Depart the USA on overnight flight to Tirana, Albania.
After your arrival, immigration and customs formalities at Mother Teresa Airport of Tirana, you will meet Albanian hosts and be transferred to the hotel in Tirana. After checking in at the hotel and some free time, we'll start the sightseeing tour of Tirana, which includes: the Skanderbeg Square, National History Museum which gives excellent opportunity to get acquainted to Albanian history and traditions, E'them Bey Mosque, and the clock tower.
After breakfast we will depart to Kruja, a medieval town near Tirana, which was the center of Albanian resistance against the Ottoman invasion in the 15th century. We'll visit the castle, which houses the Skanderbeg Museum and the Ethnographic Museum.
On the way to Berat we will make a short stop in the city of Durres for a walk along the promenade located on Adriatic sea. Our next stop will be in Berat, one of the most beautiful and impressive cities in Albania, with its typical buildings. We will visit the castle and the churches protected with powerful stone walls, also other sites such as: "Onufri Museum", Lead Mosque, Bachelor's Mosque, Gorica bridge and beautiful dwellings from the 18th and 19th centuries. After Berat we visit the archeological site of Apollonia, offering the ruins of the ancient city founded by Greeks in 6th century BC; defensive walls, theater, obelisk, temples, etc. The last site will be the remains of the medieval monastery (museum and Byzantine church). In the evening we will arrive in Vlora for overnight. The Bay of Vlora is where the Adriatic and Ionian Seas divide, giving the town a real Mediterranean feeling.
This morning we continue our drive along the coast to Saranda with a breathtaking vista over the mountains, white sandy beaches, villages, and towns as well as the castle of Porto Palermo, also known as the Ali Pasha Castle. After reaching Saranda we will continue on to the ancient city of Butrint. The atmosphere here is very tranquil with crickets chirping among the ruins. The site is extensive and there are many things to see – the old Amphitheater, the Temple of Aesculapius, the Baptistry with colorful mosaics and the ancient city walls. Overnight in Saranda.
Today we will visit Gjirokastra, a UNESCO heritage site otherwise called the "Museum City". Its characteristic houses resemble medieval towers built one on top of the other. Here we will explore the Argjiro castle and the house of the former ruler of Albania, Enver Hoxha. We continue the trip to the city of Korca driving through breathtaking scenery of the mountainous area of Leskovik and Kolonja. Overnight in Korca.
After a short drive to Macedonian border we will cross the Tushemisht and enter into Macedonia for Ohrid.
On the way we will visit the Monastery of St. Naum, a popular sight, almost on the Albanian border, with wandering peacocks and well-kept grounds. Overnight in Ohrid.
Ohrid is one of the prime jewels of the Macedonian crown. UNESCO protection is assigned to it because of its rare environmental, scientific and cultural significance. The lake itself is one of the world's oldest, belonging to the ranks of Lake Baikal and Lake Titicaca. The town's history goes back to Neolithic times; and much of it can be still seen in the museum or in the form of churches, castles and other inherited architecture. It is also home to many painters, sculptors, woodcarvers and other artisans. The town of Ohrid has "a religious site for every day of the year" scattered around Lake Ohrid, its National Museum is one of the oldest on record. We will see local artisans at woodworking, paper-making, and silver filigree. A visit to the Tsar Samoil's Fortress, dating from the ancient times and named after a medieval ruler, gives us a magnificent view of the lake.
Today our final destination is Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. After crossing the Macedonia-Bulgaria border, our first stop will be in the city of Melnik, one of the most unusual and beautiful towns in Bulgaria, an open-air museum with its national revival period homes and various ruins. We will see the "sand pyramids" surrounding the village. These sand and clay formations have been eroded throughout the centuries to form many strange shapes. We will also go to the Kordopulov house – the largest residential building in the Balkans and enjoy a wine-tasting in the cellar of the house. We continue our travel to visit the Rila Monastery, UNESCO site and one of the most revered holy, attractive places in the country for locals as well as for tourists.
We relax this morning before beginning our tour of Sofia. Sites include: the National Museum of History for an introduction to the history of Bulgaria, the Aleksander Nevski Memorial Church, St. Sofia, Church of St. George Rotunda, the Presidency, the Roman walls, the City Garden and the National Theatre, Boyana Church-UNESCO World Heritage site, Parliament Square and the ruins of ancient Serdica.
This morning we will drive to Bulgaria's second largest and probably the most beautiful city Plovdiv. Our sightseeing starts with beautifully preserved Old Plovdiv, followed by the most well-kept Roman amphitheatre in the Balkans. We will also visit the Ethnographic Museum, Hindlian House, Sts. Konstantin and Elena Church, the Trakart Roman Villa mosaics and the workshops of local potters.
Then we continue to Kazanluk with a stop in Stara Zagora with Roman ruins, founded by Thracians and renamed by Augusta Trajana in honor of Emperor Trajan. We will visit the Neolithic Dwellings Museum (the oldest in Europe).
Then we head to the Valley of Roses, also known as the Valley of the Thracian Kings, Kazanluk- at its centre. Once 75% of the world's attar of roses was produced here. We will visit Thracian tomb, UNESCO site ( 4-5th c B.C ).
Today we leave Kazanluk for Nessebur, drive along the Black Sea coast with a stop in Burgaz, cultural capital of the coastline. We will spend some time in Burgaz exploring this compact summer resort.
Once we are in Nessebur we will have a tour of the old part of the city, which is another UNESCO site with its museum and some medieval buildings.
Our drive along the coastline takes us to Varna, the most cosmopolitan and interesting city on the Black Sea. Here we will visit the Archaeological Museum housing a fascinating, rich collection going back to 4,000 BC and also the oldest gold found and processed by a human, which was discovered at the Varna Necropolis (closed). We will take a panoramic tour of the city to enjoy its architecture, Asparuhov Bridge over the channels, and the Lake of Varna with the port, the Central railway station, the Theatre, the Sea Garden and the Cathedral.
In the late afternoon we will drive to the famous spa town Golden Beach for overnight.
After some relaxed time we will leave the Black Sea coast and drive inland to Veliko Turnova. We will make a detour to visit the city of Shumen with its impressive hill-top fortress overlooking the city. Then we continue to Veliko Turnova, the fascinating medieval capital of Bulgaria.
We will start the day with a visit to the Baldwin Tower where Baldwin I, leader of the 4th Crusade was executed in1200 AD, and the Patriarchs' complex. Take a walk along Samovodska Charshia, its streets are rich in crafts, antique shops and workshops in Veliko Turnovo. We will also get to Arbanassi Museum Village and visit the church of the Nativity of Christ.
In the afternoon we will drive via Gabrovo and Etra open-air Ethnographic complex to Tryavna museum town, visiting Daskalov House, a museum of woodcarving and icon painting.
Today we travel from Bulgaria to Romania via Ruse, also known as "Small Vienna" for its architecture. Here we will stop for the UNESCO site of Ivanovo Rock Monasteries, in the valley of the Roussenski Lom River, in the north-east of Bulgaria. This is a complex of rock-hewn churches, chapels, monasteries and cells developed by first hermits in the 12th century in the vicinity of the village of Ivanovo. The 14th-century murals testify to the exceptional skill of the artists belonging to the Tarnovo School of painting. We cross the border into Romania at Giurgiu and continue our journey to Sinaia for overnight.
Sinaia was the summer residence of the kings of Romania. Before we leave for Sighisoaro we will tour Sinaia to visit the Peles Castle, the former summer residence of King Carol I of Romania. It was built between 1875 and 1883 in the neo-renaissance German style. Then we will cross the mountains with beautiful scenery where the forest is interrupted from time to time by scenic clearings. Our next stop will be at the Bran Castle, built by the Saxons upon the Wallachian – Transylvanian border of the time. Vlad the Impaler is said to have been hosted in this place once or twice.
In the afternoon, we will have a walk in the old centre of Brasov, before continuing to the very core of Transylvania, to Sighisoara, where we will be accommodated in a hotel set in an old building inside the still inhabited fortress.
This morning we will have a tour of the fortress in Sighisoara. It is the only medieval citadel in Europe which is fully inhabited and mentioned in 1280 as "Castrum Sex". Sites include: the Clock Tower Museum, the Cover Stairs and the Church on the Hill. After the tour we will depart to the Northeast, crossing the Carpathians again, taking a scenic route that passes by the Red Lake and the impressive Bicaz Gorges. Later we will get on the shore of Izvorul Muntelui Lake and drive through some unique villages with colorful houses to reach the mythical land of Bukovina (Land of the Beech), annexed to the Habsburg rule between 1775 and 1918. This area is the host of a multiethnic society which includes Romanians, Ukrainians, Jews and Poles.
Today we will spend the full day visiting some of the most important UNESCO monuments in Romania: the monasteries of Voronet, Sucevita, Moldovita and Putna. The best known monastery is Voronet, nicknamed "the Sistine Chapel of the East" because of its blue scheme and the western wall painted with the "Last Judgment". Sucevita has the greatest location, in a fairy tale-like setting. We also visit the black pottery masters' workshop in Marginea.
We leave Bukovina today and by crossing two scenic passes, the Mestecanis and the Prislop, we'll reach Maramures, the Land of Timber. Houses and churches are built of wood and local craftsmen are very good carpenters and wood carvers. The local wooden churches are on the list of the UNESCO sites, and we'll visit two of them today, the Ieud and the Poienile Izei, as well as a peaceful monastery complex, the Barsana. In the evening we will be accommodated in Elie Wiesel's birth town, Sighetu Marmatiei.
In the morning we will explore central Maramures, with a glimpse of the wooden houses and churches along Coseu Valley. We will also visit the Merry Cemetery at Sapanta, the best expression of the fact that local people do not believe in death as the end, but rather a transitory state; therefore they do not consider that one has to be sad at a funeral. This led Master Stan Ioan Patras to painting funerary crosses in vivid colors, and placing funny epitaphs on them. After passing a few traditional villages along the way and taking a secondary road across the mountains to Baia Mare, we will continue to the South, with a brief stop in Cluj, we will arrive in Sibiu, (the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2007) in the evening.
In the morning we will have a walk in the central squares of Sibiu, also visiting one of the most elegant residences there, the Bruckenthal, nowadays housing a great Art Gallery. Later we will leave Sibiu and Transylvania, taking Romania's highest asphalt road that crosses the Transylvanian Alps (Fagaras Mountains). The scenery is impressive, with glacial lakes, fir tree forests, extensive pastures and rocky cliffs. If weather does not permit this route, or if we come here during the winter closure (mid October – early July), the section between Sibiu and Curtea de Arges will be done along the scenic Olt Gorges. Then we'll go down and visit the impressive Monastery of Curtea de Arges, haunted by a very interesting legend. In the late afternoon we will reach Bucharest and have a panoramic tour of the city. Dinner and overnight in Bucharest.
This morning we will transfer you to the airport for home flight.
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