Balkan Dream by Bus (6 Nights - All Sightseeing & Optional Tours Included) Departure from Izmir

Balkan Dream by Bus
(Including All Sightseeing, Optional Tours, Dinners, and Balkan Night)

(8 Days 7 Nights, 6 Nights Accommodation)

9 Countries – 5 Capitals – 24 Cities

Greece – North Macedonia – Kosovo – Albania – Montenegro – Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Serbia - Bulgaria

Kavala – Thessaloniki - Bitola – Resen - Ohrid (1) - Kichevo – Tetovo - SKOPJE (1) – PRISTINA – Prizren – Lezhe - Shkoder (1) – Petrovac - Budva – Kotor – Herceg Novi – Dubrovnik – Medjugorje (1) – Mostar – Jablanica - Konjic - SARAJEVO (1) – BELGRADE (1)

MATKA CANYON INCLUDED   DUBROVNIK TOUR INCLUDED 5 DINNERS INCLUDED
MACEDONIAN NIGHT TOUR WITH MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT INCLUDED BOSNIAN MEATBALL DELICACY   POCITELJ VILLAGE INCLUDED KRAVICA WATERFALL INCLUDED

Departure Dates

January 16 – January 23 & March 13 – March 18 – March 20 & April 24 – April 30 & May 15 – May 22 – May 23 & June 12 – June 26 & July 10 – July 24 & August 7  – August 21 & September 4 – September 18 & October 16 & November 6 – November 13

We begin our tour by picking you up, our valued guests, from our departure points: Üçkuyular at 15:00, Üçyol at 15:30, Lausanne Square at 16:00, Karşıyaka Monument at 16:30, Bornova Ege University Emergency Front at 17:00, Manisa Bus Station at 18:00, Balıkesir Bus Station at 20:00, Bursa in front of the Old Stadium at 22:00. We arrive at the Ipsala border gate via Gelibolu. After completing our passport and customs procedures here, we continue our journey with an overnight ride.

After breakfast taken at leisure in Kavala, we taste the famous Kavala cookies and continue our journey towards Thessaloniki. After visiting the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in Thessaloniki, we leave and continue our journey towards the Greece-Macedonia border. Following passport and customs procedures, we arrive at the city of Bitola (Monastir), which also houses the military high school where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk studied. During our tour here, the military high school which today hosts the Atatürk Memorial Room and also serves as the city's archaeology museum, Shirok Sokak, the new mosque, and Eleni Karinte's balcony are just some of the places we will see. During the free time we will give after our tour here, you can have lunch at the restaurants located on Shirok Sokak. Departing at the meeting time given by our guide, we continue our journey towards Ohrid. Upon our arrival in Ohrid, we start our walking tour. During our tour in this beautiful city built on the shores of Lake Ohrid, famous for its pearls and being like a pearl itself, Ohrid houses, the Church of Sofia, the Damat Ali Pasha Mosque, the Halveti Tekke and Mosque, and the Turkish quarter will be some of the places we will see. After exploring Ohrid on foot, we have free time for shopping and leisure. We recommend drinking a cup of Turkish tea or Turkish coffee in the Turkish quarter. Following our tour, we depart for our hotel at the specified place and time. Dinner and overnight stay at our hotel.

Breakfast: Will be purchased as an extra on the way. Soup, breakfast plate, pastry, brewed tea alternatives can be evaluated (Not included in the tour price).
Lunch: Will be taken during free time in the city of Bitola (Monastir) (Not included in the tour price) Dinner: Will be served as an open buffet or set menu at the hotel (Included in the tour price)
Currencies: € (Euro) in Greece, Dinar in Macedonia (1€ = 61 Dinars)
Route: Istanbul-Kavala (444 km), Kavala - Bitola (370 km), Bitola – Ohrid (70 km)
Approximate Distance to be Traveled: 890 km
Hotel Check-in Time: Estimated: 20:30 depending on customs crossing time

After breakfast at the hotel in the morning, we complete our check-out procedures and leave our hotel with our luggage. After a short and delicious break we will give in Straza along the route, we depart for Tetovo, one of the important cities of Macedonia with an entirely Albanian population. Upon our arrival, we visit the Painted Mosque (Alaca Camii), which has perhaps the most colorful visuals you can ever see. During our visit, we drink ice-cold mountain water from the fountain in the courtyard of the mosque and continue our journey towards Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. Upon our arrival in Skopje, we set out to explore the streets of this city that embraces East and West. While wandering around the surviving part of the largest bazaar built outside the capital in Ottoman history, Kapan Han, Sulu Han, Çifte Hamam, Murat Pasha Mosque, Sultan Murat Mosque, clock tower, stone bridge, Skopje Fortress, statue groups built within the scope of the 2019 European Capital of Culture, Macedonian Square, Vardar River, and the Alexander the Great statue are just some of the places we will see in this magnificent city. If you are lucky and they haven't sold out early in the morning that day, you should eat the famous acıbadem, if it's the season, you must drink a cold boravitsa, and taste kikiriki. Following our tour, transfer to our hotel. We depart from the hotel for our dinner, musical, and entertaining Macedonian Night tour to be held in the evening. After enjoying both the dinner and thoroughly having fun with Rumelian, Balkan, and Macedonian melodies, transfer to our hotel and overnight stay.

Breakfast: Will be served as an open buffet at the hotel where we will stay (Included in the tour price)
Lunch: Free time in the Skopje Bazaar (Not included in the tour price).
Dinner: Macedonian Night Tour. (Included in the tour price)
Currency: Macedonian Dinar (1€ = 61 Dinars)
Route: Ohrid – Skopje (170 km),
Approximate Distance to be Traveled: 200 km
Hotel Check-in Time: Estimated: 18:00

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and leave the hotel with our luggage. First, our guide takes us to the Matka Canyon, included in our tour program, to take a pleasant walk in nature and store up oxygen. After a pleasant walk here, we set off and reach the North Macedonia-Kosovo border. After passport and customs procedures, we arrive in Kosovo, the second newest country in the world and the newest in Europe. First, we arrive in Prizren, which carries many traces of the Ottoman Empire and will make you feel like you are in an Anatolian town. During our walking tour here, the Sinan Pasha Mosque, the minaret of the Arasta Mosque, the Ottoman bath, the stone bridge, the Turkish consulate, and the fortress are just some of the things we will see. During our free time here, we definitely recommend you to taste the delicious dishes of the region. After completing our Prizren tour, we go to visit the tomb built at the spot where the tent of Murad Hüdavendigar, one of the important sultans of Ottoman history, was pitched during his campaign, and where his internal organs were embalmed and buried after his death in battle. After our visit to the tomb, we see Pristina on the way with a panoramic tour, complete our visits in Kosovo, and set off towards the city of Shkodër in Albania for overnight stay. Upon arrival, hotel check-in, dinner, and overnight stay at our hotel.

Breakfast: Will be served as an open buffet at the hotel we will stay at (Included in the tour price)
Lunch: Free time in the Pristina Bazaar (Not included in the tour price).
Dinner: Will be served as an open buffet or set menu at the hotel (Included in the tour price)
Currencies: Macedonian Denar (1€ = 61 Denars), € (Euro) in Kosovo, Albanian Lek (1€ = 124 Lek)
Route: Skopje – Pristina (95 km), Pristina – Prizren ( 86 km), Prizren – Shkodër (187 km)
Approximate Distance to be Covered: 390 km
Hotel Check-in Time: Estimated: 19:30

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and leave our hotel with our luggage. After completing our passport and customs procedures at the Albania-Montenegro border, we continue via Podgorica, Sutomore, and Petrovac, viewing the island of Sveti Stefan, which was bought by a Singaporean multi-billionaire, panoramically, and then proceed by seeing the city of Budva, famous for its beaches, panoramically from our vehicle. Right after Budva, which is one of the ideal centers abroad for a seaside holiday, we arrive in Kotor, one of the important medieval places that has survived to the present day. When you see the city of Kotor, which has defied centuries in the depths of the bay and on the mountainside as one of the touristic centers of Montenegro, both your mind and heart will stay here. Upon arrival, during our walking city tour, the mansions of the families that were very important for Kotor, Saint Tryphon Church, the Orthodox church, squares, and beautiful stories are just some of what we will see and hear. During our free time in this city, if the season and weather permit, you can climb the stairs to the chapel at the very top of the city walls and take magnificent landscape photos from here, follow the scents in the narrow streets of the city to taste different and wonderful dishes, sip your drink in one of the squares, and visit the Cat Museum, one of the most interesting museums in the city. Don't forget to ask your guide where that magnificent cake is in this city; it's our recommendation to all sweet lovers. After free time, we leave Kotor, first crossing from Montenegro to Croatia, and arrive in Dubrovnik, one of the most popular holiday centers of recent years, which was also used as a shooting set for the popular TV series Game of Thrones, and which is also a very important settlement historically in terms of its relations with the Ottoman Empire. During our walking tour inside the fortress, the Pile Gate, Ploče Gate, Onofrio's Fountain, the world's first pharmacy, Franciscan Monastery, Orlando's Column, Sponza Palace, and Rector's Palace are some of the places we will see. After our pleasant tour in this city smelling of history, during our free time, we can explore the back streets of the city, shop in the stores, taste seafood, or drink a pleasant coffee while watching the sea or the medieval streets. After free time, we gather at the time and place specified by our guide, leave Dubrovnik, first cross into Bosnia and Herzegovina, and transfer to our hotel. Dinner and overnight stay at our hotel. (Depending on regional occupancy, accommodation will be in Medjugorje or Trebinje.)

Breakfast: Will be served as an open buffet at the hotel we will stay at (Included in the tour price)
Lunch: Free time in Kotor (Not included in the tour price).
Dinner: Will be served as an open buffet or set menu at the hotel (Included in the tour price)
Currencies: Albanian Lek (1€ = 124 Lek), € in Montenegro, Croatian Kuna (1€ = 7.6 Kuna)
Route: Shkodër – Kotor (110 km), Kotor – Dubrovnik ( 93 km), Dubrovnik – Trebinje (35 km)
Approximate Distance to be Covered: 260 km
Hotel Check-in Time: Estimated: 20:30

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and leave the hotel with our luggage. First, we go to the Kravica Waterfalls, a wonder of nature included in our tour program. After our free time here, we reach Počitelj, a garrison village left from the Ottoman Empire to the present day. After seeing the Ottoman houses, bath, mosque, and old cobblestone streets here, and sipping our Turkish tea and Bosnian coffee, we leave the village. Our next stop is Mostar, one of the most important cities of the region, famous for its bridge which was destroyed by the fire of Croatian artillery during the Bosnian War in our recent history, rebuilt with the contributions of the Republic of Turkey, and listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, which will take you to a completely different world with its narrow and authentic streets remaining from the Ottoman Empire. During our tour here, the Mostar Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque, Catholic Cathedral, Turkish Consulate, and the martyrs' cemetery are some of the things we will see. If we are on a lucky day, we can also see the young men who jump from the bridge for show purposes, a tradition with a long history. During the free time we will give after our tour, you can buy souvenirs unique to Mostar and take a nice food break. After free time, we meet with our vehicle at the time and place given by our guide and continue our journey towards Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Upon arrival, we begin to explore the city center on foot. During our walking tour, the Sebilj fountain which is the symbol of the city, Gazi Husrev-bey Madrasa, Gazi Husrev-bey Mosque, bezistan, clock tower, the diverse shops of the Baščaršija, Sacred Heart Cathedral, the Eternal Flame, Latin Bridge, and Fatih Mosque are just some of the things we will see. After our walking tour, you can drink Bosnian coffee in cafes unique to Bosnia, lose yourself with the magnificent Bosnian pastry (burek), or discover the city by getting lost in its European and Ottoman-era streets. After our tour, we eat ćevapi, the famous meatballs of Bosnia, for dinner in the city center. After dinner, transfer to our hotel by our vehicle. Overnight stay at our hotel.

Breakfast: Will be served as an open buffet at the hotel we will stay at (Included in the tour price)
Lunch: Free time in Mostar (Not included in the tour price).
Dinner: We will eat the famous Bosnian meatballs in Sarajevo Baščaršija. 8 pieces of Bosnian meatballs, salad, drink (Included in the tour price)
Currencies: Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark (1 € = 1.96 KM)
Route: Trebinje – Mostar (116 km), Mostar – Sarajevo ( 130 km)
Approximate Distance to be Covered: 290 km
Hotel Check-in Time: Estimated: 20:30

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and set off towards Belgrade with our luggage. With a pleasant journey continuing through the highlands and villages of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we cross the border gate located on the Drina River, which we are familiar with from books, and enter another country included in our program. After the winding roads of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we reach Belgrade by watching wide plains, villages, and magnificent views that are the exact opposite of what we saw before. Upon our arrival, during our walking tour, Knez Mihajlova Street, Kalemegdan, Monument of Gratitude to France, Stambol Gate, Tomb of Damad Ali Pasha, panoramic viewpoint, Victor Monument, Zindan Gate, Leopold Gate, clock tower, and city walls are just some of the things we will see. After our walking tour, you can stroll through the bustling streets of Belgrade, taste different ice cream flavors at the ice cream shop recommended by your guide, or drink a pleasant coffee while watching the surroundings and the city. After our tour, transfer to our hotel by our vehicle. Dinner and overnight stay at our hotel.

Breakfast: Will be served as an open buffet at the hotel we will stay at (Included in the tour price)
Lunch: We can have optional choices of lamb tandoori, fish, meatballs, or soup at Luna Hotel&Restaurant in the city of Zvornik (Not included in the tour price).
Dinner: Will be served as an open buffet or set menu at the hotel (Included in the tour price)
Currencies: Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark (1 € = 1.96 KM), Serbian Dinar (1€ = 118 Dinars)
Route: Sarajevo – Belgrade ( 294 km)
Approximate Distance to be Covered: 320 km
Hotel Check-in Time: Estimated: 20:30

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and set off towards Sofia with our luggage. Upon our arrival in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, we start our panoramic city tour. During this tour, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is the second-largest Orthodox cathedral in the Balkans, Russian Church, St. Sophia Church, Church of St George (Rotunda), Archaeological Museum, Presidency, Prime Ministry, and Banya Bashi Mosque are some of the places we will see. After the free time we will give following the panoramic tour, we leave Sofia and continue our way towards the border gate. After arriving at Kapıkule border gate and completing the passport and customs procedures here, we return to Istanbul following the highway. Upon our arrival in Izmir, we drop off our esteemed guests at the points where we picked them up and bid you farewell with the wish to see you again on our next tour.

Breakfast: Will be served as an open buffet at the hotel we will stay at (Included in the tour price)
Lunch: Free time in Sofia (Not included in the tour price).
Dinner: Will be served at a highway facility within the borders of Turkey (Not included in the tour price).
Currency: Euro