Balkans Tour

• Tour ancient fortified cities built on cliffs overlooking the sparkling blue Adriatic
• Walk through Plitvice Lakes NP, where sixteen turquoise lakes join each other in a series of waterfalls
• Enjoy the classical architecture of Roman Emperor Diocletian’s palace in Split
• Visit the magical city of Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina, reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire
• Explore the wonderful walled city of old Dubrovnik

Arrive in Ljubljana, Slovenia and overnight at beautiful Lake Bled. We journey to Piran, a medieval pirate town and enter Croatia, crossing the Istra Peninsula to Opatija. A stop at Porec, a 2nd Century BC Roman encampment and then visit the Italian-speaking fishing village Rovinj. Enjoy Opatija, the oldest and still one of the most popular Croatian resort towns. Onward to the spectacular Plitvice Lakes. We explore Zadar, the ancient capital of Dalmatia and a typical Venetian old town with a variety of architectural styles, where lone Corinthian columns stand alongside Romanesque churches. We savor Šibenik and Trogir, two of the loveliest towns on the Dalmatian coast, where several hundred inlets spread out to the open blue sea. Enjoy a guided walk around the old part of Split, home to Diocletian’s Palace, one of the most outstanding samples of classical architecture in the world.

Other highlights of this tour of the Adriatic include a short ferry ride to the fascinating Island of Hvar, the historic town of Mostar and Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina; the picturesque village of Pocitelj with its stunning oriental architecture and Ottoman feel and the longest operating art colony in Southeast Europe.  We visit the old walled heart of Dubrovnik and continue along the coast, exploring Kotor, Montenegro, the old Njegusi village in the mountains, Cetinje, and Budva, one of the oldest inhabited places in the area. Our tour of the Adriatic culminates as we cross the border into Shkodra, Albania, the Illyrian capital in the 3rd Century BC and arrive in Tirana, the capital.