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7 Most Instagrammable Spots in Plitvice Lakes National Park
Croatia's oldest national park, Plitvice's sixteen terraced lakes and travertine waterfalls, threaded together by wooden boardwalks, have made it one of the most photographed landscapes in the Balkans.
Sep 23, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Plitvice Lakes National Park, in central Croatia, is built around sixteen terraced lakes connected by waterfalls and travertine barriers formed over thousands of years, all linked by wooden boardwalks that put visitors within touching distance of the water. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, it draws crowds for good reason. Here are seven spots worth the walk, each with a direct map link.
1. Veliki Slap
Croatia's tallest waterfall at 78 metres, Veliki Slap, or the Great Waterfall, sits at the park's Lower Lakes and is the single most photographed point in Plitvice, framed by forested cliffs on either side.
2. Lake Kozjak boat crossing
The largest of the sixteen lakes, Kozjak is crossed by a park-operated electric boat included in the entrance ticket, giving an open-water view back toward the Lower Lakes that the boardwalks alone don't offer.
3. Lower Lakes boardwalks
The wooden walkways through the Lower Lakes run directly over shallow, mineral-clear water, close enough to see the fish beneath the boards, and the stretch nearest Veliki Slap is the most photographed section of the whole trail.
4. Galovački buk
A wide, multi-tiered cascade in the Upper Lakes, Galovački buk spreads across a broad rock face rather than dropping in a single column, making it one of the park's more unusual waterfall shapes to photograph.
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5. Milanovac Lake viewpoint
A smaller lake in the Lower group, Milanovac is ringed by a raised boardwalk that gives an elevated view across the water to the forested slopes behind, a quieter stop than the crowds around Veliki Slap.
6. Šupljara Cave
A cave along the Lower Lakes trail, Šupljara opens onto the water on the far side, framing the lake through its mouth and giving one of the more distinctive angles on the trail.
7. Labudovac Falls
Set in the Upper Lakes near Lake Prošćansko, Labudovac is a wide, low waterfall with far fewer visitors than the Lower Lakes, good for a photograph without other people in frame.
Traveller tips
- Zagreb, around two hours by road, is the nearest major airport; direct buses run to the park entrances.
- Entry is ticketed and timed in peak season; book online ahead rather than arriving without a reservation.
- Swimming is not permitted anywhere in the lakes, to protect the travertine formations.
- Entrance 1 suits a Lower Lakes-focused visit; Entrance 2 gives quicker access to the quieter Upper Lakes.
Where this is
Plitvice Lakes, Croatia