13D/12N - 2020 Grand Balkan Tour

day 01 tue Zagreb Arrival

Upon arrival at Zagreb Airport, transfer to hotel. Meet the tour guide, dinner and overnight.

day 02 wed Zagreb – Bled – Ljubljana

Morning city tour of Zagreb, including the fortified Upper Town, city’s historical centre, St Mark’s Church with its multicolored roof, the Cathedral, the Croatian National Theatre and the University. Free time, then departure towards Slovenia. Explore Lake Bled and it’s montanious environs and stunning topography. Continue to Ljubljana. Dinner and overnight.

day 03 thu Ljubljana – Plitvice

Morning city tour of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia and a home to one of the oldest Philharmonics in the world; Explore the baroque town buildings and stroll beside majestic Ljubljana River. Departure for Plitvice and then tour the Plitvice Lakes National Park on the UNESCO’s List of World Natural Heritage. Sixteen lakes, each at a diff erent level, are connected in a series of cascading waterfalls. Surrounded by dense wood, Plitvice Lakes are a natural phenomenon of a rare and unique beauty. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in Plitvice.

day 04 fri Plitvice – Trogir – Split

After breakfast, departure for Dubrovnik. Sightseeing tour of Dubrovnik, included on the UNESCO’s List of World Cultural Heritage. You will visit the Franciscan Monastery with Europe’s third oldest pharmacy, the Rector’s Palace and the Cathedral. Dinner and overnight in Dubrovnik.

day 05 sat Split - Dubrovnik

After breakfast, departure for Dubrovnik, via Bosnia & Herzegovina. Short stop in Mostar, recently included in the UNESCO’s List of World Cultural Heritage with its elegant Bridge, Old Bazaar, the Mosque and a typical Turkish house. Continuation to Dubrovnik. Afternoon city tour Sightseeing tour of Dubrovnik, included on the UNESCO’s List of World Cultural Heritage. You will visit the Franciscan Monastery with Europe’s third oldest pharmacy, the Rector’s Palace and the Cathedral. Dinner and overnight in Dubrovnik.

day 06 sun Dubrovnik

Day at leisure in Dubrovnik. Dinner and overnight.

day 07 mon Dubrovnik – Budva / Montenegro – Shkodra / Albania – Tirana

Departure for Tirana; we drive inland to Budva known for its Old City encircled by walls from the Venetian period. Continuation to Shkodra, once the capital of the Illyrian Kingdom (3rd century B.C.). Dinner and overnight in Tirana.

day 08 tue Tirana – Ohrid / Macedonia

Morning sightseeing tour of Tirana, the capital of Albania, including Skender Bey Square, the Mosque of Ethem Bey, and a visit to the National Museum representing the fl ow of Albanian history, also housing the finds from archeological sites across the country. Afternoon departure for Ohrid, driving via Elbasan and crossing the Macedonian border at Cafasan. Dinner and overnight in Ohrid.

day 09 wed Ohrid

Full day in the lakeside resort of Ohrid, classifi ed as UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage site. Through the activity of St. Clement and St. Naum of Ohrid, the first pan-Slavic University in Europe, the famous “Ohrid Literary School”, was founded here. Morning sightseeing tour includes the Church of St. Sofi a (11^th century), the most eminent mediaeval monument in Macedonia with magnifi cent Byzantine fresco paintings and St. Clement Church with its icon of Annunciation. Afternoon short drive to St. Naum Monastery, built on the shores of Ohrid Lake in 900 A.D. and dedicated to the Slavic missionary and educator St. Naum of Ohrid. Return to hotel for overnight. Dinner at a local restaurant.

day 10 thu Ohrid – Skopje

Morning departure for Skopje. Sightseeing tour of Skopje, including the Kale Fortress, Church of the Holy Savior with its iconostas, one of the fi nest samples of traditional walnut woodcarving, Old Bazaar and Stone Bridge. We drive to the slopes of the Vodno Mountain where we visit the Monastery of St. Panteleimon with its 12th century iconostas and frescoes ranking among the highest achievements of Byzantine art of this period. Dinner and overnight in Skopje.

day 11 fri Skopje – Kolašin / Montenegro

Morning departure for Kolašin, driving via Kosovo and along the impressive Morača River Canyon. Afternoon arrival at Kolašin, the town spreading on the left bank of the river Tara, situated at the altitude of 954m. The whole area is surrounded by the thick pine forest of the Bjelasica Mountain and is a popular skiing and air spa resort. Dinner and overnight in Kolašin.

day 12 sat Kolašin – Cetinje – Kotor –Dubrovnik

Morning departure for Cetinje where we visit King Nikola’s Museum, once the residence of the Montenegrin King Nikola I Petrović. Continuation to Kotor, classifi ed as UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage site, where we visit its Romanesque Cathedral dedicated to St Triphon, the city’s patron saint. We continue to Dubrovnik, driving along the picturesque Bay of Kotor. Dinner and overnight in Dubrovnik.

day 13 sun Dubrovnik – Departure

Breakfast followed by departure transfer to Dubrovnik Airport.

Inclusions: twin share in 3* & 4* hotels, breakfast and dinner daily, arrival and departure transfers, English speaking tour director, deluxe coach, Local guides for sightseeing tours of Zagreb, Ljubljana, Split, Dubrovnik, Tirana, Ohrid, Skopje and Kotor, service charges, taxes.
please note: Bilingual tour - English & Spanish

Sightseeing: Entrance fees to the Lake Bled; the Plitvice Lakes National Park; St. Lawrence Cathedral in Trogir; Diocletian’s Palace and St. Duimus

Cathedral in Split; Franciscan Monastery and Rector’s Palace in Dubrovnik; National Museum in Tirana, St. Sofi a, St. Clement and St. Naum in Ohrid; Church of Holy Savior and Monastery of St. Panteleimon in Skopje; Residence of King Nikola I Petrović in Cetinje; St. Triphun Cathedral in Kotor ·

Hotels: 4* Zagreb-International, Ljubljana-M, Plitvice-Park, Split-President, Dubrovnik-Ivka, Tirana-Sky Tower, Ohrid-Metropol, Skopje-Karpoš, Kolašin-Bianca (or similar).