The Dalmatian Coast & The Wonder of Plitvice Lakes from Thessaloniki

A hearty breakfast at our hotel, and today is dedicated to the enchanting city of Zadar. The romantic seaside town of Zadar is the ideal choice for trips that combine relaxation with culture. It’s no coincidence, after all, that in 2016 it won the award for Best European Destination. We’ll visit the Old Town, which is built on a peninsula and surrounded by walls, to discover attractions such as the Museum of Ancient Glass and The Forum, home to the Archaeological Museum, the Roman ruins, and the tourist market. We’ll take a stroll along the Riva promenade and see the city’s art installations, the sea organ that turns waves into music, and the Salutation to the Sun. Zadar is a quintessentially historic city with ancient Roman ruins, Venetian architecture, cathedrals, and world-class museums. During our guided tour, we will explore the city and its major attractions, which include, among others, the octagonal towered church of Saint Donatus with its impressive bell tower, the Cathedral of Saint Anastasia, built in the style of a three-aisled basilica with two enormous circular stained-glass windows, as well as the Roman forum located right next to it, on the cobblestone Zeleni Square. We won’t miss the opportunity to see Zadar’s first university, founded in 1396 as part of the Benedictine monastery. We’ll also visit the Gate of the Earth, Zadar’s historic entrance, built by the Venetians in 1543 and the most dramatic of the four gates still standing around the Old Town, the Roman Forum, dating back to the 1st century B.C. and home to the most impressive ruins in Zadar’s Old Town. Free time for a stroll and lunch. During your free time, we recommend visiting the Museum of Ancient Glass, located in the historic palace of the Cosmacendi family, which features a unique collection of glass artifacts. It frequently organizes various glass workshops. Also, don’t miss a visit to Narodni trg (People’s Square), the city’s central square with many cosmopolitan café-bars. Overnight stay.

We had a nice breakfast at the hotel and set off on a wonderful drive along the winding Dalmatian coast to visit, first, the medieval town of Trogir (a city-island-museum), formerly the Greek colony of Tragurion, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The city is built on a small peninsula connected to the mainland by a small bridge, surrounded by a fortress that, of course, did not prevent the Saracens, the Venetians, the Austro-Hungarian army, and the French from imposing their rule and leaving their cultural mark. The city’s cobblestone streets are lined with magnificent palaces, mansions, and churches, dominated by the stunning Cathedral of St. Lawrence with its incredibly beautiful Radovan Gate. In Trogir, you’ll experience a historic and iconic leap into the past—one from which you won’t want to return! We continue just 35 km to picturesque Split, the largest city in Dalmatia. The highlight of the Split tour is Emperor Diocletian’s famous palace, shaped like a Roman castle, the most significant and best-preserved Roman building in Croatia, built between 295 and 305 AD. Its architectural style is classical Roman, and it consists of a large rectangular complex with walls and towers. Among the castle’s most significant features is the monumental portico, which led on one side to the imperial apartments and on the other to Diocletian’s mausoleum (today’s Cathedral of Saint Domnius). Despite its size and grandeur, the palace remained virtually unknown to Europeans until modern times. On our tour, we’ll also see the Gothic City Hall and the Renaissance Clock Tower. Free time on the city’s beautiful waterfront, the famous Riva. Our day will end as we arrive at the jewel of the Dalmatian coast, the stunning Dubrovnik. Check-in at the hotel and free time for a first evening stroll through this renowned city.

We’ll enjoy a good breakfast at the hotel, and today is entirely dedicated to Dubrovnik because it’s truly worth it. We’ll start our tour of Dubrovnik, which has been called “the jewel of the Adriatic.” A visit to Dubrovnik’s Old Town—surrounded by 10th-century walls—is a must, where we’ll walk through the locations where scenes from *Game of Thrones* were filmed. In the historic city center, we’ll visit the Franciscan Monastery, the Cathedral of the Rectors, the Old Port, and the Church of St. Blaise, the city’s patron saint—sights that offer a rare travel experience. We’ll continue with a visit to the nearby islet of Lokrum, weather permitting. The city’s residents visit this “car-free island” because it offers a peaceful escape from the city. It features a beautiful setting with botanical gardens, exotic trees, flowers, rabbits, peacocks, and a medieval Benedictine monastery. If you’d like, you can take a dip in the island’s crystal-clear waters. On the way back, we’ll enjoy the magnificent view of the old city walls from the boat. We also recommend taking the cable car to the top of Srdj (www.dubrovnikcablecar.com), from where you can see the entire Old Town, the Adriatic Sea, and its islands. The view is breathtaking, and—if it’s not too windy—you’ll enjoy a nice cup of coffee with Dubrovnik at your feet. The ride is short, but well worth it. The vehicle moves extremely slowly and close to the ground, so even if you’re afraid of heights, you most likely won’t have any trouble. For lunch, we recommend a wonderful activity that requires no athletic ability—perfect for young people of all ages! On the mountain right next to the city, we’ll hop on mountain buggies to follow a route that, in addition to unique natural beauty and adrenaline-pumping moments, also offers us an incredible view of the city spread out below us. About halfway through the route, we’ll have the chance to stop at the spot where the attack on the city began during the brutal war of ’91, when Dubrovnik withstood months of a brutal siege. Our local guide, who lived through those events as a resident, recounts events we would find hard to believe if the bullet-riddled walls of the area did not bear witness to the horrors of war to this very day. We’ll leave it at that for today, as it’s worth dedicating the entire day to getting to know the city better. Our guide will be there to provide you with all the necessary information so you can make the most of your time however you wish.

Today is our last day, but since our flight is in the evening, we have plenty of time on our hands, which we’ll make the most of. So off we went to Montenegro! As we cross Europe’s southernmost fjord and take in the beauty with which nature has blessed this small country, we’ll admire Perast, a Byzantine heritage site bearing strong traces of the Middle Ages, along with the two small islands that surround it. We continue on to the walled city of Kotor, a monument to natural beauty and culture, a very old, well-preserved city—protected by UNESCO—with strong Byzantine and Venetian influences. It is situated at the deepest point of one of the most beautiful bays along the Montenegrin coast, which some consider to be the largest, southernmost, and most beautiful fjord in the Adriatic. We’ll visit the 12th-century Roman Cathedral of St. Tryphon, the Orthodox Church of St. Luke, and the imposing Prince’s Palace. Our final stop is in one of the oldest cities on the Adriatic (3,500 years old), the picturesque Butva, known for its magnificent coastline and cosmopolitan lifestyle, a city with strong Greek, Roman, and Venetian influences. We’ll tour medieval Budva, getting an up-close look at one of the Adriatic’s gems on the Dalmatian coast. Now, the picture is complete. Now, the puzzle encompassing Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro has been put together. All these countries, which once formed—along with other states—part of a single nation, have now each charted their own course. Transfer to the airport for the return flight, having captured images and experiences from these places that are admired by thousands of visitors from all over the world.