Regional Europe by Insight Vacations
The Eastern Discovery - Small Group
See the great lakes of Croatia in Plitvice National Park and breathe in the Balkan beauty of Montenegro on this two-week discovery of the east. From Zagreb’s St Marks church and Split’s Old City, your expert led itinerary gallops across Croatia to the pearl of the Adriatic—Dubrovnik. Marble streets, hidden markets and terracotta roofs abound within the walled city. Set sail from the shores of Greece to the island of Corfu—with its bleach white domes and azure blue seas, before forging onwards to the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, and the Acropolis in Athens.
Itinerary
Welcome to Zagreb. Relax and settle in or perhaps head for the romantic chestnut-lined Strossmayer Promenade for your first views over the city. In the evening, join your Travel Director for dinner with the opportunity to get to know your fellow travellers over a pleasant evening with wine.
Join your Local Expert to explore the two-tiered capital of Croatia. Take a walk to see the Art Pavilion, the Academy of Sciences and Arts, and pass by Zrinjevac Park. You'll then go to St. Mark's Church and the Lotrščak Tower, before walking back down through the Stone Gate and returning to the Square. The afternoon is at leisure—relax and enjoy your hotel's amenities, or perhaps take an Optional Experience to Ljubljana?
Take this morning to relax and enjoy your hotel's facilities or perhaps take an Optional Experience to the Zagorje region to learn about the local traditions and visit the house of Marshall Tito. In the afternoon depart for your next hotel, located inside the Plitvice Lakes National Park. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, this is Croatia’s first and largest national park. While the park is predominately forests and grasslands, the true highlight are the interconnected lakes that cascade from one to another.
Explore Plitvice with Insight Choice. Choose between two MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences: Join a Local Expert to explore Plitvice National Park and learn how the site actively researches and monitors the natural habitat of species. Alternatively meet the industrious woman of the Tara Community Centre, where handicrafts are produced, enabling employment and engagement in the community. Travel along the coast and stop in Trogir, a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded by the Greeks more than 2,300 years ago. This town is renowned for its beautiful cathedral and Renaissance Cipiko Palace. Continue to your hotel.
The Roman Emperor Diocletian built his palace here, and today it forms the heart of the Old Town of Split. With your Local Expert, explore the 1,700 year-old palace cellars, and learn the story of the infamous emperor. Continue through the labyrinthine streets and arcaded squares to see St. Duje's - originally Diocletian's Mausoleum, and the Temple of Jupiter, which today is a baptistery, as well as the Golden Gate. Travel alongside sparkling deep blue seas and the rocky islands of the Dalmatian coast to Dubrovnik. This evening, should weather permit, embark on a dazzling cruise around the fabled bay and gaze out at views of the glistening Adriatic. Start your dinner with a glass of sparkling wine, before savouring authentic flavours of local specialties.
The walled town of Dubrovnik, was once described as 'paradise on Earth', according to George Bernard Shaw.Join a walking exploration of the city, guided by a Local Expert. Get a glimpse into local life, as you explore the stone-paved streets inside the 16th-century bastions of the Old Town. Walk past Onofrio's Fountain, see the Old Jewish Quarter and the synagogue, and marvel at the grandeur of the cathedral and the Franciscan and Dominican monasteries.
Stop to visit the old town of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Admire the bay, with its azure waters lapping at the edges of the medieval towns which dot the coastline. Next, make your way along the Adriatic sea to Budva. Discover the medieval old town on your own, home to religious sites such as the 9th-century Church of Santa Maria in Punta.
Travel through the spectacular scenery of Montenegro and Albania and continue to the fascinating capital of Tirana. Led by your Local Expert, explore this warmhearted and colourful city, and see the diverse relics that remain from its Ottoman, Italian and communist past.
Take in Albania’s unique scenery, as you journey across the country to Greece, and set sail for the cobalt-blue waters of Corfu. Renowned since Odysseus for its untamed beauty and strategic position in the Mediterranean, Corfu today is one of Greece’s most charming islands.
Enjoy a full day at leisure to relax and enjoy the beautiful island of Corfu. Perhaps explore the Old Town and admire the interesting mix of architectural styles, from Roman and Venetian to French and British, each resembling an era of the island’s interesting past before it was united with Greece. Alternatively, you may want to lay back and unwind at the hotel pool.
Set off from your island paradise for Delphi, a spectacular cliff-side amphitheatre and worthy of its status as the centre of the ancient world. History and mythology run deep here, with finds of ritual artefacts that date back to 4,000 BC and remains of a Mycenaean settlement. It is said that Delphi is the location where two eagles crossed paths, after they were released by Zeus from opposite end of the universe to find ‘the navel of the world.’
Ascend the Sacred Way of Delphi with your Local Expert. Pass the Parian marble Treasury of the Athenians and Polygonal Wall with its interlocking stones, still perfectly intact after thousands of years. You'll approach the Temple of Apollo, where for 14 centuries the mysterious Oracle of Delphi breathed her enigmatic ‘words,' rumoured to have successfully predicted events related to the Argonauts expedition and the Trojan War. Your travels then continue to the ancient city of Athens, the modern capital of Greece.
Join a Local Expert for a morning of city sightseeing. Enjoy the glory of ancient Greece from the Acropolis with the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, also known as the Temple of the Wingless Victory, and the six stone-carved caryatids that make up the Porch of the Maidens on the Erechtheion. You will also see the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Arch of Hadrian. This afternoon is yours to explore at your own pace.
Bid a fond adío to your Greek island holiday. Your journey comes to an end with a transfer to Athens airport.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 6 Dinner (D)
- 13 Breakfast (B)
Choice Highlights
- Choose between two carefully selected activities
- Plitvice Lakes National Park: Join a Local Expert to explore Plitviče National Park. Learn about the studies taking place to monitor and protect the natural habitat, and education initiatives on the marine environment and best practices for a low-impact experience. The site participates in habitat restoration and is constantly working to protect the parks natural ecosystems and animal population. The staff educate their visitors about local traditions and share their personal story of the village with great passion from personal knowledge and experience. This experience advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 14
- Plitvice Lakes National Park: Through its income the Tara Centre has built a small community Centre that is used by the Tara Citizens’ Association, a collective of mostly older women, many of whom were refugees. There the women produce handicrafts which have giving them a much-needed financial and psychological boost. The staff educate their visitors about local traditions and share their personal story of the village with great passion from personal knowledge and experience. The Tara Centre advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 5
Additional Included Highlights
- Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
- Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
- We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
- From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
- Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
- If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Authentic Dining
- Dubrovnik: Enjoy a traditional Dalmatian Coast meal at a local restaurant, accompanied with wine and grappa.
- Athens: Toast the culmination of your travels with dinner in true Greek style at a local restaurant.
Insight Choice
- Plitvice Lakes National Park: Join a Local Expert to explore Plitviče National Park. Learn about the studies taking place to monitor and protect the natural habitat, and education initiatives on the marine environment and best practices for a low-impact experience. The site participates in habitat restoration and is constantly working to protect the parks natural ecosystems and animal population. The staff educate their visitors about local traditions and share their personal story of the village with great passion from personal knowledge and experience. This experience advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 14
- Plitvice Lakes National Park: Through its income the Tara Centre has built a small community Centre that is used by the Tara Citizens’ Association, a collective of mostly older women, many of whom were refugees. There the women produce handicrafts which have giving them a much-needed financial and psychological boost. The staff educate their visitors about local traditions and share their personal story of the village with great passion from personal knowledge and experience. The Tara Centre advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 5
Top Rated Highlights
- Zagreb: Your Local Expert guides you through this two-tiered capital. Explore Donji Grad, the Lower Town, and see Ban Josip Jelačić Square and the cathedral.
- Trogir: See the cathedral and Renaissance Cipiko Palace during an orientation with your Travel Director.
- Split: Explore above and below the Roman Emperor Diocletian's palace. A Local Expert guides you through labyrinthine streets to see St. Duje's, the Temple of Jupiter, the Golden Gate and the Cellars.
- Split: Sightseeing with your Local Expert continues through the old town. Walk through the Jewish Quarter to reach Narodni Trg, the centre of Old Split. Continue to Trg Brace Radic, translated as the Square of the Radic brothers, but better known to the locals as Vocni Trg, or the Fruit Square.
- Dubrovnik: As the day comes to a close and should the weather be favourable, enjoy a relaxing cruise around the fabled bay of Dubrovnik towards your celebration dinner.
- Dubrovnik: Explore the Pearl of the Adriatic with your Local Expert. Walk the stone-paved streets of the Old Town to see Onofrio's Fountain, Rector's Palace and the medieval city walls. Admire the Franciscan and Dominican monasteries.
- Kotor: Visit the Stari Grad, also referred to as the Old Town, perfectly positioned on a beautiful bay.
- Budva: Explore the medieval old town of Budva, home to religious sites such as the 9th century Church of Santa Maria in Punta.
- Tirana: Meet a local resident who will show you Skanderbeg Square and walk you through their home city as they explain what it's like to live in the Albanian capital.
- Corfu: Escape to this idyllic island by ferry.
- Corfu: Return to the mainland by cruise and continue your journey through Greece.
- Delphi: Ascend the Sacred Way, once lined with offertory temples.
- Delphi: With your Local Expert, walk to The Sacred Way once lined with offertory temples. See the reconstructed Athenian Treasury and pass the superb Polygonal Wall to reach the Temple of Apollo, where the people would seek divine wisdom from the mysterious Oracle.
- Athens: Ascend the Acropolis with a Local Expert to admire the Parthenon, built in 5th century B.C. Steps away you'll see the Temple of Athena Nike, also known as the Temple of the Wingless Victory, and the six stone-carved caryatids that make up the Porch of the Maidens on the Erechtheion.
Well-being
- Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
- Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
accommodation
| Name | Adults | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| single room | Adults: 1 | Passengers: 1 |
| triple room | Adults: 1 - 3 | Passengers: 3 |
| twin room | Adults: 1 - 2 | Passengers: 2 |
| twinShare room | Adults: 1 | Passengers: 1 - 2 |