29 Days | Experience the beauty of the Western Balkans from the history to the landscapes.
Stunning coastlines, historic cities, pristine national parks and some of the most delicious local cuisine your stomach will ever encounter – the Western Balkans have it all. And, this epic 29-day journey will show the best of it. Beginning in Budapest, which is also known as ‘the Pearl of the Danube’, you’ll have the chance to see a range of small towns, bright lights and natural wonders across Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia. Your local leaders along the way will be able to give you insights into the different cultures you encounter, with a focus on the people, history and food.
Trip overview
- Start
- Budapest, Hungary
- Finish
- Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Theme
- Explorer
- Destinations
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro
- Physical rating
- Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
- Style
- Original
- Ages
- Min 12
- Group size
- Min 1 - Max 16
- Trip code
- WMSJC
- Sip the famous Croatian Traminac Premium wine at a wine tasting at a 15th century family-run vineyard in quaint Ilok
- Witness Mostar's famous bridge divers hurl themselves from the stones of a bridge that has spanned the river here for centuries
- Sarajevo is one of the most scenically located cities in Europe. See the sights on a guided walking tour and learn about its recent history as a city under siege
- Spend a full day exploring the green island of Mljet – with its small seaside villages, lush national park trails, shimmering waters and largely untouched environment, you’ll never want to leave!
- Stroll through Plitvice Lakes National Park, marvelling at luminous lakes and waterfalls that seem to have been sketched by an artist
- Please be aware that the Balkan Peninsula and the Croatian coast are very hilly and mountainous, which means lots & lots of steps are an inherent feature of the landscape. You will have to be able to easily lift your luggage and carry it up and down stairs and inclines. Also, stone streets become very slippery when wet. Some people may find this region's topography very demanding.
- Summer temperatures can be extreme in many of the regions visited (over 40°C), which can be uncomfortable. It’s important to use sun protection, wear layers to combat the heat and drink plenty of water. Please carefully consider the time of the year you wish to travel and your suitability to that season. Please note that only some of our hotels and none of the public trains and buses in this region have air-conditioning.
- Hotels in Europe often don't have double beds, but rather two single beds that can be pushed together/apart. Rooms can be rather small, especially by American or Australian standards. Please also note that some of the accommodation used on this trip offer shared bathrooms rather than en-suite facilities.
- Please note that on the islands of Korcula and Hvar we are staying in private apartments that locals rent out during the summer months. These are located in various buildings spread across town, but all are within a 15-minute walk of the main square. The apartments are not hotels, which means there's no reception, room service or daily cleaning service, no televisions or washing machines, but plenty of charm. They differ in layout and facilities, can vary in size and most don't have air-conditioning and wi-fi. This is the most effective way of staying in the centre of town. Please also note that individual rooms are allocated on a same gender twin share basis, however the apartments itself are allocated on a mixed gender basis, which means you will be sharing a two, or three room apartment with the other members of the group. Apartments may only have one bathroom which will be shared between the group members staying in the same apartment. If you have booked a single room, you will be allocated one, however, this again will be a single room in a shared apartment with shared bathroom facilities, not a single or studio apartment.
- On this trip you must pack as lightly as possible because you will be expected to carry your own bag and although you won't be required to walk long distances with your luggage (max 30 minutes), we strongly recommend keeping the weight under 15kg / 33lb. Most travellers carry their luggage in a backpack, although an overnight bag with a shoulder strap would suffice if you travel lightly. Smaller bags or backpacks with wheels are convenient although we recommend your bag has carry straps to accommodate the cobbled streets, uneven surfaces, stairs and steps you are likely to encounter while carrying your luggage. You'll also need a day pack/bag to carry water and a camera etc for day trips.
Itinerary
View the itinerary for departures between 01 January 2024 - 31 December 2024
Inclusions
22 breakfasts, 2 dinners
Public bus, Private vehicle, Ferry, Taxi
Hotel (19 nights), Hostel (3 nights), Private Apartment (4 nights), Guesthouse (2 nights)
- Kopacki Rit NP- guided tour
- Novi Sad - Synagogue
- Novi Sad - Petrovaradin Fortress
- Belgrade - City Tour with Local Guide
- Belgrade- Zemun Orientation Walk
- Sarajevo - City Tour with Local Guide
- Konjic - Armijska Ratna Komanda ARK D-0 (Tito’s Bunker) tour
- Mostar - Day Trip
- Durmitor National Park Hike
- Dubrovnik - Dubrovnik Card (1 day local transport & entry to sites)
- Dubrovnik - Dubrovnik Card (1 day local transport and entry to sites)
- Dubrovnik - City Walls Walk
- Korcula Island hike
- Authentic dinner at Zrnovo village family owned restaurant
- Mljet Island - Day Trip to Mljet Island National Park
- Mljet Island - St Mary Island Benedictine Monastery
- Hop on hop off boat taxi ticket
- Split - City Walking Tour with Local Guide
- Split - Diocletian's Palace
- Zadar - Leader-led orientation walk
- Zadar - Nunnery & farm visit
- Plitvice Lakes - National Park Visit
- Licko Petrovo Selo NGO visit
- Zagreb - Leader-led Orientation Walk
- Ljubljana - Castle and Funicular
- Ljubljana - Leader-led walking tour
- Bled - Walk around Lake Bled
- Bled - Day Trip
- Budapest - Bike Ride - HUF6000
- Budapest - Great Synagogue - HUF9000
- Budapest - House of Terror - HUF4000
- Budapest - Hungarian National Museum - HUF2900
- Budapest - Hungarian State Opera House Tour - HUF7000
- Budapest - Parliament Tour - HUF10000
- Budapest - Pub Crawl (starting from) - HUF9000
- Budapest - Szechenyi Thermal Baths (starting from) - HUF9400
- Budapest - Transport and Entry to Statue Park - HUF5000
- Budapest - Danube Boat Trip - EUR15
- Novi Sad - City Museum - RSD500
- Novi Sad - Museum of Vojvodina - RSD200
- Belgrade - Museum of Contemporary Art - Free
- Belgrade - House of Flowers - RSD400
- Belgrade - Nikola Tesla Museum - RSD800
- Belgrade - Museum of Yugoslav History - RSD400
- Belgrade - Military Museum - RSD350
- Belgrade - St. Mark's Church - Free
- Belgrade - Sveti Sava Church - Free
- Belgrade - Ethnographic Museum - RSD300
- Mostar - War Photo Exhibition - BAM6
- Mostar - Old Bridge Museum - EUR5
- Sarajevo - Ilidza Park and Springs - BAM15
- Sarajevo - Jewish Museum - BAM3
- Sarajevo - Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque - BAM3
- Sarajevo - Sarajevo Museum - BAM10
- Sarajevo - Brusa Bezistan - BAM3
- Sarajevo - Despica House - BAM3
- Sarajevo - Svrzo's House - BAM3
- Sarajevo - City Hall & Old National Library - BAM10
- Sarajevo - National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina - BAM8
- Sarajevo - War Tunnel - BAM10
- Sarajevo - Gallery 11/07/95 - Free
- Kotor - Cruise on Kotor Fjord - EUR40
- Kotor - Maritime Museum - EUR5
- Kotor - St. Tryphon’s Cathedral - EUR4
- Kotor - Fortress - EUR3
- Dubrovnik - Hike up Mt Srd - Free
- Dubrovnik - Church of St. Blaise - Free
- Dubrovnik - Lokrum Island Boat Trip - EUR27
- Dubrovnik - Mt Srd Museum of Croatian War of Independence - EUR4
- Dubrovnik - Discover Game of Thrones Filming Locations Urban Adventure - EUR69
- Dubrovnik - Mt Srd Cable Car - EUR27
- Dubrovnik - War Photography Museum - EUR10
- Dubrovnik - Rector's Palace - EUR13
- Dubrovnik - Franciscan Monastery - EUR4
- Korcula - Traditional Moreska Dance Performance - EUR18
- Korcula – City Museum - EUR6
- Korcula - Wine tasting at local winery - EUR20
- Korcula – Hop on hop off boat - EUR20
- Hvar Island - Full Day Boat Cruise to Blue Cave, Green Cave and Vis Island - EUR70
- Hvar Island - Spanjola Fortress - EUR7
- Hvar Island - Pakleni Islands Half Day Trip - EUR35
- Hvar Island - St Stephen’s Cathedral - EUR2
- Split - Diocletian's Palace Cellars - EUR7
- Split - Fish Market - Free
- Split – Highlights of Split Urban Adventure - EUR64
- Split - Marjan Hill Hike - Free
- Split - St Domnius Cathedral and Tower - EUR10
- Split - Ethnographic Museum - EUR3
- Split - City Museum - EUR4
- Split - Gallery of Fine Arts - EUR5
- Split - Ivan Mestrovic Gallery - EUR12
- Split - Archaeological Museum - EUR8
- Zadar – Museum of ancient glass - EUR6
- Zadar – Gold and Silver of the city of Zadar Museum - EUR6
- Zadar - Archaeological Museum - EUR5
- Zadar - Cathedral Bell Tower - EUR2
- Zadar - Church of Saint Donat - EUR4
- Zadar - St Anastasia's Cathedral - Free
- Zadar - Roman Forum - Free
- Zagreb - Museum of Broken Relationships - EUR7
- Zagreb - Mirogoj Cemetery - Free
- Zagreb - Cathedral - Free
- Zagreb - The Croatian Museum of Naive Art - EUR5
- Zagreb - City Museum - EUR4
- Zagreb - Lotrščak Tower - EUR3
- Zagreb - Funicular - EUR1
- Bled - Mountain Bike Hire - EUR25
- Bled - Pletna Boat Trip - EUR14
- Triglav National Park - Canyoning - EUR65
- Bled - Castle - EUR15
- Triglav National Park - River Rafting - EUR55
- Triglav National Park - Bus and Cable Car Trip to Mt Vogel - EUR32
- Triglav National Park - Emerald River Adventure (full day) - EUR110
- Triglav National Park - Vintgar Gorge - EUR10
Dates and availability
Important notes
1. A single supplement is bookable on this trip, excluding Day 12&13, Day 21&22. Availability is limited due to small properties we use. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2.Please note that this trip is a combination of 3 separate stand-alone trips. Your leader and the composition of your group is likely to change on day 15 in Dubrovnik and on day 22 in Split. Please read the daily itinerary for more information.
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