Travel gives you wings...

FOR GROUPS: NORTHERN AND IN 8 DAYS

Overall level of the tour: medium 3/5

INTRODUCTION The tour covers the northern part of Croatia and Slovenia with an incredible variety of landscapes. Off the beaten path and daily surprises are guaranteed for 8 days / 7 nights.

The program starts with the Croatian capital Zagreb, the cradle of the Croatian modern state with a very romantic old town.

The tour then takes you to Slovenia with the capital Ljubljana and the Slovenian . You will admire the Škocjan Caves, an exceptional natural phenomenon and a UNESCO World Heritage Site with fantastic stalactite cathedrals and the deepest underground canyon in Europe.

You will then enjoy the Mediterranean atmosphere of the Kvarner bay, home to the largest Croatian islands. You will stay in a picturesque fishing village Lovran, set on the famous Lungomare seaside promenade.

You will be impressed by the with the impressive with wild forests, and the Trakošćan nature park.

The number of participants is between 4 and 15. The minimum number of bookings required is 4. For up to 7 travellers, the tour will be done by van (8 + 1 seats) with a driver - guide. From 8 travellers, the tour will be done by local carriers, with a driver and guide.

During this trip you will discover two countries, two capitals, three climate zones - continental, Mediterranean and Alpine (the Dinaric chains and the Slovenian Alps) with two national parks and two nature parks, a journey where every day unveils a new surprise!

Sveta Ana d.o.o. Pojice 26, 20215 Gruda (Dubrovnik), Croatia - OIB : 23937903437 Tel : 00 385 (0) 99 33 33 002 Web : www.sveta-ana-travel.com – email : [email protected] 1 | 11

Travel gives you wings...

YOUR ITINERARY

Sveta Ana d.o.o. Pojice 26, 20215 Gruda (Dubrovnik), Croatia - OIB : 23937903437 Tel : 00 385 (0) 99 33 33 002 Web : www.sveta-ana-travel.com – email : [email protected] 2 | 11

Travel gives you wings...

PROGRAM

Day 1: Arrival at Zagreb airport – overnight in Samobor Arrival at Zagreb airport. Meeting with your English-speaking tour guide. Transfer to Samobor near Zagreb. Travel time: 30min – 39km Check in at hotel Lavica. The hotel is listed as a historical monument, set on the banks of the Samobor river and bordered by a beautiful promenade, a few steps from the town’s baroque square. The promenade follows the river and climbs to the Starigrad fortress, an old castle offering scenic views on the town, the green valley and the Zagreb plateau. Samobor is a privileged spot for day breaks of Zagreb’s inhabitants due to its typical setting and renowned restaurants offering specialties such as salami and the Kremšnita cake. Time at leisure for a stroll and dinner. The hotel’s restaurant is renowned for local specialties but there is also the famous Samobor brewery and other restaurants on the main square.

Sveta Ana d.o.o. Pojice 26, 20215 Gruda (Dubrovnik), Croatia - OIB : 23937903437 Tel : 00 385 (0) 99 33 33 002 Web : www.sveta-ana-travel.com – email : [email protected] 3 | 11

Travel gives you wings...

Day 2: The region of Zagreb with the Trakošćan castle and Ljubljana – overnight in Kranj Breakfast. The guide prepares packed lunch. Transfer to the Trakošćan castle. Travel time: 1h – 80km Visit the castle with your tour guide (without a local guide, the entrance is included). Trakošćan Castle was built in the 13thcentury, set on the shore of a pretty lake. The purpose of the castle was to defend the northern border against the Ottomans. The current appearance dates to the 16th when it belonged to the noble Drašković family. Its medieval interiors with a weapons collection portray the lifestyle of the lords of Zagreb.

Stroll on the cultivated path around the artificial lake of the castle. The lake was as a fishing pond in the era of the Drašković lords, landscaped in the romantic style and set in a beautiful pine forest with many imported plant species. The forest is listed as a protected park. Distance: 5 km - Walking time: 2h Level: easy Picnic lunch on the shore of the lake.

Sveta Ana d.o.o. Pojice 26, 20215 Gruda (Dubrovnik), Croatia - OIB : 23937903437 Tel : 00 385 (0) 99 33 33 002 Web : www.sveta-ana-travel.com – email : [email protected] 4 | 11

Travel gives you wings...

Transfer to Ljubljana along the Slovenian Alps. Travel time: 2h – 151km Time at leisure for a personal discovery of the city. Ljubljana during history was an important commercial crossroads and during Napoleon it became the capital of Slovenia. The emperor declared Ljubljana the seat of the Illyrian provinces of Croatia and Slovenia. During the Napoleon period the city was embellished, and the town hall was built. When took over the rule of Slovenia, the baroque became the main building style, the Saint Nicholas Cathedral being the most beautiful example.

Transfer to Kranj. Travel time: 30min – 30km Check into hotel Creina. Creina is 4* hotel located near the town of Kranj, surrounded by greenery. Creina was designed by a famous Slovenian architect in 1970., and is listed as a historic and cultural monument. Dinner in hotel restaurant.

Day 3: Triglav national park and the lake of Bled – overnight in Kranj Breakfast. Packed lunch pick up. Transfer to the village of Mojstrana. Travel time: 40min – 45km Hiking in Triglav national park, on the famous "Triglavska Bistrica" hiking trail. The path is linear and follows the Bistrica river with milky waters, winding between the mountain slopes. The trail takes you through magnificent landscapes with interesting morphological phenomena like galleries formed for thousands of years in layers of the conglomerate. The views of the surrounding peaks and mountain Triglav from the mountain hut are astonishing.

Sveta Ana d.o.o. Pojice 26, 20215 Gruda (Dubrovnik), Croatia - OIB : 23937903437 Tel : 00 385 (0) 99 33 33 002 Web : www.sveta-ana-travel.com – email : [email protected] 5 | 11

Travel gives you wings...

Triglav national park is the only national park in Slovenia. The name stands for “Three headed mountain”. Triglav peaks at 2864m, it is the symbol of Slovenia and appears on the national flag.

Distance: 18km - Effective walking time: 4h15 - Hiking time with breaks: 5h15 – Level: medium 3/5 - elevation: 680m

Picnic lunch in the nature. The trail is linear, the return to the starting point will be by same path.

Transfer to Bled. Travel time: 20min – 27km We recommend the walk around lake Bled. Bled is one of the most beautiful towns in Slovenia. The town is set on the edge of a lake surrounded by the . In the middle of the lake there is an island with a monastery. On the shore, overlooking the lake, you will see the Bled Castle, offering splendid views on Bled and the Julian Alps.

Return to the hotel. Dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Sveta Ana d.o.o. Pojice 26, 20215 Gruda (Dubrovnik), Croatia - OIB : 23937903437 Tel : 00 385 (0) 99 33 33 002 Web : www.sveta-ana-travel.com – email : [email protected] 6 | 11

Travel gives you wings...

Day 4: The Begunje Shepherd's trail – overnight in Kranj Breakfast. Packed lunch pick up. Transfer to the town of Begunje. Travel time: 30min – 25km The path starts in the magnificent Draga valley and climbs to the pastures of the Preval mountain. You will cross the spring of the Roža river, the panoramic slopes of the Triglav massif and the Bled valley to the Roblek refuge. The circular path then takes you down into the valley by the Poljška Planina and Planinca mountains. You will be walking on the slopes of Veliki Vrh, one of the most beautiful mountains of Slovenia. Distance: 10.2km - Effective walking time: 5h - Walking time with breaks: 6h30 - Elevation: 960m Level: average 3/5

Return to the hotel. Dinner in hotel restaurant.

Day 5: Škocjan caves (UNESCO) and Opatija – overnight in Lovran Breakfast. Packed lunch pick up. Transfer to Škocjan. Travel time: 1h – 73km You will first discover chambers with magnificent stalactites and stalagmites, then the largest underground canyon in Europe, 130m deep. You will return to the surface by the outer canyon and following the educational path you will reach the starting point in the town of Škocjan. Distance: 5km - Minimum effective walking time: 2h30 - Hiking time with breaks: 3h30 - Level: easy 2/5 - Elevation gain: 184m

Sveta Ana d.o.o. Pojice 26, 20215 Gruda (Dubrovnik), Croatia - OIB : 23937903437 Tel : 00 385 (0) 99 33 33 002 Web : www.sveta-ana-travel.com – email : [email protected] 7 | 11

Travel gives you wings...

The Škocjan Caves are the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Slovenia, although compared to other tourist attractions, uncrowded. The caves are an exceptional natural phenomenon where a river disappears in the soil of the plateaus and forms intermittent lakes which dry up in summer (RAMSAR classified wetland). The river then goes even deeper and forms a maze of underground caves. The karstic soil creates stalactites and stalagmites shaping a real underground organic cathedral. In the Škocjan caves we have the largest underground canyon in Europe. Before disappearing in the ground, the river forms a canyon with a nice walking path.

Picnic lunch in the Škocjan park. Transfer to Opatija in Croatia. Travel time: 1h – 65km Time at leisure for a personal discovery of Opatija. We recommend a stroll on the Lungomare, a seaside promenade passing by the villa Angiolina, the Imperial hotel, one of the first hotels in Croatia built for Francis Joseph I of Austria and the old abbey. You will also enjoy a nice view on the two largest islands of Croatia, Krk and Cres.

Opatija was the one of the first towns to develop tourism in Croatia and on the Adriatic Sea. Austrian secession architecture is the predominant building style, a reminder of the mid-19th century when the main visitors were the Central European upper class and political elite. Opatija still today remains a synonym for a stylish travel destination.

Transfer to Lovran. Travel time: 10min – 6km Check into hotel Lovran. Lovran is a small sized 3* boutique hotel, located in the centre of the medieval town of Lovran, in the heart of a beautiful park by the sea. The hotel is made of two villas from the early 20th century, built in traditional style of the region. Dinner in hotel restaurant.

Sveta Ana d.o.o. Pojice 26, 20215 Gruda (Dubrovnik), Croatia - OIB : 23937903437 Tel : 00 385 (0) 99 33 33 002 Web : www.sveta-ana-travel.com – email : [email protected] 8 | 11

Travel gives you wings...

Day 6: Istria with mount Učka nature park – overnight in Lovran Breakfast. Your guide prepares packed lunch. Transfer to 995m high Poklon mountain pass. Travel time: 40min – 24km Climb to the Vojak peak (1395m) offering splendid views on the Kvarner Gulf, Istria and Slovenia. Continue to the village of Mala Učka known for the cheese makers, then return to Poklon mountain pass following the southern slope of the Učka massif, through a pretty chestnut forests. Distance: 12 km - Elevation: 475m - Level: medium 3/5 - Effective walking time: 4h - Hiking time with breaks: 5h

Picnic lunch during the hike.

Return to Lovran. Dinner in hotel restaurant.

Day 7: Risnjak national park and the Croatian capital Zagreb – overnight in Zagreb Breakfast. Your guide prepares packed lunch.

Transfer to the town of Crni Lug at the entrance of the national park. Travel time: 1h30 – 70km The hike starts at 695m and follows the path "Horvatova staza" through wild forests and rocky mountains to the summit Veliki Risnjak peaking at 1528m. From the peak you will enjoy a splendid scenic view on Velebit massif, the Kvarner bay, the Slovene mountains and the mountains, separating the Mediterranean from the Pannonian plains. A refuge is located near the mountain’s peak. Return by the trail passing by Medvjeđa vrata.

Sveta Ana d.o.o. Pojice 26, 20215 Gruda (Dubrovnik), Croatia - OIB : 23937903437 Tel : 00 385 (0) 99 33 33 002 Web : www.sveta-ana-travel.com – email : [email protected] 9 | 11

Travel gives you wings...

Length: 16 km – Effective walking time: 5h30 – Hiking time with breaks: 6h30 Elevation: 835m – Level: medium 3-4/5

Transfer to Zagreb. Travel time: 1h40 – 134km Check into hotel Central 3*. The hotel is of modern design located near the Zrinjevac park; a pleasant 10-15 min walk from the city-centre.

Time at leisure for a personal discovery and dinner. Discover the two hills that mark the history of the Croatian capital and the green market. The Bishop's Hill Kaptol and the Lord’s Hill Gradec or Grič, where the Croatian government and Parliament are still located today.

Day 8: Departure from Zagreb airport Breakfast. Transfer to Zagreb airport. Travel time: 30min – 17km Departure flight.

Sveta Ana d.o.o. Pojice 26, 20215 Gruda (Dubrovnik), Croatia - OIB : 23937903437 Tel : 00 385 (0) 99 33 33 002 Web : www.sveta-ana-travel.com – email : [email protected] 10 | 11

Travel gives you wings...

TOUR PRICE

The price includes: - Accommodation for 7 nights in guesthouses and small 3* hotels with breakfast. Namely: 1 night in hotel Lavica in Samobor, 3 nights (with dinners) in hotel Creina 4* in Kranj in Slovenia, 2 nights (with dinner) in hotel Lovran 3* in Lovran and 2 nights in hotel Central 3* in Zagreb - Transport by van (up to 7 travellers) or minibus with associated costs (tolls, parking fees, driver) - English speaking tour leader with associated costs - Entrances to monuments and natural sites mentioned included in the program - 6 packed lunches - Assistance, insurance and organization costs of Sveta Ana travel agency

Note: at this stage Sveta Ana does not guarantee the accommodation in hotels mentioned in the program, options are not taken in advance. The accommodation will be confirmed after partner’s request for specific dates. If at the time of confirmation, the accommodation listed in the program is no longer available, Sveta Ana travel agency will undertake necessary steps to find similar accommodation, nearby the hotels listed in the initial offer. Travellers may be accommodated in different but neighbouring hotels.

Sveta Ana d.o.o. Pojice 26, 20215 Gruda (Dubrovnik), Croatia - OIB : 23937903437 Tel : 00 385 (0) 99 33 33 002 Web : www.sveta-ana-travel.com – email : [email protected] 11 | 11