Balkan Explorer - 16 days

Why you'll love this trip

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  Athens - The Acropolis anchors a rich introduction to Greece's capital, with an optional food tour through the city's markets and tavernas rounding out a first day that sets the tone for the journey ahead

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  Delphi - Once considered the centre of the ancient world, this hillside sanctuary delivers some of Greece's most evocative ruins, with the Sacred Way and Temple of Apollo still commanding the landscape above the Pleistos Valley

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  Meteora - Monasteries perched on sheer rock pillars hundreds of metres above the Thessalian plain, with St Stephen's — founded in 1400 — open to explore and an optional Greek evening in the foothills to follow

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  Ohrid - One of Europe's oldest continuously inhabited cities sits above its own lake in North Macedonia, its guided old town tour passing the clifftop Church of St John at Kaneo and layers of Byzantine and Ottoman history

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  Tirana - Albania's capital surprises with communist-era buildings painted in vivid colours and a walking tour that traces the city's overlapping Ottoman, Italian and Stalinist architectural legacy

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  Kotor - A UNESCO-listed medieval town enclosed by Venetian walls at the head of a Montenegrin bay, explored on a guided tour with the walled old town of Budva offering a scenic warm-up stop along the coast

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  Dubrovnik - Two days in Croatia's walled Adriatic city take in a locally-guided tour of the Franciscan Monastery and city walls, with a free afternoon and an optional boat excursion to the Blue Cave and surrounding islands

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  Mostar - The rebuilt Stari Most bridge arches over the Neretva River in a city where Ottoman minarets and Austro-Hungarian facades stand close enough to touch, with free time to explore before pressing on to Sarajevo

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  Sarajevo - A locally-guided tour of the Bosnian capital covers a city where the Ottoman bazaar district gives way to Austro-Hungarian boulevards within a few minutes' walk, reflecting centuries of layered empire

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  Split - Diocletian's Palace forms the living heart of this Croatian city, its Roman walls now enclosing cafés, apartments, and the Baroque facades of Fruit Square, all fronted by the Riva waterfront promenade

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  Plitvice Lakes - Croatia's most celebrated national park unfolds across a series of cascading turquoise lakes and waterfalls, explored on foot along wooden boardwalks through ancient forest

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  Ljubljana - Slovenia's compact capital rewards a guided walking tour through its riverside café quarter and castle hill, with an optional evening dedicated to Slovenian wine and cuisine

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  Budapest - Two days in Hungary's capital span a driving tour past the Parliament buildings and Castle District, optional visits to St Stephen's Basilica and Fisherman's Bastion, and a Danube dinner cruise as the city lights up at dusk

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  Novi Sad - A brief stop in Serbia's second city before Belgrade, its pedestrianised centre and hilltop Petrovaradin Fortress offering a gentler introduction to Serbian culture

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  Rila Monastery - Bulgaria's most revered monument sits deep in a forested mountain valley, its striped arches and vivid frescoed cloisters making it one of the most visually striking religious sites in the Balkans

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  Thessaloniki - Greece's second city opens up on an orientation tour of a historic centre that layers Byzantine churches, Roman ruins, and Ottoman-era markets into one of the country's most rewarding urban walks

Is this trip right for you?

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  There are some long travelling days on this trip, but it’s all part of the adventure and a great way to get to know your fellow travellers.

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  This trip requires a moderate level of fitness as it involves some walking and swimming, allowing you to really get among nature. Please bring sturdy, comfortable walking shoes, a swimsuit and comfortable clothing.

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  Multiple activities on this trip are subject to weather and water conditions and on occasion, may be cancelled for safety or operational reasons. In the case of cancellation, we will endeavour to find a suitable replacement activity.