Balkan Explorer

Individual arrival in Venice. Check-in at the hotel.
In the evening you will enjoy a welcome dinner in a local restaurant. 

This morning you will take a tour of the highlights of this spectacular city. Stroll through the winding alleyways along the Grand Canal to St. Mark's Square, which was the heart of Venetian life for 1,000 years. Other points on the tour include St. Mark's Basilica and the Rialto Market. 
Alternatively, you can spend the day exploring the city on your own, perhaps with a gondola ride in St. Mark's Basin and along the Grand Canal. 

In the morning, you will travel by boat from the hotel directly to Santa Lucia station on the Grand Canal.  The private train, the Golden Eagle Danube Express, is waiting here. 
It leaves Santa Lucia station in the morning and travels to the Italian port city of Trieste, where you will visit Miramare Castle in the afternoon.  Afterwards, you will stop at the large Piazza Unita d'Italia, the city's main square. 
There is an opportunity to climb the hill to the famous church of San Giusto, which is built around a medieval complex from the 13th century. Inside the church, we can take a close look at the magnificent Byzantine architecture with its precious mosaics.

Today you will visit Postojna Cave. Take an underground train deep into the cave and visit the network of magnificent halls, countless cave formations and mysterious animals. 
After visiting the caves, you return to Ljubljana, the charming capital of Slovenia, which offers a combination of old architecture and young culture. During the afternoon tour through the old town of Ljubljana, you will visit Preseren Square, the Three Bridges, the Dragon Bridge and the Plecnik Market.

In the early morning you reach the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, which is a fascinating mixture of Eastern and Western culture: Mosques and minarets, an old bazaar and an atmospheric old Turkish quarter. Discover the moving history of the city on a truly captivating tour that brings you closer to the horrors of the Balkan War. 
After a light lunch in Sarajevo, you will travel by coach to the historic city of Mostar in the afternoon. Mostar was one of the most important cities of the Ottoman Empire. The famous stone arch bridge, which connects the Christian and Muslim parts of the city, was rebuilt in the summer of 2004. 

You will also visit the Turkish House and the mosque before the tour takes you through the narrow bazaar streets where you can buy traditional souvenirs and handicrafts.

Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, lies at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and is one of the oldest and most fascinating cities in Europe. With its turbulent past, it is also a city of contrasts, from communist-era buildings to Orthodox churches, from ancient Celtic fortresses to the ruins resulting from the Balkan wars. 
You spend a whole day here and the comprehensive city tour includes the “House of Flowers” - the mausoleum of Josip Tito, the president of the former Yugoslavia.  The sightseeing program in Belgrade also includes the City Hall building, Republic Square and Knez Mihajlova Street as well as the Varos Gate and a visit to Belgrade's Kalemegdan Fortress.

This morning you cross the border into Montenegro, one of Europe's largely undiscovered territories. Blessed with glorious beaches and spectacular landscapes of rugged mountains, gentle lakes and medieval towns, Montenegro offers a combination of natural beauty and captivating history. In the morning you will arrive in Bar, where you will take a short sightseeing tour of the coastal town.
During lunch on board the Danube Express, you continue to the capital Podgorica. Its streets are an interesting hodgepodge of Ottoman curiosities, Austrian shop windows, communist skyscrapers and modern shopping centers. 

Today you reach the little-visited Skopje and discover a city where Ottoman influences are still strong. Explore the narrow streets of the old town with its tiny stores and mosques with ceramic tiles inside. Meander through the Old Bazaar, where there is plenty to buy, and cross the 15th-century stone bridge. 

The place where the modern capital of Bulgaria is located at the foot of Mount Vitosha was first settled by the Thracian tribe of Serdi. On a morning tour, you will see parts of the Roman city wall, admire the old St. George's Church, the golden dome of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the Turkish Bashi Mosque.
Enjoy lunch on the train on the journey from Sofia to Plovdiv. 
The second largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, the "City of Seven Hills", is one of the oldest cities in Europe with more than 200 known archaeological sites. You spend the afternoon exploring the many sights in the charming old town, including the old theaters, the medieval walls and the Ottoman baths.

This morning the train arrives in Istanbul, where you will stay for two nights in the famous five-star Pera Palace Hotel (or similar) with a view of the Golden Horn. 
The program includes a visit to the crown jewel of the Ottoman Empire, the Topkapi Palace, including 
Hagia Sophia and the Sultan Ahmet Mosque (the Blue Mosque) will also be visited.

Free time for your own explorations or relaxation at the hotel.
In the evening there will be a farewell dinner in a local restaurant.

Individual journey home to Switzerland.