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ITNational Parks of Croatia
Croatia has eight national parks: lakes and waterfalls, two mountain parks on Velebit, a forest full of lynx and three island worlds. Here is what makes each one special and the easiest place on the coast to stay for a visit.
Plitvice Lakes
Croatia’s oldest and largest national park and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979. Sixteen terraced lakes spill into one another over travertine barriers, and wooden boardwalks take you right across the water. Swimming is not allowed. Plitvice is inland, in Lika, about two hours by car from Zadar, so it works best as a day trip from the Zadar region or as a stop on the drive to the coast. In summer, buy tickets online for a set entry time and arrive early.
Krka
The Krka river runs over seven travertine waterfalls on its way to the sea near Šibenik. Skradinski buk is the best known, with boardwalks through the spray, and boats link Skradin with the falls. Swimming at the falls is no longer permitted. Further upstream, Visovac, an islet with a Franciscan monastery, sits in the middle of the river. Stay in Šibenik or Pirovac.
Kornati
Eighty-nine islands, islets and reefs of bare, pale stone, criss-crossed with old dry-stone walls, in one of the largest archipelagos in the Mediterranean. There are no roads and no ferries: you visit on a day boat from Murter, Biograd or Zadar, or on your own boat. Murter is closest; from the Šibenik riviera and Pirovac it is a short drive.
Mljet
The western part of the island of Mljet is a park of pine forest around two saltwater lakes, Veliko and Malo jezero. In the larger lake sits a tiny islet with a Benedictine monastery and the church of St Mary. Walk or cycle around the lakes and swim in the warm, shallow water by the bridge. Catamarans run from Dubrovnik and car ferries from Prapratno on Pelješac. See our Dubrovnik guide.
Paklenica
Two limestone gorges, Velika and Mala Paklenica, cut into the southern slopes of Velebit above Starigrad. Big walls such as Anića kuk make it Croatia’s best-known rock-climbing area, and marked trails lead hikers up to mountain huts and old mills. The entrance is about 45 kilometres from Zadar, so it is easy from the Zadar riviera.
Northern Velebit
Croatia’s youngest national park protects the high karst of Velebit above the Kvarner coast: the jagged peaks of Hajdučki and Rožanski kukovi, the Zavižan botanical garden and the Premužić trail, a stone path from the 1930s with views over the sea and islands. Nights are cool even in summer. The coast below is closest from the Kvarner side.
Brijuni
An archipelago of fourteen islands off the west coast of Istria, reached by boat from Fažana in about a quarter of an hour. On Veli Brijun there are the remains of a Roman villa, dinosaur footprints, a safari park and the former summer residence of Josip Broz Tito. Visits are organised by the park, so book ahead in summer. Stay in Fažana or Pula.
Risnjak
A forested massif in Gorski kotar, less than an hour inland from Rijeka. The park is named after the lynx (ris), which still lives here alongside brown bear and wolf, and the clear source of the Kupa river lies within its borders. The Leska trail near Crni Lug is an easy introduction. It is a cool escape on a hot day from Kvarner and Opatija.
The images on this infographic are illustrations made for FindStayAI, not photographs.
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