The station you are looking for is ”Vrhovine” it´s a little station with not much to see but buses and taxis waiting to bring the tourists to the Plitvice lakes. When i was there lasttime there was even a small hostel :)

Thanks!!

This is really what I needed tot know indeed.

Since you've been there, how much time Would you reccommend is the minimum for Plitvice . Is a half day enough? (Because you'd lose some time travelling there)

Half day should be enough, the longest trail was if I remember right 18km and you can do it in 3-4 hours. So if you arrive in the early afternoon, you could easily do that. I’d also recommend you the longest trail as on most parts of it I was hiking alone there, while the area next to the entrance was super busy by that time (October 2015 or so, only remember it was October :D).

AS @MartinM  said the short trails are often crowded and you couldn´t enjoy I prefered to stay in the Hostel and be one of the first visitors of the day and then move on to Zagreb or Split by train note that there are just 3trains per day 2 Intercity´s  and one Nighttrain :)

Thanks! This info really helps!

@seewwulf I think I should manage with the 3 trains to spends 5-6 hours at the park, I checked the interrail planner . Only when looking further ahead (september instead of august) it says there aren’t 3 trains, but I guess that’s bc it’s too early to check? 

Where did you checked? Croatian Rail or Railplanner?

Usually there is till late september 3 trains per day on the Route 2 IC´s and one Nighttrain
Then the services will be reduced often to just one daytrain and every second day a nightrain :)

I checked the railplanner, this is the only train I find on this date (11th september)

@SVdV  i just had a look and Croatian rail end the summerseason this year already on 29.08 end of the 2nd daytrain on this route and 4th September end of the nighttrain service :/
Usually the season goes till 30th September and the Nighttrain operated instead of daily every second day but yet in 2021 all changed :/

I guess the best option for you is to stay a night in the area or get a guided tour from Zagreb :)

on the 11th September operates the early train with arrival at 12.25 on Sunday the 12th operates the late train with depature from Vrhovine at 18.16 and arrival in Zagreb at 20.57

Well that’s unfortunate timing. I can’t work out a way to get to Croatia before those dates..

Maybe what I’ll do is go to Plitvice by train (use Interrail), visit the park and then take the bus to Zagreb later that day. https://www.buscroatia.com/routes-search/?dSn=Plitvice+Lakes+%28HR%29&aSn=Zagreb+%28HR%29&d=2021-09-11&dS=998&aS=1510

I don’t know if it’s worth staying there a night, since you only need 4hours to visit the park.

Thanks @seewulf  for the help!

Yeah, I’d do it like you wrote. Don’t see any sense in going to stay there the night… The park closes at night (although you might enter illegal, but better not, if someone catches you, you might get a problem!) return by bus to Zagreb and then continue your trip :)