Highlights of the Balkans

Welcome to Belgrade!

At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and travel companions for a welcome dinner at the hotel. (D)

A Strong Faith

Follow a guided sightseeing featuring main sights like the Santa Sava Church and views of the fascinating Kalemegdan Fortress. Free afternoon and evening. (B)

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - PICTURE PERFECT: The Church of Saint Sava is one of the largest churches in the world and the largest church building in the Balkans. The church is built on the site where the Ottomans burned the remains of Saint Sava in 1595 and it represents the resilience and continuity of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Serbian culture through centuries of foreign domination. A visit to Belgrade is not complete without a stop here.

Capital Cities

TIMISOARA: Admire the Romanian Orthodox Church, seat of the archbishop.

SIBIU: An orientation tour reveals Sibiu's towers, churches, and buildings dating back to the 14th century (B/D) 267mi / 430km

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - A CITY OF FIRSTS: Situated in Transylvania, Sibiu is a real gem with a local vibe which recorded many premieres in this part of Europe. It was here where the first hospital, the first library, the first school, the first pharmacy, the first Zoo garden, the first open-air cinema in Romania opened.

Fact or Fiction

BRASOV: Follow your guide for a tour of the city and visit the Black Church. Later visit Bran Castle and enjoy dinner on the castle grounds at Queen Mary Tea House. (B/D) 93mi / 150km

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - LEGENDS & LORE: Legend has it that King Solomon, while escaping enemies in pursuit, fled into the Brasov forest, exchanged his clothes with a local peasant, and cast his crown on a tree trunk to evade being recognized. So the city of Brasov was dubbed Brasov, Kronstadt (Crown City). The fortress-castle was built in 1377 by master masons of Brasov, on a cliff, dominating the whole region. The most famous feature of the town is the castle associated with Vlad the Impaler, a true-life prince who stayed at the castle in the 15th century. His cruel habit of impaling his enemies on stakes inspired Bram Stoker's fictional tale of Dracula.

Romanian Royalty

SINAIA: Visit Peles castle (B) 118mi / 190km

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - CULTURAL GEM: From the very beginning, Peles Castle was one of the most modern in Europe. It was the first castle on the continent fully supplied by electrical power - it had its own electrical unit - and one of the few with a central heating system, an elevator, and the best comfort of the time. The castle was a museum from its first years, and the ticket sales were used to finance Romania's Queen Elisabeth's charity works. After the castle was confiscated by the communists, it was used only as a museum from 1953 to 1975, escaping the destructive whims of ruling dictator, Ceausescu.

Parisian Style and Palace Squares

BUCHAREST: Follow your guide for a sightseeing that includes views of the palace where former Romanian dictator Ceausescu lived. (B)

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - HISTORIC SPOT: In the early 20th century, Bucharest was known as "Little Paris" due to its elegant architecture and vibrant cultural scene, reminiscent of the French capital. See the imposing Palace of the Parliament, former home of communist dictator, Ceausescu. Noted as the world's heaviest building and largest administrative building after the Pentagon.

Little Vienna

RUSE: Stop in Bulgaria's most important river port nicknamed "Little Vienna" due to its beautiful neo-baroque and neo-rococo architecture. (B/D) 242 mi / 390 km

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - ARTISTRY & ARCHITECTURE: Unique to the country of Romania is the architectural jewel of Ruse. Its leafy avenues and squares are reminiscent of Vienna, with a Central European feel found in its baroque and belle epoque architectural style.

A City of Centuries

SOFIA: Hear the history of this fascinating capital city during your guided sightseeing tour.

Visit the Byzantine Holy Sofia Church. (B/D)

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - CULTURAL GEM: The capital of Bulgaria, Sofia is poised as it has been for centuries below Vitosha Mountain, with its landmarks reflecting more than 2,000 years of history, including Greek, Roman, Ottoman and Soviet occupation. Medieval Boyana Church has 13th-century frescoes. Built by the Romans in the 4th century, St. George Rotunda Church has medieval and Ottoman decoration dating to the 10th century. Sofia was known as Serdica centuries before Christ and was ruled at one time by Alexander the Great's father, Philip of Macedonia.

Prophecies, Prayers, and Promises

KUMANOVO: Visit the Staro Nagorichane Monastery.

SKOPJE: Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant (B/D) 155mi / 250km

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - LEGENDS & LORE: Visit the 11th-century church of Staro Nagorichane. Built by Byzantine emperor Roman IV Diogen in gratitude to the hermit and saint Prohor Pcinski. According to the legend, the emperor wounded a deer while hunting in the surrounding forests and followed its bloody trail to a cave in which it found refuge with the hermit Pcinski. The old man beseeched the emperor to spare the deer and prophesized he would become the future king upon his return to Constantinople. With the prophecy ultimately fulfilled. Diogen built the church in honour of the beatified Saint Pcinski.

City of Statues and Saint Theresa

SKOPJE: Guided sightseeing includes views of the city's landmarks. (B)

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - HISTORY & MONUMENTS: The city of Skopje is located on the Vardar River and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe. Hear how it is often referred to as the "City of Statues," with over 190 statues scattered throughout the city, it truly lives up to its nickname. But it is also famous as Mother Theresa was born here.

Water Colours

OHRID: Guided sightseeing includes a boat cruise. (B) 112mi / 180km

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - NATURAL WONDERS: Lake Ohrid is the oldest natural lake in Europe and one of the oldest lakes in the whole world and home to a high number of endemic species, found nowhere else in the world. Don't miss the chance to witness one of the lake's most enchanting spectacle at sunset when the golden hues reflect upon the tranquil waters for a mesmerizing sight.

Macedonian Marvels

OHRID: Visit the monastery of Saint Naum (B) 81mi / 130km

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - HISTORIC SPOT: The Monastery of St. Naum is built on a high rocky cliff over the shore of the most southern point of Ohrid Lake and is one of the most beautiful monasteries in Macedonia, which also represents one of the first monuments of Slavic church architecture and art in the Ohrid region - this is. The founder of the monastery is the medieval writer and teacher Naum, who is one of the founders of the Slavic and Macedonian literacy and education tradition. Take in the heavenly views surrounding this clifftop marvel.

Underground Art

TIRANA: Guided walking tour of the city features a visit to the Bunk'Art and the main square. Farewell dinner at a local restaurant. (B/D)

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - ART & ARCHITECTURE: Discover a vibrant story of history, architecture, and art in Tirana - from the Tirana mosaic (Ancient Roman) to the Clock Tower (Kulla e Sahatit), a symbol of ottoman architecture, Italian buildings, and the construction style of the dictatorship. Visit the former Cold War bunker-turned-art-museum of Bunk'Art.

Safe Travels Until We Meet Again! Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. (B)