Turkey & Balkan Countries

Upon arrival, meet and greet local guide and proceed to Istanbul Old City. Our first visit is going to be Blue Mosque which was built by Sultan Ahmet the first on 1616 and very famous with its stunning blue tiles on its Wall. Afterwards we visit Hagia Sophia which was built as an Orthodox Church by Emperor Justinian in 537 AD. However the giant worship center was converted in a Mosque by Sultan Mehmet the Second in 1453. It is now a museum where you can enjoy the harmony of two culture in the same building. After our time finishes at Hagia Sophia, we continue our trip visiting Topkapı Palace which was built by Sultan Mehmet the Second in 1475. Topkapı Palace is the biggest palace in Turkey and also one of the biggest in the World by its 80 acres area. Topkapı Palace is the most visited palace in Turkey while it offers to its visitors many beautiful small mansions with nice view of Bosphorus Strait or Golden Horn, many valuable jewelleries which was used by the Sultans, Holy Relics such as David’s sword, Moses’ Staff and so on. After we have our dinner, we proceed to hotel and check in.

Overnight in Istanbul.

Early in the morning, we depart for airport and we check in flight to Belgrade  is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. The urban area of Belgrade has a population of 1.23 million, while nearly 1.7 million people live within the administrative limits of the City of Belgrade (which encompasses almost all of its metropolitan area), a quarter of the total population of Serbia. Serbia. Upon arrival in Belgrade we start our trip in the city. We proceed to Nebojša Tower which is the only surviving mediaeval tower of the Belgrade Fortress. Built in the 15th century, it was the major defensive tower of the fortress for centuries. Later it served as a dungeon and in 2010 it was adapted into the museum. The tower is located near the confluence of the Sava into the Danube. Afterwards we proceed to Knez Mihailova Street, properly Kneza Mihaila is the main pedestrian and shopping zone in Belgrade, and is protected by law as one of the oldest and most valuable landmarks of the city. Named after Mihailo Obrenović III, Prince of Serbia, it features a number of buildings and mansions built during the late 1870s. One kilometer long Knez Mihailova Street was in 1979 included on the list of Spatial Cultural-Historical Units of Great Importance, and as such is protected by the Republic of Serbia. After our free time ends there, we proceed to hotel.

Overnight in Belgrade.

After we have our breakfast, we check out from hotel and then proceed to Sarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area, including Sarajevo Canton, East Sarajevo and nearby municipalities, is home to 555,210 inhabitants. Nestled within the greater Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, it is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of the Balkans. Sarajevo is the political, financial, social and cultural center of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a prominent center of culture in the Balkans, with region-wide influence in entertainment, media, fashion and the arts. Upon arrival in Sarajevo, we do panoramic tour around the city by bus. Afterwards we proceed to hotel and then have a rest for the next day.

Overnight in Sarajevo.

On this morning after breakfast, we proceed to Baščaršija which is Sarajevo’s old bazaar and the historical and cultural center of the city. Baščaršija was built in the 15th century when Isa-Beg Isaković founded the city. Baščaršija is located on the north bank of the river Miljacka, in the municipality of Stari Grad. On Baščaršija there are several important historic buildings, such as the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and Sahat Kula. Today Baščaršija is the major tourist attraction of Sarajevo. Later on we proceed to The Sarajevo Tunnel and Tunnel of Hope, was a tunnel constructed between March and June 1993 during the Siege of Sarajevo in the midst of the Bosnian War. It was built by the Bosnian Army in order to link the city of Sarajevo, which was entirely cut off by Serbian forces, with Bosnian-held territory on the other side of the Sarajevo Airport, an area controlled by the United Nations. The tunnel linked the Sarajevo neighborhoods of Dobrinja and Butmir (that is why it is also called “Tunnel D-B”), allowing food, war supplies, and humanitarian aid to come into the city, and allowing people to get out. The tunnel became a major way of bypassing the international arms embargo and providing the city defenders with weaponry. Later on we proceed to Latin Bridge which is an Ottoman bridge over the river Miljacka in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The northern end of the bridge was the site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by Gavrilo Princip in 1914, which became casus belli of World War I. After that we will have a free time enjoying shopping in Ferhadiya Street. When our time ends there, we proceed to hotel and have a rest for the next day. 

Overnight in Sarajevo

After we enjoy our breakfast at hotel, we early departure from our hotel and proceed to Mostar and the Mostar Bridge which is a city and the administrative center of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva River and is the fifth-largest city in the country. Mostar was named after the bridge keepers (mostari) who in the medieval times guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge) over the Neretva. The Old Bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most visited landmarks, and is considered an exemplary piece of Islamic architecture in the Balkans. Afterwards we proceed to Blagaj which is a village-town in the south-eastern region of the Mostar basin, in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It stands at the edge of Bišće plain and is one of the most valuable mixed urban and rural structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina, distinguished from other similar structures in its urban layout. Blagaj was most likely named for its mild weather patterns since blaga in Bosnian means “mild”. Blagaj is situated at the spring of the Buna river and a historical tekke (tekija or Dervish monastery). The Blagaj Tekija was built around 1520, with elements of Ottoman architecture and Mediterranean style and is considered a national monument. Blagaj Tekke is a monastery built for the Dervish cults. After we have our free time at local Mostar Bazaar, we proceed to hotel and have rest for the next day.

Overnight in Trebinje.

After we have our breakfast we check out from hotel and proceed to Herceg Novi  which is a coastal town in Montenegro located at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of the Herceg Novi Municipality with around 33,000 inhabitants. Herceg Novi was known as Castelnuovo (“New castle” in Italian) between 1482 and 1797, when it was part of Ottoman Empire and the Albania Veneta of the Republic of Venice. It was a Catholic bishopric and remains a Latin titular see as Novi. Herceg Novi has had a turbulent past, despite being one of the youngest settlements on the Adriatic. A history of varied occupations has created a blend of diverse and picturesque architectural style in the city. Afterwards we take ferryboat then cross to Kotor Bay and arrive to town Tivat. We have our time sightseeing in Kotor which is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of Kotor Municipality. The old Mediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period. It is located on the Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska), one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. Some have called it the southern-most fjord in Europe, but it is a ria, a submerged river canyon. Together with the nearly overhanging limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovćen, Kotor and its surrounding area form an impressive landscape. Later on we proceed to our hotel in Bar via Budva. We have also our time sightseeing in Budva which is a Montenegrin town on the Adriatic Sea, former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see. It has 19,218 inhabitants, and it is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budva riviera, is the center of Montenegrin tourism, known for its well-preserved medieval walled city, sandy beaches and diverse nightlife. Budva is 2,500 years old, which makes it one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast. Upon arrival in Bar, we proceed to hotel and have a rest for the next day.

Overnight in Bar.

On this morning after we have our breakfast at hotel we check out and then proeed to Ohrid via Tirana, Albania which is the capital and largest city by area and population of the Republic of Albania. The city was awarded the title of the European Youth Capital of 2022. Tirana is located in the center of Albania and is enclosed by mountains and hills with Mount Dajt elevating on the east and a slight valley on the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the distance. Due to its location within the Plain of Tirana and the close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the city is particularly influenced by a Mediterranean seasonal climate. It is among the wettest and sunniest cities in Europe, with 2,544 hours of sun per year. After we have our sightseeing tour around Tirana we proceed to Lake Ohrid which is a lake which straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe’s deepest and oldest lakes, with a unique aquatic ecosystem of worldwide importance, with more than 200 endemic species. After we enjoy free time around the lake, we proceed to our hotel around Ohrid Lake.

Overnight in Ohrid.

After we have our brakfast at hotel, we check out from hotel and proceed to old town of Ohrid and then we do sightseeing tour around Historical Plane Square, Saint Bogorodica Kameusko, Hagia Sophia Church, Square and Statue of Saint Klemeus from Ohrid, Old Turkish Mansions, Archaic Theatre from Roman period and Saint  Pantalemon Church. After our time ends there, we proceed to Skopje via Bitola ( Manastir) which is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, 14 kilometres north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing with Greece. The city stands at an important junction connecting the south of the Adriatic Sea region with the Aegean Sea and Central Europe, and is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It has been known since the Ottoman period as “The City of The Consuls”, since many European countries had consulates in Bitola. Bitola, known during the Ottoman Empire as Manastir or Monastir, is one of the oldest cities in North Macedonia. It was founded as Heraclea Lyncestis in the middle of the 4th century BC by Philip II of Macedon. The city was the last capital of Ottoman Rumelia, from 1836 to 1867. According to the 2002 census, Bitola is the second-largest city in Macedonia. Upon arrival in Bitola we do sightseeing tour in the city by visiting, Haydar Kadi Mosque, Mehmet Aga Mosque, Bedesten, Old Bazaar and Clock Tower which all built in the time of Ottoman Reign in the area. Afterwards we proceed to Skopje and upon arrival there we check in hotel and have a rest for the next day.

Overnight in Skopje.

After breakfast at hotel, we check out from hotel and then start city tour in Skopje before we fly back to Istanbul. First destination that we visit is  going to be House of Mother Theresa or Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu commonly known as Mother Teresa and honoured in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta,  was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary.  She was born in Skopje (now the capital of North Macedonia), then part of the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. After living in Skopje for eighteen years, she moved to Ireland and then to India, where she lived for most of her life. After that we continue our sightseeing tour in old town of Skopje. At the end of our programme, we will be transferred to airport for the flight back to Istanbul. Upon arrival in Istanbul, we proceed to hotel and have a rest for the next day.

After we have our breakfast, we check out hotel and then proceed to Leather Outlet Center which is nationwide famous. After our shopping time ends, we take a short cruise trip and enjoy the beautiful Bosphorus Strait with hundreds of houses by the strait and many beautiful palaces from Ottoman Era. Afterwards we are going to have free time in Grand Bazaar which is the biggest and oldest shopping center in Turkey for Turkish souveniers shopping. After our time ends in Grand Bazaar,  we will be transferred to airport for the flight back to your home.

Till we meet on another trip…