19 Days | Behind the scenes and beyond the crowds in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Romania
Discover the beauty and history of the Balkans on this 19-day tour that travels from Dubrovnik in Croatia through Bosnia and Herzegovina and onto the lively nightlife of Belgrade in Serbia, through the heart of Transylvania and on to Bucharest. Along the way you’ll sample excellent wines, learn about the war years, stop by the famed Old Bridge of Mostar, discover Tara National Park’s spectacular scenery, and traverse medieval fortresses and fairytale castles. This tour combines battle zones, mountain scenery, bunkers and bars and melds the past with the present, the historic with the euphoric, to create an adventure that ticks all of the boxes.
Trip overview
- Start
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Finish
- Bucharest, Romania
- Theme
- Explorer
- Destinations
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Romania, Serbia
- 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
- Premium
- Ages
- Min 15
- Group size
- Min 1 - Max 12
- Trip code
- ZMPBC
Our best 4-star accommodation and the highest level of service
All must-see locations plus authentic experiences exclusive to Premium
Trips led by our most experienced and highest-rated local leaders
- Take a scenic steam train ride through Tara National Park’s forests and mountains on a historic railway that forms part of the famous Ciro trail connecting Belgrade and the Adriatic Sea, a Premium Exclusive Experience.
- Explore Balkan history, discovering Saxon villages with fairytale scenery, mideivel Old Towns with pretty market squares, and Orthodox monasteries where you'll taste the famous Tvrdos wine made by its monks.
- Stay in 2 Premium Feature Stays to connect with local culture: an Ethno Village created by a famed Serbian film maker, and a bucolic Romanian mansion in the countryside.
- Dive deep into one of the oldest salt mines in Europe, in use for about 2,000 years. Spanning more than 43 kilometers Turda Salt Mine contains a huge array of attractions - from an amusement park to a contemporary art museum to an underground lake.
- Tour one of the best-kept secrets in former Yugoslavia, Tito's nuclear bunker, which was built to protect Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito and his top military advisors.
- This trip is new to our range this year. And while we have thoroughly researched every detail of the logistics, new destinations and working with new partners can sometimes throw us some unexpected surprises. More often than not, it’ll be a great surprise. But every now and again there might be a hiccup. We like to think that’s what puts the ‘adventure’ in ‘adventure travel’.
- This trip spends limited time in Dubrovnik at the start of the trip. You may want to consider arriving a few days earlier to make sure you are not missing out on everything that Dubrovnik has to offer.
- Summer temperatures can be extreme in many of the regions visited (over 40°C). 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.
- Many of the wonderful cities and sites of this trip are explored on foot. Please ensure you bring sturdy walking shoes and comfortable clothes, plus suitable luggage for navigating cobblestone streets.
- There are some long drives on this trip so bring along headphones and your favourites tunes or use this time to go through your photographs. Or you can simply sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery.
Itinerary
View the itinerary for departures between 01 January 2024 - 31 December 2024
Inclusions
17 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 7 dinners
Private vehicle, train
Comfortable Hotel (16 nights), Feature Stay (2 nights)
- Arrival airport transfer
- Tipping for accommodation, activities and transport
- Luggage transfer
- Daily breakfast and signature local meal experiences
- 24/7 on-ground support
- Dubrovnik - Cavtat Tour
- Mostar - Guided Tour with Coffee Experience
- Stolac - Town Visit
- Trebinje - Tvrdos Monastery Wine Tasting
- Trebinje - Walking Tour
- Konjic - Armijska Ratna Komanda ARK D-0 (Tito’s Bunker) tour
- Sarajevo - Walking Tour
- Sarajevo - Cooking Demo and Home-made Dinner
- Višegrad - Town Visit
- Tara National Park - Hike
- Tara National Park - Steam Train
- Belgrade - Walking Tour
- Timisoara - City Tour
- Sibiu - Evening Walking Tour
- Sarmizegetusa Regia - Guided Tour
- Sibiu - ASTRA Village Museum
- Alba Lulia - Citadel Tour
- Turda - Salt Mines Tour
- Malancrav - Village Stop
- Medias - Town Stop
- Biertan - Town Stop
- Sighisoara - Walking Tour
- Rupea - Fortress Stop
- Bran Castle - Tour
- Brasov - Walking Tour
- Peles - Castle Visit
- Brasov - Chimney Cake Tasting
- Azuga - Winery Tour and Tasting with Lunch
- Dubrovnik - Discover Game of Thrones Filming Locations Urban Adventure - EUR69
- Dubrovnik - Hike up Mt Srd - Free
- Dubrovnik - Dubrovnik Card (1 day local transport & entry to sites) - EUR35
- Dubrovnik - Mt Srd Museum of Croatian War of Independence - EUR4
- Dubrovnik - Lokrum Island Boat Trip - EUR27
- Dubrovnik - War Photography Museum - EUR10
- Dubrovnik - Rector's Palace - EUR13
- Dubrovnik - Mt Srd Cable Car - EUR27
- Mostar - Old Bridge Museum - EUR5
- Sarajevo - National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina - BAM8
- Sarajevo - Sarajevo Museum - BAM10
- Sarajevo - War Tunnel - BAM10
- Sarajevo - Trebević Mountain Cable Car - BAM20
- Belgrade - House of Flowers - RSD400
- Belgrade - Saint Sava Temple - Free
- Belgrade - Nikola Tesla Museum - RSD800
- Belgrade - Military Museum - RSD350
- Belgrade - Ethnographic Museum - RSD300
- Belgrade - Danube River Cruise - RSD800
- Belgrade - National Museum - RSD300
- Belgrade - Belgrade Fortress - Free
- Belgrade - Museum of Yugoslav History - RSD400
- Sibiu - Brukenthal Palace National Museum - RON39
- Sibiu Museum of Contemporary Art - RON12
- Sibiu - Holy Trinity Cathedral - Free
- Bucharest - Village Museum - RON30
- Bucharest - Bike Tour - EUR25
- Bucharest - Former Ceausescu Residence - RON65
- Bucharest - Romanian Athenaeum - RON10
- Bucharest - Palace of Parliament Tour - RON60
- Bucharest - Urban Adventures Bohemian Bucharest Markets and Mahallas Tour - EUR75
Dates and availability
Important notes
1. A complimentary airport arrival transfer is included; valid if you are arriving on Day 1 or if you have booked pre-tour accommodation through us. You must provide your flight details to your booking agent at least 14 days prior to travel.
2. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
3. This itinerary no longer visits Hunedoara Castle as it is undergoing renovation and there is a lack of local guides meaning we cannot guarantee the quality of the experience. You will instead visit the UNESCO site of Sarmizegetusa Regia with a local guide, as well as visiting Peles Castle and Bran Castle.
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