Balkans Food Adventure

Dobro došli — welcome to Croatia. Your adventure begins in Dubrovnik, a beautiful stone city completely wrapped in medieval walls. With the Adriatic Sea shining in the background, Dubrovnik is full of character, history, and easy-to-explore streets.
Your welcome meeting takes place at 6:30 pm. If you arrive early, take some time to walk inside the city walls and soak up the atmosphere of the Old Town. After the meeting, you may want to head out for dinner with your fellow travelers. Croatian cuisine changes from region to region, but charcuterie is always a favorite. Traditionally made with pork and carefully prepared cured meats, it’s a delicious introduction to the deep, regional flavors of the Balkans.

It is very important that you attend the welcome meeting, as your insurance details and next of kin information will be collected at this time. If you expect to arrive late, please let your travel agent or the hotel reception know. Ask at reception or look for a note in the lobby for details about where the meeting will take place.
This trip spends only one night in Dubrovnik. If you’d like more time to explore the Old Town, we recommend arriving a day or two earlier.

After breakfast, visit an olive farm in the village of Tici, located in the Luštica Bay area near Kotor. Your hosts will introduce you to the art of olive pressing and share the organic olive oil production techniques passed down through their family’s second generation.
Walk through the olive groves before reaching an old stone olive mill, where olives were once pressed by hand. A guided tasting will help you understand what makes a high-quality olive oil, accompanied by local ham, cheese, and grape brandy.
Back in Kotor, take time to wander through the town’s winding stone lanes, or climb the hills behind the city for views of the old fortification walls. Tonight is free, so you might choose to have dinner at a local wine bar.

Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours.

Say goodbye to Montenegro and travel toward Kosovo. Your first stop is Rozafa Fortress in Albania, one of the last strongholds of allied Christian forces during the Ottoman advances of the 15th century.
In the afternoon, arrive in Prizren, Kosovo’s second-largest city and one of the country’s most culturally and ethnically diverse places. The rest of the day is yours to explore at your own pace. Look out over the sea of orange rooftops, visit the city’s impressive mosques and churches, or simply wander the streets and take in the atmosphere. For dinner, ask your leader for local restaurant recommendations.

Your travel time today will be approximately 5.5 hours.

Begin the day with a guided tour of Prizren, passing through the lively bazaar where the sights, sounds, and smells of local food fill the streets. You’ll find plenty of specialties here, including stuffed peppers and other regional favorites.
After the bazaar, continue to Pristina, Kosovo’s capital and largest city. Your leader will guide you through the city center before you sit down to a Kosovo-Serb barbecue prepared by local hosts. Expect sausages and other pork specialties served from their own smokehouse.
Later, take time to explore the surrounding Gračanica settlement and monastery. This area is home to one of the few predominantly Serbian communities in Kosovo. Afterward, leave Kosovo behind and cross into North Macedonia. Your first stop will be St Jovan Bigorski Monastery, also known as St John the Baptist Monastery, one of the most spiritual sites in North Macedonia. Continue on to Ohrid, where you’ll spend the night.

Your travel time today will be approximately 5.5 hours.

Ohrid sits beside Europe’s oldest lake and is one of the oldest human settlements in the world. The town is rich in history, religious monuments, and lakeside beauty. It’s said that Ohrid once had 365 churches, one for every day of the year, earning it the nickname “the Macedonian Jerusalem.”
Today is free for you to explore. You might browse the Old Bazaar, look for local finds, or simply enjoy the lakeside pace. You may also choose to join your leader for an optional day trip to Lake Ohrid and Sveti Naum Monastery, one of North Macedonia’s most important pilgrimage sites. You can also take in Tzar Samoil’s Fortress, set high above Ohrid with views across the town, and see the 2,000-year-old Roman theatre near the upper gate. The Church of Sveti Jovan Kaneo, perched dramatically on a rocky point above the lake, is one of the country’s most photographed sights.
This evening, travel to Kuratica, a village on the outskirts of Ohrid. Here, you’ll experience local hospitality and enjoy a home-cooked dinner. Your host also makes homemade rakija, which you’re welcome to taste for a warming local welcome.

Your travel time today will be approximately 1 hour.

After leaving your accommodation in Ohrid, head to the green market for a traditional breakfast. You might try some of the best burek in town or taste gjomleze, a layered pie made from an old Ohrid recipe.
Continue to Lake Prespa, a favorite holiday spot for Macedonian travelers. Here, visit a local apple farm and taste some of the fresh produce for yourself. Then continue to the small village of Dolno Dupeni on Lake Prespa, where you’ll be welcomed into a local home for a cooking demonstration and lunch.
Later, travel to Bitola. Once you arrive, relax in one of the city’s many cafés or wander through the stalls of the Old Bazaar.

Your travel time today will be approximately 2 hours.

Today, visit Dihovo, a small village set in the foothills of Mount Pelister. A local beekeeper will introduce you to the world of honeybees, including a hands-on open beehive demonstration. Afterward, taste honey taken straight from the comb before enjoying a home-cooked meal in a traditional villa. The ingredients are organic and come from the family’s private gardens.
Return to Bitola in the afternoon. You may choose to take a guided tour of the ancient town and archaeological site of Heraclea Lyncestis, located just outside the city. Founded by Philip II of Macedonia in the fourth century BC, the city was named in honor of the mythological hero Heracles, whom Philip considered his ancestor.

Your travel time today will be approximately 1 hour.

Start the day with a visit to the Stobi archaeological site for a short walk. Once known as Paeonia, Stobi was later conquered by the ancient kingdom of Macedon and became the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia Salutaris.
Continue to the Tikveš wine district, where grape growing thrives thanks to North Macedonia’s abundant sunshine and rocky, mineral-rich soil. Today, you’ll taste local varieties at two of the country’s finest wineries, paired with delicious regional cheeses and cured meats.
Arrive in Skopje in the late afternoon and take a guided walking tour through the city center, tasting traditional Macedonian sweets along the way. Tonight, head out with your fellow travelers for a final dinner in Debar Maalo, Skopje’s bohemian heart. Your leader will help make sure all the favorite dishes make it to the table for one last celebration.

Your travel time today will be approximately 2.5 hours.

There are no planned activities today, so you’re free to leave the accommodation at any time. That doesn’t mean your adventure has to end. If you’d like to spend more time in Skopje or explore the fascinating Matka Canyon, speak with your booking agent about extending your stay.