Balkans Culture Explorer

The Balkan Peninsula for many is one of the last undiscovered corners of Europe. Cultural and natural variety abound here, forged over the centuries by numerous political changes and imperial influences from the Byzantine to the Ottoman. We contrast Macedonia, Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria with their traditional towns, villages, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and places of untouched natural beauty. Each country offers a different culture, cuisine and tradition to discover, each growing as an independent nation in its own right and taking its place in the modern world. This is a rare chance to see the re-emergence of places kept off limits until relatively recently.

Proposal itinerary:

Day 1 Arrival in Macedonia / Welcome to Skopje

Day 2 R.Macedonia / Skopje to Ohrid via Monastery of Bigorski – Monastery of St. Naum

Day 3 R.Macedonia to Greece / Ohrid to Thessaloniki via Bitola, Pella & Vergina

Day 4 Greece / Thessaloníki discovery

Day 5 Greece / The Meteora Monasteries

Day 6 Greece / Kavala and Philippi

Day 7 Greece to Turkey / Kavala to Edirne via Alexandropouli and Xanthi

Day 8 Turkey / Edirne

Day 9 Turkey to Bulgaria / Edirne to Plovdiv

Day 10 Bulgaria / Plovdiv to Sofia via Koprivshtica

Day 11 Bulgaria / Sofia, Boyana and Rila Monastery

Day 12 Bulgaria to R.Macedonia / Sofia to Skopje via Osogovski Monastery

Day 13 R.Macedonia / Skopje – the Old Bazaar and its green markets

Day 14 Departure from Macedonia

Included:

– Transportation (car, minivan or minibus with dedicated driver; depending on the group size)

– Guidance in English

– Accommodation in hotels (hotel category and meals can be chosen in accordance with Your request)

– All meals (selection of traditional dishes from locally sourced ingredients, typical for each area; beverages excl.)

– Entrance fees in archaeological sites and national parks

Not included:

– Flights

– Individual airport transfers

– Single supplement

– Optional activities

– Travel insurance

– Individual expenses

Scheduled dates:

* This is non scheduled tour with flexible dates. We recommend spring (April-June) and autumn months (September-October) for this tour.

Number of Participants:

2 – 12

Tour grade:

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Prices:

Confidential prices for TOs available upon request. Price depends on the number of participants.