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Insight - The Eastern Discovery - Small Group (05/2023 - 09/2023) (SE972MZN18)

14 Days From Zagreb to Athens 
Tour Style: Regional Europe
Insight Brochure Price from $4,406.00
Brochures: Europe & Britain Premium 2023 v2, Europe & Britain Premium 2024 v1
Visits: Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece

See the great lakes of Croatia in Plitvice National Park and breathe in the Balkan beauty of Montenegro on this two-week discovery of the east. From Zagreb’s Presidential Palace and Split’s Old City, your expert led itinerary gallops across Croatia to the pearl of the Adriatic—Dubrovnik. Marble streets, hidden markets and terracotta roofs abound within the walled city and a Dubrovnik traditional dinner acquaints the taste buds with glasses of grappa, authentic local flavors and delicious dessert wines. Set sail from the shores of Greece to the island of Corfu—with its bleach white domes and azure blue seas, before forging onwards to the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, and the Acropolis in Athens.
Choice Highlights
  • Choose between two carefully selected activities
  • Plitvice Lakes National Park: Join a Local Expert to explore Plitvice National Park. Learn about the studies taking place to monitor and protect the natural habitat, and education initiatives on the marine environment and best practices for a low-impact experience. The site participates in habitat restoration and is constantly working to protect the parks natural ecosystems and animal population. The staff educate their visitors about local traditions and share their personal story of the village with great passion from personal knowledge and experience.  This experience advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water, UN Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life On Land and UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable cities & Communities.  Alternatively, meet the industrious women of the Tara Community Center.
  • Plitvice Lakes National Park: Through its income the Tara Center has built a small community Center that is used by the Tara Citizens’ Association, a collective of mostly older women, many of whom were refugees. There the women produce handicrafts which have giving them a much-needed financial and psychological boost. The staff educate their visitors about local traditions and share their personal story of the village with great passion from personal knowledge and experience.  The Tara Center advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities and UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable cities & Communities.  Alternatively, join a Local Expert to explore Plitvice National Park.

Well-being
  • : Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
  • : Experience enhanced hygiene protocols to align with the latest guidance following COVID-19.All Travel Directors, Well-Being Directors and Drivers have completed training in enhanced well-being and hygiene protocols.
  • : We only work with establishments we are confident will consistently adhere to our high well-being standards, which include hotels, restaurants and sight-seeing venues.
  • : Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

Travel Director
  • : "One thing I really love about showing guests Eastern Europe is the rich history and culture of places that have previously been impossible to visit due to political situations."
  • : "The trick to really connecting with the Greeks is to say 'Kalimera!' (Good morning!) loud and proud to everyone you meet each morning, as we do, and to relax long enough to let your sense of humour come though. The Greeks appreciate people who lay the cards on the table, are authentic and show interest in the places they visit. "
  • : "In Greece, we still break plates when we are excited, happy, dancing, celebrating our namedays or birthdays, get married or divorced!"

Authentic Dining
  • Zagreb: Join your Travel Director for a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant with the opportunity to get to know your fellow travellers over a pleasant evening with wine.
  • Dubrovnik: Enjoy a traditional Dalmatian Coast meal at a local restaurant, accompanied with wine and grappa.
  • Athens: Toast the culmination of your vacation with a lively Celebration Dinner in true Greek style at a local restaurant.
  • Dining Summary: 5 Dinner with Wine (DW), 13 Breakfast (B), and 1 Dinner (D)

Top Rated Highlights
  • Zagreb: Your Local Expert guides you this two-tiered capital. Explore Donji Grad, the Lower Town, and see the Mimara Art Museum in Roosevelt Square, Ban Josip Jelacic Square and the cathedral.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Trogir: See the cathedral and Renaissance Cipiko Palace during an orientation with your Travel Director.
  • Split: Explore above and below the Roman Emperor Diocletian's palace. A Local Expert guides you through labyrinthine streets to see St. Duje's, the Temple of Jupiter, the Golden Gate and the Cellars.
  • 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: Explore the Pearl of the Adriatic with your Local Expert. Walk the stone-paved streets of the Old Town to see Onofrio's Fountain, Rector's Palace and the medieval city walls. Admire the Franciscan and Dominican monasteries.
  • Dubrovnik: As the sun descends and should the weather be favourable, enjoy a relaxing cruise around the fabled bay of Dubrovnik. Gaze out at views of the glistening Adriatic before your cruise moors in the Old Town Harbour.
  • 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: Escape to this idyllic island by cruise, enjoying leisure time on the beach or insightful exploration.
  • Corfu: Return to the mainland by cruise and continue your journey through Greece.
  • Delphi: Ascend the Sacred Way, once lined with offertory temples.
  • 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.

Make Travel Matter
  • Plitvice Lakes National Park: Join a Local Expert to explore Plitvice National Park. Learn about the studies taking place to monitor and protect the natural habitat, and education initiatives on the marine environment and best practices for a low-impact experience. The site participates in habitat restoration and is constantly working to protect the parks natural ecosystems and animal population. The staff educate their visitors about local traditions and share their personal story of the village with great passion from personal knowledge and experience.  This experience advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water, UN Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life On Land and UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable cities & Communities.  Alternatively, meet the industrious women of the Tara Community Center.
  • Plitvice Lakes National Park: Through its income the Tara Center has built a small community Center that is used by the Tara Citizens’ Association, a collective of mostly older women, many of whom were refugees. There the women produce handicrafts which have giving them a much-needed financial and psychological boost. The staff educate their visitors about local traditions and share their personal story of the village with great passion from personal knowledge and experience.  The Tara Center advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities and UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable cities & Communities.  Alternatively, join a Local Expert to explore Plitvice National Park.

Insight Tour Itinerary

Day 1Welcome to Zagreb
Transfers to your hotel depart from Zagreb airport at 11:30 and 14:00. Relax and settle in or perhaps head for the romantic chestnut-lined Stross Promenade for your first views over the city. At 17:30, join your Travel Director for a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant with the opportunity to get to know your fellow travellers over a pleasant evening with wine.
Visits: Zagreb
Meals: Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Sheraton Zagreb Hotel.
Day 2Zagreb’s Twin Towns Relaxed Start
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?
Visits: Zagreb
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Sheraton Zagreb Hotel.
Day 3The Crystal Lakes of Plitvice Relaxed Start
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.
Visits: Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Hotel Lyra, Ličko Petrovo Selo.
Day 4Plitvice Lakes, Ancient Trogir and Split
Explore Plitvice with Insight Choice. Choose between two MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences: Join a Local Expert to explore Plitvice National Park and learn how the site actively researches to monitor the natural habitat of species. Alternatively meet the industrious women of the Tara Community Centre, who produce handicrafts, enabling employment and engagement in the community.Travel along the coast and visit Trogir, UNESCO Word Heritage site, founded by the Greeks more than 2,300 years ago. This town is renowned for its beautiful cathedral and Renaissance Cipiko Palace. Continue to the historic port of Split.
Visits: Plitvice Lakes National Park, Trogir, Split
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel President Solin, Split.
Day 5Diocletian’s Palace
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.
Visits: Split, Dubrovnik
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik.
Day 6Dubrovnik, Pearl of the Adriatic Relaxed Start
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 and gaze out at views of the glistening Adriatic. Start your dinner with a glass of grappa, before savouring authentic flavours of local specialties and enjoy locally produced wine.
Visits: Dubrovnik
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik.
Day 7Mediterranean Montenegro Relaxed Start
Stop to visit the old town of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Admire the bay, with its 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 the 9th century Church of Santa Maria in Punta.
Visits: Dubrovnik, Budva
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel TQ Plaza, Budva.
Day 8Scenic Drive to Tirana
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.
Visits: Dubrovnik, Kotor, Tirana
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: MAK Albania Hotel Tirana.
Day 9Across to Corfu
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.
Visits: Tirana, Corfu
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Divani Palace Hotel Corfu.
Day 10Relax in Corfu Relaxed Start
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?
Visits: Corfu
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Divani Palace Hotel Corfu.
Day 11Delphi, Centre of the Ancient World
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.’
Visits: Corfu, Delphi
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Amalia Hotel Delphi.
Day 12Delphi sightseeing and on to Athens
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.
Visits: Delphi, Athens
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens.
Day 13The Glory of Athens
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.
Visits: Athens
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Divani Caravel Hotel, Athens.
Day 14Depart Athens
Your journey comes to an end with a transfer to Athens airport.
Visits: Athens
Meals: Breakfast


Available Room Types: Single, Triple, Twin, Twinshare
Child: ages 5 to 17

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