YUGOSLAVIA SHORT TOUR

Arrival to Belgrade airport by scheduled airline flight and gathering off the passengers. After checking in to the selected 4* category hotel, a sightseeing tour of Belgrade is planned. We start at the Nikola Tesla museum, the greatest Serbian scientist. It is not an overstatement to claim Tesla is one of the greatest scientists the world has ever seen. There’s a one hour presentation of some of Tesla’s greatest inventions for the visitors. Afterwards, we depart for the museum complex ,,25th of May’’. This is the place where Josip Broz Tito is buried. Tito was the creator and the leader of communist Yugoslavia. He was credited with making this, now defunct, country quite powerful and for being one of the more liberal communist dictators in history. After the visit to Tito’s museum we drive down the Knez Miloš (Prince MIloš) street, through the wealthier part of the capital from the XIX century. There are a lot of old houses from that historic period, which are a bit run down but still have an aristocratic air about them. On this street we will come across two buildings that were destroyed during the NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999. After this we move on to the most beautiful buildings that are also the symbols of the state capital and Serbia itself. Temple of Saint Sava, Students cultural center, House of Parliament, Moskva hotel, Palace of Albania. On arrival to the Republic square we continue our tour on foot. A walk through Knez Mihailova street, the heart of Belgrade takes us to Kalemegdan. A medieval fortress Belgrade is world known for which is the place of the famous vista from which visitors enjoy spectacular view of the confluence of the two great rivers, Sava and Danube. Our next activity takes us to exactly those two great rivers, where we descend from the city for boat cruise after the visit to the Belgrade fortress. We will set sail to Ada Medjica, a river island unique to Belgrade, and make a stop for lunch at one of the many lovely river restaurants. After lunch we leave, by bus, to one of the most beautiful and oldest parts of the city, Zemun. After a visit to the Millennium tower and Gardoš hill, which dominate this landscape, we walk down of the oldest Belgrade streets to the river bank of Danube, the longest European river, where, after having free time, we conclude this days exciting activities. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, an hour and a half drive to Novi Sad. Upon arrival to Novi Sad a 45 minute sightseeing tour is in order. Tour will include visiting the Danube park, the Danube street (the oldest street of the city), building of the Patriarchate, one of the oldest cultural institutions, Matica srpska, Zmaj Jova street, the Freedom square. After the sightseeing of Novi Sad, the road takes us to Sremski Karlovci, one of the places that are considered to be historically important for the development of the modern Serbia state. The visit to this picturesque town will include seeing the first Gymnasium in Serbia, Patriarchate building, one of the oldest pharmacies in Serbia, one of the most expensive hotels in the region, as well as the ,,Chapel of peace’’(a place where the round table was used for the first time in the history of world diplomacy). After this we continue towards Belgrade. A stop for lunch is planned on the way to a place called ,,Stojšić salaš’’, an example of a typical northern Serbian ethnic home. After lunch we will have the chance to visit the vineyard and winery ,,Milanović’’, one of the more famous ones in this part of the country, widely famous for it’s great wines. In the evening, we arrive back to Belgrade.

In the early morning hours, after breakfast at the hotel, we check out and depart for the western part of Serbia, world famous for its natural beauties and wealth of gastronomic tradition. The road leads through the Divčibare mountain dominated by beautiful natural landscapes, where we will make a short stop. The next point of our journey is highly interesting. It is a railroad shaped like a number 8 made in the XIX century. Taking a ride on this world famous railway will help us enjoy the beautiful nature of this mountainous region in a unique way. After this journey through nature and history we depart for neighboring state of Bosnia and the town of Višegrad on the Drina river. This is the place where the greatest Serbian writer Ivo Andrić grew up. There is a medieval stone bridge here on the river Drina, of which Andrić wrote a novel for which he was awarded the Nobel prize. A few hundred meters from this bridge there is a monument town of Andrićgrad, dedicated to this writer. On our way back we will visit the town of Mećavnik, also known as Drvengrad, the brain child of the famous Serbian film director Emir Kusturica. This unique place is consisted of traditional wooden houses from different parts of western Serbia. After visiting this fairy tale place we visit a national restaurant for lunch, a true feast and a gastronomic experience not to be missed when in this part of the country. After refreshing ourselves we ride towards the historic open air ethnic village museum of Sirogojno, famous for its handmade sweaters and souvenirs. After this we leave for the touristic center of Zlatibor mountain where we check in to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in a hotel of 4* category.

After breakfast and checking out of the hotel we depart for Montenegro, the smallest state of former Yugoslavia. By entering this state one immediately understands why this country is the owner of slogan “wide beauty”. It is the home of five national parks. Our first stop is the Crno Jezero (the Black Lake), part of the mountain national park Durmitor, also known as the ,,Eyes of the mountain’’. After this we travel on to Biogradska gora national park, the home of the only surviving rainforest of Europe. Next stop is one of the oldest orthodox monasteries of Montenegro, medieval monastery of Morača. Afterwards we depart to a national restaurant for lunch in a beautiful natural setting, and after that we arrive to state capital Podgorica in the evening where we check in to the hotel and spend the night after having dinner.

After breakfast we depart for Cetinje, the old state capital of Montenegro, a town with rich ,,aroma’’ of history is in the atmosphere. We will visit an interesting royal palace called ,,Biljarda’’ (pool hall), built in the shape of a pool table. This is not at all strange once we learn the fact that the first pool table was brought to Balkan Peninsula by the Montenegrin ruler who built this palace. The man who created this palace, Petar II Petrović Njegoš, a monarch and at the same time a member of the clergy, is also recognized as the first modern philosopher of the entire Balkans. After visiting Cetinje we will also stop by the Njegoš mausoleum and the village of Njeguši, the birth place of all the Montenegrin rulers. Upon passing through the village of Njeguši we come by a worldly unique site, a vista of unparalleled beauty. From this highpoint we can indulge in the view of the town of Kotor and the Boka Kotorska bay, which is, officially, known as one of the five most beautiful sea bays in the whole world. A truly breathtaking and unique experience. After a ,,mandatory’’ photo break, we begin our descend towards Kotor town by way of a winding road with its 27 curves, which was projected in the XIX century. Upon arrival to Kotor, whose harbor hosts over 500 large cruise ships in a year, we will have free time to enjoy the historic town and shop for souvenirs. After leaving Kotor and driving along the sea up on the Boka Kotorska bay we arrive to the next stop, a vivid, historic town of Perast. Perast was known through the centuries as being a home for some of the best and the wealthiest seamen of this part of the world. The wonderful ambience of this town, that was ,,frozen in time’’, will be a perfect setting for our lunch in one of the traditional restaurants that are serving sea food specialties. After lunch we continue onwards to Herceg Novi, the biggest town, and the educational center of the Boka Kotorska bay. Checking into a 4* hotel, dinner and overnight in Herceg Novi.

After having breakfast at the hotel we will take a short walking tour of old town and the medieval fortress of Herceg Novi. The road further leads us to the neighboring state of Croatia, once also a part of Socialistic Republic of Yugoslavia. We move on to Dubrovnik, the most important and well preserved city of such character of the entire Adriatic region. Dubrovnik, which had a status of a sovereign city-state for long time, has a history so rich that rarely any place in the world can boast. Once a wealthy maritime city-state and a powerful trading center, today Dubrovnik is a world famous tourist destination. The houses and the buildings that wealthy traders and aristocrats built through the centuries attract numerous visitors to this unique point of world heritage. After a walk through the city we will ascend by a cable car to a vista that provides an unforgettable view of this city of amazing beauty. After this we continue onward the beautiful Adriatic island of Korčula, where we shall visit the uniquely shaped medieval town in which we will visit the home of the famed explorer Marco Polo. In the evening we check into a 4* hotel, have dinner and overnight.

After breakfast and our, surely, wonderful time spent on the island of Korčula, we depart for Split, the second largest city of the state of Croatia, as well as the center of the Dalmatian region of the Adriatic. Upon arrival to Split, we begin our sightseeing tour on the Marjan hill which is the point from which we can enjoy a stunning view of the city below. After a photo break we descend to Split and visit places of interest. Our itinerary will include the remains of the magnificent palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian, the central city square Peristil, house of the National theatre and the Prokuratio square. Afterwards we cross a short distance to the historic town of Trogir, an old Venetian settlement which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Practically this whole town is a one big museum. Here, we will enjoy lunch and the famous fish specialties of the Adriatic culinary tradition. After departing from Trogir, the road takes us to the city of Zadar. When we arrive to this seaside town we will enjoy a brief tour of its old town and its most prominent points of interest ( The ,,Land’’ city gates, Kalelagra, People’s square, The Arsenal…). In the evening we check into a 4* hotel where we spend the night after dinner.

On this day we will have a chance to sleep in a while longer, and after a good night’s sleep, well rested we move onwards to Zagreb, the state capital of Croatia. Half way to Zagreb we arrive to a truly special place of stunning natural wealth and beauty. It is the national park Plitvice (Plitvice lakes). The tour of this magnificent place will take at least several hours, because it is not possible to see all of the 16 lakes, that are connected, the source of the river Korana, the cave called Šupljara and the ancient forest Čorkova uvala in a short period of time. But the time spent here will be well worth it and will surely become one of the most treasured memories of this unforgettable trip altogether. After a visit to this vivid natural phenomenon, we move on to Zagreb, with a visit to a national restaurant for lunch, on the way. In the evening we arrive to Zagreb where we check into a 4* hotel, enjoy our dinner and spend the night.

After breakfast and checking out of the hotel we will place our luggage into the bus and leave for a tour of Zagreb. From the Ban Jelačić square we start our tour of the famous ,,green horseshoe’’, a complex of seven connected city squares with a botanical garden in its middle, a feat because of which Zagreb is often compared to the Austrian capital, Vienna. After an hour long guided tour of the city we will enjoy a lunch and free time for shopping. In the early evening hours we should depart for Belgrade, so that we could arrive to the airport in time for the flight. Arrival to the airport is planned at least 2 hours before the scheduled flight time. Checking in for the flight and departure conclude our wonderful time together, from which, most certainly, everyone will take away only the fondest of memories.