Europamundo – From Athens

MON. Athens.-

We will enjoy the city tour with a local guide which includes the Presidential Palace, the Panathinaikos stadium where the first modern Olympic games were held, the national library, the bustling squares of the center; the new neighborhoods that emerged after the 2004 Olympic games. The tour will finish at the Acropolis site (entry not included). In the evening we include a transfer to the PLAKA area, which is full of small Greek bars and where you will be able to enjoy the rich folklore of this country. 

Meals = Breakfast

Hotel =  PRESIDENT, NOVOTEL ATHENES, SKYLARK Or Similar

TUE. Athens- Kamena Vourla- Kastraki- Meteora- Kalambaka.-

We depart early in the morning towards the North of Greece. We will make a stop in KAMENA VOURLA, a beautiful touristic hub next to the sea surrounded by beautiful landscapes. We will then proceed to the north. We will make a short stop in the gorge where the Battle of Thermopylae took place. We will visit KASTRAKI, a picturesque village with beautiful views of the whole valley and where we will have free time for lunch before visiting the METEORA valley, a breathtaking place which has been declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO. We include admission to one of the most famous monasteries. Dinner is included in KALAMBAKA.

Meals = Breakfast and Dinner

Hotel =  KOSTA FAMISSI, AMALIA KALAMBACA Or Similar

WED. Kalambaka- Thessaloniki- Melnik- Sandanski.-

We travel through the North of Greece, amidst pretty mountain scenery to the Aegean Sea. We arrive in THESSALONIKI with time for a stroll and lunch in Greece’s second largest city. After this we continue towards BULGARIA, crossing the border. In Bulgarian Macedonia we will make a stop in MELNIK, picturesque museum-town among beautiful landscapes in the center of a wine-producing area. We arrive in SANDANSKI, at this beautiful small spa town, the birthplace of Spartacus. Dinner and accommodation.

Meals = Breakfast and Dinner

Hotel = PIRIN PARK HOTEL, INTERHOTEL SANDANSKI   Or Similar

THU. Sandanski- Rila- Sofia.-

We visit the beautiful Rila Monastery, the heritage of mankind, with its appearance of a fortress surrounded by forests. We continue to SOFIA, where we arrive at the end of the morning. After lunch, we include a city tour of the capital of Bulgaria, where we will see the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the Russian Church, the Mosque, its squares and avenues of Stalinist architecture. Free time afterwards. 

Meals = Breakfast

Hotel = ASTORIA GRAND Or Similar

FRI. Sofia- Bachkovo- Plovdiv.-

In the morning we will leave for BACHKOVO MONASTERY, Bulgaria’s second most important monastery, founded in the eleventh century, with its three churches, we feel it as a place full of peace. We continue to PLOVDIV. Lunch included before the sightseeing tour of one of the oldest cities in Europe. Here we include tickets to the Roman Amphitheatre, the ancient chemist’s and the Armenian House.

Meals = Breakfast and Lunch / Dinner

Hotel =  IMPERIAL Or Similar

SAT. Plovdiv- Kazanluk- Shipka- Etara- Arbanassi- Veliko Tarnovo.-

Today’s journey takes us through beautiful scenery across the Balkans mountain range. In the valley of the Roses, we will see KAZANLAK, where tickets are included to the replica of the Thracian Tomb (UNESCO Heritage) and we will learn about the production of products derived from the roses. Amidst the mountains, we stop at the Russian church of SHIPKA, which commemorates the war between Russia and Turkey. Visit ETARA with its charming village/ethnographic museum. Lunch included. After this we travel to ARBANASSI, an ancient trading city with its fortress-houses, where we visit the Church of the Nativity (admission included). Travel to VELIKO TARNOVO, Bulgaria’s former capital, with a very picturesque medieval center.

Note: In some cases, Arbanassi may be visited on Sunday morning instead of Saturday.

Meals = Breakfast and Lunch

Hotel =  BOLYARSKI MERIDIAN, PANORAMA, GURKO Or Similar

TUE. Sighisoara- Biertan- Sibiu- Hunedoara- Timisoara- .-

In Transylvania there are numerous fortified churches in areas that were inhabited by people of German origin; some of these churches have been declared Heritage of Mankind, and we will see one of them, BIERTAN (tickets included). After this, we continue to SIBIU, an important economic and cultural center, previously the capital of Transylvania, with its bustling narrow streets and squares. Time for a stroll and take lunch. In the afternoon, we visit the impressive Castle of HUNEDOARA (tickets included), which is considered the prettiest castle in Romania. We continue to TIMISOARA, with time to explore its elegant central squares. 

Meals = Breakfast

Hotel = TIMISOARA Or Similar

WED. Timisoara- Belgrade.-

We set off for SERBIA and cross the border. After a few hours travelling we will arrive in BELGRADE. Here you can enjoy a city tour of this active capital on the shores of the Danube as it flows into the Sava. We get the chance to admire its busy center, its parliament, and stroll in the Kalemegdan Fortress. A visit to the Museum of Yugoslavia, where Tito´s Mausoleum is located, will also be included. Free time in the afternoon.

Meals = Breakfast

Hotel = NOBEL PALACE  Or Similar

THU. Belgrade - Sremska Mitrovica - Zvornik - Sarajevo -.-

We begin our beautiful stage traveling to the Voivodina region. We make a stop in SREMSKA MITROVICA, a city with a pleasant historic center on the banks of the Sava River that was one of the most important in the Roman Empire, the capital of the province of Pannonia. We include the admission to the grounds of the Imperial Palace of Sirmium, which illustrates us that period. Afterwards we continue towards Bosnia. We will make a stop in the city of ZVORNIK, one of the oldest cities in Bosnia, crossed by a river that forms the border with Serbia and make us sadly remember the Bosnian war. Its population since then has changed a lot since the majority of it, Muslim, was expelled while Serbian refugees from other regions settled. We are near the village of Srebrenica, known for the massacre. Time for lunch and a walk. We continue our route between beautiful landscapes to SARAJEVO. Arrival in the evening and time in the historic center during which you can stroll through the charming bazaar, an old Ottoman market famous for its architecture, oriental atmosphere and traditional shops. Dinner included.

Meals = Breakfast and Dinner

FRI. Sarajevo- Mostar- Dubrovnik Cavtat.-

In the morning we will have a sightseeing tour with a local guide in SARAJEVO, a fascinating city known as ¨Jerusalem of Europe¨ due to the coexistence of several religions. Mosques, churches and synagogues reflect religious diversity. We will observe the great Ottoman influence in its old town, with its great mosque of more than 500 years old and its beautiful fountain. After the visit we continue our route in an area of pure beauty. MOSTAR with its wonderful historic center and its stone bridge that separates the Orthodox, Muslim and Catholic communities. Time for lunch and stroll through the city. We continue to Croatia. Border procedures (can be long). DUBROVNIK, arrival at the end of the day. Dinner included.

Meals = Breakfast and Dinner

Hotel =  LERO, DUBROVNIK PALACE, VALAMAR LACROMA  Or Similar

SAT. Dubrovnik Cavtat .-

In the morning we enjoy a city tour of DUBROVNIK with a local guide. We are undoubtedly in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, surrounded by walls, bathed by the Adriatic Sea; its intact historic center is a jewel of world architectural heritage. The tour includes tickets to the Franciscan Monastery with the oldest pharmacy in Europe, and the Cathedral. We also include a boat trip to LOKRUM, a small island 15 minutes by boat from Dubrovnik and home to the ruins of a Benedictine monastery of the eleventh century, popular setting of the series ¨Game of Thrones¨. You can then enjoy free time, returning to the hotel at the end of the afternoon. Dinner included. 

Note: in some departures, accommodation may be in Cavtat, a coastal town near the city of Dubrovnik.

Note: in the winter months, from November to March, there is no boat service to Lokrum and therefore we cannot visit the island.

Meals = Breakfast and Dinner

Hotel =  LERO, DUBROVNIK PALACE, VALAMAR LACROMA  Or Similar