Budapest - Timisoara (320km) Hungary + Romania

Budapest - Departure from Budapest at 9 a.m. in the morning.

Timisoara Historical Center - Timisoara is a charming city known for its architectural features that include Turkish, Serbian, Austrian, and German elements. It will become the European Capital of Culture in 2021.

Timisoara – The Corvini Castle – Sibiu (320 km)

Castelul Corvinilor - In the morning, visitors will explore the most fascinating Gothic castle in Eastern Europe and one of the most beautiful and impressive on the continent: the famous Corvin Castle.

Sibiu - Visit Sibiu, a beautiful medieval city where Romanians and Saxons have lived peacefully together for centuries, with various religious monuments (Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant) demonstrating this peaceful coexistence. Sibiu was named European Capital of Culture in 2007 and hosts an extraordinary theater festival every year. The city captivates with its three squares (Big Square, Small Square, and Huet Square) that transport tourists into a real medieval atmosphere. Its towers and 15th-century bastions, along with its beautiful museums and the famous “houses with eyes,” offer visitors lovely moments. In Sibiu, one can also see one of the largest Gothic evangelical churches in Transylvania.

Sibiu – Sighisoara – Brasov (210 km)

Centrul Istoric Sighisoara - Visit Sighisoara with its imposing Clock Tower. This citadel is the best preserved in Europe and, remarkably, it is still inhabited. Since 1999, the historic center of Sighisoara has been a UNESCO heritage site. Here, visitors will admire the church on the hill, reachable via a wooden staircase called the schoolchildren’s ladder. They will also see the statue of the famous Hungarian national poet Petofi Sandor, testifying to the fact that the Magyar community was numerically important in Sighisoara in the past. Next to the statue is the beautiful Catholic church, reserved for the Hungarian community, and the tower of the shoemakers. Lunch can be enjoyed at the house where Vlad the Impaler was born (not included).

Brasov - Next, visitors will explore Brasov, a wonderful Transylvanian town, once entirely fortified, and an important cultural, tourist, and commercial center. Brasov impresses with its typically German architecture, where Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance styles intersect to give life to an interesting and culturally very lively city.

Brasov – Bran – Sinaia - Bucharest (180 km)

Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle) - Later, the tour proceeds to Bran, where visitors will explore 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.

Peles Castle - Visit the fabulous Peles Castle, the summer residence of the first king of Romania, 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. Visitors will also admire the Florentine room, where a typically Italian and Renaissance atmosphere can be experienced.

Bucharest - The tour continues towards Bucharest with a panoramic tour featuring the Triumph Arch, Atheneum, and Revolution Square.

Bucharest - Devetashka - Lovech (230 km) Romania + Bulgaria

Devetashka Cave - The journey leaves Bucharest in the morning and heads to Bulgaria. After crossing the bridge over the Danube River, the tour enters Bulgaria, with the first visit at Devetashka Cave, a picturesque karst cave near the waterfalls. Unlike other caves, Devetashka 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.

Krushunskiye Waterfalls - The Krushuna Falls are the biggest travertine cascade in Bulgaria, unique with their picturesque scenery, lush vegetation, numerous round-shaped terraces, and small natural pools with mineral water. The main waterfall is about 20 m high and splits into several smaller ones along its way down the soft limestone rocks.

Lovech - Sofia (150 km) Romania + Bulgaria

Lovech - Visit Lovech with the Covered Bridge over the Osam River, another must-see attraction in Lovech. The bridge unites the two halves of the town and is a distinctive piece of construction and a significant representation of Lovech.

Sofia - In the evening, the tour arrives in Sofia. The walking tour of the city center will include the gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Saint (Sveta) Sofia Church, Banya Bashi Mosque, the Sofia Synagogue, and the main shopping street Vitosha.

Sofia – Rila – Skopje (350 km) Bulgaria + Macedonia

Rila Monastery - Departure to Rila Monastery, Bulgaria’s most famous tourist site (UNESCO World Heritage Site), 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. The tour includes a visit to the Church, which is of particular artistic value, as it was adorned by the foremost 19th-century masters of the Samokov, Bansko, and Debar schools of painting and woodcarving.

Skopje - In the early evening, the tour arrives in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. An orientation tour of Skopje takes place before arriving at the centrally located hotel.

Skopje – Ohrid (190 km) Macedonia

Skopje - After breakfast, enjoy a walking tour of Skopje (internationally famous for being the birthplace of Mother Teresa), with its most important landmarks: the quay of the Macedonian river “Vardar,” the narrow streets in the Old Bazaar (the biggest bazaar preserved in the Balkans today), the Memorial House of Mother Teresa, the 1500-year-old fortress Kale, and Macedonia Square with the statue of Alexander the Great on horseback.

Ohrid - The tour continues 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. The Ohrid area has been the setting of thousands of years of human history, and the old city center is testimony to its past. Lake Ohrid itself is Europe’s oldest lake, having formed over three million years ago. The walking tour of the old city center will include the narrow streets and squares, the Ancient Theater, the famous old churches, monasteries, and basilicas (Sveti Sofia Church), Tsar Samuil’s (Samuel’s) Fortress, and the pedestrian shopping street.

Ohrid – Tirana – Shkoder (230 km) Macedonia + Albania

Tirana - After breakfast, departure to the Macedonian–Albanian border, heading to Tirana, the capital of Albania. The walking tour of the city center of Tirana will reveal the main tourist attractions: Tirana’s massive main square – Skanderbeg, the National History Museum, Et’hem Bey Mosque, and Skanderbeg’s statue. In the evening, the tour arrives in Shkoder, one of the most authentic cities in Albania.

Shkoder – Kotor - Trebinje (190 km) Montenegro

Kotor - Departure to Kotor, Montenegro, crossing the Albanian–Montenegro border, and discover the fortified old town – Stari Grad (UNESCO World Heritage Site). In the evening, the tour arrives in Trebinje (Bosnia & Herzegovina).

Trebinje – Mostar – Sarajevo (240 km) Bosnia & Herzegovina

Mostar Old Bridge - After breakfast, the tour heads to Bosnia–Herzegovina, and after crossing the border, visitors will explore the beautiful city of Mostar with its Old Bridge Area and the old city, part of UNESCO Heritage.

Sarajevo - After leaving Mostar, the tour takes an amazingly scenic road passing by Jablanica lake and via the Neretva river canyon, arriving in Sarajevo. A walking tour of the old part and city center of Sarajevo will cover the stories of the origins of Sarajevo and the medieval Bosnian Kingdom. Visitors will explore the Ottoman and Austria-Hungarian parts of Sarajevo, which, with their stunning markets, bazaars, mosques, churches, and synagogues, reveal the true nature of the real European Jerusalem. The tour makes sure to visit the Latin Bridge and learn the story of 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 the story.

Sarajevo – Belgrade (400 km) Bosnia + Serbia

Belgrade - After breakfast, the tour heads to Serbia and arrives in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, in the afternoon. Visit Republic Square, the National Theater, and the National Museum, the 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.

Belgrade – Novi Sad – Budapest (400 km) Serbia + Hungary

Novi Sad - After breakfast, departure to Budapest with a stop in Novi Sad, where visitors will visit Zmaj Jovina Street, the promenade of Novi Sad and an obligatory sight for any tourist, not least for the ornamental Palace of the Orthodox Bishop. The tour will also see Dunavska Street with its long line of single-storied 19th-century houses, the Danube embankment, and the outside of Petrovaradin Fortress on the other bank.

Budapest - In the evening, the tour arrives in Budapest, “The Queen of the Danube,” the capital of Hungary.

Budapest Hungary

Budapest - Free time in Budapest to discover this magical city independently 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.

• Transport by air-conditioned vehicle for the entire tour
• 13 nights accommodation in 3/4* hotels
• Professional tour leader and local tour guides in Skopje, Tirana, Sarajevo and Romania
• Breakfast

• Tips for driver/tour guide (5 euro/person/day)
• Entrance fees at museums/churches

• A current valid passport is required on the day of travel

If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.