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Balkans and the Adriatic Tour & Cruise

2013 Departures
April 27
May 18
June 01, 15, 29
July 13
August 10, 24, 31
September 07, 14, 21, 28
October 05
Prices From$2699 per Person Double
$1350 Single Supplement
Make A Request By Selecting an Above Departure

Experience the astonishing beauty of the Adriatic Coast while you sail on board the brand new MS Adriatic Pearl. The luxurious ship with its spacious air-conditioned cabins, huge salon and longue bar and our welcoming staff, carefully chosen professional staff will make your stay on board truly pleasurable.

It is possible to take the cruise portion of this package only. Please inquire.

Itinerary

 
Day 1     Zagreb
Meals: Dinner

You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. The day is at leisure until a welcome dinner.

 
Day 2     Zagreb
Meals: Breakfast

A morning sightseeing tour will take you along the historic Upper Town. See St. Mark's Church, St. Catherine's Church, the Cathedral, the Parliament and the Government Palace. The rest of the day ist at leisure to explore the winding streets of the old town or take an optional excursion to the countryside.

 
Day 3     Zagreb - Sarajevo
Meals: Breakfast / Dinner

Journey south, out of Croatia to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After checking in at the hotel, relax and enjoy dinner.

 
Day 4     Sarajevo - Dubrovnik
Meals: Breakfast / Dinner

Sarajevo has been influenced by a number of cultures and civilizations. On your city tour visit the picturesque Turkish bazaar "Bas Carsija", the Husref Bay's Mosque, Olympic Stadium and Gavrilo Princip Museum. Then, continue your trip through the mountains and along the gorge of the Neretva River to Mostar. Here, see the remains of the Turkish quarter and the reconstruction efforts on the 16th century stone bridge. Travel on to Dubrovnik.

 
Day 5     Dubrovnik
Meals: Breakfast

There is a walking tour of "Old Dubrovnik" this morning; the Rector's Palace, Bell Tower Clock, Orlando's Column and the Sponza Palace. You will also see the Dominican Monastery and Franciscan Monastery with its Pharmacy, one of the oldest in the world. The rest of the day is at leisure.

 
Day 6     Dubrovnik - Kotor
Meals: Breakfast

Travel to the Republic of Montenegro. Head towards the mouth of the beautiful Bay of Kotor, the longest and deepest fjord in Southern Europe. See the little towns of Risan and Kotor. Then proceed to Cetinje, once the seat of Montenegrin rulers, today a city museum. After the sightseeing in Cetinje, travel to the coast for a short stop in the villages of Sveti Stefan and Budva before returning to Dubrovnik.

 
Day 7     Dubrovnik
Meals: Breakfast

Today enjoy a full free day to explore on your own or take an optional excursion.

 
Day 8     Dubrovnik - Korcula
On Board the M/S Adriatic Pearl
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

After breakfast you will get transferred to the ship for embarkation. Once you are on board the adventure can start! During a welcome drink, Captain's orders and safety measures will be explained to you. Moreover, you will be introduced to the Captain, members of the staff and your Cruise Director. While sailing off to Korcula island you can start to mingle with your new fellow mates. The arrival in Korcula town is in the late afternoon hours. Korcula is a small town situated on the north-east end of Korcula island. The old medieval part of the town was built on a small oval peninsula. Today the town has about 3,000 inhabitants. A local legend says that a great merchant traveler Marco Polo was born in Korcula. The town centre is dominated by the splendid Cathedral of St. Mark. Upon your arrival to Korcula, a local guide will introduce you to historical town, architecture and stories of Korcula town.

 
Day 9     Korcula - Hvar
On Board the M/S Adriatic Pearl
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Departure for a spetacular trip between Peljesac peninsula, Hvar island and Makarska riviera to the island of Brac. After breakfast, we will make a short stop on Peljesac peninsula, in Orebic town, situated on the opposite side of Korcula town. Our visit will include Maritime Museum of Orebic, due to the fact that town is known as a birth place of many Croatian Captains. We will continue our journey towards Pucisca with a stop for a refreshing swim in Povlja bay. Pucisca is the island's biggest village and it is settled on the north side of the island of Brac. Authentic Mediterranean architecture, rustic ambiance, village location inside a deep fiord; shiny and white stone facades rising amphitheatrically uphill the hummocks, make this place so unique and worth seeing.

Pucisca carries the mark of a stone. It was built on the stone, and the majority of the inhabitants live from it. The three nearby quarries of Punta, Veselje, and Kupinovo have produced a stone that has been used to build limestone columns of the White House in Washington DC, Parliament house in Vienna and many other famous buildings all over the world. Love for stone continues until nowadays. Stonemasonry school in Pucisca, one of the oldest in the world, founded in 1906, supports the skills of an authentic roman stone dressing that makes it unique in the world. By listening, respecting and loving the stone, students create pieces of work that one is be able to see in their workshop.

 
Day 10     Split
On Board the M/S Adriatic Pearl
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

After few days of island cruising, we will stop in mainland towns. In the morning hours, we will arrive in Omis, a pirate town where you can join us for a stunning river boat ride on Cetina river, a river that flows into Adriatic. After short Omis town tour, Cetina boat excursion will take place from Omis 6 km up the river to the picnic area of Radman mills where your host will welcome you with a drink and local snacks. Enjoy the food, nature and a boat ride around an impressive Cetina Canyon surronded by mountains.

In late afternoon hours we will arrive in Split where a town tour led by a local guide will start.

Split is the second largest urban centre in Croatia and the centre of Split Dalmatian County. It is traditionally considered to be over 1,700 years old. Since 1979 the historic centre of Split has been inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List. It is the economic, administrative, educational, sport and tourist centre of Dalmatia. Many of Split’s historical and cultural buildings can be found within the walls of Diocletian’s Palace. In addition, numerous museums, the National Theatre, old churches and other archeological sites in Split region make this city an important cultural attraction.

 
Day 11     Split - Hvar
On Board the M/S Adriatic Pearl
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Back on island hopping. In the early hours, before leaving Split, you will be given a unique opportunity to accompany the boat Chef to the fish market to pick up ingrediens and fresh fish for the daily meal.

The itinerary includes stop for swimming on the island of Brač. You will visit Bol, the most famous sandy beach in Croatia situated on the opposite side of Pucisca town. In Bol you can join us for few glasses of good quality wine at the renowned winery Jako vino accompanied with tasteful canapé bites made of olives, anchovies and cheese. You will be introduced to wine production in Croatia and the Dalmatian islands. After lunch we will continue sailing towards the sunniest island in Croatia – the island of Hvar. Hvar is a unique fusion of luxurious Mediterranean nature, rich culture and historical heritage. Its name derives from the Greek name Pharos, today's Stari Grad (Old Town). Hvar became the island’s centre in the 13th century. The island gained glory and power during Middle Ages by being an important port within the Venetian naval empire. Today, it is the centre of the island’s tourism and one of the favourite destinations in the Dalmatian Riviera.

Upon your arrival to Hvar, a local guide and a producer of aromatical oils will make a short lavender oil presentation and walk you throughout the city introducing you to history, culture and way of life on this island.

 
Day 12     Hvar - Korcula
On Board the M/S Adriatic Pearl
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Before our arrival to Vela Luka (Big Port) we will stop for swimming and relaxation in beautiful Gradina bay near the town of Vela Luka. Arrival in Vela Luka town will be in the afternoon hours. On the western part of Korcula island you will find Vela Luka town situated in a deep and large bay, surrounded by many coves. Shores are covered with vineyards, olive trees, figs and pine trees that gently slope into the sea. Vela Luka is the second largest town on the Adriatic islands. It is a safe anchorage and harbour for boaters. Vela Luka is also famous for olive oil production where almost every inhabitant produces extra-virgin olive oil. In late afternoon, upon your arrival, the custodian of Vela Luka's town museum will introduce you to a prehistoric life in this area by showing you findings of Vela Spila (Big Cave) considerd to be one of the oldest in this part of Mediterranean. After dinner you will in enjoy gala evening with live music.

 
Day 13     At Sea
On Board the M/S Adriatic Pearl
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

On Thursday you can expect a busy morning. After breakfast you will have a coach tour through the inland part of the island. First we will make a stop in Zlokic olive oil factory for tasting olive oil and homemade products. After the tour we will proceed to Blato town to visit Barilo ethno and folk museum housing variety of artifacts and objects from peasant life on island's villages. The visit includes tasting of local liquers and traditional sweets. Before leaving solid ground we will make a stop in Smokvica town for a walk or a drink and then the boat will pick you up from Brna bay in order to sail again towards the island of Mljet. In case of bad weather, the embarkation will be on the northen part of the island in Prigradica bay.

On the northwestern part of the Mljet island you can find National Park founded on 11.11.1960 as the oldest National Park in Croatia. This part is well known in the whole world thanks to its natural wonders such as Small and Big Lake. There is a monastery and St. Mary’s Church built in the 12th century by the Benedictines from Monte Gargano, Italy in the middle of the Big Lake. The church has changed its appearance trough times under different cultural changes, from the Renaissance to Baroque. However, the central part has remained Romanic.

 
Day 14     Dubrovnik
On Board the M/S Adriatic Pearl
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

A magnificent trip along the shores of Elaphiti islands consisting of serveral islands northwestern of Dubrovnik. In Dubrovnik you will have an organized town tour, but before arrival in Dubrovnik we will make a stop on Lopud island, famous for having one of the best beaches in Dubrovnik region. There you can take a swim, wonder around or simply enjoy a delightful scenery on the last day of your Croatian cruise adventure. Arrival in Dubrovnik in the afternoon.

Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful cities on the Croatian coast. In the middle ages the Republic of Dubrovnik was an important rival to Venice. Many buildings in the Old city centre testify of this glorious past and of the Venetian influence. Today, Dubrovnik is also a very lively city, with many things to do, both during the day and night. The coast nearby offers all sorts of activities and the town has many restaurants, bars and nightclubs. Dubrovnik is a city rich in culture and history, and for that reason, it is inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List. Dubrovnik has a rich cultural life that includes Dubrovnik theatre, several cinemas as well as Dubrovnik Film Festival and Dubrovnik Summer Festival that are held every year in July and August.

 
Day 15     Dubrovnik
Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast and disembarkation by 09:00 AM. Bid your crew and friends goodbye as you pack away your memories and head home!

 

Notes

Port And Fuel Surcharge $98 Per Person
Price Includes
Hotel Accommodation
Daily Breakfast
Dinners As Mentioned
Three Meals Daily Shipboard
Transportation by Deluxe Touring Coach
Tour Escort
Luggage Handling
Accommodations in Select Cabin Category
Onboard Entertainment and Lectures
Sightseeing Per Itinerary
Price Does Not Include
 Port and Fuel Surcharges
VWT-0812