14 days Balkans Tour from Sofia with Transylvania

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Sofia – Rila – Skopje (350 km) BULGARIA +MACEDONIA
3 stops
1
Sofia
Departure in the morning at 9 a.m. from Sofia
Admission ticket free
2
Rila Monastery
Rila Monastery is Bulgaria’s most famous tourist site ( Unesco World Heritage Site ) and founded in the 10th century by Saint Ivan Rilsky (St John of Rila ) , a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church . The monastery , one of the largest in the Balkans , was the center of Bulgarian culture and Orthodox belief for more than 1000 years . Our tour includes a visit to the Church, which is of particular artistic value, for it was adorned by the foremost 19-century masters of the Samokov, Bansko and Debar schools of painting and woodcarving
1 hour • Admission ticket not included
3
Skopje
Continue drive south to the Bulgarian – Macedonian border . In the early evening we will arrive in Skopje , the capital of Macedonia . Orientation tour of Skopje before arriving to your hotel.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 2
Skopje – Ohrid (190 km) MACEDONIA
2 stops
4
Old Bazaar - Skopje
Enjoy a walking tour of Skopje (internationally famous for being the birthplace of Mother Teresa ) , with its most important landmarks : quay of the Macedonian river “Vardar”, the narrow streets in the Old Bazaar (is the biggest bazaar preserved in the Balkans today ), the Memorial house of Mother Teresa , the 1500 years old fortress Kale , Macedonia Square with the statue of Alexander The Great on horse
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
5
Lake Ohrid
Continue the tour and drive to Ohrid ( Unesco World Heritage Site ) situated on the banks of the lake with the same name , perched on the border of Macedonia and Albania. Ohrid area has been the setting of thousands of years of human history and the old city center are testimony to its past. Lake Ohrid itself is Europe’s oldest lake having formed over three millions years ago. The walking tour of the old city center will include the narrow streets and squares , the Anchient Theater , discover the famous old churches, monasteries and basilicas (Sveti Sofia Church ) , Tsar Samuil’s (Samuel’s) Fortress and pedestrian shopping street .
3 hours • Admission ticket not included
Day 3
Ohrid – Tirana – Shkoder (230 km) MACEDONIA + ALBANIA
1 stop
6
Skanderbeg Square
Continue the tour and crossing the Macedonian – Albanian border driving to Tirana, capital of Albania . The walking tour of city center of Tirana will reveal the main tourist attractions : Tirana’s massive main square – Skanderbeg , National History Museum , Palace of Culture, National Bank, Et’hem Bey Mosque and Skanderbeg’s statue
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 4
Shkoder – Kotor - Trebinje (190 km) MONTENEGRO
1 stop
7
Kotor
In the evening you will arrive in Kotor and discover the fortified old town – Stari Grad ( Unesco World Heritage Site ) .
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 5
Trebinje – Mostar – Sarajevo (240 km) BOSNIA&HERZEGOVINA
2 stops
8
Mostar
After breakfast , we will head to Mostar where the focus of our attention will be the old town and the Old Bridge of Mostar. Built in 1566 the Mostar bridge has since been the main reason behind Mostar developing into the capital of the Herzegovina region. Unfortunately in November of 1993, during the Siege of Mostar, the bridge was destroyed. Reasons and judicial facts behind the destruction of the Mostar Old Bridge, we will thoroughly cover during our walking tour of Mostar. Since the Bridge, since then there’s been a tradition of bridge diving. Today young and brave Mostar divers compete to earn a few euros by diving off the bridge in front of the tourists from all around the world.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
9
Sarajevo
After we leave Mostar, we shall take an amazingly scenic road passing by the Jablanica lake and via the Neretva river canyon, we’ll arrive in Sarajevo. Walking tour of the old part and city centre of Sarajevo. Our 2.5 hour tour will cover the stories of origins of Sarajevo and the medieval Bosnian Kingdom. We shall visit the Ottoman and Austria-Hungarian parts of Sarajevo, which both with its stunning markets, bazaars, mosques, churches and synagogues will reveal the true nature of the real European Jerusalem. We’ll make sure to visit the Latin Bridge and learn the story about how WWI was triggered right here, in the heart of Sarajevo. Sarajevo’s 1984 Winter Olympics and life during the Siege of Sarajevo will surely be part of our story today.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 6
Sarajevo – Belgrad (400 km) CROATIA + SERBIA
1 stop
10
Belgrade
After breakfast we will head to Serbia and in the afternoon we will arrive to Belgrad, capital of Serbia. Visit the Republic Square, the National theater and the National museum, Bohemian Quarter (Skadarlija), the oldest part of Belgrade with Ottoman heritage, the only mosque in the city, Kalemegdan park, Belgrade fortress, „Victor“ the most famous symbol of Belgrade and the confluence of the Sava and the Danube rivers.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 7
Belgrad – Novi Sad – Budapest (400 km) SERBIA + HUNGARY
2 stops
11
Novi Sad
After breakfast , departure to Budapest with a stop in Novi Sad where we will visit Zmaj Jovina Street, the promenade of Novi Sad and obligatory sight for any tourists, not least for the ornamental Palace of the Orthodox Bishop. We will see also y – Dunavska, street with its long line of single-storied 19th century houses. The Danube embankment, the outside of Petrovaradin Fortress on the other bank.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
12
Budapest
In the evening we will arrive to Budapest ,`´ The Queen of Danube “ , capital of Hungary .
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 8
Budapest HUNGARY
1 stop
13
Budapest
Spare time in Budapest in wich you can discover by yourself this magical city and see the iconic statues of Heroes’ Square, the Andrássy Avenue, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discover also St. Stephen’s Basilica, Dohány Street Synagogue and the beautiful Castle District in Buda.
12 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 9
Budapest - Timisoara (320km) HUNGARY+ROMANIA
1 stop
14
Timisoara Historical Center
Timisoara, a very charming city for its architectural features for many Turkish, Serbian, Austrian and German elements, which is also the European Capital of Culture in 2023
3 hours • Admission ticket not included
Day 10
Timisoara – The Corvini Castle – Sibiu (320 km)
2 stops
15
Castelul Corvinilor
In the morning we will visit the most fascinating gothic castle in Eastern Europe and one of the most beautiful and greatest of our continent, the famous Corvin Castle
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
16
Sibiu
Visit Sibiu, a beautiful medieval city where Romanians and Saxons have been living peacefully for centuries and where the various religious monuments (Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants) demonstrate this peaceful coexistence. Sibiu was named European Capital of Culture in 2007 and hosts an extraordinary theater festival every year. The city fascinates thanks to its three squares (Big Square, Small and Huet Square ) that transport tourists in a real medieval atmosphere. Its towers and its 15th century bastions, but also its beautiful museums and the famous “houses with the eyes” give the visitor lovely moments. Also in Sibiu you will see one of the largest gothic evangelical churches in Transylvania.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 11
Sibiu – Sighisoara – Brasov (210km)
2 stops
17
Sighisoara
Visit Sighisoara, with its imposing Clock Tower. This citadel is the best preserved in Europe and, extraordinary, it is still inhabited. Since 1999 the historic center of Sighisoara is a UNESCO heritage site. Here we will admire the church on the hill, reachable after a wooden staircase called the schoolchildren’s ladder. We will also see the statue of the famous Hungarian national poet Petofi Sandor, testifying to the fact that in Sighisoara the Magyar community was in the past numerically important. Next to the statue is the beautiful Catholic church, reserved for the Hungarian community, and the tower of the shoemakers. You can have lunch at the house where Vlad the Impaler was born (not included)
2 hours • Admission ticket free
18
Brasov
Visit Brasov, a wonderful Transylvanian town, once entirely fortified, an important cultural, tourist and commercial center. Brasov impresses with its typically German architecture, where the Gothic, the Baroque and the Renaissance intersect to give life to an interesting and culturally very lively city. Visit of the First Romanian School, which is located in the oldest district of the city, and which was inhabited exclusively by Romanians, the Schei district, interesting for the entrances into the city that were carried out in medieval times through the Catherine’s and Schei Gate, quest last of the nineteenth century. In Brasov we will also see the impressive Black Church, the largest evangelical Gothic church in Eastern Europe. We will then admire the palaces and houses of the historic center, recently restored, with the Council Square which now houses a beautiful museum, and the pedestrian Avenue of the Republic.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 12
Brasov – Bran –– Sinaia - Bucharest (180 km)
3 stops
19
Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle)
Visit Bran where we will visit the famous Bran Castle, better known as Dracula’s Castle. In the Middle Ages, Bran was exactly on the border between Wallachia and Transylvania, so it was essential for the inhabitants of Brasov to build and preserve a defensive stronghold
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
20
Peles Castle
Visit to the fabulous Peles Castle, the summer residence of the first king of Romania, the King Charles 1 of Hohenzollern, of German origins. The castle was beautifully designed by a Czech architect, and is famous for being one of the most modern castles in Europe at the time of its construction, between the 19th and 20th centuries. Each room is characterized by a unique style, different from the styles of the other rooms. We will also admire the Florentine room, where we will breathe a typically Italian and Renaissance atmosphere.
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
21
Bucharest
We continue towards Bucharest and enjoy a panoramic tour of Bucharest with its Triumph Arch, Atheneum, Revolution Square.
Admission ticket free
Day 13
Bucharest - Devetashka - Lovech (230 km) ROMANIA + BULGARIA
2 stops
22
Devetashka Cave
We will leave Bucharest in the morning and head to Bulgaria. After crossing the bridge over the Danube River we will enter in Bulgaria and our first visit will be at Devetàshka cave is a picturesque karst cave near the waterfalls. Unlike other caves Devetàshka is very well lit and its floor is covered by lush greenery, especially in spring and summer, so sometimes it is hard to believe that one is actually underground.
1 hour • Admission ticket not included
23
Krushunskiye Waterfalls
The Krushùna Falls are the biggest travertine cascade in Bulgaria, unique with its picturesque scenery, lush vegetation, numerous round-shaped terraces and small natural pools with mineral water. The main waterfall is about 20 m high and it splits into several smaller ones along its way down the soft limestone rocks.
1 hour • Admission ticket not included
Day 14
Lovech - Sofia (150 km) ROMANIA + BULGARIA
2 stops
24
Lovech
Visit Lovech with the Covered Bridge over the Osam River is another must-see attraction in Lovech. The bridge unites the two halves of the town and it’s a distinctive piece of construction and a significant representation of Lovech.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
25
Sofia
In the evening we will arrive in Sofia .
3 hours • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
• A current valid passport is required on the day of travel

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