Region in Croatia
Lika & Karlovac
- Best time to go
- May, June, Sept, Oct
- Part of
- Croatia
Lika and Karlovac are the green, inland heart of Croatia, between Zagreb and the Adriatic coast.
This is a land of rivers, lakes, karst caves and forested mountains, from Plitvice Lakes to the long Velebit range that drops steeply to the sea at Senj. Karlovac is a river city built as a star-shaped fortress, and in Rastoke the river tumbles through a village of old water mills. Summers are cooler than on the coast, winters bring snow, and most visitors pass through on the way south without stopping long enough.
Things to do
Don't miss in Lika & Karlovac
- Walk the boardwalks around the lakes and waterfalls of Plitvice Lakes National Park.
- See the mills and small waterfalls of Rastoke, where the Slunjčica river joins the Korana in Slunj.
- Swim in the rivers around Karlovac, such as the Korana in town or the waterfalls of the Mrežnica.
- Hike in Northern Velebit National Park, where the Premužić trail runs along the mountain with views down to the islands.
- Visit the Nikola Tesla Memorial Centre in Smiljan near Gospić, the inventor's birthplace.
- Climb to Nehaj Fortress above Senj, built in the 16th century by the town's defenders against the Ottomans.
- Go underground in the Barać caves near Rakovica, not far from Plitvice.
Getting there
How to get to Lika & Karlovac
Zagreb Airport is the nearest for Karlovac and Rastoke, while Zadar Airport is closer to southern Lika and Rijeka Airport to Senj. The A1 motorway from Zagreb towards Split runs through the region, passing Karlovac, Ogulin, Otočac and Gospić, and the older D1 road branches off at Karlovac through Slunj and Rastoke to Plitvice Lakes. Karlovac is about 45 minutes from Zagreb, and Plitvice about two hours from Zagreb or Zadar. Senj is on the coast road between Rijeka and Zadar. Buses between Zagreb and Zadar stop at Plitvice, and trains run from Zagreb through Karlovac and Ogulin to Rijeka, but a car makes the region much easier to explore.