Stay More Than One Night at Plitvice Lakes: Here's Why

At a Glance

Things to Do Near Plitvice Lakes

Active adventure: kayaking, swimming, horseback riding and e-biking
Geology: Barać Caves and Speleon – Centre of Subterranean Heritage
Wildlife: Kuterevo Bear Refuge
Historic VilIage: Rastoke

Plitvice Lakes National Park may be the reason you came to the area but it doesn’t have to be the only thing you do here. Staying two nights gives you enough time to see the park at a comfortable pace. It also leaves room for a completely different experience in the area. Kayaking, horseback riding, swimming, exploring caves and visiting a historic village are all possible ways to enhance your trip. All of these options have been highly rated by other travelers.

Swimmers in the clear turquoise Korana River. — Swimmers in a river near Plitvice Lakes.

Kayak — and Maybe Swim — in the Mrežnica River

Distance from Plitvice: Under an hour from Plitvice

Guided half-day adventure 3-4 hours long.
Emerald water, small waterfalls and natural pools.
Trips can combine kayaking, swimming and some easy canyoning.
An especially good contrast to walking Plitvice’s boardwalks the previous day.
Check the individual operator’s requirements of age and fitness.
Better treated as an extra-day activity rather than squeezed into a travel day.

Why We Like This Option: The kayaking tours on Viator and Trip Advisor have rave reviews—MUST DO, outstanding, fabulous five star experience and more. The photos seem to agree.

Worth Knowing: You Can’t Swim at Plitvice

Swimming isn’t allowed in Plitvice’s Lakes. However, if looking at all that turquoise water leaves you desperately wanting to jump in, nearby rivers are options. Head to the Korana River at Slunj, next to Rastoke. The public town beach has changing rooms and other facilities, while Stara Škrila, Pod Oltarom and Kotlac offer more natural swimming spots upstream.

Travelers horseback riding through the countryside near Plitvice Lakes, Croatia — Horseback riding is one way to explore the countryside surrounding Plitvice Lakes.

Explore the Countryside on Horseback or E-Bike

Distance from Plitvice: About 10-20 minutes from Plitvice

Quiet country roads.
Farms and meadows.
Forest.
Korana canyon.
Horseback riding excursions.
Road cycling and e-bike trips.
Some routes can be combined with Barać Caves.

Why We Like This Option: After a full day walking at Plitvice, you may want a break from waterfalls. This gives you something entirely different — and a chance to experience the countryside surrounding the national park rather than just driving through it.

Stalactites and rock formations inside Barać Caves near Plitvice Lakes, Croatia — A guided tour of Barać Caves reveals the karst landscape beneath the Plitvice region.

Go Underground at Barać Caves with the Option to Visit Speleon Center

Distance from Plitvice: About 20-25 minutes from Plitvice

Barać Caves

See cave chambers, stalactites and stalagmites.
Cave tours are guided and available in English; individual visitors don’t need to reserve in advance. 1 hr. Official cave website.
The caves are closed in winter to protect hibernating bats. So check website to confirm its open.
Speleon visitor center can be included with cave tickets.
Some cycling and e-biking tours go to the caves.

Speleon-Centre of Subterranean Heritage

Exhibits include:

Geology of the area.
Cave exploration.
Animals found in caves.
Human artifacts from the Iron Age and medieval times.
Guided tours only. English available. 1 hr. Official Speleon website

Why We Like This Option: Barać Caves are one of the easiest additions to a Plitvice stay because they can also work as part of a travel day. Speleon is just 1 km down from Barać making it easy to visit both. On a hot summer day the cool cave temperature is especially appealing.

European brown bear at Kuterevo Bear Refuge in Croatia — Kuterevo Bear Refuge cares for brown bears that cannot be returned to the wild.

See Rescued Brown Bears at Kuterevo Bear Refuge

Distance from Plitvice: About 1-1/2 hour from Plitvice

Sanctuary in the Velebit/Lika region. Official website.
Home to rescued bears that cannot be returned to the wild.
Many arrived after being orphaned as cubs and becoming habituated to humans.
Large, semi-natural enclosures rather than traditional zoo-style pens.
Allow roughly half a day including the drive.
Best treated as a deliberate excursion rather than something to squeeze between Plitvice and another attraction.
Late afternoon may provide a better chance of seeing active bears, although sightings aren’t guaranteed.

Why We Like This Option: We love seeing wildlife in any setting. However, I wouldn’t do this side trip unless it fit with my travel schedule and I realized that bear sightings are not guaranteed.

Worth Knowing: Plitvice Has Its Own Wild Bears

The brown bears at Kuterevo are the same species as the bears living wild around Plitvice. Plitvice lies within one of Europe’s remaining strongholds for wild brown bears. Bears roam through the forested backcountry surrounding the lakes, along with wolves and lynx. Plitvice’s brown bears are close relatives of North American grizzlies. In fact, both are members of the same species, Ursus arctos. Unlike the rescued bears at Kuterevo, Plitvice’s bears roam wild in the surrounding forests and generally avoid the park’s busy visitor areas.

Don’t expect to see one from the boardwalk. Wild bears generally avoid the heavily visited areas of the park — which is probably good news for both you and the bears.

Historic watermills and waterfalls in Rastoke near Plitvice Lakes, Croatia — Waterfalls flow between the historic watermills of Rastoke.

Wander Through Rastoke

Distance from Plitvice: About 30-35 minutes north of Plitvice

Historic village at the meeting of the Slunjčica and Korana rivers.
Traditional wooden watermill houses.
Waterfalls and channels running between and beneath buildings.
Sometimes nicknamed “Little Plitvice.”
Compact and easy to explore.
Good choice when you want something scenic without another strenuous outing.
Cafés and places to linger.
Possible swimming nearby.
Particularly useful as a stop when traveling north toward Zagreb or Ljubljana.

Why We Like This Option: Rastoke is appealing precisely because it doesn’t have to become another major sightseeing project. If your route takes you north from Plitvice, it can easily become part of the journey rather than another attraction competing for one of your vacation days. It’s a charming place to stop for coffee, lunch or a little shopping.

The Point Isn’t to Do Them All

There is frequently one Big Attraction that brings us somewhere. At Plitvice, obviously, it’s the lakes. But going from Big Attraction to Big Attraction can get tiring. At some point, even extraordinary places can start losing some of their specialness. That’s why I like leaving some unplanned space in a trip — but having a few possibilities in my back pocket.

Would I travel all the way to this part of Croatia solely to kayak the Mrežnica? Probably not. But on the right afternoon, it could end up being one of the most memorable parts of the trip. Or we might decide we’re tired, sit at the B&B and read a book. That’s a perfectly good option too.