Balkan Fairytale by Bus (7 Nights - All Sightseeing & Extra Tours Included - With Thessaloniki Accommodation Difference) Departing from Izmir

Balkan Fairytale by Bus
(Extra Tours, Dinners, Balkan Night & Greek Tavern Included)
(9 Days 8 Nights, 7 Nights Accommodation)
9 Countries – 5 Capitals – 25 Cities

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

Kavala – Thessaloniki (1) – Bitola – Resen - Ohrid (1) - Kicevo – Tetovo - Skopje (1) – Pristina – Prizren – Lezhë – Shkodra (1) – Petrovac – Budva – Kotor – Herceg Novi – Dubrovnik – Medjugorje (1) – Mostar – Jablanica – Konjic – Sarajevo (1) – Belgrade (1) – Sofia

Greek Tavern with Music & Dinner Included  Matka Canyon Included   
Dubrovnik Tour Included   5 Dinners Included  Bosnian Meatballs Experience   
Pocitelj Village Included  Kravica Waterfall Included  Balkan Night with Music & Dinner Included

Departure Dates
January 17 – January 24 & March 14 – March 18 – March 19 & April 11 – April 22 – April 30 & May 2 – May 9 – May 15 – May 22 – May 23 & June 20 & July 4 – July 18 & August 1 – August 15 – August 29 & September 12 – September 25 & October 9 – October 23 & November 7 – November 14

We pick up our valued guests from our departure points: Uc Kuyular 15:00, Uc Yol 15:30, Lausanne Square 16:00, Karsiyaka Monument 16:30, Bornova Ege University Emergency Front 17:00, Manisa Bus Terminal 18:00, Balikesir Bus Terminal 20:00, Bursa Old Stadium Front 22:00, and start our tour. We arrive at the Ipsala border gate via Gallipoli. Following passport and customs procedures here, we continue our journey with an overnight ride.

In the morning, we have breakfast independently on the road. Afterward, we proceed to Kavala, one of the important cities of Greece. Following a panoramic tour and photo stop here, we continue our way to Thessaloniki. Upon arrival in Thessaloniki, during our panoramic city tour, we first see the Church of Saint Demetrius, the largest church in Greece, followed by the house where the founder of the Republic of Turkey, the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was born and lived. Afterwards, Hagia Sophia Church, Bey Hamam, Hamza Bey Mosque, Bedesten, White Tower, Rotunda, and the International Fairgrounds are among the places we will see. Following our tour, during your free time, we recommend taking a walk along the famous Kordon Promenade with its cafes and shops, and exploring Aristotelous Square. After free time, before transferring to our hotel, we see the statue of Alexander the Great. Transfer to our hotel after the tour. In the evening, we depart from our hotel for the Greek Tavern Tour, included in the tour price. After enjoying our meal accompanied by Greek melodies and having a wonderful time, transfer back to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.

Breakfast: Available as an extra on the road. Soup, breakfast plate, pastries, freshly brewed tea options can be considered (Not included in the tour price).
Lunch: Free time in Thessaloniki. Seafood can be preferred in fish restaurants along the Kordon Promenade (Not included in the tour price).
Dinner: Greek Tavern (Included in the tour price).
Currency: € (Euro)
Route: Istanbul – Thessaloniki (590 km),
Approximate Distance to Cover: 590 km
Hotel Check-in Time: Estimated depending on customs clearance duration: 17:30

After breakfast at the hotel in the morning, we leave the hotel with our luggage and proceed towards the Greece–North Macedonia border. Following passport and customs procedures, we arrive in the city of Bitola, home to the military high school where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk completed his secondary education. During our tour here, the military high school containing the Atatürk Memorial Room (which also houses the city's archaeology museum), Shirok Street, New Mosque, and Eleni Karinte's balcony are just a few of the highlights we will see. Following our tour here, during free time, you can have lunch at restaurants located on Shirok Street. Departing at the meeting time specified by our guide, we continue towards Ohrid. Upon arrival in Ohrid, we begin our walking tour. During our tour in this beautiful city, established on the shore of Lake Ohrid and famous for its pearls—shining like a pearl itself—Ohrid houses, Hagia Sophia Church, Damat Ali Pasha Mosque, Halveti Tekke and Mosque, and the Turkish Quarter are among the places we will see. After exploring Ohrid on foot, free time is provided for shopping and leisure. We recommend having a cup of Turkish tea or Turkish coffee in the Turkish Quarter. After our tour, meeting at the designated location and time, we head to our hotel. Dinner and overnight stay at our hotel.
Breakfast: Open buffet at the hotel where we stay (Included in the tour price).
Lunch: During free time in Bitola (Not included in the tour price). 
Dinner: Open buffet or set menu at the hotel (Included in the tour price).
Currencies: € (Euro) in Greece, Denar in North Macedonia (1€ = 61 Denar)
Route:  Thessaloniki – Bitola (219 km), Bitola – Ohrid (70 km)
Approximate Distance to Cover: 289 km
Hotel Check-in Time: Estimated depending on customs clearance duration: 20:30

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and depart from our hotel with our luggage. Following a short and delicious break in Straza on our route, we set off for Tetovo, one of the important cities of Macedonia where the majority of the population is Albanian. Upon arrival, we visit the Painted Mosque, which perhaps has the most colorful visuals you will ever see. During our visit, we drink ice-cold mountain water from the fountain in the mosque courtyard and continue our journey towards Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. After arriving in Skopje, we set out to explore the streets of this city that embraces both East and West. While wandering through the part of the largest bazaar built outside the capital in Ottoman history that has survived to the present day, we will see the Kapan Han, Sulu Han, Chifte Hammam, Murat Pasha Mosque, Sultan Murat Mosque, the clock tower, the Stone Bridge, Skopje Fortress, the groups of statues built within the scope of the 2014 project, Macedonia Square, the Vardar River, and the Alexander the Great statue, which are just a few of the things we will see in this magnificent city. If you are lucky and it hasn't run out early in the morning, you should eat the famous almond cookie, drink a cold borovitsa if it is in season, and taste the kikiriki. After our tour, we transfer to our hotel. Overnight stay at our hotel. We depart from the hotel for our Balkan Night tour, which will be organized with dinner, music, and entertainment as included in the tour price. After enjoying the food and having fun to the fullest with Rumelian, Balkan, and Macedonian melodies, we transfer to our hotel for the night.

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: Balkan Night (Included in the tour price).
Currency: Macedonian Denar (1€ = 61 Denar)
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 depart from our hotel with our luggage. First, our guide takes us to Matka Canyon, which is included in our tour program, for a pleasant walk in nature and to store up on oxygen. After the pleasant walk here, we set off and reach the Macedonia-Kosovo border. After passport and customs procedures, we arrive in Kosovo, the second newest state in the world and the newest in Europe. First, we arrive in Prizren, where you will feel as if you are in an Anatolian town, bearing many traces of the Ottoman Empire. During our walking tour here, the Sinan Pasha Mosque, the minaret of the Arasta Mosque, the Ottoman hammam, the stone bridge, the Turkish consulate, and the fortress are just some of what we will see. We highly recommend you taste the delicious local dishes during the free time we will give here. After completing our Prizren tour, we go to visit the tomb built at the site where the tent of Murad Hudavendigar, one of the important sultans of Ottoman history, was set up during his time, and where his organs were embalmed and buried after he passed away following the battle. After our visit to the tomb, we see Pristina panoramically on the way, complete our visits in Kosovo, and set off for the city of Shkoder in Albania for our overnight stay. Upon arrival, we check into the hotel for dinner and an 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 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 Denar), € (Euro) in Kosovo, Albanian Lek (1€ = 124 Lek)
Route: Skopje – Pristina (95 km), Pristina – Prizren (86 km), Prizren – Shkoder (187 km)
Approximate Distance to be Traveled: 390 km
Hotel Check-in Time: Estimated: 19:30

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and depart from our hotel with our luggage. After completing our passport and customs procedures at the Albania-Montenegro border, we continue through Podgorica, Sutomore, and Petrovac, seeing the Sv. Stefan island, which was purchased by a Singaporean multi-billionaire, panoramically, and then passing by the city of Budva, famous for its beaches, which we also see panoramically from our vehicle. Right after Budva, one of the ideal centers for a seaside holiday abroad, we arrive in Kotor, one of the important places of the Middle Ages 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 slope of the mountain, one of the tourist centers of Montenegro, both your mind and heart will remain here. During our walking city tour upon arrival, the mansions of families very important to Kotor, the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon, the Orthodox church, the squares, and the beautiful stories are just some of what we will see and hear. During the free time we will give in this city, if the season and weather are suitable, you can climb the stairs to the chapel at the very top of the walls and take magnificent landscape photos, follow the scents in the narrow streets of the city to taste different and magnificent dishes, sip your drink in one of the squares, or 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 is our recommendation to all dessert lovers. After the free time, we leave Kotor, cross from Montenegro to Croatia, and arrive in Dubrovnik, one of the most popular holiday centers of recent years, which has also been used as a filming set for popular series like Game of Thrones, and which is a very important settlement historically in terms of its relations with the Ottoman Empire. During our walking tour inside the fortress, the Pile Gate, Ploce Gate, Onofrio's Fountain, the world's first pharmacy, the Franciscan Monastery, Orlando's Column, Sponza Palace, and Rector's Palace are some of what we will see. After our pleasant tour in this city that smells of the Middle Ages, you can explore the side streets of the city, shop in the stores, taste seafood, or drink a pleasant coffee while watching the sea or the medieval streets during the free time. After the free time, we meet at the time and place given by our guide, leave Dubrovnik, first cross into Bosnia and Herzegovina, and transfer to our hotel in Medjugorje. Dinner and overnight stay at our hotel.

Breakfast: Will be served as an open buffet at the hotel where we will stay (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), € (Euro) in Montenegro, Kuna in Croatia (1€ = 7.6 Kuna)
Route: Shkoder – Kotor (110 km), Kotor – Dubrovnik (93 km), Dubrovnik – Trebinje (35 km)
Approximate Distance to be Traveled: 260 km
Hotel Check-in Time: Estimated: 20:30

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and depart from our hotel with our luggage. First, we go to the Kravica waterfalls, a natural wonder, which is included in our tour program. After the free time here, we reach Pocitelj, a headquarters village that has remained from the Ottoman era to the present day. After seeing the Ottoman houses, hammam, 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 in the region, which was destroyed by the fire of Croatian artillery during the Bosnian War in our recent history, later rebuilt with the contributions of the Republic of Turkey, famous for its bridge that is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and which will take you to a completely different world with its narrow and authentic streets remaining from the Ottoman era. During our tour here, the Mostar Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque, the Catholic cathedral, the Turkish consulate, and the martyrs' cemetery are some of what we will see. If we are on a lucky day, we might also see the young people who jump from the bridge for show, but whose story dates back to old times. During the free time we will give after our tour, you can buy souvenirs unique to Mostar and take a nice lunch break. After the 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 start exploring the center of the city on foot. During our walking tour, the Sebilj, which is the symbol of the city, Gazi Husrev-beg Madrasa, Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, the bazaar, the clock tower, the various shops of Bascarsija, the Sacred Heart Cathedral, the Eternal Flame, the Latin Bridge, and the Fatih Mosque are just some of what we will see. After our walking tour, you can drink Bosnian coffee in cafes unique to Bosnia, lose yourself with the magnificent Bosnian pastry, or explore the city by getting lost in its streets remaining from the European and Ottoman periods. After our tour, we eat the famous Bosnian meatball, cevapi, for dinner in the city center. (Depending on the hotel to be stayed in, dinner may also be served at the hotel). 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 where we will stay (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 Bascarsija. 8 Bosnian meatballs, salad, drink (Included in the tour price) (Depending on the hotel to be stayed in, dinner may also be served at the hotel)
Currencies: Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark (1 € = 1.96 KM)
Route: Trebinje – Mostar (116 km), Mostar – Sarajevo (130 km)
Approximate Distance to be Traveled: 290 km
Hotel Check-in Time: Estimated: 20:30

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and depart with our luggage towards Belgrade. With a pleasant journey continuing through the plateaus 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 the vast plains, villages, and magnificent views that are the exact opposite of what we have seen. During our walking tour upon arrival, Knez Mihailova Street, Kalemegdan Fortress, the Monument of Gratitude to France, Istanbul Gate, Damad Ali Pasha Tomb, panorama point, Victor statue, Zindan Gate, Leopold Gate, the clock tower, and the walls are just some of what we will see. After our walking tour, you can wander the lively 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 where we will stay (Included in the tour price)
Lunch: We can have optional lamb tandoori, fish, meatballs, or soup options 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 Dinar)
Route: Sarajevo – Belgrade (294 km)
Approximate Distance to be Traveled: 320 km
Hotel Check-in Time: Estimated: 20:30

After breakfast at our hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and depart with our luggage towards Sofia. Upon our arrival in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, we start our panoramic city tour. During this tour, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is the second-largest Orthodox church in the Balkans, the Russian Church, Saint Sophia Church, the Rotunda Church, the Archaeological Museum, the Presidency, the Prime Ministry, and the Banya Bashi Mosque are some of the places we will see. After the free time we will give after the panoramic tour, we meet at the time and place given by our guide and leave Sofia. We arrive at the Kapikule border gate, and after the passport and customs procedures there, we follow the highway and return to Izmir. Upon our arrival in Izmir, we leave our valued guests at the points where we picked them up and say goodbye to you with the hope of meeting again on our next tour.

Breakfast: Will be served as an open buffet at the hotel where we will stay (Included in the tour price)
Lunch: Free time in Sofia (Not included in the tour price).
Dinner: Will be taken at a road facility within the borders of Turkey (Not included in the tour price).
Currency: Euro
Route: Belgrade – Sofia (391 km), Sofia – Izmir (1045 km)
Approximate Distance to be Traveled: 1436 km