Guide

English speaking tour in: ZAGREB, Sarajevo, DUBROVNIK, Tirana, SOFIA, PLOVDIV, BUCHAREST Please note also that your tour guide might be changed once or several times during the tour. On some tours, according to the number of passengers, the service may be provided in bilingual (usually in English and Spanish), either accompanied by two tour leaders, one for each language, or a single tour leader for smaller groups explaining in both languages.

Meals

1 Lunch Included in: ETARA 10 dinner included in: ZAGREB, Sarajevo, DUBROVNIK, DUBROVNIK, Tirana, Ohrid, Kalabaka, SANDANSKY, PLOVDIV, BUCHAREST

Others

Ticket admission: Tunnel of Hope in Sarajevo, Kravice Waterfall , Franciscan Monastery and Cathedral in Dubrovnik; , Monastery in Meteora Valley , Rila Monastery , Roman Amphitheater, The Ancient Botica and The Armenian House in Plovdiv , Thracian Tomb Replica in Kazalnak , Church of the Nativity in Arbanassi , Basarbovski Monastery City tour in: ZAGREB, Sarajevo, DUBROVNIK, Tirana, SOFIA, PLOVDIV, BUCHAREST

Transport

Includes arrival transfer

Accommodation

ZAGREB : DUBROVNIK or CANOPY BY HILTON ZAGREB CITY CENTRE or DOUBLETREE BY HILTON HOTEL ZAGREB ZAGREB : HILTON GARDEN INN ZAGREB RADNICKA or PANORAMA Sarajevo : RANDON PLAZA or SPA HOTEL TERME or IBIS STYLES SARAJEVO Sarajevo : HOLLYWOOD DUBROVNIK : VALAMAR PRESIDENT or VALAMAR ARGOSY or CROATIA CAVTAT DUBROVNIK : LERO or VALAMAR LACROMA or KOMPAS Tirana : HILTON GARDEN INN TIRANA Ohrid : METROPOL LAKE RESORT KALAMBACA : DIVANI METEORA or AMALIA KALAMBACA SANDANSKY : PIRIN PARK HOTEL SOFIA : NOVOTEL SOFIA or METROPOLITAN SOFIA PLOVDIV : GRAND HOTEL PLOVDIV or RAMADA PLOVDIV TRIMONTIUM or SANKT PETERBURG PLOVDIV : IMPERIAL VELIKO TARNOVO : ASENEVTSI PARK or YANTRA GRAND HOTEL or PANORAMA VELIKO TARNOVO : BOLYARSKI MERIDIAN BUCAREST : DOUBLETREE BY HILTON BUCHAREST UNIRII SQUARE or RIN GRAND We know how important hotels are on your trip. The hotels have been selected taking into consideration quality, price and location. They are located in the cities we visit, most of them not in the city center but all of them with easy access to public transportation nearby. Our accommodation is not based on luxury hotels. Please keep in mind that standards, bed sizes and room dimensions can vary between hotels of the same class in different locations. All rooms are equipped with private bathroom and TV. Some of them also offer a mini-bar, safe box, and hair dryer. Many hotels, mainly in North Europe, do not have air conditioning or local legislation establishes limited dates of use.

Not included:

Others

Other activities and services are not included

Flights

Flights are not included

Optional

Other activities and services are not included

Insurance

Insurance is not included

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Day 1 Day 1: Zagreb
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Zagreb

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Zagreb sightseeing tour. Dinner included. Welcome to ZAGREB! Upon arrival at the airport, we will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. Our guide will arrive with the group from Slovenia around lunch time. Then we will take a sightseeing tour with a local guide. We will have a chance to admire its two hills, the upper town and the new neighborhoods of Croatia’s capital city. Dinner included.
Day 2 Day 2: Zagreb, Banja Luka, Jajce, Sarajevo
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Zagreb, Banja Luka, Jajce, Sarajevo

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Sightseeing tour of Sarajevo. Dinner included. We will leave first thing in the morning to travel to Bosnia. The border area still shows sad memories of the conflict that took place in the 1990s. We cross the Serb-majority Bosnia. First stop, BANIA LUKA, and time to walk through the capital of the autonomous entity of the Srpska Republika, the second largest city in Bosnia after Sarajevo, with its fortress and orthodox cathedral. Then, departure to JAJCE, perhaps the most beautiful town in Bosnia, with its cultural mix, its mosque, its fortress and its impressive waterfall. Time for a walk and lunch. We continue our journey to SARAJEVO, arriving in the mid-afternoon. With a local guide, we will take a panoramic tour of this city with strong Turkish influence: its Mosques, its Madrasahs, and its busy bazaars. Dinner included.
Day 3 Day 3: Sarajevo, Mostar, Medjugorje, Dubrovnik
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Sarajevo, Mostar, Medjugorje, Dubrovnik

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Tunnel of Hope in Sarajevo. Beautiful landscapes throughout the route: mountains, rivers, waterfalls, lakes and picturesque villages. Dinner included. Before leaving Sarajevo we visit the Tunnel of Hope that saved the city during the Serbian siege in the war. Later, we continue to another exciting drive of scenic beauty. Amidst deep valleys, we travel to MOSTAR, with its very beautiful historic center and stone bridge separating the Orthodox, Muslim and Catholic communities. After lunch, we stop in MEDJUGORJE, a place that attracts thousands of Catholic Pilgrims. We then travel to CROATIA. Border procedures (which may take a while). We will then arrive into DUBROVNIK at the end of the day. Dinner included.Note: in some departures, accommodation may be in Cavtat, a coastal town near the city of Dubrovnik.
Day 4 Day 4: Dubrovnik
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Dubrovnik

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Panoramic tour of Dubrovnik. Boat trip to Lokrum. Dinner included. In the morning we enjoy a panoramic tour of DUBROVNIK with a local guide. We are undoubtedly in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, surrounded by walls, bathed by the Adriatic Sea; its intact historic center is a jewel of world architectural heritage. The tour includes tickets to the Franciscan Monastery with the oldest pharmacy in Europe, and the Cathedral. We also include a boat trip to LOKRUM, a small island 15 minutes by boat from Dubrovnik and home to the ruins of a Benedictine monastery of the eleventh century, popular setting of the series "Game of Thrones". You can then enjoy free time, returning to the hotel at the end of the afternoon. Dinner included. Note: in some departures, accommodation may be in Cavtat, a coastal town near the city of Dubrovnik.Note: in the winter months, from November to March, there is no boat service to Lokrum and therefore we cannot visit the island.
Day 5 Day 5: Dubrovnik, Kotor, Budva, Tirana
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Dubrovnik, Kotor, Budva, Tirana

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Beautiful scenery of the Adriatic coast. Dinner included.We set off early for MONTENEGRO. The coastal scenery and the Bay of Kotor are beautiful. We enjoy a ferry to cross the bay. Arrive in KOTOR to enjoy some time strolling in this beautiful walled town with its strong Venetian influence. After this we stop in BUDVA, a marvelous walled village surrounded by the sea to enjoy lunch. Then we travel to ALBANIA. We arrive in the capital of the Albania, TIRANA, and enjoy some free time. Dinner included.
Day 6 Day 6: Tirana, Struga, Ohrid
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Tirana, Struga, Ohrid

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Panoramic tour of Tirana. Slow mountains roads through rural areas. Dinner included. Today we make a panoramic tour of TIRANA, with its Mosques, the Clock Tower and the ministries. At around midday, we leave for inland Albania, with high mountain scenery and small villages along the way. Enjoy the beautiful countryside around Lake Ohrid which forms the border with Macedonia. We continue to the Republic of Macedonia, and onto STRUGA, a picturesque town on the shores of the lake, time for lunch! We continue to OHRID, a city with a strong Ottoman influence, you can stroll and see the Plaosnik Monastery, or the ancient university founded in the ninth century. The city is declared World Heritage. Dinner included.
Day 7 Day 7: Ohrid, Kastoria, Kalabaka
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Ohrid, Kastoria, Kalabaka

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Beautiful Balkan landscapes. Spectacular Meteora´s Valley. Dinner included. Today we travel through Macedonia to GREECE, passing through BITOLA, a historic city that was called the “City of Consuls”. The North of Greece is strongly Slav and Ottoman in influence and has a sharp landscape. Situated by the lake, with beautiful scenery, we see KASTORIA. Enjoy the city of 100 churches, with its medieval streets and its pleasant restaurants on the lakeside. Continuing to KALABAKA, we will arrive in the early afternoon. We will visit the Valley of the Meteora, an impressive place declared UNESCO World Heritage. You will also have the chance to enter one of its most famous Monasteries (entrance included) . Dinner included.
Day 8 Day 8: Kalabaka, Thessaloniki, Melnik, Sandansky
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Kalabaka, Thessaloniki, Melnik, Sandansky

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Beautiful landscapes of Macedonia. Dinner included. We travel through the North of Greece, amidst pretty mountain scenery, to the Aegean Sea. Arrive in THESSALONICA with time for a stroll and lunch in Greece’s second largest city. After this we continue towards BULGARIA, and the border pass. In Bulgarian Macedonia we stop in MELNIK, a picturesque museum village in beautiful scenery amidst a wine producing area. Arrive in SANDANSKI, at this beautiful small spa city, the birthplace of Spartacus. Dinner and accommodation.
Day 9 Day 9: Sandansky, Rila, Sofia
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: Sandansky, Rila, Sofia

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Rila monastery. City tour of Sofia. We visit the beautiful Rila Monastery, the heritage of mankind, with its appearance of a fortress surrounded by forests. We continue to SOFIA, where we arrive at the end of the morning. After lunch, we include a tour of the capital of Bulgaria, where we will see the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the Russian Church, the Mosque, its squares and avenues of Stalinist architecture. Rest of day at leisure.
Day 10 Day 10: Sofia, Bachkovo, Plovdiv
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 10: Sofia, Bachkovo, Plovdiv

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Plovdiv. Dinner included. In the morning we will leave for BACHKOVO MONASTERY, Bulgaria’s second most important monastery, founded in the eleventh century, with its three churches, we feel it as a place full of peace. Continue to PLOVDIV, where we will visit the city, which is one of the oldest in Europe. Here we include tickets to the Roman Amphitheatre, the ancient chemist’s and the Armenian House. Dinner included.
Day 11 Day 11: Plovdiv, Kazanlak, Shipka, Etar, Arbanassi, Veliko Tarnovo
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 11: Plovdiv, Kazanlak, Shipka, Etar, Arbanassi, Veliko Tarnovo

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Balkans mountain. Thracian tomb, Church of Nativity in Arbanasi. Lunch included. Today’s journey takes us through beautiful scenery across the Balkans mountain range. In the valley of the Roses, we will see KAZANLAK, where tickets are included to the replica of the Thracian Tomb (UNESCO Heritage) and we will learn about the production of products derived from the roses. Amidst the mountains, we stop at the Russian church of SHIPKA, which commemorates the war between Russia and Turkey. Visit ETARA with its charming village/ethnographic museum. Lunch included. After this we travel to ARBANASI, an ancient trading city with its fortress-houses, where we visit the Church of the Nativity with entrance included. Travel to VELIKO TARNOVO, Bulgaria’s former capital, with a very picturesque medieval center.Note: In some cases, Arbanasi may be visited on Sunday morning instead of Saturday.
Day 12 Day 12: Veliko Tarnovo, Basarbovo, Bucharest
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 12: Veliko Tarnovo, Basarbovo, Bucharest

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Panoramic tour of Bucharest. Dinner included. We travel to Romania and on our way we will stop to visit the BASARBOVSKI MONASTERY, a place of pilgrimage dug out of the rock. We proceed to cross the border and the river Danube, arriving to BUCHAREST in the early afternoon. Time for lunch, then we will take a panoramic tour of the city with its ancient quarter and the giant Parliament Palace. Leisure time followed by dinner.
Day 13 Day 13: Bucharest
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 13: Bucharest

After breakfast, end of our services.

+10

13 days tour

Balkan Dreams

This tour includes:

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Itinerary of your trip Balkan Dreams

Day 1: Zagreb

Day 2: Zagreb, Banja Luka, Jajce, Sarajevo

Day 3: Sarajevo, Mostar, Medjugorje, Dubrovnik

Day 4: Dubrovnik

Day 5: Dubrovnik, Kotor, Budva, Tirana

Day 6: Tirana, Struga, Ohrid

Day 7: Ohrid, Kastoria, Kalabaka

Day 8: Kalabaka, Thessaloniki, Melnik, Sandansky

Day 9: Sandansky, Rila, Sofia

Day 10: Sofia, Bachkovo, Plovdiv

Day 11: Plovdiv, Kazanlak, Shipka, Etar, Arbanassi, Veliko Tarnovo

Day 12: Veliko Tarnovo, Basarbovo, Bucharest

Day 13: Bucharest

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