Balkan Cultural Odyssey Bucharest to Athens - 13 Days

Welcome to Bucharest. On arrival, you’ll be transferred to your hotel, with free time to settle in, and we’ll provide details about the start of your tour. At 15:00 – after lunch – we’ll set off on a panoramic city tour, taking in the historic quarter and the Palace of the Parliament. After the tour, you’ll have free time to explore at your own pace. Dinner is included. Please note: This tour may have travellers joining or departing at various points along the route, meaning group composition can change during the tour. Please also be aware that depending on group composition, guiding may be in additional languages as well as English.

We leave Bucharest for Transylvania, crossing the Carpathian Mountains through lush forest scenery. In Sinaia, we’ll enjoy a relaxed walk through the gardens of Peles and Pelisor Castles. We then continue to the 14th century Bran Fortress – tickets are included – widely known as Dracula’s Castle. You’ll have time for lunch before we carry on to Sighisoara, a beautifully preserved walled medieval city and UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the evening, we’ll sit down to a special dinner at Count Dracula’s restaurant, located in the house where Vlad the Impaler was born.

We journey through Transylvania to Biertan to visit its fortified church – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – with tickets included. We then continue to Sibiu, an important cultural and economic centre that once served as the capital of Transylvania, where you have time to stroll the narrow streets and lively squares and to have lunch. In the afternoon we visit the impressive Hunedoara Castle – tickets included – considered the most beautiful castle in Romania, before continuing to Timisoara, where you can explore the city’s elegant central squares.

We depart Timisoara for Serbia, crossing the border and driving around three hours to Belgrade – a lively capital at the confluence of the Danube and the Sava. On arrival, we take a panoramic tour, exploring the city centre, viewing the parliament and strolling through Kalemegdan Fortress. We also visit the Museum of Yugoslavia, home to Tito’s Mausoleum. The afternoon is free for you to continue discovering the city at your own pace.

We depart Belgrade for Vojvodina, pausing in Sremska Mitrovica – a riverside city with a charming historic centre on the Sava that was once among the most important in the Roman Empire and capital of the province of Pannonia. Admission to the Imperial Palace of Sirmium is included, offering insight into this period. We then continue towards Bosnia, stopping en route for lunch. Our route crosses Republika Srpska – the Serb Republic within Bosnia – through beautiful landscapes to Sarajevo. We arrive in the late afternoon, with time to explore the historic centre, where you can wander the bazaar, the old Ottoman market known for its architecture, distinctive atmosphere and traditional shops. Dinner included.

In the morning, we include a guided tour of Sarajevo, a city known for the coexistence of different faiths – its mosques, churches and synagogues stand close together. In the Ottoman‑influenced old town we see a mosque dating back more than 500 years and the beautiful fountain. After the visit, we travel through beautiful landscapes to Mostar in Herzegovina to explore its historic centre and admire the iconic stone bridge that links the Orthodox, Muslim and Catholic communities. You will have free time for lunch and to wander at your own pace. We then continue into Croatia – border formalities can be lengthy – arriving in Dubrovnik at the end of the day. Dinner is included.

In the morning we take a panoramic tour of Dubrovnik with a local guide, discovering a city set on a clifftop, encircled by walls and lapped by the Adriatic. We’ll pause at a scenic viewpoint along the road for outstanding views. Admission is included to the Franciscan Monastery – home to the oldest pharmacy in Europe – and the Assumption Cathedral. We then take a short 15–minute boat ride to Lokrum, a small island with the ruins of an 11th–century Benedictine monastery – a popular Game of Thrones setting. Afterwards you’ll have free time to explore before we return to the hotel in the late afternoon. Dinner is included. From November to March there is no boat service to Lokrum – we will not visit the island during these months. On some departures accommodation may be in Cavtat, a coastal town near Dubrovnik.

We set off early for Montenegro – after border formalities we follow the coastal road along the Bay of Kotor, taking the ferry across the bay to reach Kotor. You’ll have free time to explore this beautiful walled town with its strong Venetian influence. We then continue to Budva, a charming walled village surrounded by the sea, for lunch. In the afternoon we travel on to Albania – after customs procedures we continue to Tirana, the capital, where dinner is included.

Morning in Tirana – we take a panoramic tour of Albania’s capital, visiting its mosques, the Clock Tower and the ministries. Around midday we head inland through mountain landscapes and small villages towards Lake Ohrid, which marks the border with North Macedonia. We continue into North Macedonia – border procedures – and stop for lunch in Struga on the lakeshore. We then proceed to Ohrid, a city with strong Ottoman influence and a World Heritage Site. You’ll have time to explore Plaosnik Monastery or the ancient university founded in the ninth century. Dinner included.

We travel through Macedonia into Greece, stopping in Bitola – a city noted for its Ottoman and neoclassical architecture – where you can stroll along Širok Sokak with its cafés, restaurants and shops. After border formalities we continue into northern Greece, a region shaped by Slavic and Ottoman influences and marked by rugged scenery, then on to the Meteora area. Just outside Kalabaka we pause in Kastraki – a picturesque village with valley views – where you’ll have time for lunch at leisure before we head into the UNESCO-listed Meteora Valley. We’ll drive through the entire valley and include admission to one of the renowned cliffside monasteries. Arrival in Kalabaka – dinner included.

Leaving Kalambaka, we travel south through Thessaly’s changing landscapes to Delphi. We explore the archaeological site overlooking the Gulf of Corinth – a striking setting with wide–ranging views – and you’ll have time for lunch.

We then continue to the Hosios Loukas Monastery, a World Heritage Site known for its magnificent eleventh–century mosaics. From here we journey on to Athens, arriving in the evening.

We begin with a guided city tour of Athens, taking in the Presidential Mansion, the Panathenaic Stadium – site of the first modern Olympic Games – the National Library and the lively central squares. We also drive through the newer neighbourhoods developed after the 2004 Olympic Games. The tour ends at the Acropolis – admission is not included – where you can choose to visit at your own pace. In the evening, we provide a transfer to the historical neighbourhood of Plaka, known for its inviting Greek tavernas and opportunities to experience the country’s folklore.

After breakfast, we bring our journey to a close in Athens. You’re free to make your own onward arrangements – we hope you leave with wonderful memories of your trip.