Information about offer: Through the Balcans

Day 1: Tirana

Afte r the arrival to Tirana Airport, a local guide will e scort the gue sts to the waiting coach. We lcom e drink and dinne r. O ve rnight in Tirana.

Day 2: Tirana

After breakfast, a half day Tirana sightseeing including a visit to the National Cemetery Martyrs, the Mosque of Et’hem Bej and the National History Museum. At noon you will start the excursion to Mount Dajti by cable car, at the height of 1200m. The ride takes 15 minutes. You will enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Tirana City and the lowlands. Free afternoon. Dinner. Overnight in Tirana.

Day 3: Tirana – Budva

Breakfast and drive to Shkodra, En route visit the Memorial of Skanderbeg in Lezha (Lissus). Sightseeing of Shkodra and a visit to the Mesi Bridge and Rozafa Castle. The drive will continue to Ulcinj where we will have a walking tour. The word says that the great Miguel de Servantes, the writer of Don Quixote, was sold as a slave at the Square of Slaves in the Old Town of Ulcinj. The Old Town itself is more than 2000 years old. Afterwards we will depart to Budva along the wonderful coastline. Dinner. Overnight in Budva.

Day 4: Budva

Breakfast and a walking tour of the Old Town of Budva follows, a beauteous centre of Montenegro's tourism, often called as “the pearl of the Mediterranean”, well known for its sandy beaches and wild nightlife. Apart from its natural beauty, its bay islands and beaches, Budva is rich in historic monuments. The Old town lies on a small peninsula and represents a treasure chest of culture heritage. Crossed with narrow streets and squares are famous buildings, the Church Sv. Trojica, housing the tomb of the exquisite writer Stjepan Mitrov Ljubisa, the Churches of Sv. Ivan, Sv. Bogorodica and Sv. Sava. During the summer months it turns into a City Theatre with numerous local performances and shows from abroad. In the Old town you can also visit many shops,
cafés, restaurants and galleries. Lunch. Free time for shopping. Overnight in Budva.

Day 5: Budva – Cetinje – Boka Bay - Budva

Breakfast and drive to Cetinje, Montenegrin old residence, where we will enjoy the place where the continental climate meets the salty air coming from the seaside, chilled by the breeze. City tour of Cetinje where we will visit the old Royal Palace of King Nikola in its magnificent glamour, now transformed into a national museum. After visiting the museum we will drive to Njegusi, a small village near Cetinje where you will taste typical Montenegrin homemade food (prosciutto, bread and cheese) and drinks (wine, honey wine and brandy) in one of the village restaurants. Following that, the fascinating 25-serpentine road will take us from the altitude of 9,000 to 0, where we will find Kotor, a medieval town of thousand pearls. From the road above, you will see one of the
25 most beautiful bays in the whole world, the Bay of Kotor, listed by UNESCO. We will make a walking tour of the Old Town of Kotor, entering from the Sea Gate and enjoying Kotor’s narrow streets and small compact squares that preserve secrets form the Venetian time, confined in the 4,5km fortification built form IX to XIX century. Maybe the most beautiful cultural monument not only in Kotor but also in the surroundings, the basilica St. Tryphon, will let us enter and behold the impressive architecture from 1166. We will also pay a visit to Maritime Museum of Montenegro, placed in a former aristocratic palace, where many models of ships, barges, portraits of famous captains, preserved items from ships, jewelry, weapon etc. invite us to become a part of
the celebrated sailing tradition of Montenegro. After lunch we will drive to Perast, a magnificent baroque town form XV century, where we will visit a miniature manmade islet with the church Our Lady of the Rocks. The islet was made by seamen who, after finding an icon of the Virgin, protector of sailors and fishermen on one little rock only a meter above the surface, made a vow to build an islet by throwing the rocks into the bay. You can assume how long it took tehm to do it since this “throwing of the rocks’’, now famous as a festival ‘’Fasinada’’, started in 1452. The church on the islet is now a famous place for weddings and a beautiful museum. Afterwards we will depart to Budva, stopping at Verige for a photo break and using a ferry boat. Overnight in Budva.

Day 6: Budva - Podgorica

After breakfast we will depart from Budva and take you to Virpazar. On our way we will make a photo break to see the well-known tourist complex Sveti Stefan. Princess Margaret, Marilyn Monroe, Bobby Fischer, Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti, Kirk Douglas, Claudia Schiffer and Sylvester Stallone are only some of the names listed in the book of visitors to this glorious peninsula. Virpazar is a tiny village which lies on the northern tip of the large Lake Skadar, the biggest lake of the Balkans, the largest bird reserve and the last natural habitat of Pelican species in Europe. We will take a boat cruise along the lake and have lunch in a restaurant. The road will take us to Podgorica, Montenegrin capital, a city which found its habitat upon six rivers. Panoramic city tour of Podgorica. Overnight in Podgorica.

Day 7: Podgorica – Kolašin

Breakfast. Drive to Kolasin, a warm and tranquil petite town situated in the ”heart” of Montenegro, surrounded by admirable beauty of intact nature. On our way to Kolasin we will pay a visit to the Monastery of Moraca, more than 750 years old, which managed to outface both conquerors and time. We are sure you will be thrilled with the view along the road, since you will be privileged to experience the delightful charm of the River Morača Canyon, famous by its ravishing tall boulders and cliffs merged with sublime vegetation. In Kolasin, jeeps will be waiting for us and we will start an exiting tour to Eco village – Eco summer pasture, placed on 1878 m above the sea level. The drive will take around 35-40 minutes. We will have an opportunity to learn about highlanders' life
during past centuries and taste some of our forgotten meals that will be served on a meadow or in a cottage, depending on weather conditions. Back to Kolasin. Overnight.

Day 8: Kolašin – Žabljak

After breakfast, our coach will take you to Zabljak, a town which dwells on the highest altitude of the Balkans, 1456m, among the mountain of Durmitor. On our way, we will stop to nourish our eyes with the radiant beauty of the natural splendor which surrounds the Djurdjevica Tara Bridge, one of the symbols of the River Tara, a breath-taking river with the deepest canyon in Europe and the second-deepest in the world, 1300m. In Žabljak we will visit the National Park Durmitor, walk around the “eye of the mountain”, Black Lake, and have lunch at the shore, merging the pleasant conversation with the humming of the birds. Overnight in Žabljak.

Day 9: Žabljak – Sarajevo

Breakfast and drive along the eye-catching village road to Niksic, the home of Niksicko Pivo, the popular Montenegrin beer. You will, of course, have the opportunity to taste the beer in one of the local restaurants by Krupac Lake. On our way to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we will stop to have lunch in a restaurant near Piva Lake. Overnight in Sarajevo.

Day 10: Sarajevo

Breakfast in hotel. You will have a panoramic drive through Sarajevo. Follows a visit to old part of town – Baščarsija. It is an old downtown of Sarajevo, built in 15th century, its historical and cultural center. You will visit a mosque, an old orthodox church, a catholic cathedral and a synagogue. Pause for optional lunch. Visiting of the Well of the River Bosnia where you will have a spectacular view at the place where the river is born. Later you will visit the Tunnel of Salvation which tells a story about the last war since it was the only way to import food to the city. Dinner. Overnight in Sarajevo.

Day 11: Sarajevo – Mostar

Breakfast and drive to Mostar where you will have a panoramic drive to get an impression of the city. The most memorable part of the trip is the visit to Mostar itself, also known as the “melting pot of cultures”. Predominantly influenced by the century’s long Turkish rule, the tall, slim minarets reaching for the sky, cobbled bazaar streets with the rhythmic tapping of hammers against copper plates being transformed into pretty souvenirs and houses with ornate wooden balconies will all remind you of the times gone by. Follows a light walking tour and a visit to Kujundziluk, Old Bridge, Curve Bridge, typical Turkish house and a mosque. Lunch in the Old town. Free afternoon. Overnight in Mostar.

Day 12: Mostar – Dubrovnik

Breakfast. Departure from Mostar to Medjugorje, one of the villages of West-Herzegovinian municipality of Citluk Brotnjo, where we will have lunch. The name Međugorje literally means 'an area between mountains'. At an altitude of 200 metres above sea level it has a mild Mediterranean climate. It is a a popular site of religious pilgrimage. On our way to Croatia we will make another stop in Neum, the only coastal city of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Driving along the 16km coast of Bosnia and Croatia gives you an opportunity to see a lot of islands, peninsulas, local people fishing, ships in harbours, plantations of Mediterranean fruit and other
interesting sights. Arrival in Dubrovnik. Free time for resting. Overnight in Dubrovnik.

Day 13: Dubrovnik

Breakfast and a walking tour of the Old Town. We will see the Franciscan monastery with the Old pharmacy as well as many other historical monuments such as the Rectors’ Palace, the Sponza Palace, the Orlando Statue, the Onofrio’s fountain and the Cathedral with the treasury. You will have dinner after a free afternoon. Overnight in Dubrovnik.

Day 14: Dubrovnik

Breakfast. Transfer from hotel to the Airport.

This tour includes:
- all means of transportation,
- licensed tour guide,
- entrances to local venues,
- taxes,
- hotel accommodation,
- meals according to the programme,
- residential taxes.