PLITVICE LAKES NATIONAL PARK - Croatia and Slovenia - page 157

Many truck stop-type restaurants, mostly catering to tour buses (and their drivers, who dine
like kings in exchange for bringing in so much business), line the highway for miles in both
directions from Plitvice. Most are unexciting, but two good options are at the recommended
Hotel Degenija and Villa Plitvi č ka Sedra (for details, see “Sleeping in and near Plitvice,”
earlier). Many countryside accommodations also have a half-board option; ask about this
when you book.
Eating in Bosnia: Adventurous drivers may want to make a short drive across the bor-
der, to the town of Biha ć (BEE-hahch), Bosnia-Herzegovina, for a bite. This small Bosnian
city is about a 30-minute drive from the national park (be sure to bring your passport and
the “green card” to take your rental car over the border). If this is your only chance to dip
into Bosnia, and you have an evening to kill, it can be a fun option. For more on Bosnian
food, see here .
A Memorable Meal Surrounded by Waterfalls 30 Minutes North of
Plitvice
(See “Plitvice Lakes National Park” map, here .)
On the main highway between Zagreb and Plitvice, about 30 minutes before the national
park, you'll pass above, then through, the striking town of Slunj (pronounced “sloon”),
which is surrounded by its own little “mini-Plitvice” ecosystem of waterfalls. This can be
an enjoyable pit stop, whether or not you eat here. The lower part of the town—buried
deep amid all those cascades—is the village of Rastoke (meaning roughly “beautiful wa-
ter”),whichhasitsshareoftouristyrestaurants.Themostelaborateisthecomplexof Slovin
Unique Rastoke, where you can explore a series of canals, waterfalls, canyons, and view-
points. The grounds also have an old mill, a small “ethno collection” (traditional local fur-
niture,tools,andsoon),andatraildowntotheKoronaRivercanyon.Whileyoucanpay25
kn to explore (they'll give you a map), it's free for those who dine at their restaurant, Pod
Rasto č kim Krovom (“Under Rastoke's Roof”). They specialize in trout—you can see their
ponds out back—and also have a wide range of other local dishes, including some prepared
with grains ground by traditional mills (20-35-kn soups and pastas, 60-80-kn main courses,
open long hours daily, Rastoke 25B, mobile [phone], www.slunj-rastoke.com ) . Even
though the whole complex feels a bit hokey and tour group-oriented (just like everything
around Plitvice), it gives you a chance to see some pretty waterfalls.
Getting There: ApproachingthetownofSlunjfromthenorth,you'llseeRastokefilling
thevalleybelow.Aftercrossingthefirstbridge,turnrightatthe Rastoke sign,thenparknext
to—and walk over—the dilapidated old concrete bridge; finally, you turn right and walk
down the hill to Slovin Unique Rastoke.