Country(ies): Albania , Bosnia & Herzegovina , Croatia , Greece , Macedonia , Montenegro , Serbia
Tour type: Small Group
Group size: Min: 2 | Max: 20
Accommodation: 3 to 4-star hotels
Meals:
Transport: AC minibus/coach
Highlights: The Acropolis, Meteora monasteries, Tirana, ancient Budva, spectacular Bay of Kotor, walled city of Dubrovnik, scenic Adriatic & Dalmatian coast, Split beaches, Sarajevo, Belgrade, Ohrid lake church, Stari Most bridge, Delphi
This 16-day Balkans tour takes you on a historical and cultural journey through seven different countries - Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Macedonia.
We'll start in Greece, browsing through its capital city of Athens, visiting some of its popular attractions such as the Panathenaic Stadium, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian's Arch, the Parliament buildings as well as a visit to the Acropolis. After spending time in Athens, we'll head to Meteora to take in the beauty of 24 mountaintop monasteries, six which are still being used today.
The next stop on our seven country journey through the Balkans takes us to Albania, where we'll explore the Ottoman town of Gjirokastra and its capital city of Tirana. From Albania, we make our way to the small country of Montenegro, visiting its ancient towns of Budva and Kotor and driving around the spectacular Bay of Kotor.
We'll cross the border once more as we head to Croatia - visiting the walled city of Dubrovnik, which offers beautiful views of the Adriatic Sea and excellent cuisine. Our time in Croatia also takes us along the scenic Dalmatian Coast to the town of Split, famed for its 4th century-old Diocletian's Palace - a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From Croatia, we make our way to Bosnia and Herzegovina, seeing the Stari Most bridge en-route to the small, but vibrant capital city of Sarajevo, situated on the Miljacka River. A short stay here sees us head to Serbia, as we make our way through its capital city of Belgrade - where ancient history merges with medieval times, which again merges with the contemporary age.
Our busy journey through the Balkans then sees us head to Macedonia's capital city of Skopje, which lies at the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, before we make our way to Ohrid, a small resort city on the hilly shores of Lake Ohrid in Macedonia's southwest. Orhid is packed with old churches and has been known as the 'Macedonian Jerusalem'.
After spending time in Macedonia, we go full circle as we return to Greece, firstly to the port city of Thessaloniki, situated on the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea. We'll also visit the ancient town of Delphi - home of the Oracle of Apollo, one of the most popular ancient sites and destinations in Greece before we make our way back to Athens to end our Balkans adventure.
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This tour has small-group departures running every 2 weeks from May until early October to take advantage of the year's best weather. We can also run the tour privately for you on any other dates.
The hotels and accommodations listed below are the ones we most often use on this tour. From time to time we may exchange these for similar properties at the same level. In general, specific hotels cannot be guaranteed on our group tours, but you may select your preferred options if you are booking a tailor-made trip.
Our tours are designed to include all that you need to enjoy a really special time in the destination youre visiting. However, we do also offer some extra options to complement the tour and add some additional sightseeing or activities, or some extra time at either end of the tour.
All accommodation based options (e.g. Single supplements, extra nights, cruise upgrades) should be booked and paid for in advance so that we can make the appropriate arrangements. Other options may either be booked and paid for in advance or while you are on the tour, though we recommend booking in advance to ensure there are no issues with availability.
Many options are priced the same throughout the year, but some may incur single or high season supplements - full details are given on the tour reservation form or on request.
The detailed Tour Notes below have been written to give you some more detailed information about how the tour runs, what to expect, and how to prepare for your holiday. We recommend downloading an up to date copy of these shortly before you travel in case of any changes.
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