Balkan Explorer
- Best price guaranteed
- No booking fees
- COVID-19protected
- Food tour
- Local culture
- Cultural, religious and historic sites
- Family
- Customizable
- duration 10 days
- tour type Small group Request as private
- age requirement 16-95 yrs
- max group size 14
- guiding method Fully guided
- Tour Code BM-9523
- Footprint Carbonneutral CO2 emissions resulting from all trips on Bookmundi will be offset via investments in carbon reduction projects.
- Operated in English
- Discover Skopje and Sofia, two of the most vibrant capitals in the Balkans
- Visit the Unesco-listed Rila Monastery in Bulgaria
- Discover the Tikvesh wine region and alluring Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia
- Explore Prizren, the culture capital of Kosovo
- Enjoy natural beauty, ancient sites and traditional Balkan cuisine
Unlock the central Balkans, where influences from the East and West collide. This trip showcases the cultural highlights of Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Kosovo, home to an invigorating mix of ancient civilisations, Unesco World Heritage landmarks and laidback cities such as Sofia and Skopje. Additionally, a visit to this region of the Balkan Peninsula would not be complete without experiencing the contrasting natural beauty on offer: national parks, high mountains, fertile valleys, wine regions and the peaceful lakes Ohrid and Prespa – all part of this comprehensive itinerary.
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Day 1: Start in Sofia, Bulgaria
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Day 2: Transfer to Melnik, stopping at the Unesco-listed sites of Boyana Church and Rila Monastery. Free afternoon in Melnik
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Day 3: Transfer to North Macedonia. Visit the ancient city of Stobi; enjoy wine tasting over dinner in a winery of the Tikvesh wine region
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Day 4: Drive to Bitola to visit the archaeological site of Heraclea and enjoy a walking tour of the city with free time in the evening
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Day 5: Pelister National Park walk, beekeepers farm and lunch in Dihovo, transfer to Lake Ohrid via Lake Prespa and Galičica National Park
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Day 6: Full day in Ohrid, a Unesco World Heritage city. Dinner in a family home in Kuratica village
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Day 7: Transfer to Kosovo via Tetovo and Šar Planina National Park. Lunch in Varvara and a walking tour in Prizren
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Day 8: Visit the Unesco-listed Gračanica Monastery before Skopje, followed by a city tour
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Day 9: Osogovo Monastery visit while transferring back to Sofia for a farewell dinner
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Day 10: End Sofia
- All accommodation
- All breakfasts, three lunches and two dinners
- Free group arrival and departure transfers available
- Travel insurance
- Visas and vaccinations
- Single supplement
- Personal Itinerary can be tweaked and customized.
- Protected Travel within your own bubble.
- Professional Access our Travel Specialists' insider knowledge.
- Privacy Enjoy a tour focused solely on you or your travel group.
- Earn US$ 92+ in travel credits.
- Best price guaranteed.
- No credit card or booking fees.
- 100% financial protection.
- Carbon neutral tours.
- 25,000+ trip reviews, with an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.
- Read more reasons to book with Bookmundiless
No additional cancellation fees apply for this Balkan Explorer tour. You can cancel the tour up to 93 days prior departure and avoid paying the full amount, but your deposit paid is non-refundable. No refund applies for cancellations within 92 days of departure.
PaymentFor any tour departures within 28 June 2024, full payment is required. For tours that depart later than 28 June 2024, a deposit of 25% is required to confirm this tour, and the remaining balance will be charged 92 days before trip departure.
Travel InsuranceBalkan Explorer tour requires that you have adequate and valid travel insurance covering medical and personal accidents, including repatriation costs and emergency evacuation. World Nomads offers travel insurance for independent travelers and intrepid families.
VisaFor this Balkan Explorer tour getting the required visa(s) is the responsibility for each individual traveller, as visa requirements vary depending on your nationality. We recommend to check with your local embassies representing the countries that you are traveling to, as part of this itinerary.
COVID-19 Safety MeasuresThis trip incorporates the following COVID-19 measures:
- This tour has received the World Travel and Tourism Council’s ‘Safe Travels’ stamp, which provides travellers with assurance that COVID-19 health and hygiene protocols have been adhered to.
- Group sizes are kept small to maintain a low risk ‘small group bubble’, with an average of 10 guests in each group.
- Hygiene safety measures and distancing will be followed in transportation, accommodation and meal venues.
- Several COVID-19 distancing measures have been adopted on this package tour to keep travellers safe.
- All travellers will be required to be fully vaccinated no less than two weeks prior to travel.