Treasures of the Balkans
Experience Overview
Explore Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria's hand-picked sights from Roman ruins in Sofia to a private after-hours tour of Bran Castle.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 7 Dinner (D)
- 15 Breakfast (B)
- 2 Dinner with Wine (DW)
Choice Highlights
- Choose between two carefully selected activities
- Sarajevo: Take a nature walk to the spring of the Bosna River, a protectedpark just beyond the city, led by a conservation guide. This experience advances United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land.
- Sarajevo: Meet a Bosnian War expert at the Sarajevo’s Tunnel of Hope and hear a first-hand account of the city’s 44-month siege, or learn about the conservation efforts supporting the health of local flora and fauna.
Authentic Dining
- Bucharest: Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for your dinner.
- Dubrovnik: Choose to dine at one of the varied selection of charming restaurants offered on your Dine-Around evening.
- Sarajevo: Experience authentic Bosnian coffee and learn about the traditional ritual of coffee preparation.
- Belgrade: Toast the culmination of your travels with dinner.
Insight Choice
- Choose between two experiences in Sarajevo
- Sarajevo: Meet a Bosnian War expert at the Sarajevo’s Tunnel of Hope and hear a first-hand account of the city’s 44-month siege, or learn about the conservation efforts supporting the health of local flora and fauna.
Insight Experiences
- Bran: During a private after-hours visit of Bran Castle, learn about the story of the infamous Count Dracula, followed by dinner.
Make Travel Matter
- Sarajevo: Enjoy dinner at a Sarajevan family home and savour and hear stories about their culture.
- Sarajevo: Take a nature walk to the spring of the Bosna River, a protectedpark just beyond the city, led by a conservation guide. This experience advances United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land.
Summary
- Visit the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest • Peleș Castle in Sinaia • Tsarevets Fortress in Veliko Tarnovo • Church of the Holy Nativity in Arbanasi.
- City tours of Bucharest, Brasov, Veliko Tarnovo, Skopje, Tirana, Dubrovnik, Mostar, Sarajevo, Sofia, Belgrade and Budapest, all with Local Experts.
- Welcome Dinner in Bucharest • Dinner at Bran Castle • Dine-Around options in Dubrovnik • Home Hosted dinner in Sarajevo • Celebration Dinner in Belgrade. Taste Bosnian coffee in Sarajevo.
Top Rated Highlights
- Bucharest: See University Square and the former Communist Headquarters. Walk the cavernous halls of the vast Palace of Parliament.
- Bucharest: Walk the cavernous halls of the vast Palace of Parliament, learn about the history and listen to amusing tales from your Local Expert.
- Sinaia: Witness the opulent and sumptuous decor in Peleș Castle, the fairy-tale Royal summer residence, at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains.
- Veliko Tarnovo: Ascend Tsarevets, the King's Hill, crowned by a ruined medieval citadel. Enjoy the views and imagine yourself back in the days of the Crusades when this was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom.
- Arbanasi: Visit a traditional 17th-century merchants' house and enjoy the acoustics in the Church of the Holy Nativity.
- Sofia: Sightseeing with your Local Expert takes you to St. Sofia Church, across the square from the golden domed St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the archaeological complex, dominated by the church of St. George Rotonda.
- Skopje: Explore Square Macedonia and see the Stone Bridge before walking through the Old Bazaar.
- Tirana: Meet a local resident who will show you Skanderbeg Square and walk you through their home city as they explain what it's like to live in the Albanian capital.
- Kotor: Visit the Stari Grad, also referred to as the Old Town, perfectly positioned on a beautiful bay.
- Dubrovnik: Explore the stone-paved streets of the Old Town, see Onofrio's Fountain, Rector's Palace and the medieval city walls.
- Mostar: Learn the history and symbolic significance of Stari Most and explore the old town with your Local Expert.
- Belgrade: A Local Expert will show you St. Sava Church, Terazije Street, the national museum, national theatre, Republic Square and the Kalemegdan Fortress.
Trip Details
Product Code: 20869
Tour Type: Group Tour
Accommodation: Deluxe
Transport: Private
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Family, 55+, Luxury
Tour Operator:
Insight Vacations (CA)
Supplier Code: 172.749A
Starts: Bucharest, Romania
Finishes: Belgrade, Serbia
Duration: 16 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $6,268 ($392 /day)
Itinerary
Your Balkan adventure begins in Romania's capital, Bucharest. Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for dinner paired with wine at a local restaurant.
Accommodation: Radisson Blu Bucharest
Meals: Dinner
Join a Local Expert for a tour of University Square and the former communist headquarters. Visit the Parliament Palace, one of the world's most impressive buildings. Savour a private dinner in the newly renovated Queen Mary’s Tea House. This evening, enjoy an exclusive visit to the iconic Bran Castle, said to inspire Bram Stoker's Dracula. Learn about Queen Maria of Romania, the castle's last inhabitant, explore the torture rooms, and relive the tales of Count Dracula.
Accommodation: Radisson Blu Aurum, Brașov
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Travel along the Prahova Valley to the elegant mountain resort of Sinaia to visit Peleș Castle. Return through the Carpathian Mountains to the charming medieval city of Brașov. With your Local Expert, walk around Town Hall Square, lined with beautiful red-roofed houses and dominated by the Black Church.
Accommodation: Radisson Blu Aurum, Brașov
Meals: Breakfast
Continue to Veliko Tarnovo. Enjoy dinner at your hotel.
Accommodation: Yantra, Veliko Tarnovo
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Meet your Local Expert to visit Tsarevets Fortress for stunning views. At the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Arbanasi, visit a traditional 17th-century merchant's house and the Church of the Holy Nativity. Cross the Balkan Mountains to Sofia and join a Local Expert to explore.
Accommodation: Grand Millennium Sofia
Meals: Breakfast
Enjoy your day at leisure. Perhaps visit the Rila Monastery to gain fascinating insights into Bulgaria's largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery.
Accommodation: Grand Millennium Sofia
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Cross the border and continue to Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, for sightseeing with a Local Expert.
Accommodation: Bushi Resort & Spa, Skopje
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Making your way to the border, stop by the scenic Lake Ohrid. Cross into Albania and journey to Tirana. Continue to the landmark Skanderbeg Square for an insider’s look at the Albanian capital with a Local Expert.
Accommodation: MAK Albania, Tirana
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Soak up Montenegro’s natural beauty as you drive towards Budva, where you will have time 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.
Accommodation: TQ Plaza, Budva
Meals: Breakfast
Journey to the Old Town of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue to the fortified port of Dubrovnik. At night, you may choose from a fine selection of restaurants for your Dine-Around evening.
Accommodation: Kompas Dubrovnik
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Join a Local Expert to see Onofrio's Fountain and the Rector's Palace, the city walls and the Franciscan and Dominican monasteries.
Accommodation: Kompas Dubrovnik
Meals: Breakfast
Journey to Mostar. With your Local Expert, see the famous Stari Most, the Old Bridge. Explore the cobbled streets of the Old Town, stretching on both sides of the bridge and filled with shops selling traditional handicrafts. Follow the scenic route to Sarajevo. A unique and rewarding insight into the local way of life awaits, as you are invited into a Sarajevan family for dinner and wine.
Accommodation: Europe, Sarajevo
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Europe, Sarajevo
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Radisson Collection, Old Mill Belgrade
Meals: Breakfast
Join a Local Expert to see the best of Belgrade. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure before joining your fellow travellers for dinner this evening.
Accommodation: Radisson Collection, Old Mill Belgrade
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
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
Similar Tours
Tour Operator
Insight Vacations (CA)
Part of The Travel Company (TTC) family of brands, Insight Vacations began operations in 1978 and is based in Cypress, CA. Journeys are featured to destinations, such as the U.S. and Canada, Europe, Latin America, North Africa, Asia, the UK and Ireland. The company offers are a variety of tours under the classifications of Regional Journeys, Country Roads, Discovery Journeys, Easy Pace trips, and Special Interest tours. Insight is the ideal name for the tour operator, as the journeys provided by Insight Vacations allow travelers to gain further insight into whatever destination they wish to explore. For example, Discovery Journeys are the ideal choice for first-time visitors to Europe. Itineraries include Dine-at-Home or Farm-to-Table experiences so travelers can learn more about how locals live and dine. Regional Journeys allow trip-goers to see a specific location in Europe that they have always wanted to see – Poland, Switzerland, Italy, etc. The carefully planned trips enable customers to immerse themselves in one specific region or country and to become acquainted with its culture, traditions, and people. For anyone seeking travel off the beaten track, Insight Vacations offers Country Roads – trips that lead travelers off the well-tread tourist trail to explore hidden gems where visitors can savor the local produce with Farm-to-Table dining. Some trips are offered under the Easy Pace travel style – the ideal trip choice for trip-goers who wish to slow their pace during their vacation. During these tours, vacationers stay at least 3 nights at each destination, giving them some additional time to explore a place and enjoy it. Regardless of the travel style, many of the vacations offered by Insight Vacations begin with Relaxed Starts – giving travelers time to sleep in a little, spend more time at breakfast, or explore an area on their own. The tour company prides itself on providing business class tours that features luxury coaches with 40 seats. While most coach touring operators provide vehicles with 53 seats, Insight Vacations has re-configured its motor coaches to hold up to 40 guests. This gives passengers extra leg room while traveling and offers them more space and privacy.
In Business Since 1978
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