October

19 Thursday

Game of Thrones tour in stunning Dubrovnik

Thu, October 19, 2023 - Fri, October 20, 2023 (7:00 am - 10:00 pm)Europe/Sofia

Bulgarian Capital
Платно. „Бански“ 1, 1000 Old City Center, Sofia, Bulgaria

Description

Game of Thrones tour in stunning Dubrovnik

Places You’ll See

Sofia, Kragujevac, Visegrad, Sarajevo, Mostar, Trebinje, Dubrovnik, Herceg Novi, Perast, Kotor, Prizren, Tirana, Ohrid, Skopje

Highlights

Enter the land of Game of Thrones in stunning Dubrovnik
Shop for souvenirs at the old Turkish bazaar in Sarajevo
Climb the Vitosha mountain and gaze down at Sophia
Admire the incredible medieval literary centre of Ohrid

Game of Thrones film location tour

Itinerary

Start and end in Sofia! With the In-depth Cultural tour Balkan Kaleidoscope, you have a 14 days tour package taking you through Sofia, Bulgaria and 15 other destinations in Europe. Balkan Kaleidoscope includes accommodation in a hotel as well as an expert guide, meals, transport and more.

Introduction

Once upon a time people said that the Balkans were the “powder-keg of Europe”. Indeed, history is full of sudden burst of the strong Balkan passions. But wars are left in the past. We can now only enjoy the beautiful features of the sunny face of the Balkans – beautiful and preserved nature, old monasteries, cozy towns – a different and slightly old-fashioned Europe. We offer you to tour together several countries and see the most interesting places in each of them – Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia – all alike but at the same time very different in their own way. This is the place, where Europe meets the Orient, where Christians and Muslims have lived together for centuries, where old traditions coexist with the rhythm of XXI century.

Tour highlights:

The monasteriy of “Studenica” established in the XIII century, under the auspices of UNESCO
Mehmed Pasha Bridge near Visegrad, built in XVI century is under UNESCO auspices
Sarajevo – the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mostar whose old part is a World Heritage Site
Dubrovnik – the masterpiece of the Adriatic, the sea and commercial rival of Venice, under the auspices of UNESCO
The picturesque Kotor Bay and the town of Kotor, forming a beautiful ensemble of natural, historic and cultural heritage, under the auspices of UNESCO
Visoki Decani Monastery with the largest medieval church in the Balkans, under the auspices of UNESCO
Tirana – the capital of Albania
Ohrid – a medieval literary center and the last capital of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. Together with the Ohrid Lake the town is under UNESCOs protection

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A LOCAL PAYMENT OF EUR 100,- WHICH BRINGS THE TOTAL TO EUR 990,-

Day 1: Sofia

In and around Sofia

Arrival in Sofia and transfer to your hotel. Free time to explore the Bulgarian capital.

Day 2: Sofia – Kru&scaron;evac – Studenica (Serbia)

Departure by a company bus to Serbia. Our first stop is in the old capital – the town of Kruševac. Then we will visit Studenica – the most important monastery of medieval Serbia. Overnight in a hotel next to the monastery. (370 km)

Day 3: Studenica – Visegrad – Sarajevo (Serbia/Bosnia and Herzegovina)

In and around Sarajevo

After crossing the border we will see the famous bridge of Mehmed Pasha near Visegrad, praised in the novel “The Bridge on the Drina” of the Nobel laureate – Ivo Andrich. Then we will continue to Sarajevo. Overnight in the town of Sarajevo. (340 km)

Day 4: Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

A walking tour through the center of the Bosnian capital – Sarajevo, whose mosques and old Turkish bazaar with shops and cafes still keep the traditional oriental atmosphere of the region. Free time. Overnight.

Day 5: Sarajevo – Mostar – Trebinje – Dubrovnuk (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia)

In and around Mostar, Trebinje

Mostar is famous for its old houses and the old bridge, a symbol of peaceful coexistence of different cultural and religious communities in the Balkans. On our way to the border we will stop at Radimlja to see the unic stecci – grave stones from XV century. Arrive in Dubrovnik in the evening. (280 km)

Day 6: Dubrovnik (Croatia)

In and around Dubrovnik

A walking tour in the historic part of the town – the Pile Gate and Stradun Street, the Franciscan Monastery, the Dominican church, the Sponza Palace, Rector’s Palace, “St. Blaise” cathedral. Free time. Overnight.

Day 7: Dubrovnik – Herzeg Novi – Kotor (Croatia/Montenegro)

In and around Kotor

Our tour of the Balkan countries continues with Montenegro. After crossing the border we will visit the old town of Herzeg Novi and then head off to the famous Kotor Bay with the old towns of Perast and Kotor. A walking tour in Kotor – fortress walls, St. Luka square, Beskuća Palace, St. Trifon’s cathedral. Overnight. (90 km)

Day 8: Kotor – Pec (Montenegro/Kosovo)

In the morning we will start with driving up the scenic road above the Kotor Bay, admiring some breathtaking views towards the Adriatic Sea. Then continue to the border with Kosovo. Overnight in the vivid town of Pec. (300 km)

Day 9: Pec – Prizren (Kosovo)

In and around Prizren

In the morning we will visit Visoki Decani Monastery still garded by KFOR. Then continue to the town of Prizren. Walking tour in the center of the town – Sinan pasha mosque, Our lady of Ljevis, the old stone bridge. Overnight. (80 km)

Day 10: Prizren – Tirana (Kosovo/Albania)

In and around Tirana

Drive to the capital of Albania. Walking tour in the afternoon – Skanderbeg square, Tanner’s bridge, the rezidence of Enver Hoxha. Free time. Overnight. (180 km)

Day 11: Tirana – Ohrid (Albania/Macedonia)

In and around Ohrid

We continue to Macedonia. We will spend the afternoon strolling along the shore of Ohrid lake and roaming the narrow streets of Ohrid, where we will see Samuil’s fortress, the churches St. John Kaneo and St. Pantaleimon. Overnight. (130 km)

Day 12: Ohrid – Skopje (Macedonia).

Admire the natural beauty of Matka Canyon. Afternoon walking tour in the capital of Macedonia. Visit Old Bazaar and explorer the architecture and curious and controversial statues around Macedonia Square. (170 km)

Day 13: Skopje – Sofia (Macedonia/Bulgaria)

Departure to Bulgaria’s capital – Sofia. Free time in the city. (250 km)

Day 14: Departure

Transfer to the airport for departure

What’s Included

Accommodation
Overnights in comfortable 3*** hotels – all overnights are based on double rooms with private WC/shower

When planing the size of your luggage please have in mind that some of the hotels do not have elevators

If we cannot match you with another person to share a room, Single supplement is a mandatory payment.
Guide
The trip is coordinated by a tour leader from Penguin Travel, who is responsible for the logistics of the tour – updating you on the daily itinerary, arranging your passport checks at the border-crossings, handling the check-ins at each hotel, communicating with the driver and arranging the local guides as scheduled in the program. Detailed information about the countries and some of the sites will be presented by the local city guides included in the itinerary.
Meals

13 Breakfasts.

Other meals are not included to give you maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat.

This tour offers Vegetarian food option on request. Simply let Penguin Travel know the food option that you prefer.
Additional Services

The monastery of “Studenica” established in the XIII century, under the auspices of UNESCO

Mehmed Pasha Bridge near Visegrad, built in XVI century is under UNESCO auspices

Sarajevo – the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mostar whose old part is a World Heritage Site

Dubrovnik – the masterpiece of the Adriatic, the sea and commercial rival of Venice, under the auspices of UNESCO

The picturesque Kotor Bay and the town of Kotor, forming a beautiful ensemble of natural, historic and cultural heritage, under the auspices of UNESCO

Visoki Decani Monastery with the largest medieval church in the Balkans, under the auspices of UNESCO

Tirana – the capital of Albania

Ohrid – a medieval literary center and the last capital of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. Together with the Ohrid Lake the town is under UNESCOs protection
Transport

Private airport transfers to/from your scheduled hotel are included in tour price on the arrival and departure days, as set in the program (Day 1 and Day 14 respectively), no matter of the time of arrival at Sofia Airport.

The type of the vehicle of the tour depends on the size of the group – for groups of up to 8 people you will travel in a minibus (8+1) with the tour leader being also the driver; for groups larger than 8 pax your vehicle will be a bigger bus with a separate driver.