Day 1. Welcome to Serbia
Arrive at “Nikola Tesla” International Airport.
Our guide will meet you in the arrivals hall with your name on the signboard. He will do the following: help you with your money exchange, give you essential information about Belgrade, help you with your check-in, explain to you the location of your accommodation and advise you how to reach the main sights, and give you an overview of current happenings in the city.
In case your flight is delayed, there is no reason to worry. We will monitor your flight, and our guide will meet you accordingly. There are no additional charges for flight delays. After a short ride of 20 minutes, you’ll be in the city’s center. Check-in at the hotel, and take the rest of the day to get more familiar with Belgrade, walk around or follow your guide’s recommendation for dinner.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are arriving in Belgrade a few days before the tour departure, you can book additional nights with us, at the same hotel, for a surcharge of €55 (Classic package) or €95 (Upgraded package. Prices are per person and night in a double or twin room.
Overnight: Belgrade
Day 2. Explore Belgrade
Breakfast. After breakfast, we’ll start with our Belgrade sightseeing tour. Today we will show you almost all the most important sights in the city.
We’ll start at the daunting Belgrade Fortress, dramatically perched above the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. We’ll check the Victor Monument, Monument of Gratitude to France, Zindan Gate, The Chapel of Saint Petka, Clock Gate, and The Clock Tower.
Once we finish with the fortress, we will start our panoramic ride through New Belgrade – Belgrade’s largest municipality, with impressive modern architecture. Here, we will see some remarkable buildings such as the Ex-Central Committee of the Communist Party, Federal Executive Council, also known as the Palace of Federation, Genex Tower or Western Gate of Belgrade, Sava Center, Belgrade Arena, and many more.
After New Belgrade, we’ll reach Zemun, the northern area of Belgrade, which is characteristic of its Central European appearance, charming quarters, cobblestone streets, and fish restaurants on the Danube River banks. Its curvy cobblestone streets and small houses will give you the impression that Zemun is a melting pot of Mediterranean and Middle European cultures.
After Zemun, we’ll drive through Dedinje, Belgrade’s most luxurious residential area, before we reach the imposing Saint Sava Temple, one of the world’s largest Orthodox churches.
After the sightseeing tour, spend this afternoon on your own. Maybe check out Nikola Tesla’s Museum or the National Museum, or wander around the central streets.
In the evening, visit the Old Bohemian Quarter of Skadarlija, frequently compared to Montmartre in Paris, both in appearance and artistic atmosphere. It’s a perfect opportunity to familiarize yourself with traditional Serbian cuisine and the famous Belgrade nightlife. (Optional = 30€ per person)
Overnight: Belgrade
Day 3. Transfer to Zagreb & Zagreb walking tour
After breakfast, it’s time to move to another beautiful Balkan country – Croatia. We’ll head for the Croatian capital, and after roughly around 4 hours (depending on the border crossing), we’ll reach Zagreb. Check-in at the hotel and take some time to refresh before we start with our Zagreb walking tour.
Begin the sightseeing tour in busy Kaptol Square in Upper Town, dominated by the monumental Zagreb Cathedral, with its soaring twin spires, cobblestone streets, and red tile-roofed buildings. Walk along Krvavi Most to St. Mark’s Church, with its brightly colored roof, and the 17th-century Jesuit Church of St. Catherine. After a stop at the Parliament building, free time to explore the winding streets of the Old Town and Ban Jelacic, the main square. Or perhaps take a stroll along Ilica Street, packed with restaurants, trendy cafes, and a vibrant shopping scene. Free time to explore on your own.
Overnight: Zagreb
Day 4. Plitvice Lakes National Park
After breakfast, we’ll leave Zagreb behind us and drive towards Plitvice Lakes.
After around two hours of driving, prepare your cameras since we will arrive at the breathtaking scenery of a natural wonder – Plitvice Lakes National Park.
Enjoy a 3-hour guided tour through a wonderland of 16 interconnecting lakes flanked by thundering waterfalls and a vast primeval forest. This area, known as a geological and hydrological phenomenon, is celebrated as one of Europe’s most beautiful natural sights, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
We’ll arrive at our hotel just in time for dinner, and after that, you can relax and rest.
Overnight: Plitvice
Day 5. From Plitvice Lakes to Dalmatian coast
After breakfast, we’ll head towards Split, with a short en-route visit to Zadar, Croatia’s oldest continuously inhabited city full of beautiful attractions and historical places.
We’ll walk around and check out the most important sights, including the Sea Organ, Greeting to the Sun, The Roman Forum, and the Church of Saint Donatus.
We’ll have a lunch break, and after approximately two hours of driving, we’ll arrive at the UNESCO-protected seaside town of Split, the second-largest city in Croatia. Check-in. The rest of the day is yours. Perhaps enjoy a coffee or a dinner in one of the numerous restaurants by the sea.
Overnight: Split
Day 6. Split & Dubrovnik
After breakfast, we’ll have a walking tour along the Old Town’s cobbled streets featuring the historic inner city with its dominating Roman influence, built around the 4th-century Palace of Diocletian. This spectacular palace, a precious example of Roman architecture, is one of the largest and best-preserved in the world. We’ll see the remains of the Cathedral of St. Domnius, built in the Middle Ages, and the Temple of Jupiter with its headless black sphinx guarding the entrance.
Later on, we will proceed to Dubrovnik. After roughly 2.5 hours of driving along the beautiful Croatian coast and admiring wonderful views, we’ll arrive at the spectacular walled city of Dubrovnik, lovingly named the “Pearl of the Adriatic.” Check-in, a short break, and the “Old Dubrovnik on foot” tour. The magnificent Old Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a treasure of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque churches, monasteries, and palaces. The tour highlights sites like Rector’s Palace, an outstanding blend of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Also, the monumental Sponza Palace, one of the most beautiful palaces in the city, is preserved in its original form. Under the City Bell Tower on Luza Square, view Orlando’s Tower, which is dedicated to the legendary knight who saved the city in the 9th century.
After the tour, take some time for yourself.
Consider strolling along the impressive ramparts overlooking the shimmering Adriatic Sea or visit the Maritime Museum in St. John’s Castle. Or maybe check the parts of Dubrovnik where the famous Game of Thrones was shot, visit Lokrum island and city walls, or ride a Dubrovnik cable car.
Overnight: Dubrovnik
Day 7. Full-day Montenegro experience
After breakfast, we’ll leave Croatia behind us and ride towards the stunning Bay of Kotor, the longest and deepest fjord in Southern Europe. Our first stop will be the charming coastal town of Perast, one of the most beautiful towns on the Adriatic Sea, with only 300 residents. We will walk along the Perast promenade and admire the beautiful baroque palaces of noble families.
Following, we will take a short boat ride to the 15th century “Our Lady of the Rocks” Church perched on an islet in the bay. Once there, we will visit the Roman Catholic Church, which has an interesting interior.
The next stop is Kotor, where we will have a guided walking tour. This old Mediterranean town, surrounded by formidable city walls, was built between the 12th and 14th centuries. Its medieval architecture and other cultural monuments are why UNESCO included the city on the list of “World Natural and Historical Heritage Sites.” We’ll check out the Cathedral of St. Tryphon, Maritime Museum, numerous Palaces, and Old Square and get to feel the atmosphere of this unique medieval town. Here, we will have a lunch break.
Later on, we will proceed to Bosnia and Herzegovina. We’ll end the day in Trebinje, a charming and picturesque little town on the banks of the Trebišnjica River, with a laid-back atmosphere and an interesting mix of Mediterranean, Central European, and Ottoman influences. You can use the evening to stroll around small streets or have a nice dinner.
Overnight: Trebinje
Day 8. Herzegovina story: Mostar & Blagaj Tekke
After breakfast, our trip continues to Blagaj (a site on the UNESCO Tentative List), an old town from the first half of the 16th century and a beautiful representation of Ottoman architecture. Blagaj was the crib of Islam of today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the short tour, enjoy the view of the monastery in a fairy-tale environment beneath the cliffs on the shores of the emerald-green river Buna.
Our next stop will be Mostar, a medieval town in northern Herzegovina and one of the Balkan’s top ten sights. With cobblestoned streets, old stone buildings, and its beautiful bridge spanning the picturesque Neretva River, it attracts thousands of visitors.
We will walk through its narrow streets to soak up the atmosphere and learn more about the history of this magnificent place. We will cross the reconstructed Old Bridge, a staunch symbol of freedom on the Neretva River, and a UNESCO-protected landmark. If we are lucky, we may even witness some brave divers jumping from the bridge, following a tradition that lasts for a couple of centuries in Mostar.
We will proceed to Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque, the Crooked Bridge, and the Old Town, or Čaršija as locals call it.
You will have some free time in Mostar for lunch on the banks of the Neretva River, with an amazing bridge view.
We’ll end the day in Sarajevo, a beautiful city with a complicated history.
After check-in, enjoy a free afternoon in Sarajevo and visit some of the most famous restaurants in the city, offering the famous “ćevapčići,” a traditional Bosnian dish, a small rolled patty of ground beef meat.
Overnight: Sarajevo
Day 9. Explore Sarajevo
Breakfast. After breakfast, we’ll start exploring the capital of Bosnia & Herzegovina and one of Europe’s most historically rich cities.
We’ll start from the picturesque Turkish Bazaar (Bascarsija), an old trading place with artisan workshops. We’ll check many examples of splendid Ottoman architecture around the city center. The city is truly a “living history museum” where mosques built by the Ottomans sit alongside buildings created by the Austro-Hungarians and the Orthodox Churches. We’ll see the Gazi Husrev-bey Mosque, the most prominent Islamic structure in the country, one of the world’s finest examples of Ottoman architecture. We will also check the Sebilj Fountain, one of Sarajevo’s Old Town’s most famous landmarks, The City Hall, and the famous “Spite House”.
We’ll drive past the now-neglected stadium from the 1984 Winter Olympic Games and the Gavrilo Princip Museum. On our walk, look for the poignant Sarajevo Roses, flower-shaped memorials in the pavement filled with red cement, one of the few reminders left of the war.
After the sightseeing tour, take some time to walk around the Miljacka River, have lunch, or have a traditional Bosnian coffee.
In the afternoon, the tour will head back to Belgrade (around 5 hours of driving). You have two choices. If you want, you can stay in Sarajevo and book your flight from Sarajevo on the next day (or even a few days later), or you can go back to Belgrade and fly out from Belgrade on the next day or a couple of days later (your decision). In any case, the departure transfer to the airport is included, whether you decide to fly out from Sarajevo or Belgrade.
Overnight: Belgrade/Sarajevo
Day 10. Transfer to the airport
Breakfast. Free time until your flight. Transfer to the airport (if you stayed in Sarajevo – transfer to Sarajevo airport; if you went back to Belgrade – transfer to Belgrade airport). End of services. Have a safe flight!
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you want to depart from Sarajevo or Belgrade a few days after the tour ends, you can book additional nights with us at the same hotel for a surcharge of €50 (Classic package) or €70 (Upgraded package. Prices are per person and night in a double or twin room.
