Grand Balkan Tour (SKP – SJJ)

Itinerary

1. Day 1 — Arrival in Skopje – Bitola – Ohrid

   Meet-and-greet at Skopje airport and drive south to Bitola, North Macedonia's second city and the old consular capital of the Ottoman south: Širok Sokak, the bezistan, the Ishak Pasha and Yeni mosques and the former military academy building (exterior visits). Continue towards Ohrid via Resen, with a stop at the early 20th-century Niyazi Bey mansion, built in French château style. Arrival in Ohrid and transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Ohrid.

2. Day 2 — Ohrid – Saint Naum – 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. Return to Ohrid for the town tour: the 17th-century Halveti lodge, the old plane tree, the Turkish bazaar, the Ali Pasha mosque, the harbour, the traditional lakeside 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.

3. Day 3 — Ohrid – Berat – Tirana

   Breakfast and departure for Albania. Arrival in Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage town on the Osum river known as the 'city of a thousand windows' and one of the best-preserved examples of Ottoman-era civil architecture in the Balkans. Walking tour of the Mangalem, Gorica and castle quarters; the Bachelors' and Lead mosques and the churches of Saint Spyridon and Saint Michael are seen from outside. Continue to 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.

4. Day 4 — Tirana – Prizren – Pristina – Skopje

   Breakfast and departure for Kosovo. Short 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. Near Pristina, visit the mausoleum of Sultan Murad I on the Kosovo Polje plain, site of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo. Motorway drive into North Macedonia and arrival in Skopje for the city tour: the old railway station, the Mother Teresa memorial house, the Stone Bridge, the fortress walls, the Ottoman old town and bazaar, the Mustafa Pasha, Sultan Murad and Gazi Isa-beg mosques, the Daut Pasha hammam and the Kapan, Suli and Kuršumli caravanserais (exterior visits). Macedonian folklore evening with dinner and live music. Overnight in Skopje.

5. Day 5 — Skopje – Matka Canyon – Belgrade

   Breakfast and a morning walk in Matka Canyon, 14 km from Skopje. Departure for Serbia; after the border crossing and rest stops, afternoon arrival in Belgrade. 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.

6. Day 6 — Belgrade – Sarajevo

   Breakfast and departure for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Midday arrival in Sarajevo, the Balkans' cultural crossroads, for the city tour: 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.

7. Day 7 — Sarajevo – Počitelj – Blagaj – Mostar – Sarajevo

   Breakfast, then a scenic drive 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: the UNESCO-listed Old Bridge (built 1557, 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.

8. Day 8 — Sarajevo – departure

   Breakfast, then a visit to Vrelo Bosne nature park, the spring of the Bosna river, for an easy walk and photo stop. Transfer to Sarajevo airport at the agreed time for the onward flight. End of program.