Which Is Better: Krka Or Plitvice

During our trip to Croatia we visited many places, including Krka and Plitvice National Parks. Both places are amazing and have lots to offer and if you have time for both of them then definitely do it!

But what to do if you are short on time and can only visit one of them. Which one to choose? In this article I will tell you about all the pros and cons of visiting both Krka and Plitvice National Parks.

Here are the 7 categories in which I’ll be discussing for Krka vs Plitvice:

Time
Ticket Price
Territory
How crowded is it?
Waterfalls
What Can You Do There?
Personal Impression

Time

Since you are reading this article because you have to choose one of the places (probably due to the time), lets start with that. The easiest way to get to Krka or Plitvice is to pay for a day trip. One day is enough for each park, of course if you will stay longer you always will find something more to do.

The bus takes a few hours there and back (of course depending on where you are departing from) and you will have enough time to explore and enjoy nature.

If we use Split as the departure city then the whole duration of the trip to Krka National Park from Split is 9 hours and to Plitvice Lakes from Split is 12 hours.

Krka : Plitvice – 1:0

Ticket Price

Ticket price depends on the tour agency and how big the group is (if you want a private tour it will be expensive), but for the Krka day trip we paid $30 per person and for Plitvice – $70 per person.

Krka : Plitvice – 2:0

Territory

You probably already realized that Plitvice National park is quite a bit larger (296.2 sq.km) than Krka National park (142 sq.km). But I actually want to talk about what you can see in the territory of the park.

The difference between these two parks is that Krka has a few historical exhibitions inside the park but less lakes (pools) than Plitvice. Plitvice on the other hand has more trails that go around numerous lakes. Comparing all of this I want to say that in this case the lakes are cooler than the exhibitions.

Krka : Plitvice – 2:1

Waterfalls

Both parks have waterfalls on their territory so which park has the best ones? The Plitvice National park has a few thin but tall waterfalls. Very charming scenery, I must say, although if you are looking for something grand and loud then Krka is your choice.

Krka National park has stunning wide waterfalls with a strong and loud stream. These waterfalls are not as tall as in Plitvice, but they look absolutely amazing and if you want to see some nice waterfalls then go to Krka.

Krka : Plitvice – 3:1

How Crowded Is It?

Both places in the high season can be extremely crowded which will make any experience worse. In the low season on the other hand Plitvice seems to be more crowded than Krka.

Cody and I went to both parks in October, and Plitvice park was super crowded with many large Chinese tour groups. Krka, we found, was fairly comfortable and didn’t seem at all overcrowded.

Krka : Plitvice – 4:1

What Can You Do There?

So what can you do in the park other than just walking around all the time? Well, not much. At Plitvice and Krka you will need to take a ferry to get to the actual start of your excursion. There is a possibility to take a train across the upper part of Plitvice park and that is pretty much it. Everything else that you should do is walk around and between the fantastic Plitvice lakes.

In Krka at the end of your walk through the park you can go to the bottom of the amazing Krka waterfalls and have a nice swim in clear cool water. We had a lot of fun swimming and getting close to the waterfalls.

Krka : Plitvice – 5:1

Personal Impression

I absolutely loved the two places but if I need to choose one of them then I would choose Krka. Why? Both parks are extremely beautiful but in different ways. One of course is bigger and has more charming lakes, but after three hours walking around them you get tired and you need a change of activities. And in Krka park you have this opportunity (swimming) that also gives you an adrenaline rush since the water is super cold and it is not easy to get in (at least in October).