The Eastern Discovery
This multi-layered journey takes you from Plitvice Lakes in Croatia to the mighty Parthenon in Athens and on to the shimmering Greek isles with a stopover in Corfu.
Pricing
Classic group tour starting at $5,395* CAD per person, based on double occupancy
14 Days – Zagreb to Athens
Activity level: Balanced
Make travel matter
PLITVICE NATIONAL PARK: Choose between two Make Travel Matter Experiences. Join a Local Expert to explore Plitvice National Park and learn how the site actively carries out research to monitor the natural habitat of species, or alternatively meet the industrious women of the Tara Community Centre, who produce handicrafts, enabling employment and engagement in the community.
Top rated highlights
ZAGREB: Ride the funicular to Gornji Grad, the medieval Upper Town, to view the former Presidential Palace, Stone Gate, St. Mark’s Church and the Lotrščak Tower.
TROGIR: See the cathedral and Renaissance Cipiko Palace during an orientation with your Travel Director.
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 sun descends and should the weather be favourable, enjoy a relaxing cruise around the fabled bay of Dubrovnik.
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: Return to the mainland by cruise and continue your journey through Greece.
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: See the Arch of Hadrian, erected in honour of the Roman Emperor and used as a divider between the ancient city and the new Roman district, along with the remaining columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
EPHESUS: Discover one of the world’s finest ancient sites. Led by your Local Expert, walk the Arcadian Way, see the Library of Celsus and Amphitheatre and visit the House of the Virgin Mary.
Day
Day 1
Location(s)
Zagreb
Meals
Dinner with Wine
Description
Transfers to your hotel included. Relax and settle in or perhaps head for the romantic chestnut-lined Stross Promenade for your first views over the city. Join your Travel Director for a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant with the opportunity to get to know your fellow travelers over a pleasant evening with wine.
Accommodation: Sheraton Zagreb Hotel (2 nights)
Day 2
Zagreb
Breakfast
Join your Local Expert to explore the two-tiered capital of Croatia. Drive through the squares of the Lower Town, Donji Grad, designed to give a sense of grandeur. See the Mimara Art Museum in Roosevelt Square and continue to Ban Josip Jelacic Square en route to the cathedral. Board the city’s funicular to the medieval Upper Town, Gornji Grad. It’s a network of little streets, stretching between the Kaptol and Gradec hills. View the former Presidential Palace, Stone Gate, St. Mark’s Church and the Lotrščak Tower. The afternoon is at leisure. Relax and enjoy your hotel’s amenities or perhaps take an Optional Experience to the Zagorje region to learn about the local traditions and visit the house of Marshall Tito?
Day 3
Zagreb – Crystal Lakes of Plitvice
Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Take this morning to relax and enjoy your hotel’s facilities. 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 of Croatia. While the park is predominately forests and grasslands, the true highlight are the interconnected lakes that cascade from one to another.
Accommodation: Hotel Lyra, Ličko Petrovo Selo
Day 4
Plitvice Lakes – Trogir – Split
Breakfast
Explore Plitvice with Insight Choice. Choose between two Make Travel Matter Experiences: Join a guided tour of the National Park and walk along forest paths among 16 interconnecting lakes or alternatively, head to the National Park’s viewpoint and learn about folklore at the Tara Community centre. Travel along the coast and visit Trogir, founded by the Greeks more than 2300 years ago. and renowned for its beautiful cathedral and Renaissance Cipiko Palace. Continue to the historic port of Split.
Accommodation: Hotel President Solin, Split
Day 5
Split – Dubrovnik
Breakfast
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.
Accommodation: Hotel Croatia Cavtat (2 nights)
Day 6
Dubrovnik
Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
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. This evening, should weather permit, embark on a dazzling cruise around the fabled bay. Gaze out at views of the glistening Adriatic and the mighty city walls rising straight from the cliffs. Start your dinner with a glass of grappa, before savouring authentic flavours of local specialties washed down with locally produced wine.
Day 7
Dubrovnik – Kotor – Budva
Breakfast
Stop to visit the old town of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Admire the bay, with it’s 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, home to religious sites such as 9th century Church of Santa Maria in Punta.
Day 8
Budva – Tirana
Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
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. This evening, feast on a traditional dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 9
Tirana – Corfu
Breakfast, Dinner
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.
Day 10
Corfu
Breakfast
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 one of the incredible beaches, or board a cruise for stunning views around the island?
Day 11
Corfu – Delphi
Breakfast
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 B.C 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.’
Day 12
Delphi – Athens
Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
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. In the evening, enjoy a hearty Celebration Dinner at a local restaurant in true Greek style, complete with wine and good cheer.
Day 13
Athens
Breakfast
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.
Day 14
Athens
Breakfast
Your journey comes to an end with a transfer to Athens airport.
*Hotel rooms are subject to availability and are confirmed by the supplier at time of booking; they may be replaced by other hotel rooms of similar category at the sole discretion of the supplier.
Interested in the itinerary above? Click on the “START PLANNING” button below and reference “The Eastern Discovery” in the form, or give us a call at 587.997.5969 to book.
An adventure designed specifically for you
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*Prices are per person, based on double occupancy and subject to change and availability.