable location rather than its village atmosphere.

Mukinje — Best Budget Choice

It’s a quiet woodland lodging area rather than a village, with pine forests and mostly small apartments, guesthouses, and B&Bs. Many accommodations are within walking distance of Entrance 2. There are few services, since there isn’t really a village center with cafés and shops. Mukinje is an excellent choice for visitors who want to walk to Entrance 2 while enjoying a quieter, more wooded setting than the park hotels.

In winter, Mukinje doubles as a small ski area — one lift feeding a handful of gentle, beginner-friendly runs, plus sledding and night skiing on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s been part of the park’s winter offerings since the 1980s.

Jezerce — Best Value Near Plitvice

With open meadows, scattered farmhouses, forests, and family-run guesthouses, Jezerce feels even more rural than Mukinje. It’s more budget-friendly and about a 5–10 minute drive to Entrance 2. While there are still some small farms and grazing livestock, tourism has become the area’s primary industry. It’s a peaceful place to stay, but not somewhere you’d visit for village life or attractions beyond the national park.

Grabovac & Selište Drežničko — Best Base Beyond the Park

Located about a 15–20 minute drive from Entrance 1, the neighboring villages of Grabovac and Selište Drežničko offer the widest selection of accommodations near Plitvice Lakes National Park. You’ll find everything from budget guesthouses and family-run B&Bs to campgrounds, cabins, mobile homes, and full-service hotels.

Our Picks

🥇 Best Overall Plitvica Selo — our favorite. Peaceful, close to Entrance 3*, and avoids much of the congestion around the main entrances.

💎 Best Splurge Fenomen Plitvice Resort (Plitvica Selo) — modern luxury cabins, spa, excellent restaurant, and walking access to Entrance 3*.

🏨 Best Full-Service Hotel Hotel Degenija Boutique & Spa (Selište Drežničko) — pool, spa, excellent restaurant, and one of the nicest hotels in the area.

💰 Best Value Grabovac / Selište Drežničko — the largest selection of accommodations and restaurants at generally lower prices.

🚶 Best Without a Car Rastovača (Entrance 1) or Mukinje (Entrance 2).

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Best for Families Grabovac / Selište Drežničko — campgrounds, cabins, more restaurants, grocery stores, and plenty of room to spread out.

Still not sure where to stay? If you’re visiting Plitvice as the highlight of your trip, choose the area that gives you the easiest park access. If you’re using Plitvice as one stop on a longer Croatian road trip, Grabovac or Selište Drežničko offer the best combination of value, restaurants, and convenience for exploring the surrounding region.

Sometimes the best travel discoveries aren’t the ones you planned — they’re the ones you stumble across. Booking a quiet B&B in Plitvica Selo turned out to be one of ours.

More Articles About Plitvice Lakes:

• →Stay More Than One Night at Plitvice Lakes
• →Is Plitvice Lakes Worth It?
• →Plitvice Lakes Trails Explained: How to Choose the Best Hike for You
• →Best Time to Visit Plitvice Lakes National Park

Have you been to Plitvice Lakes National Park or is it on your bucket list? I’d love to hear what interests you most in the comments below.