Croatia - Eastern Europe - page 200

a gorge that looks like a green branch of the Grand Canyon, and several animal species
including deer, wolves, wild boar, and the increasingly rare brown bear.
Plitvice became a national park in 1949. One of the Serb-Croat war's first casual-
ties was a park policeman who was killed in an incident that is sometimes cited as the
flashpoint for the 1991 war. The park was occupied for most of the war by Serb
troops, and during that time, its offices and hotels were trashed, but the park itself was
undamaged. Since then, the hotels and other buildings have been restored and in the
last 10 years visitors have returned in droves.
GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND
By Car From Zagreb (trip time about 2 hr.), take the Zagreb-Rieka autocesta to
Karlovac. Then follow the signs to Plitvice via the old road to Split (E-71).
By Bus Catch a bus at the main station in Zagreb (2 1 ⁄ 2 hr.), from 8:20am to 1:45am
for 48kn to 64kn ($9-$12/£4.40-£6.40) one-way, depending on the time of depar-
ture, bus line, and other factors. Check schedules online at www.akz.hr, but you must
call for reservations ( & 060/313-333 ) and stop at the main office at Avenue Marin
Dr z i 5 a 4 in the town center to get a ticket.
Plitvice is off the old road (E-71) between Split and Zagreb. Almost every town and
every hotel in the country either runs tours or connects visitors with tours that include
Plitvice or focus on it. There is even a separate Plitvice Tourism Office in Zagreb at
Trg Kralja Tomislava 19 ( & 01/461-3586 ).
Note: Make sure your bus stops at Plitvice and that it doesn't take the new highway
and bypass the park on the way to Split; this is a possibility since the Zagreb-Split leg
of the A-1 autocesta opened in June 2005.
VISITOR INFORMATION
There are two entrances to the park, Ulaz 1 and Ulaz 2, each of which has a tourist-
info office, gift shop, and snack shop. The tourist office at Ulaz 1 is open daily from
8am to 8pm during July and August, from 9am to 5pm April to June and September,
and from 9am to 4pm October to March. The office at Ulaz 2 is open from 8am to
7pm July and August, and from 9am to 5pm April to June and September. Tickets are
85kn ($15/£7.75) per day for adults and about 40kn ($7/£3.65) for seniors and kids
7 to 18. Children under 7 are free. Prices listed here are for high season and are lower
other times. Enter at Ulaz (entrance) 2 to begin your tour (if you are visiting anytime
except Oct-Mar), because that entrance puts you in the middle of the property and
gives you more options for exploring the park. Ulaz 2 is also the site of the park's three
hotels (Jezero, Plitvice, and Bellevue).
WHERE TO STAY & DINE
Private accommodations abound all around Plitvice. The hotels below are operated by
the park and within walking distance.
Rooms are small, the restaurant is big at the Hotel Jezero ( & 053/751-400 ),
and everything else is generic-looking. However, the food is surprisingly good and the
location couldn't be more convenient to the park. Doubles start at 114 ($135).

The Jezero's sister hotels, Plitvice ( & 053/751-100 ) and Bellevue ( & 053/751-
700 ) are farther away from the park and have fewer services. Doubles at the two start
at 82

€

€ €

($85) respectively.
Hundreds of dining spots pepper the road to and from Plitvice, most offering spit-
roasted lamb or pig and other local specialties. You can stop for a bite or buy your

($100) and 75