Balkan Odyssey: Crossroads of Cultures

Itinerary

• Days 1-4: Belgrade (Serbia), Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
  

  Begin in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, an ancient settlement swiftly becoming one of the hippest places in Europe. Explore Skadarlija, the bohemian quarter filled with art galleries, coffeehouses, and restaurants. Travel overland to the East-meets-West capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, surrounded by the Dinaric Alps. Visit the Sarajevo Tunnel Museum with a survivor of the 1990s wars, who used the tunnel to escape Serbian shelling during the Siege of Sarajevo.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, an ancient settlement swiftly becoming one of the hippest places on Europe
  • Kalemegdan Fortress, Belgrade’s ancient citadel that includes remnants of the early Roman and Byzantine towns
  • Skadarlija, Belgrade’s lively artists’ quarter bursting with shops, coffee houses, and restaurants
  • Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina and site of 1984 Winter Olympics
  • Princip Bridge, the Sarajevo assassination site of Archduke Ferdinand
• Days 5-6: Mostar, Dubrovnik (Croatia)
  

  Visit Mostar and its UNESCO-listed Ottoman-era Stari Most, or Old Bridge. Continue to Croatia’s Dubrovnik – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – on the sparkling Dalmatian Coast; at one time it was as important as Venice. Walk atop the thick city walls and visit the Museum of Dubrovnik in the Rector’s Palace.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Mostar’s UNESCO-listed Old Bridge and surrounding area
  • Dubrovnik, a UNESCO-listed Old Town set atop a walled peninsula jutting into the Adriatic Sea
• Days 7-9: Kotor (Montenegro), Cetinje, Budva, Shkodra (Albania), Kruja, Tirana
  

  Travel south along the meandering Adriatic Coast to Montenegro, visiting the UNESCO-listed fortified town of Kotor, which dates from Illyrian and Roman times. Stop by 15th-century Cetinje on the way to Budva, a medieval walled town on the sea once favored by Yugoslav President Tito. Explore Kruja and its citadel where one of the most powerful leaders of medieval Europe, Gjergj Skanderbeg, defeated the Ottomans in 1450. Continue to Tirana, Albania’s capital, where grim Soviet-style buildings have been repainted in bright colors, and new shops and restaurants abound. Ride the cable car up Dajti Mountain for outstanding city and forest views.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Kotor’s fortress from Illyrian and Roman times, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Dalmatian Coast
  • Serbian Orthodox “New Cetinje Monastery,” built in 1701; holy relics
  • Walled Old Town of Budva, a seaside resort dating from Roman times
  • Kruja’s  fortress, ethnographic museum, and medieval Turkish bazaar
  • Albania’s capital, brightly-painted Tirana
• Days 10-12: Durres, Berat, Apollonia, Ohrid (North Macedonia)
  

  Explore the massive Roman amphitheater and baths in Durres, dating from the time of Emperor Hadrian; the dramatic Ottoman architecture of UNESCO-listed Berat; and the ancient ruins of Apollonia, mentioned by both Aristotle and Cicero. Head north to North Macedonia, spending two nights in the red-roofed, cobblestone town of Ohrid, located on a deep lake by the same name. Ohrid abounds in ancient archaeological sites, including an amphitheater and a fortress. Both town and lake are UNESCO-listed.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Durres and its Roman amphitheater – largest in the Balkans
  • Berat, with one of the Balkans’ best-preserved medieval citadels, towering above the Old Town
  • Ruins of ancient Apollonia, built as far back as 558 BC and surrounded by a Roman wall
  • UNESCO-listed Ohrid, with its antiquities, red-roofed old houses, lakeside setting, and outstanding collection of medieval icons
• Days 13-16: Skopje, day trip to Pristina (Kosovo)
  

  Head northeast to Skopje, North Macedonia’s capital and largest city, where Saint (Mother) Teresa was born. Its Ottoman influence can be seen best in the wonderful old Turkish quarter. Take a day trip into Kosovo, the Balkan territory that declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Celebrate the trip with a North Macedonian feast featuring live music, Balkan dancing, and a generous spread of regional delicacies.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • North Macedonia’s capital and largest city, Skopje, where Saint (Mother) Teresa was born and raised
  • Memorial House of Saint Teresa, built over the site where she was baptized
  • Pristina, capital of Kosovo, the Balkans territory that declared independence from Serbia in 2008
  • 15th-century Imperial Mosque and hammam (public bath) in Pristina