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Slovenia to Montenegro
From the Slovenian Alps to the Dalmatian and Montenegro coast and on through oriental Bosnia, we discover the rich natural and cultural beauty of these lands - the crossroads where the west meets the east.
Now a peaceful region, some of Europe's most interesting and spectacular locations are getting the attention they truly deserve.
The itinerary assumes arrival to Zagreb and departure from Dubrovnik Airport. If that is not the case we can alter the running order to take account of your plans.
Fully guided tour - 12 days - 11 nights
This tour can start on any date.
Tour Overview Detailed Itinerary
Slovenia to Montenegro
Your
tour will be a private one, specially arranged for your party
which means that should you require any customization to the itinerary
or any other aspect of the tour this can easily be arranged.
Tour Highlights
- Visit to the fascinating underground world of the Postojna cave , including a train ride.
- A chance to see some of the world's finest thoroughbred horses in Lipica, with it's unique Lipizaner stud farm.
- The spectacular coastal scenery of Cres and Krk islands.
- A visit to the truffle capital, Buzet, with a chance to taste this aphrodisiac!
- Listen to the unique sea organ on the water front of Zadar, one of the oldest coastal towns of Croatia.
- Visit Diocletian's Palace, in Split, one of the most extraordinary places of the later Roman world.
- Dubrovnik, find out why it is called the "Pearl of the Adriatic".
- Discover the treasures of the island built by Perast sailors.
Your Accommodation
You will stay in 3 star hotels for 11 nights - 1 night in Zagreb, 1 night in Ljubljana, 3 nights in Opatija, 1 night at Plitvice, 1 night in the region of Sibenik, 1 night in Podgora, 1 night in Mostar, 2 nights in Dubrovnik region. You can opt to upgrade to 4 star or 5 star accommodation in any or each location if available.
All accommodation is in rooms with private bathrooms. Breakfast and dinner are included each day.
Your Guide
Your guide will be an experienced Croatian national with extensive knowledge of Croatia. More than that, all our guides are friendly, flexible and easy company, adept at dealing with any problems that may arise and at making sure their guests have the best possible experience at each place they visit. They are committed to making your trip an enjoyable and truly memorable one.
As well as providing guided tours each day, guides are happy to make suggestions about good places to eat out or about evening entertainment options.
Transport
All our vehicles are recent models of touring class standard, which are configured to maximise touring comfort and passenger space. Smaller parties will travel in a Mercedes E-Class Sedan (or of equivalent standard), up to 7 passengers in vans (Mercedes Viano extra long) or small coaches. All vehicles have air conditioning.
Zagreb,
the largest city and the capital of Croatia
has managed to stay romantic and clean offerring its visitors pleasant
walks and enjoyment. By its historical tradition, cultural relations,
and above all, its urban planning (the Lower town ?horseshoe?, the area
around the theatre) Zagreb is a distinctly central European city.
Situated in the middle of the triangle of Vienna, Budapest
and Venice.
Its architecture, streets, the squares of the Upper and Lower town,
open air green markets, churches and monuments are the witnesses of a
history that successfully resisted the fast tempo of life at the end of
the last century.
After breakfast,
departure for Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
Nestled between the Alps and the Adriatic sea, Ljubljana is
characterised by a unique fusion of complementing contrasts. A history going
back to 2000 BC, Ljubljana has managed to retain traces from
the legacy of Roman Emona;
through to the Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau periods
characterised in the house fronts and ornate doorways of the city
centre with the romantic bridges adorning the Ljubljanica river.
Today we
explore the famous Postojna Caves,
the world's biggest underground cave complex, and a visit to the nearby
Predjama Castle, built into a cave in a vertical cliff face.
After breakfast our
day of discovering the natural & cultural sites of Istria
begins with the smallest city in the world - Hum,
after which we pass through green Istria to the historically rich
coastal town of Porec with a visit to its, most
prized treasures, the complex of Euphrasian Basilica
dating from the 6th century. The interior of the basilica is ornamented
with beautiful mosaics, a splendid witness of the golden age of
byzantine art.
Today we head for the
islands of Cres and Krka.
The largest islands of the Kvarner bay, Krk and Cres differ greatly one
from the other. Krk is gently undulating, cultivated and well populated
while mountainous and sparsely inhabited Cres is predominantly covered
with grazing land and macchia.
Nestled amongst a
cluster of lush mountain valleys is a mysterious ancient forest known
as the "Devil's Garden",
home to the brown bear, lynx, black stork and Ural owl - living in an
enchanted world of thunderous waterfalls, cascading lakes, and
subterranean caverns.
Leaving the Plitvice region we take the new
highway passing through the
Velebit mountain for more breathtaking scenery as we drive to the
Adriatic coast stopping on our way to Makarska Riviera to enjoy in the
splendours of the cultural heritage of the coastal medieval towns,
making Zadar our first stop.
Today we visit the capital
of Dalmatia. The story of Split goes back
to the end of the 3rd Century, when the Roman emperor
Diocletian,
tired of ruling, suffering from arthritis and nostalgic of his
homeland, gave orders for a palace to be built on the coast of the
Adriatic just outside the largest roman town on the east coast, Salona.
Today we cross the border
again for a complete change of scenery, both natural and cultural, we
are going to Bosnia and Hercegovina, to Mostar.
The town of Mostar nested in the deep valley of Neretva, began to
develop in the 15th and 16th centuries as an Ottoman
trading and frontier town and continued its growth in the
Austro-Hungarian period.
We go back to the
Adriatic coast to its southern part, to Dubrovnik.
Encircled by its famous walls Dubrovnik, once called Ragusa,
had been one of the most important maritime powers of the
Mediterranean. During five centuries an aristocratic republic,
an independent city-state and a grand rival of Venice.
Only a short drive
south of Dubrovnik and we arrive to the border
crossing with Monténégro, once a part of
Yugoslavia,
today an independent state. It is at this part of the coast that the
Adriatic sea forms the biggest bay of all, the Boka Kotorska.
We first pass by the outer bay, about 15 miles long, then by Verige, a
narrow strait once closed by chain-booms, into the inner bay, as large
as the outer, which holds Kotor, Perast and its two islands, St. George
and Our Lady of the Rock. The whole bay is encircled by mountains
rising to the sky from the water's edge.
Today's activities will
be determined by departure times. For those
with late flights it is a good opportunity to see any places that were
missed on our day in Dubrovnik.