Grand Balkan Tour (SJJ – SKP)

Itinerary

1. Day 1 — Arrival in Sarajevo

   Meet-and-greet at Sarajevo airport, then a short drive to Vrelo Bosne nature park, the spring of the Bosna river, for an easy walk and photo stop. Afternoon city tour of Sarajevo, the Balkans' cultural crossroads: the Baščaršija bazaar, the Ottoman-era Morića Han, the Catholic cathedral and the synagogue, the Gazi Husrev-beg and Ferhadija mosques, the Latin Bridge where the 1914 assassination that triggered the First World War took place, the old City Hall and the Austro-Hungarian quarter. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Sarajevo.

2. Day 2 — Sarajevo – Počitelj – Blagaj – Mostar – Sarajevo

   Breakfast, then a scenic drive south along the Neretva river into Herzegovina. First stop Počitelj, a small fortified Ottoman village of stone houses. Continue to Blagaj, where the Buna river rises beneath a cliff next to a 16th-century dervish lodge. Walking tour of Mostar, Herzegovina's largest city: the UNESCO-listed Old Bridge (built 1557, destroyed in 1993 and rebuilt with original methods in 2004), the Kujundžiluk bazaar and the Koski Mehmed Pasha mosque, with free time for photos. Return to Sarajevo. Dinner and overnight in Sarajevo.

3. Day 3 — Sarajevo – Belgrade

   Breakfast and departure for Serbia. After the border crossing and rest stops, midday arrival in Belgrade, capital of Serbia and one of Europe's oldest cities. Panoramic tour: New Belgrade, the Branko bridge, Tašmajdan and Slavija squares, the Church of Saint Sava, the Old and New Palaces and the National Assembly, then the Kalemegdan fortress with its Ottoman monuments, the Military Museum, the Istanbul and Clock gates, the Nebojša tower and the Cathedral Church. Walking tour from Republic Square along Knez Mihailova street. Check-in and overnight in Belgrade.

4. Day 4 — Belgrade – Matka Canyon – Skopje

   Breakfast and departure for North Macedonia. After the border crossing, half-day panoramic tour of Skopje: the old railway station, the Mother Teresa memorial house, the Stone Bridge, the fortress walls and the Ottoman old town with its bazaar, the Mustafa Pasha, Sultan Murad and Gazi Isa-beg mosques, the Daut Pasha hammam and the Kapan, Suli and Kuršumli caravanserais (exterior visits). Continue to Matka Canyon, 14 km from the city, for a walk in the gorge. Return to Skopje. Macedonian folklore evening with dinner and live music. Overnight in Skopje.

5. Day 5 — Skopje – Pristina – Prizren – Tirana

   Breakfast and departure for Kosovo. Near Pristina, visit the mausoleum of Sultan Murad I on the Kosovo Polje plain, site of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo. Motorway drive to Prizren, Kosovo's best-preserved Ottoman-era town: Shadervan square, the Bajrakli and Sinan Pasha mosques, the hammam, the old stone bridge and the Halveti lodge, then free time. Continue to Albania. Arrival in Tirana, the capital since 1920, for a panoramic tour: the Et'hem Bey mosque, the clock tower, the National Museum, the Opera, the Parliament and government buildings, the Mother Teresa statue and Skanderbeg Square. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Tirana.

6. Day 6 — Tirana – Berat – Ohrid

   Breakfast and drive to Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage town on the Osum river known as the 'city of a thousand windows'. Walking tour of the Mangalem, Gorica and castle quarters with their stone lanes and white Ottoman-era houses; the Bachelors' and Lead mosques and the churches of Saint Spyridon and Saint Michael are seen from outside. Continue to North Macedonia and arrive in Ohrid, on the lake of the same name. Panoramic tour: the 17th-century Halveti lodge, the old plane tree, the Turkish bazaar, the Ali Pasha mosque, the harbour, the traditional houses, the ancient Via Egnatia, the clock tower, the churches of Saint Sophia, Saint Kaneo and Saint Panteleimon, Saint Clement's monastery and Samuel's fortress. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Ohrid.

7. Day 7 — Ohrid – Saint Naum – Bitola – Resen – Ohrid

   Breakfast, then a visit to the Saint Naum monastery and springs at the southern end of Lake Ohrid, with some of the region's finest lake views. Continue to Bitola, the old consular city of the Ottoman south: Širok Sokak, the bezistan, the Ishak Pasha and Yeni mosques and the former military academy building (exterior visits). Return towards Ohrid via Resen, with a stop at the early 20th-century Niyazi Bey mansion, built in French château style. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Ohrid.

8. Day 8 — Ohrid – Skopje – departure

   Breakfast and scenic drive to Skopje airport for the onward flight. End of program.