The main event
Skradinski Buk
Circular 1,900-metre boardwalk with restored mills, stone bridges and seventeen cascade steps.
- 1.9 km loop
- 1.5 hrs
- Mostly flat
Arrive 09:00 or 16:00
Access
Home / Destinations / Krka
National park · Šibenik-Knin countyKrka
The easy national park: a river that drops through seven sets of travertine falls, a monastery on an island in the middle of it, and a hydroelectric plant from 1895 that made Šibenik one of the first electrified cities on earth.
72 kmLength of the Krka river
45.7 mSkradinski Buk total drop
1895Jaruga power plant
3–4 hrsTypical visit
Orientation
One river, five entrances, one obvious choice
Krka National Park protects the lower course of the Krka river from Knin down to the estuary at Skradin. Most visitors see only Skradinski Buk, the great terminal cascade where the river falls 45 metres over seventeen steps into a broad basin. It deserves the attention: a two-kilometre circular boardwalk loops through reeds, around restored watermills, past a small ethnographic collection, and over a series of pools loud with falling water.
Getting there is half the pleasure. From the little town of Skradin, a national-park boat runs up the emerald estuary to the foot of the falls — included in the entrance ticket, about 25 minutes, and far more atmospheric than the alternative, which is parking at Lozovac and taking a shuttle bus down the hill.
Further upstream lie the quieter sections: Visovac, a Franciscan monastery founded in 1445 on a wooded islet, reachable by a separately ticketed boat; Roški Slap, with its necklace of small cascades and a staircase of 517 steps up to the Oziđana Pećina cave; and the Krka monastery in the far north, built above Roman catacombs.
What to see
Four parts of the park
If you only have a morning, do the first one and skip the rest without guilt.
Boat excursion
Visovac island
A Franciscan monastery and library on a cypress-covered islet, with an illuminated manuscript of Aesop’s fables.
- Extra fee
- 2 hrs
- From Stinice
Quiet and unhurried
Boat times
Upstream
Roški Slap
Cascades, watermills still grinding grain, and 517 steps to a cave with Neolithic occupation layers.
- Separate entrance
- 2 hrs
- Steep steps
Far fewer people
Drive there
Nearby
Šibenik
The UNESCO Cathedral of St James, built entirely of interlocking stone with no mortar, plus four fortresses above the town.
- 20 min drive
- Half day
- UNESCO
Perfect pairing
Destinations
Half-day plan
The Skradin approach
Coffee on the Skradin waterfront
A yacht-friendly little town at the head of a fjord-like inlet. Park here rather than at Lozovac.
National park boat upriver
Twenty-five minutes through a green canyon with cormorants on the marker posts.
Skradinski Buk circuit
Walk the loop anti-clockwise to reach the top viewpoints before the shuttle crowds descend from Lozovac.
Boat back, lunch in Skradin
Order skradinski rižot — a beef and veal risotto stirred for hours — if you have booked it in advance.
Drive to Šibenik
Cathedral of St James, then the Barone or St Michael fortress for the archipelago view.
½Day needed
Practical information
Krka essentials
| Main entrances | Skradin (boat access, most atmospheric) and Lozovac (car park plus shuttle bus, faster). Roški Slap, Burnum and Krka Monastery are separate northern entrances. |
|---|---|
| Tickets | Seasonal pricing. Peak summer adult tickets reach roughly €40; spring and autumn around €20; winter can drop to around €7. Children and afternoon entries are cheaper. Buy through the official park site. |
| Boat from Skradin | Included in the entry ticket, roughly every 30 minutes in season. Capacity is limited — arrive early or expect to wait. |
| Swimming | Bathing at Skradinski Buk has been restricted in recent seasons for conservation reasons. Check the current rule on the park website before packing a swimsuit. |
| Getting there | Šibenik 20 minutes, Trogir 50 minutes, Split about 1 hour 10 minutes, Zadar about 1 hour. Exit the A1 at Skradin. |
| Facilities | Cafés and toilets at Skradinski Buk, an ethno-village and a small museum. Boardwalks are largely flat but can be slippery. |
| Best time | April to June for high water and green banks; September and October for warmth without the peak crowds. |
Official park website: npkrka.hr. Šibenik tourist board: sibenik-tourism.hr.