Serbia and Montenegro

Flight to Belgrade. Pick up from the airport in Belgrade and transfer to the hotel in Belgrade. We will accommodate the group in the hotel. Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. Start with panoramic Belgrade sightseeing by bus followed by a walking tour of the city center. The tour includes the following sights: Assembly of the City of Belgrade, National Assembly, Republic Square, Terazije Square, Old and New Court, Slavija Square, Temple of Saint Sava (largest Orthodox church in the Balkans). Free time for lunch on Knez Mihajlova street. Visit of Serbian Patriarchy and after that, we will walk through Kalemegdan fortress and we will place where river Danube meets river Sava. Visit to the House of flowers. The House of Flowers is the resting place of former Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito and it is a part of the Museum of Yugoslav History Complex. While visiting the House of Flowers, we will see Tito’s tomb, collections of Tito’s army uniforms and batons used to transfer birthday greetings from all parts of Yugoslavia, as well as gifts he received from all over the world during his rule. River cruises to Danube and Sava River. You will have the option for dinner in restaurants on Skadarlija street. Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, drive 100 km to Viminacium which was a major city and a military camp in the Roman times. The city dates back to the 1st century AD and is believed it had 40.000 inhabitants and was one of the biggest cities of that time. Viminacium was devastated by the Huns in the 5th century, but rebuilt by Justinian. It was completely destroyed with the arrival of Slavs in the 6th century. Visit the Amphitheatre, Roman Baths, Mausoleum, Domuš (copy of a Roman villa, also a science and research center) and Mamut park (skeleton of a mammoth was recently discovered on the site). Lunch. After lunch, drive to Lepenski Vir (90 km), archeological site located in the Đerdap Gorge. It is the location of one of the most important prehistoric cultures and archaeological discoveries that have changed our knowledge about the early Stone Age in Europe. There are remains of religious architecture dating from 6500 to 5500 BC that may be seen on the site. Drive back to Belgrade (165 km). You will have the option for dinner in a restaurant. Overnight.

Breakfast. We are driving to Fruska Gora and we will visit the most famous monastery there – Krusedol (71 km), a XVI century monastery which is considered the most beautiful monastery of Fruška Gora. This was a seat of diocese of Srem, which was later transferred to Sremski Karlovci. Relics of members of holly family Branković are placed inside of the church and many important people are buried there as well, such as two Serbian patriarchs and King Milan Obrenović. Later, we will visit a small and very beautiful town, Sremski Karlovci (12 km), the spiritual and cultural center of the Serbs during the Austria-Hungarian reign. Walk through beautiful baroque center and the pedestrian area of Sremski Karlovci - Patriarchal Residence, Saint Nicholas Church, the first Serbian grammar school, the Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, the Roman Church of the Holy Trinity, the Four Lions Fountain, the Peace Chapel, erected on the spot where the Treaty of Karlowitz was negotiated. Free time for optional lunch. Afterwards, we are driving to Petrovaradin fortress (9 km), “the Danube Gibraltar”, the oldest preserved fortification on the Danube built during the reign of the Queen Maria Theresa, originally built to defend against the Ottoman Turks, but now home to summertime festivals and beautiful views of the Danube and city below. Ride to Novi Sad (3 km) and check in. Free time on one own. You will have the option for dinner in a restaurant. Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. Sightseeing tour of Novi Sad - a city rich in tradition and culture, where everything flourishes and everything is preserved, most of all, the relaxed nature of the people. For a long time, a center of Serbian culture, and sometimes called the “Serbian Athens”, Novi Sad is a city of art, science and entertainment. Begin your tour at the Dunavski (Danube) Park and stroll through Zmaj Jovina street and Stari Grad, the old town center. Explore Liberty Square which is dominated by the Old Town Hall and the Catholic Church „Name of Mary“. Free time for optional lunch. Transfer to Topola (165 km) and there we will visit the church St. George, where is a mausoleum of Serbian royal dynasty, Karadjordjevikji. The interior of the Church is covered in mosaics, which required over 6 million pieces to complete, and represent best achievements of fresco painting in Serbia. The crypt contains the relics of members of the Karađorđević dynasty. The Mausoleum, built by King Petar I, is covered with white marble from nearby Vencac Mountain and from Carrara in Italy. The house of Petar Karađorđević stands opposite the Church, and was built in 1912. It served as the summer residence of the King. After that, we will continue our tour to Vrnjacka Banja (100 km). We will check-in in the hotel. Free time for walking through Vrnjacka Banja, which is the oldest tourist place in Serbia. Optional dinner in a restaurant. Overnight.

Breakfast at hotel and check-out. We will drive to visit Zica Monastery (25 km), near Kraljevo. Zica is a medieval monastery built 1207-1217 from the sons of Stefan Nemanja (Stefan the First-Crowned and the first head of Serbian church, St. Sava). Afterwards, we will drive to the monastery Studenica (55 km). This monastery was built in 1190 from the first Serbian ruler, Stefan Nemanja. Our next stop will be Durdjevi Stupovi (65 km), a medieval Serbian monastery from 1170, as an endowment of Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja, dedicated to St. George; it is known as the "Tracts of St. George", often incorrectly as "Pillars of St. George". The monastery is exceptional not only for its position and significance it had according to medieval chronicles and manuscripts, but also for its particular architecture. Free time for optional lunch in Novi Pazar, small Serbian town. Our last destination will be Podgorica, which we will reach after 4 hours driving (240 km), the capital city of Montenegro. Accommodation in a hotel in Podgorica. Optional dinner in restaurants. Overnight in Zabljak.

Breakfast at hotel. You will have a city tour of Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. After that, we will be driving to Ostrog Monastery (40 km). When we arrive at the Monastery Ostrog complex, we will first visit the Lower Monastery and the Holy Trinity Church from 1824. Then, we will take off to the Upper Monastery, walk uphill for 5 minutes to the Upper Monastery and when we arrive at the Upper Monastery, you will hear many stories and see the coffin with the remains of St. Basil, the most important saint in the Montenegro Orthodoxy. Later, we will continue in direction of Cetinje (70 km), where we will go on a walking tour. Your guide will take you through the historical parts of Cetinje where you will visit its most important monuments, beautiful parks and charming promenades. You will see the famous Blue Palace and many old embassies. You will get to see the ruins of the old Cetinje Monastery from the 15th century and the 19th Century Cipuri church before we come to the Monastery of Cetinje, which was rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century and even today is the centre of the Montenegro Orthodox church. You will see the Biljarda castle, the monument dedicated to Ivan Crnojevic, King Nicholas palace and many others. After the visit of Cetinje, we will continue our tour to Kotor (55 km) and check in. You will have the option for dinner in a restaurant. Overnight.

Breakfast at hotel. After the breakfast, our guide will pick you up and show you the old town Kotor, taking you through the cozy streets of this UNESCO-protected World Heritage Site. You will pass over the Squares of Arms with its Clock Tower and palaces. You will also admire in front of (or optionally visit) the oldest Catholic Church in Montenegro dedicated to the Saint Tryphon. Other attractions on this short walking tour are the Maritime Square and Orthodox churches, such as Saint Lukas and Nicholas, Cats Squares and more. Our tour guide will also tell stories that show the harmony between the different religions and the old daily routine of Kotor citizens. After Kotor, we continue in direction of Our Lady of the Rocks (15 km). Panoramic ride through Boka Bay surroundings will take us to Perast - one of the best preserved baroque settlements in the Mediterranean. After a short walk through the city center, we will take an easy 5-minute boat ride to the artificial island - Lady of the Rocks, famous for its beauty and interesting stories and legends. After the tour in Kotor and Perast, we would go in the direction of Tivat (25 km) and we will visit Porto Montenegro at Montenegro biggest yachting marine and most modern tourist village. After a stop for refreshments, we will proceed towards Budva (25 km) and do the Budva walking tour. We will start the tour with a walk to the popular city viewpoint at the Ballerina monument in the direction of Mogren beach. Passing through the Land Gate, we will see the Poets square, unusual entrance ways that will take you directly to the sea. We will continue to see the biggest city square, famous for its churches that are standing beside each other. We will come across the Roman Catholic Cathedral dedicated to Saint John and the Orthodox Church of Saint Trinity from 1804. The tour will take you to the small church Saint Sava the abbot from 12th century and a Benedictine monastery of Saint Maria in Punta from the year 840. We will pass next to the Budva Citadel and Ancient Necropolis, and take a walk along the sunny marina. After the Budva Old Town walking tour, we will go in the direction of the famous isle and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Montenegro - Saint Stephan island (10 km) and have a chance to walk over its surrounding. We will visit Queen’s and King’s beach, and enjoy in this beautiful environment. After that, we are driving to Bar (30 km). You will have the option for dinner in a restaurant. Overnight.

Breakfast at hotel. We will start our tour with visit of St. Jovan Vladimir's temple and history museum and former royal Montenegro palace. We will then drive in direction of the Old Town Bar. The tour in Old Town will take us approximately one hour. We will drive and visit the community of Moraca Monastery (100 km) hailing from the 13th century. This is one of the oldest and most beautiful monastery settlements in the region. Then we will drive to the small town, Kolasin (25 km) for optional lunch break. Afterwards, we leave Montenegro and drive to Zlatibor (185 km) in Serbia. You will have the option for dinner in a restaurant. Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. We go to Mokra Gora (35 km). Mokra Gora meaning “the Wet Mountain” is a village in Serbia on the northern slopes of mountain Zlatibor. The village became popular after a reconstruction of a narrow gauge railway called Šargan Eight, which is unique in the world. It is a railway that passes through 22 tunnels, over 5 bridges and overcomes the altitude difference of 300 meters, on a total distance of 15 kilometers, once connecting Belgrade with Sarajevo. We will board the famous dinky train "Nostalgia", created in old-time style, so you can feel that old atmosphere while sitting in its authentic cars with wooden seats, smelling fume from its wood burning stove and hearing the rumble of its wheels and then go for a ride along the most exciting section of this narrow gauge line. During the ride, the train makes a few stops so you can take some fabulous photographs and enjoy the views. After ride we will visit the ethno village “Wooden City” (also known as Drvengrad and Mećavnik) built as a setting for “Life is a Miracle”, Emir Kusturica’s film. The amazing village was until recently just a couple of salvaged traditional wooden houses on a bluff above a spectacularly beautiful valley, but has been transformed into a modern equivalent of the medieval great monastery or university made of natural materials, mostly from wood. In the newly-built town you can find streets and squares, hotel, few restaurants and bars, congress center, library, Serbia's most advanced cinema, church, etc. Once a year, the town hosts the annual “Küstendorf” Film and Music Festival with famous guests from all over the world. After Drvengrad, we will visit Sirogojno (60 km),”Old Village“, a unique and very charming ethno village famous for its open-air museum of traditional architecture and well-known for its exhibition of handicrafts and world famous hand-knitted clothes. Next, we go to Belgrade (210 km). You will have the option for dinner in a restaurant. Overnight.

Transfer to airport “Nikola Tesla” and flight back home.