A region in Europe very different to the rest of the continent, Balkans in the local language means a combination of honey and blood. The struggles of the past have shaped the present, and the smiling faces here have a story to tell. We will experience this region through a combination of nature and more importantly its culture.
| Departures | April - June (Spring) |
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| Days | 16 Nights / 17 Days |
| From | Bucharest to Athens |
| Tour Cost |
Will be updated soon |
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| Excludes |
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| Direct Joining Cost |
Will be updated soon |
| Night Stay |
Romania (3n) Bucharest (1n) | Brasov (2n) Serbia (2n) Kladovo (1n) | Zlatibor (1n) Bosnia & Herzegovina (3n) Sarajevo (2n) | Mostar (1n) Montenegro (2n) Kotor (2n) Albania (2n) Tirana (1n) | Berat (1n) Greece (4n) Ioannina (2n) | Athens (2n)
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| Booking Procedure |
Step 1 - Advance of INR 50000 + EUR 500 + 5% GST + 5% TCS together with a copy of your passport and Pan Card, at the time of booking. |
| Cancellation Policies |
Under any other circumstances other than government or flight restrictions, the following charges will be considered as a cancellation fee. |
We will arrive in Bucharest, the charming capital of Romania and our first city on the tour. We will head for our check-in in the Hotel and later in the evening enjoy a short city tour of the city. On the tour we will stop at the beautiful Palace of Parliament, later visit the Village Open air Museum and we will end our day with a stop at Pravalia Lui Manuc, where you can taste and shop the local Romanian products. Overnight in Bucharest.
After breakfast drive from Bucharest to Brasov. Enroute however we will pass the picturesque town of Sinaia on the foot of Bucegi Mountains. The towns highlight is the Peles castle, a masterpiece of new-Renaissance architecture, built in 1800s the castle served as the summer residence of Romania’s royal family until 1947. Later, visit The Bran Castle, situated near Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Brașov, which is a national monument and landmark in Romania. We will continue on to Brasov further and dinner and overnight in Brasov, which is the principle city in the Transylvania region of Romania.
After breakfast travel from Brasov to Sibiu. Sibiu has always been the center of Romania’s German minority since medieval times. Even today, it contains Romania’s largest German Community. We will visit the beautiful old town, which is one of Transylvania’s seven-walled town. Overnight in Brasov.
We will have a long day today as we will proceed to enter Serbia. Although the country changes the countryside remains the same as and we drive towards the border. Our night stay would be in a small town of Kladovo, located in Bor district of Eastern Serbia. The city is situated on the right bank of the Danube River.
Check out in the morning and visit the Golubac Fortress from 14th Century, located at the very entrance of Iron Gorge. Today's lunch is at Kapetan Misin Breg Ethno Village, where we will try local Serbian food with breathtaking views of the mighty river Danube. Later, we will continue towards Zlatibor and enjoy its beautiful Nature and Greenery of this Mountain resort town. Overnight in Zlatibor on the Dinaric Mountain range.
After breakfast, we will travel around Zlatibor and visit Mecavnik, etno village of famous film director Emir Kusturica. Visit of the village and ride on Shargan eight train to view the natural beauty of Mokra Gora. Later we will continue towards Bosnia & Herzegovina and take a short stop in Visegrad and continue to Sarajevo, the Capital.
Our day will commence with the city tour of Sarajevo, which includes visit of Bas Carsija -traditional part of the city (Ottoman heritage) Latin bridge and War tunnel. Sarajeva was under nearly two years of siege in the Yugoslav war and remnants of that can still be seen around the city and in Bosnia in general. Evening is free to explore this town which has old charm and is rich in culture. Dinner with folkloric show in local restaurant and overnight in Sarajevo.
After breakfast travel to Konjic, a heritage town and then continue to Blagaj, lovely medieval village with unique architecture. Lunch break near Buna river spring, which originates from a karstic cavern beneath a high vertical cliff. After lunch continues to Kravice waterfalls - one of the most beautiful natural sites in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Late afternoon drive to Mostar. Overnight in Mostar the center of Herzegovina.
Mostar is famous for its old stone bridge over the river Neretva and we will start our day with this landmark sight. Later we will walk around the old town to observe a mix of houses built in Ottoman and Austrian style. Drive to Trebinje, a short tour of this little charming town on Trebisnjica river and continue towards Montenegro. Our first stop in Montenegro will be town of Perast, known as Venice of the country, overlooking the beautiful Boka bay. Overnight in Kotor on the Adriatic Coast.
The old town of Kotor is perfect for walking in the morning before the tour groups come. We will explore its cobbled laneways and atmospheric squares and visit the St Tryphon Cathedral, the most important and the 12th-century church of St Luke. Tour continues to Cetinje - old royal capital of Montenegro. The highlight of the day would be the drive on the scenic Montenegran coast from Kotor to Budva and back passing pretty seaside towns on the way.
After breakfast travel towards Albania. Notice a change in the surroundings as they feel a little more antique when we enter Albania a country which only recently has opened its doors to globalization. Our first stop is the town of Shkoder near the lake of the same name. We will make some visits to the town before driving further to Tirana the capital of Albania. We will enjoy a city tour in the evening before check-in.
As we further drive in Albania we will notice how rustic it feels to the other parts of Balkans we have already been in. The drive to Berat, takes around 2 hours and on arrival we will visit some of the sights in the river side hill town. Berat, is know as the Architectural capital of Albania and has an history of 2,400 years. It is also called as the city of floating windows and we will find out why. In the evening we will walk on the banks of the Osum River as we enjoy the company of the many locals who come to spend an evening here.
The Albanian countryside on this route is full of roads winding through mountains with rivers flowing in the valleys. As we leave Berat and drive towards Greece, we will make a stop at what is known as the city of stone, Gijrokastra. All the streets in this hillside town lead to the Bazaar, where we will have some free time to buy some Albanian sovenirs. This is also the city where the former communist dictator of Albania, Enver Hoxha was born. We will have lunch here and drive towards the border and enter EU. Reach for dinner in Ionnina, Greece, on the Lake Pamvotis.
Ioannina or often just called as Yennena is the administrative capital of North West Greece. We would however now spend much time in the city and head out to the mountains in the morning. The Meteora is a rock formation in Central Greece and hosts one of the steepest built series of orthodox monasteries in the world. The six monasteries are built on immense natural pillars hill-like rounded boulders that dominate an entire surrounding. This UNESCO heritage sight needs a full day of visit. We will head back to Ionnina for overnight.
After breakfast, we will start driving towards Athens. Reach Athens in the evening and check-in the hotel.
We will spend a full day in Athens starting with a visit to the imposing, Acropolis. The Acropolis is located on a rocky outcrop above the city and suits its meaning of Acro meaning, highest and Polis meaning the city. Hillside Plaka has a village-like feel in the shadow of the Acropolis and a walk here is a relaxing experience. We will also visit the nerve of Athens, the Syntagma Square for a photo opposite, before heading back to the hotel.
After an early breakfast, we will head to the airport to board the flight back home.
Balkans literally translates to Bal - Honey and Kan - Blood, is a Turkish word and has its roots in history where a lot of wars were fought in this region. It kind of means there can be no honey without shedding blood.
The Balkan is a peninsula which stretches from Croatia in the west to Romania in the North East. The other countries that are a part of this are Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Albani, Greece and Bulgaria.
It is Europe in political and geographical terms but when it comes to the culture is feels very different. The people are friendly and the food is rich in flavours. The natural sights go hand in hand with the cultural wonders with history being a constant reminder making this a very enriching travel experience.
We take our tours in late spring and Autumn giving us a chance to enjoy nature to the fullest with very pleasant temperatures.
The Greek islands like Santorini and Mykonos are beautiful but they do not fit the cultural scope that we explore in this tour. This is the reason we visit the North of Greece, where the culture is more Balkans rather than the south which is more Mediterranean.
DOCUMENTS
Note: 1. The Embassy reserves the right to request additional information/documentation and, if deemed necessary, to interview the applicant. Applicants applying for a Schengen visa will need to provide biometric data (fingerprints) when submitting an application.
2. More than 4 blank pages required in the current passport.
Person holding valid multiple entry Schengen Visa do not require visa for Croatia for stay up to 90 Days.