Treasures of the Balkans

Welcome to Bucharest

Welcome to Bucharest! Join your Travel Director and fellow travelers for dinner at a local restaurant.

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Radisson Blu Bucharest

Bucharest and Castles of Transylvania

Join a Local Expert for sightseeing to view University Square and the former communist headquarters. Visit the immense Parliament Palace, one of the most impressive buildings in the world. Enjoy a delicious private dinner in the recently renovated Queen Marie’s Tea House. This evening after the crowds have left enjoy a private visit to the iconic Bran Castle, said to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Learn about Queen Marie of Romania, the last inhabitant of the castle, visit the torture rooms and relive the tales of the infamous Count Dracula.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Radisson Blu Aurum, Brașov

BRAȘOV and Sinaia

Travel along the Prahova Valley to the elegant mountain resort of Sinaia to visit Peleș Castle. Admire the lavish rooms filled with art, armor and tapestries. Return through the Carpathian Mountains to the charming medieval city of Brașov, founded in 1211 by the Teutonic Knights. With your Local Expert, walk around Town Hall Square, lined with beautiful red-roofed houses and dominated by the Black Church.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Radisson Blu Aurum, Brașov

Veliko Tarnovo

Cross the Danube into Bulgaria and continue to Veliko Tarnovo, the City of the Tsars, where houses cling to the cliffs of the River Yantra, making it one of the country's most beautiful towns. In the evening, enjoy dinner at your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Yantra Grand, Veliko Tarnovo

To Sofia

Meet your Local Expert to climb to the ruined Tsarevets Fortress, a reminder of the town’s former imperial status. Take in sweeping views over Bulgaria’s old capital and the Yantra Valley. Continue to Arbanasi, one of Bulgaria’s most beautiful villages, where frescoed churches and fortified dwellings offer insight into the settlement’s former wealth and deep spiritual heritage. Visit a traditional 17th-century merchant’s house and the Church of the Holy Nativity before crossing the Balkan Mountains to modern-day Sofia. On arrival, join your Local Expert for sightseeing to see St. Sofia Church, the golden-domed St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the archaeological complex, dominated by the Church of St. George Rotunda. This evening, perhaps choose an Optional Experience featuring dinner accompanied by a folklore dancing display.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Grand Millennium Sofia

Sofia at Your Pace

Enjoy the day at your leisure. Perhaps visit the Rila Monastery to enjoy a fascinating insight into the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria?

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Grand Millennium Sofia

Skopje

Cross the border and continue to the North Macedonian capital of Skopje, an ultra-modern city juxtaposed by an ancient bazaar, where Turkish influences can still be seen and felt. Enjoy sightseeing with a Local Expert.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Skopje Marriott

Lake Ohrid and Tirana

Making your way to the border, stop by the scenic Lake Ohrid for lunch. Cross into Albania and journey to Tirana, renowned for its friendly locals.  Continue to the landmark Skanderbeg Square for an insider’s look at the Albanian capital with a Local Expert.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Hilton Garden Inn Tirana

Journey to Montenegro’s Budva

Soak up Montenegro’s natural beauty as you drive towards Budva where you will have the day to explore 'Montenegro's Miami'. Head to Stari Grad (the Old Town) surrounded by 15th-century ramparts to explore its labyrinthine lanes and small squares where you could choose to sit back and watch the world go by.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: TQ Plaza, Budva

Kotor and Dubrovnik

Journey to the Old Town of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue to the fortified port of Dubrovnik.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Kompas Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik Sightseeing

Join a Local Expert for a morning of exploring the stone-paved streets within the 16th-century bastions. See Onofrio's Fountain and the Rector's Palace, the city walls, and the Franciscan and Dominican monasteries. The rest of the day is free for you to immerse yourself in the beautiful surroundings. Perhaps enjoy an Optional Experience to a stunning town on the Adriatic coast, Cavtat, where you can wander along the pine-forest paths beside the crystal-clear sea and visit a local winery. This evening, choose from a fine selection of restaurants for your Dine-Around evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Kompas Dubrovnik

Mostar and Sarajevo

Journey to Mostar, where your Local Expert will guide you to the famed Stari Most, the Old Bridge, a 16th-century Ottoman landmark painstakingly reconstructed after near destruction in the 1990s conflict. Stroll the cobbled streets of the Old Town, lined with shops offering traditional handicrafts and artisanal treasures. Continue along a scenic route to Sarajevo for your MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience: a warm welcome into a Sarajevan family home. Over authentic dishes, hear personal stories that illuminate the city’s resilience and cultural heritage, helping preserve its traditions for future generations.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Swissotel Sarajevo

Sarajevo, City of Culture

Explore Sarajevo with Insight Choice. Choose to meet an expert on the Bosnian War for a visit to Sarajevo’s astonishing Tunnel of Hope. Alternatively, join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience for a nature walk to the spring of the Bosna River, a protected park just beyond the city, led by a conservation guide. The rest of the afternoon is for you to explore as you wish.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Swissotel Sarajevo

The Serbian Capital of Belgrade

Trace your way along the Drina River, that lies on the border of Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Take in beautiful landscapes of lush, green mountains that create magical forest canyons, winding your way through deep valleys as you make your way to Belgrade.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Radisson Collection, Old Mill Belgrade

The Best of Belgrade

Join a Local Expert to see the best of Belgrade including Terazije Street, the national museum and national theater in Republic Square, as well as a visit to the famous St. Sava Church. Finish your sightseeing at the Kalemegdan Fortress, situated at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure before joining your fellow travelers for dinner this evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Radisson Collection, Old Mill Belgrade

Farewell Belgrade

Your journey through the Balkans has come to an end. All that’s left is to say a fond doviđenja as you bid your new friends farewell.

Meals: Breakfast