Krka National Park Day Trip from Kaštela & Šibenik

If you only take one day trip inland during your stay, make it Krka National Park. The river Krka tumbles over a series of travertine terraces and waterfalls on its way to the sea near Šibenik, and a walk along the wooden boardwalks at Skradinski buk is one of the most memorable things you can do in Dalmatia. From Villa Marina in Kaštel Stari the Lozovac entrance is about 61 kilometres away, around an hour by car, and the park combines perfectly with an afternoon in Šibenik.

Getting to Krka from Kaštela

The easiest way is by car. From Kaštela you join the A1 motorway and drive north towards Šibenik. The drive takes around an hour depending on traffic and which entrance you choose. Organised tours also run from Split and Trogir if you prefer not to drive, and they usually include the transfer and entry.

Choosing an entrance: Lozovac or Skradin

The two main entrances for Skradinski buk, the park's most famous waterfall, are Lozovac and Skradin.

• Lozovac: the quickest to reach from the motorway. There is a large car park, and in season a park shuttle bus takes you down to Skradinski buk; outside the main season you may walk down instead.
• Skradin: a pretty little riverside town where you park, buy your ticket and take the park's boat up the river to Skradinski buk. The boat ride itself is a highlight, gliding between steep green banks.
• Other areas: further upstream, Roški slap, the island monastery of Visovac and the Krka monastery are reached by other entrances or by excursion boats booked separately. They are quieter and worth a second visit if you love the park.

For a first visit, Skradin is our favourite because of the boat trip and the chance to have lunch or a coffee by the river afterwards. Lozovac is the better choice if you are short on time.

Skradinski buk: what to expect

Skradinski buk is the longest waterfall on the Krka, a wide cascade of seventeen steps. A circular trail of paths and wooden bridges leads around and across the falls, past old watermills that have been restored to show how grain was once milled and fabric washed here. The full loop takes around an hour at a gentle pace, longer if you stop for photos, which you will.

An important update if you have read older guides or seen old photographs: swimming at Skradinski buk has not been allowed since 2021. The ban protects the fragile travertine formations and the water quality, and it is enforced. Bring swimwear for the sea later in the day, not for the falls.

Tickets and online booking

Ticket prices at Krka change with the season, and are highest in July and August. In recent summers the park has encouraged or required online booking for peak times, and the price of your ticket may depend on the time of day. Because these rules change from year to year, we always tell guests to check the official Krka National Park website before setting off, and to book online in summer. It saves queueing in the heat and guarantees entry at your chosen time.

Combine it with Šibenik

Šibenik is only about 20 minutes from the park entrances, so it is easy to see both in one day. The town's jewel is the Cathedral of St James, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built entirely of stone, without mortar or brick, over about a century in the 15th and 16th centuries. Look for the frieze of more than seventy carved stone heads around the outside walls, each one a different face, said to be portraits of local people of the time.

• Walk up through the steep stone lanes of the old town to St Michael's Fortress for views over the channel and the islands.
• Stop for lunch or an early dinner in one of the small squares of the old town.
• Stroll the seafront promenade before driving back to Kaštela, about an hour away.

A good rhythm is Krka in the morning, lunch and the cathedral in Šibenik in the afternoon, and home to Kaštela in time for a swim before dinner. After a long, warm day on the boardwalks, there is nothing better than returning to a heated saltwater pool and a covered terrace. Villa Marina in Kaštel Stari is a relaxed base from which the whole of central Dalmatia is within reach.