Trips and tours    Malta     The bay of Naples     Small Czech tour     Poland     

 

BALKANS 1

(Ljubljana, Bled, Postojna, Šibenik, Split, Mostar, Medjugorje with English mass and Sarajevo)

 

 

DAY 01  Ljubljana  (D)

Arrival in Ljubljana in the afternoon and transfer to the hotel. Evening stolling in the old town and continue to a restaurant for dinner. After dinner return to the hotel. Overnight in a hotel in Ljubljana.
 

DAY 02  Ljubljana & Bled  (B,L,D)

After breakfast you will start with a full day tour of Ljubljana and Bled. Easily reachable sights in the capital city of Slovenia suggest the traveller to take it in walking style. From the pre-socialist parliament building and the close Republic square you are soon transfered back in time and land in the Art Nouveau style of the old town. The 1895 earthquake changed the image of the city. Magnificent buildings, manors and churches were build/rebuild in ths eyecathing architectual form that took its origin from Vienna, which used to be the capital of these land for more than a century ago. Jože Plečnik was the man who transfomed the majority of the city in a pleasant and noninvasive form, retaining its grandeur of a regional capital. After lunch you will drive to one of the gems of the Alpine world - lake Bled. Its magical position is overlooked by an impressive castle from where you have an unspoilt view towards the only island in Slovenia. There is a know historic site on the island where today a church with its wishing bell atracts the majority of Bled’s visitors. You can swim in the lake but reaching the island with the “pletna”, a hand made wooden boat is a must. Return back to Ljubljana, enjoy dinner in the city centre and return back to the hotel. Overnight in a hotel in Ljubljana.
 

DAY 03  Ljubljana, Postojna and Šibenik (B,L,D)

After breakfast you will visit one of the most captivating underground Carst caves in the world - the Postojna Cave. Among the first to be illuminated by electricity it is also one of the rearest to be reached by a small purposely build railway. If you haven’t heard of a “Human fish” before, then this is the time to see it. Just a stone throw away stand one of the most scenic castles, build in a rock, that has some Slovenian Robin Hood tuch to it. From Predjama return to Postojna for lunch. And off you go to Croatia. By late afternoon you will reach on of the top 5 coastal cities in croatia - Šibenik. With an idilic natural harbour and steep streets of the old town, you can’t say anything else but wow. Dinner in a recreated Croatian village restaurant, overnight in a hotel in Šibenik.
 

DAY 04  Šibenik, Trogir and Split (B,L,D)

After an early breakfast you’ll travel to Split. The scenic rooute along the coast will remind you of what kind of a pearl this Adriatic country actually is. With an arrival to Trogir, you’ll be once more transferred back in time. A former Greek colony set on a small island between the Croatian mainland and the island of Čiovo boast a piece of the ancient with the tranquillity of a lazy summer town. Proceed to Split, the second largest Croatian city after the capital of Zagreb and fin yourselvs in Roman times. One of the largest Roman sites in the region will give you an overview on the times of the emperor Diocletian. His palace considered as his retirement escape occupies almost the half of Split’s old town and boost restaurants, shops, churches and markets in this vibrant maritime city. Dinner in a restaurant, overnight in a hotel in Split.
 

DAY 05  Split, Mostar, Medjugorje (B,L,D)

Breakfast, check out from the hotel and some free time before the departure towards Bosnia and Herzegovina. The end destination of the day will be the fifth largest city of BiH, Mostar. It is the most important city in the Herzegovina region, its cultural capital, and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva River and was named after the bridge keepers (mostari) who in the medieval times guarded the Old Bridge over the Neretva. The Old Bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most recognizable landmarks, and is considered one of the most exemplary pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans. Formerly one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country, and today suffering geographical division of ethnic groups. The city was the most heavily bombed of any Bosnian city during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina following the breakup of Yugoslavia. At the beginning of the war, air strikes destroyed many important buildings and structures, including the cultural and spiritual icon - The Old Bridge. After the departure the route will take us to a nearby village of Medjugorje, where the site is since 1981 popular of Catholic pilgrimage due to reports of alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary to six local children. Dinner in a local restaurant, overnight in Medjugorje.
 

DAY 06  Medjugorje, Sarajevo (B,L,D)

After breakfast we will take some time to explore the pilgrimage site, tour the St. James church and the Appartion hill. You could also atend an english speaking mass in the morning. Lunch on the way Bosnian style - grill. Continue towards Sarajevo, the capital and the largest city of BiH. Check-in at the hotel, enjoy some free time for shopping in the Old Market or spend some time at your own desire strolling through the old part of town. Dinner in a local restaurant, overnight at the hotel in Sarajevo.
 

DAY 07  Sarajevo (B,L)

After breakfast you’ll have the chance to explore this war torn city with a local guide and go in time through the Ottoman past the Austo-Hungarian empire and well in to the 20th century.  Due to its long and rich history of religious and cultural variety, Sarajevo is sometimes called the "Jerusalem of Europe". It was, until late in the 20th century, the only major European city to have a mosque, Catholic church, Orthodox church and synagogue within the same neighborhood. A regional center in education, the city is also home to the Balkans' first institution of tertiary education in the form of an Islamic polytechnic called the Saraybosna Osmanlı Medrese, today part of the University of Sarajevo. the modern city arose as an Ottoman stronghold in the 15th century.Sarajevo has attracted international attention several times throughout its history. In 1885, Sarajevo was the first city in Europe and the second city in the world to have a full-time electric tram network running through the city, following San Francisco.In 1914, it was the site of the assassination of the Archduke of Austria that sparked World War I. In WWII, Sarajevo was part of Ustashe's Independent State of Croatia, where many Serbs and Jews were killed. Forty years later, it hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics. For nearly four years, from 1992 to 1996, the city suffered the longest siege of a city in the history of modern warfare (1,425 days long) during the Bosnian War. Drive to the airport. End of tour.

 

TOUR INCLUSIONS: ·         6x bed and breakfast in ****/***** hotel ·         lunches and dinners as per program ·         sightseeing and entrance fees according to the program: entrance and tour of Bled castle, boat ride on lake Bled with a visit on the island, ride with funicular to the castle of Ljubljana and entrance fee for it, entrance to the Postojna Cave, The Palace of Diocletian ·         English speaking guide throughout the tour ·         local tour guides in Split, Mostar and Sarajevo ·         VAT, taxes and fees.   TOUR EXTRAS: ·         Tips ·         Extra meals ·         Drinks and personal expenses ·         Health/Travel insurance ·         Visas ·         International Air Travel tickets   TOUR HIGHLIGHTS: ·         Ljubljana's old town ·         Lake Bled ·         Postojna Cave ·         Trogir's and Šibenik's old town ·         Diocletian's palace in Split ·         Mostar's Old Bridge ·         Medjugorje pilgrimage site ·         Sarajevo