Best of the Balkans Your itinerary Start Location Visited Location Plane End Location Cruise Train Over night Ferry Day 1 Hotel - Adria Arrive Zagreb (2 Nights) Included Meals - Breakfast Tap into your inner socialite and join the locals in indulging in the coffee culture and vibrant energy of the city when you visit Zagreb. Kickstart your adventure through the Day 6 Balkans on the romantic promenades of Strossmartre or people­watch with a Dubrovnik – free day or optional experience to crisp pivo brew in hand. Over the next day you'll uncover the city's unique appeal, Montenegro but first meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers for an included dinner this evening and a glimpse into what lies ahead. Straight out of a storybook, Dubrovnik's enchanting stone façades reveal a rich trading history from the 7th century. You'll have a full free day to explore the city on Hotel - International your own today. But if you're feeling adventurous, you may wish to switch the 'Pearl of the Adriatic' for the Mediterranean mountain nation of Montenegro, on an Optional Included Meals - Dinner Experience. A Local Specialist will take you on a panoramic boat trip across the Bay of Kotor to the UNESCO­listed town of the same name, tucked deep within Day 2 magical fjord­like surrounds. Fortified walls encircle the city and a rambling maze of Zagreb sightseeing and free time steep cobbled lanes reach high up into the hills, with medieval churches and Rub shoulders with the stylish Zagrebians when you join your Local Specialist for a Venetian palaces just waiting to be discovered. Return to Dubrovnik later for dinner guided sightseeing tour of this medieval European city. View the Upper and Lower at your hotel. Town, St. Mark's Church, Cathedral on Kaptol, the Croatian National Theatre and Dolac Market, the ‘stomach' of Zagreb. You'll have the rest of the day to explore the Included Meals - Breakfast, Dinner city your way, perhaps choosing to soak up the local špica coffee culture around the Day 7 bustling Ban Jelačič Square. Consider joining a Local Specialist for an optional visit Dubrovnik – Split (2 Nights) to Kumrovec, the birthplace of the late president of Yugoslavia, Marshall Tito before enjoying a meal of delicious regional specialities against the backdrop of the Sit back, relax and watch the stunning Adriatic coastline go by as you pass old beautiful Croatian countryside. fishing villages and modern resorts bound for Split, where modern façades reveal glimpses of an ancient Roman past. A Local Specialist takes you behind the city Included Meals - Breakfast walls to this harbour town's heart, the 4th­century Roman Emperor Diocletian Palace, followed by a leisurely walking tour through the historic Old Town. See how Day 3 Gothic, Roman and Renaissance structures merge seamlessly across the Zagreb – Sarajevo sightseeing (1 Night) cityscape. Admire Jupiter's Temple, the Peristyle and the 7th­century Cathedral of Small villages and broad plains line your route south into Bosnia­Herzegovina. Arrive Saint Domnius as you explore its maze of narrow alleys. You'll have an evening to later today in its capital Sarajevo, where a rich religious and multi­cultural heritage discover the Dalmatian capital on your terms or join an Optional Experience in a has earned it the nickname, the 'Jerusalem of Europe'. Centuries of religious history traditional stone basement konoba for a Dalmatian dinner and live music. are reflected in its beautiful synagogues, mosques, and Orthodox and Catholic churches as you'll discover when you join a Local Specialist for a guided walking Hotel - Mondo tour. You'll also visit the Old Town, view the largest mosque in the Balkans, and see Breakfast the Eternal Flame and the Sarajevo Roses that are dotted across the city, standing Included Meals - as a stark reminder of the turmoil Sarajevo endured decades ago. Warm Bosnian Day 8 hospitality is on the menu tonight if you choose one of our two Optional Split free day Experiences. Join a local family in their home for tasty traditional cuisine or enjoy a lively encounter in a favourite local restaurant with dinner and entertainment. Today is all yours to dive into the history and culture of Split, a city that was built for the retirement of a Roman Emperor. Much of Diocletian's home town survives as Hotel - Ibis Styles you'll come to discover when you venture out to get lost in the narrow lanes of its Old Town. If you’re after more sightseeing on your Balkans value tour, you could Included Meals - Breakfast choose to spend your free day joining an Optional Experience to one of the glittering Dalmatian islands. Or perhaps indulge in some of the local vintages which have Day 4 justifiably earned the islands their reputation as a celebrated wine centre for Sarajevo – Mostar (1 Night) centuries. Today you’ll head to Mostar, joining a Local Specialist for an exploration of this historic multicultural city that witnessed an impressive resurrection after the Bosnian Included Meals - Breakfast War. Part of its restoration can be seen in the traditional reconstruction of its Day 9 medieval 'Stari Most', an Ottoman­style bridge. You'll delve into a tragic time not long Split – Plitvice – Zagreb (1 Night) ago when Catholic Croats, Muslim Bosniaks and Orthodox Serbs fought for supremacy amidst the colourful cobbled streets overlooking the Neretva River. You’ll Leave the salty sea air behind and venture north on a scenic drive to the UNESCO­ have time to explore the city on your own or perhaps join a Local Specialist for a listed National Park of Plitvice, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Prepare for visit to Blagaj, famous for its natural spring and one of the most mystical cultural an encounter with a whimsical landscape, filled with cascading waterfalls in all and historical villages in the country. shades of blue, green and grey. As you explore your magical surrounds of lakes and forests, your Local Specialist reveals the legend of the Black Queen, who is credited Hotel - Mostar with creating the kaleidoscopic lakes to stave off a drought. After a day of reconnecting with nature, you'll return to Zagreb where tonight a farewell dinner in Included Meals - Breakfast, Dinner your hotel closes the curtain on an exhilarating encounter with the Balkans. Day 5 International Mostar – Dubrovnik sightseeing and free time (2 Hotel - Nights) Included Meals - Breakfast, Dinner You’ll get to see 'paradise on earth' ­ if George Bernard Shaw is to be believed ­ Day 10 when you visit Dubrovnik on your Best of the Balkans tour. The famous playwright Depart Zagreb was a big fan of this medieval fortified city on Croatia's Dalmatian coast. You'll discover why when you join a Local Specialist for a guided sightseeing tour of the You've explored medieval monuments, witnessed the revival of war­torn cities and iconic highlights. Admire the Rector's Palace, Onofrio's Fountain and the city walls, relaxed on the sun­kissed shores of the Adriatic. The allure of the Balkans will linger which were never breached by the invading Turks. Stroll through elegant courtyards long after you've said goodbye to your travel companions. Find out more about your and along limestone streets, admiring the remnants of Dubrovnik's Golden Age. free airport transfer at costsavertour.com/freetransfers. Tonight, there's no better way to enjoy this shimmering coastline than embarking on Included Meals - Breakfast an optional sunset dinner cruise to a secluded bay, with the illuminated city of Dubrovnik providing the perfect end to the evening. HERE'S A SAMPLE OF YOUR CHOICE OPTIONAL EXPERIENCES AVAILABLE ON DAY 5 Sunset Cruise And Dinner Our sunset cruise takes us along the spectacular Dalmatian coast to one AVAILABLE ON DAY 2 of the secluded bays where we'll enjoy a delicious local dinner with drinks. To complete the evening, we'll cruise outside the old city walls and Kumrovec with Food and Drinks explore the beautiful illuminated city of Dubrovnik, before returning by A scenic drive out of Zagreb with our Local Specialist brings us to the coach to our hotel. This optional is weather dependent and may not be Croatian village of Kumrovec, birthplace of the late President of available on all departures and on occasion the cruise may sail in the bay Yugoslavia, Marshall Tito. You’ll see his house, now a museum, and have only. time to explore the museum village. Later, share a meal of delicious regional specialities in a picturesque restaurant with magnificent views of Adult Price: €62.00* the Croatian countryside. Adult Price: €62.00* AVAILABLE ON DAY 6 Montenegro Adventure AVAILABLE ON DAY 3 We drive south along the Adriatic coast into the country of Montenegro. At the border we meet our Local Specialist, and embark on a panoramic Sarajevo Home Hosted Evening boat trip to Our Lady of the Rocks island, constructed by local sailors Enjoy a true insight into local culture as you’re invited into a Sarajevo over six centuries in veneration of a holy relic discovery. Afterwards we local's home, to savour warm hospitality and tasty traditional cuisine. sail across the Bay of Kotor, past spectacular fjord­like scenery, There’ll be no more than several guests with each family, ensuring a cosy approaching the fortified town of Kotor, surrounded with steep mountains and memorable evening. and protected by UNESCO. After a guided walking tour, we will have free Adult Price: €56.00* time to enjoy delicious local cuisine and buy Montenegrin souvenirs before returning to Dubrovnik. Please see the Visa Information section of this document. Adult Price: €63.00* AVAILABLE ON DAY 3 Traditional Bosnian Dinner with Entertainment Enjoy a typical Bosnian evening in an authentic restaurant, famous for its local cuisine, accompanied with lively entertainment, to ensure an AVAILABLE ON DAY 7 unforgettable final evening in Sarajevo.