BALKANS EXPLORER

Day 1 – Welcome to the Balkans!

Welcome to Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia! You’re about to kick off an otherworldly, surreal adventure, snaking your way north through seven countries to explore this little corner of southeast Europe. This is the place for curious travellers, where East meets West, and past meets present. 

A friendly face will pick you up from the airport and get you to your hotel. After settling in and freshening up, join your trip leader and the buzz of your fellow Explorers to dip your toes in the trip, walking the city with a local guide. Get a taste of tea houses and textile stalls in the Old Bazaar, where trade has been going on for half a millennium, stare at ancient streets and cross a stone bridge that may look familiar – it’s such a symbol for the town that it’s featured on their flag. What a way to start your adventure!

Accommodation: Solun Hotel (or similar), Skopje – North Macedonia
Included: Dinner

Day 2 – Explore Matka Canyon

It’s an early start today, and so worth it. Bring an extra sweater for any potential chill, then arrive at Matka Canyon just as the mist lifts off the water. A small boat awaits the Explorer crew, and you’ll drift gently through the gorge, waking up properly to the wow-ness of steep limestone cliffs, hints of deep underwater caves and the chance to see cormorants nesting on the rocks. There’s no rush here, so soak it all in. 

Arrive in Ohrid just in time for lunch at a spot that feels like a portal to the city, with local dishes and views of the ancient cobblestone streets you’re about to explore. The afternoon is full of surprising discoveries, like travelling back in time at the Museum of Paper and piecing together the puzzle of how early Christianity, Byzantine art and Slavic culture all came together here in one of Europe’s oldest cities – all with the help of your local guide, of course! 

Accommodation: Hotel Aleksandrija (or similar), Ohrid – North Macedonia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 3 –  Life on Lake Ohrid

Lake Ohrid is one of Europe’s oldest lakes (are you sensing a theme with what North Macedonia has to offer?), as well as one of its deepest, and today you’ll get your fingers pruny with all it has to offer. Board a catamaran in the morning to weave across the see-through-it water and reach hidden nooks only a smaller boat could uncover. Think secluded monasteries, grab-your-camera mountains, and the alluringly mysterious Bay of Bones, all in the intimate atmosphere of the catamaran, far from the noise of a touristy excursion ship. Add a surprise lunch stop to that? Yes, please! 

Accommodation: Hotel Aleksandrija (or similar), Ohrid – North Macedonia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4 – Cross the border to Kosovo

Today, you cross your first Balkan border as you roll into Kosovo. Even though it’s a day mostly on the road, you’ll have plenty of chances to marvel. Spend the 5.5-hour drive to Prizren, glueing your camera to the window for the panoramic show and getting to know your fellow Explorers better. You’ll stretch your legs for lunch at a mountaintop restaurant that will have you conflicted about whether to chew your (delicious, homemade) food or let your jaw drop at the view. 

Once you cross the border and reach Prizren, your only to-do may be most welcome for restless feet and curious minds alike: a stroll through Prizren’s Ottoman old town. This is a perfectly-sized neighbourhood that makes walking easy. You can get lost on little side streets, found again on open town squares, note the contrast between old and new in shop windows, and everywhere you look up there’s a minaret or mosque claiming the skies. There’ll be much to chat about over dinner! 

Accommodation: Hotel Triumph (or similar), Prizren – Kosovo
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 5 – UNESCO Heritage monasteries x2

Today you’ll experience the overlap of several Balkan cultures. First up, two UNESCO World Heritage site monasteries. In Visoki Dečani Monastery, the largest medieval church in the Balkans, you’ll crane your neck to see over 1000 preserved original frescoes and stone carvings, while also getting a feel for Serbian history’s place on the ancient world stage – as well as its complicated status today. 

At stop two, the Patriarchate of Peć immediately demands your attention with its grandeur, set in the equally bold Rugova mountains. But it’s the little details on your visit that may mean the most: stepping around ruins that whisper of its 13th-century founding, walking respectfully past the nuns who still live and work here and fighting the urge to photograph recently uncovered frescoes.  

After soaking up so much history, it’s time for Peja, a largely Albanian town in Kosovo. A local guide will take you on a walk to provide a lively escape from the morning’s weighty insights before dinner with the crew.

Accommodation: Seraphine Plaza (or similar), Peja – Kosovo
Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 6 – Decompress in Mokra Gora

It’s been a few intense days. Are you ready for a break? We’ve got you covered – you’ll spend today travelling to Serbia and resting up. 

Take a slow morning and linger over breakfast before hitting the road. It’s a five-hour drive or so to your endpoint in Mokra Gora, but the road lulls you to peace with rolling mountain landscapes and quiet greenery. Settle in next to your travel companion and chat about your favourite moments so far, and before you know it, it’ll be time for lunch! 

Once you arrive in Mokra Gora, it’s more relaxing ahead, as you indulge in the hotel’s Finnish sauna, Turkish hammam or Russian bath – or simply stroll around the neighbourhood. Psst! The hotel’s veranda holds a special treat, too: after dinner, step outside to uncover one of Mokra Gora’s humble gifts.

Accommodation: Hotel Iver (or similar), Mokra Gora – Serbia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 7 – Fairy Tale Trains in Tara National Park

Today, it might be hard for you to choose between the nonstop clicks of your camera shutter or just putting it away and letting your eyes stretch out of their sockets for the views ahead. Because waiting for you at the train station is a vintage, wood-panelled train, ready to take you into the mountains of Tara National Park. Mountain views? Check. Click-clacking through long tunnels and across bridges? Check. Stopping off in little mountain villages to take it all in? Check! We don’t use the word magical often, but this one might just earn the title. 

The afternoon is yours for the taking. Maybe you’ll want to venture into nature or chill at the hotel. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, follow your guide on a walk to spy eagles and falcons. The owner of the hotel is passionate about birds of prey and is involved in a local breeding programme, so you might just see one swoop in for a landing. Cap it all off with traditional Serbian food and music at dinner, and that’s what we call a day!

Accommodation: Hotel Iver (or similar), Mokra Gora – Serbia
Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 8 – Discover Belgrade

After the peace and quiet of the mountains, you may feel ready for the energy of a big city, and Belgrade has that energy in abundance! You’ll arrive there by early afternoon and immediately start exploring. 

First, contrast your mountain train ride yesterday with a politically important alternative, as you visit former Yugoslav president Tito’s infamous “Blue Train”. Step on board what is now a museum to see his private office, and imagine world leaders meeting around his conference table during the Cold War in the meeting room car. Then, meet Belgrade of today with your local guide, walk around the city seeing Belgrade’s best sides – and you’ll soon find there are many!

Accommodation: Mercure Excelsior (or similar), Belgrade – Serbia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 9 – Belgrade your way

You’re well into your second week of this trip now, and probably warmed up to the Balkan flow of things. Belgrade beckons with its hospitality, culture, history and fun – and today you get to choose your own adventure to get to know it. 

It’s a fully unscheduled day and completely up to you if you want to visit the Nikola Tesla museum, explore the Fortress, linger in the bohemian Skadarlija neighbourhood or simply let your nose guide you to possibly the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had. Need a restaurant rec? You know your guide has you covered!

Accommodation: Mercure Excelsior (or similar), Belgrade – Serbia
Included: Breakfast

Day 10 – Banja Koviljača ethno village

As you’ve no doubt seen by now, hospitality and family (and great coffee!) are at the root of Serbian culture, and you’re about to get the best of it in combination with a restoring connection to nature. Head to a family-owned ethno-village in Banja Koviljača, where you’ll start by sitting down by the riverside for a picnic lunch of local flavours. Once you’re full (you’re always full in the Balkans!), help digest the meal with a rakija tasting, learning to detect the fruity notes in the midst of its fiery kick. 

And don’t worry about overdoing it with the rakija, the rest of the day is easy-breezy. Take a dip in the river, stroll around the grounds or opt for a massage in the spa. As the sun sets behind the distant hills, you snuggle up to the dancing fire, lingering over conversation with fellow Explorers. Doesn’t it feel almost impossible to think these friends were strangers not long ago?

Accommodation: Sunčana Reka (or similar), Banja Koviljača – Serbia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 11 – Sarajevo sevdah

Your border-traversing continues today, as you weave your way southwest and cross into Bosnia and Herzegovina, saying hello to Sarajevo by lunchtime. Over flaky burek or Sarajevo’s own version of flavour-packed ćevapi, look around you to start to understand why this religion-layered town is called the Jerusalem of Europe. 

If you went in too enthusiastically on the meat of a Bosnian lunch menu, you’ll be happy to know the afternoon is light on effort. As you approach the House of Sevdah on one of the old town’s narrow streets, you may start to hear melancholy tunes slowly escape a white building. You’re hearing sevdah, the emotionally charged folk music full of love and longing that is both integral to Bosniak culture and significant enough to be inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Let the exhibits and live performances carry you into other realms for the afternoon, and maybe inspire your free wanderings of an open evening, too.

Accommodation: Courtyard Marriott (or similar), Sarajevo – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 12 – All day Sarajevo

Sarajevo is a real treat for foodies and history lovers alike, but it’s a place whose joys have been hard-won. Today, you’ll understand these complex experiences with the help of those who live here. 

Start with a walk around Baščaršija, the historic centre you first encountered yesterday, full of new insights from your local guide. Try not to get distracted by the delicious scents of mućkalica meat stew or apples in sweet syrup (or do, actually, it’s lunchtime!). 

A visit to the ‘Tunnel of Hope’ may be more sombre, but no less enriching, as you walk down the narrow tunnel that was Sarajevo’s only link to the outside world for 1,425 days during the siege. 

You may need a palate cleanser after this visit, and meeting local cook Mersija will hit the spot! Roll up your sleeves to learn how to make all those traditional dishes you’ve been smelling in the streets. It’s fun, delicious and a great reminder that people are more than the wars they’ve seen.

Accommodation: Courtyard Marriott (or similar), Sarajevo –Bosnia and Herzegovina
Included: Breakfast, Dinner

The melting pot that hasn’t melted

The Balkans are a crossroads of empires. For centuries, most of today’s Balkan countries were ruled by larger powers, like the Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, and Habsburgs, who all left lasting cultural and religious influences. These layers remain visible today: you can walk from an Ottoman bazaar to Austro-Hungarian boulevards in Sarajevo, or find Venetian, Habsburg, and Yugoslav influences within a single day’s journey, as you will experience on this trip. 

The Balkans’ more recent history is also still evident. Although the people of the region shared closely related languages and many cultural traditions, united by President Tito under the banner of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, economic crises and rising nationalism contributed to Yugoslavia’s violent breakup in the 1990s. While the Balkans today are generally peaceful, welcoming, and among Europe’s most rewarding places to visit, the wars left deep scars that are still within living memory. In the midst of all their hospitality and determination to feed you, many of the people you’ll meet lived through the conflicts or have family stories shaped by them.

Day 13 – Cold War and coffee

Halfway through the trip, your initial energy may be waning. But don’t worry, Mostar has the pick-me-up you need! You’ll hit the road early this morning to fit in a visit to Tito’s Bunker on the way, making your way into this Cold War secret that now carries a few artsy surprises. Upon arrival in Mostar, it’s time to find lunch – but your leader may have a delightful lunchtime challenge for you and your fellow Explorers, too! 

After checking into the hotel, head out into Mostar for a coffee-making demonstration. This isn’t just your quick flat white order-and-sip! Sneak into the small, old Cafe de Alma, where patient hosts will walk you through the process of making a perfect Bosnian cup and teach you where to put the sugar cube. Sit back, relax, and enjoy it slowly – anything else would be considered rude!

Accommodation: Hotel Almira (or similar), Mostar – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 14 – Kravice and Kotor

It’s a fair bit of driving today, but you’ll be well rewarded with pinch-yourself views along the way. First, Bosnia and Herzegovina gives you one last stunner: Kravice waterfall. Getting there early means getting to enjoy this dance of nature before the crowds show. Then you reach a new country – Montenegro – with a chance to rest up at the hotel before one big push to tonight’s adventure. 

You brace yourself at the bottom. Before you are 1,350 steps to the top, where Kotor Fortress sits like an ancient presence on the mountainside. Along the way, a medieval church and birds-eye views of Kotor below distract you from your efforts. And when you reach the top, wow! The Adriatic Sea glittering in the early evening sunlight? Your legs won’t remember a thing. (Ps. Want to sit this one out? Kotor’s Old Town has enough hidden squares and enticing cafes to keep you busy!)

Accommodation: Boutique Hotel Hippocampus, Splendido, Hotel PortoIn (or similar), Kotor – Montenegro
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 15 – Kotor to Dubrovnik

Did you finish yesterday, thinking you’d like another view of the Kotor bay? Good! You get another chance this morning – we won’t reveal how you’ll get to the mountaintop, but you’ll probably have to remind yourself to blink along the way. Once at the top, and once you’ve caught your breath, it’s top-of-the-world views and peaceful strolls in National Park Lovcen. You and the crew really are Magnificent Explorers today! 

Lunch along the way to Dubrovnik and Croatia is no exception, stopping in at a lakeside restaurant in Perast that feels more like a sweet Adriatic town, less everyone-knows-this tourist town. There’s time to explore before hitting the road and rolling into Dubrovnik, so all in all, it’s a day full of soaking up the sunshine and peace of the Adriatic. 

Accommodation: Valamar Lacroma Hotel or Valamar Argosy Hotel, Sumratin, King Richards Royal Residence (or similar), Dubrovnik – Croatia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 16 – Dubrovnik by day

You’ve probably heard of Dubrovnik before – and so have a lot of people. It’s definitely worth uncovering, but we’ve arranged an early start today so you’ll be able to enjoy it before the tourists. Follow your local guide on a walk around the city, enjoying the Old Town’s medieval architecture, slick stone streets and timeless atmosphere while it’s quiet. Follow the old wall, marvel at the Rector’s Palace, it’s hard not to fall in love with this town! You’ve got loads of free time during the day to keep exploring, but don’t go too far: by afternoon, you’ll have a choice of two activities that’ll really put a face to your Dubrovnik experience!

Accommodation: Valamar Lacroma Hotel or Valamar Argosy Hotel, Sumratin, King Richards Royal Residence (or similar), Dubrovnik – Croatia
Included: Breakfast

Day 17 – Mljet Island

After a few days of popular destinations, doesn’t an island getaway sound nice? Ditch the crowds, hop on a catamaran, and jet to the slow-paced, dreamy island of Mljet and its national park. Picture it now: hopping on an e-bike to discover 360-degree panoramas across the Adriatic, cooling off in warm saltwater lakes, sitting back and letting lunch take just as long as you want while the peaceful atmosphere of this island sinks into you. And the colour of the water? It really is that turquoise.

Accommodation: Valamar Lacroma Hotel or Valamar Argosy Hotel, Sumratin, King Richards Royal Residence (or similar), Dubrovnik – Croatia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 18 – Omiš to Split

Some say heaven is a place on Earth (Belinda Carlisle, mainly) – and a lot of people agree that place is Split. Croatia’s second-largest city’s active connection between an ancient past and a living, breathing present is what’s most likely to enchant you. While it’s a bit of a drive to get there today, your lunch stop will have you forgetting you ever asked Are we there yet? It’s hard to prepare you for this leg-stretcher in the coastal town of Omiš, but just a heads-up… With karst mountains, cut through by the jewel-green Cetina River as it meets the Adriatic and an Old Town simply bubbling with atmosphere and narrow streets, your mouth will constantly be opening along with a ‘WOW’.

Have lunch, sneak in a walk with your local guide, and soak it all up. Before you know it, that last bit to Split will disappear in a nonstop chatter amongst your fellow Explorers about all that you’ve seen. 

Accommodation: Heritage Hotel Fermai (or similar), Split – Croatia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 19 – Split

Your first night was spent smack-bang in the midst of the ancient city – and today you are getting to know this gem from the inside out. Head out right after breakfast to see the city before the crowds, as always, well taken care of by your local guide who knows the city’s secrets. Get familiar with Diocletian’s Palace. Originally the home of a Roman emperor, this UNESCO-listed palace is no ruin to stare at – it’s very much alive as the home of residents and full of shops and enticing restaurants. You have plenty of free time to give into its allure, stroll along the palm-lined riva or observe the locals enjoying their hours-long coffee catch-ups with friends. 

Speaking of friends, as an Explorer, you know that the best way to meet a city is through its people. So head home to a local musician family for drinks, homemade Soparnik for dinner and the chance to understand what life is like outside the guidebook.

Accommodation: Heritage Hotel Fermai (or similar), Split – Croatia
Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 20 – Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia’s natural wonders knock your socks off at every turn – and today ends with another wow-worthy moment. First, however, you’ll meet with a local legend who not only empowers local women and helps refugees, she also spearheads an initiative to save the art of traditional handicrafts. Gentlemen of the group, you may not feel chilly today, but you’ll still want to pay extra close attention to her demonstration (you’ll find out why!). As you drop your bags at the hotel, you may feel a Soviet draft across your room, but as soon as you realise how close you are to the national park, that’s all you’ll be thinking about. You and the crew have time for an evening visit to the upper lakes. With one of our favourite local guides at your side and the evening light casting a golden glow across the cascading waterfalls and chessboard of serene lakes, it’s cameras out, for sure.

Accommodation: Hotel Jezero (or similar), Plitvice – Croatia
Included: Breakfast, Light snacks, and Dinner

Day 21 – Lakes, food and Zagreb

This morning is entirely yours to set your own pace. Whether that means sleeping in, lingering over breakfast, or heading back to the lakes for one last look—the choice is all yours. If you do decide to wander back in, those piercing turquoise waters are waiting, along with the quick flash of a rare bird before you hear something thundering around the bend… and there it is, Croatia’s largest waterfall, 78 metres of water tumbling toward the ground. Spectacular isn’t superlative enough! 

Scroll through the 1,000 amazing pictures you took over lunch in Slunj (until the food comes in and you can’t focus on anything besides the perfectly prepared dishes – we love this place). You roll into Zagreb with time to decompress, freshen up, and head back out, greeting the city with the help of a local guide. And trust us, this is one guide you won’t lose sight of!

Accommodation: Le Premier (or similar), Zagreb – Croatia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 22 – Wine tasting in Jastrebarsko

Today’s day trip out of Zagreb lets you set exploring aside for a day and indulge in the good things in life. We’re talking about wine. In Jastrebarsko, less than an hour outside town, practically every home has a wine cellar and makes their own wine. Sparkling wines rule this old wine region, and as you make your way down the Plešivica Wine Road, looking out across the billowing vine-dressed hills, you may feel your throat suddenly parched. No worries, lunch is accompanied by a wine tasting, of course! You’ll be back in Zagreb by late afternoon, with nothing to do but follow your own curiosity… or maybe sneak in a quick nap at the hotel, we won’t tell…

Accommodation:Le Premier (or similar), Zagreb – Croatia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 23 – Bled, Slovenia

If you’re feeling a bit tired today, or blue about your adventure drawing to an end, we’ve got what you need to revive the spirit: a morning stroll at the dreamy fairytale of Lake Bled. 

You cross into Slovenia in the late morning (that’s country #7!), and have time to stroll around Bled until your stomach starts rumbling. You know what to do – roll up your sleeves, go to the home of soon-to-be-friend Petra, and let her teach you how to make traditional Slovenian food to keep you full and your crew happy. The rest of the day is yours, and you may want to let your imagination run away with you. There’s the pilgrimage church stretching to the sky from its small island, there’s the towering castle precariously perched on a mountainside, there’s the snow-capped peaks of the Julian Alps in the background – it’s no wonder the Slovenians are master storytellers. 

Accommodation: Astoria Hotel (or similar), Bled – Slovenia
Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 24 – Ljubljana, Slovenia

While it’s sadly your last full day of the trip, you’re not letting it go to waste! Hit the rails with a morning train to Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital. Walk around the blissfully pedestrian-friendly city with your guide and try not to ask if you’ve actually stepped off somewhere in Austria. With its delicate architecture, storybook bridges, and busy-with-locals open-air market, you’ll continue to think that Slovenia was constructed out of fairy dust. 

And if this truly is the end of the road, we can’t let you go without going out on top – literally, too! Gather your newfound Explorer besties, squeeze into the funicular, and ride up to Ljubljana Castle for a farewell dinner that feels like fireworks. It’s swelling hearts as you gaze out over Ljubljana, toast the adventures you have and recall the memories you’ve made. Na zdravje!

Accommodation: City Hotel Ljubljana (or similar), Ljubljana – Slovenia
Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 25 – Farewell, friends!

It seems impossible now, but a whole 25 days of Balkan adventures lie behind you – and ahead is a lifetime of living off what you’ve seen. This morning, there’s nothing left to do but pack up the last of your souvenirs (including that Soparnik recipe?), make sure you share contact info with your new Explorer buds, and as Ljubljana disappears behind you on your private transfer to the airport, think, This was great… Where to next?

Included: Breakfast