Pearls of Slovenia & Croatia 2010

Day 1:    CAPE TOWN/JOHANNESBURG – LJUBLJANA

We depart from South Africa and fly via Istanbul to Ljubljana.

Day 2:    LJUBLJANA

Arrival at Ljubljana Airport and our local guide will meet us at the airport and transfer us to our hotel. After check-in we do a walking tour including taking the funicular to the old castle. During our sightseeing we will take a stroll along the main sights; Ljubljanica River embankment, the Three Bridges/ Tromostovje, the Shoemaker’s Bridge and Town Hall.

Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 280,000 inhabitants. Throughout its history, it has been influenced by its geographic position at the crossroads of Germanic, Latin and Slavic cultures. For centuries, Ljubljana was the capital of the historical region of  Carniola and in the 20th century it became the cultural, scientific, economic, political and administrative centre of Slovenia.

Overnight Ljubljana

Day 3:   LJUBLJANA - BLED - LJUBLJANA

After breakfast we do a full day tour of Bled and a boat ride to St. Mary’s church

A sightseeing tour of Bled features the charming town with the lakeshore, and imposing Bled Castle, perched on a cliff high above the lake. We will continue our discoveries aboard an old-fashioned pletna-boat that will take us across this Alpine lake to the island.

Overnight: Ljubljana

Day 4:  EXPLORE – LJUBLJANA

Breakfast is followed by some free time to discover Ljubljana on your own

Day 5:  LJUBLJANA - ZAGREB – DUBROVNIK

Transfer from Ljubljana to Zagreb airport (+-2 – 3 hours). Flight from Zagreb to Dubrovnik airport.

The old town of Dubrovnik is considered so important that UNESCO declared the whole city centre to be a World Heritage Site in 1979. During the civil war of the 1990s, Dubrovnik was the focus of a 7 month siege during which the city was shelled and desecrated by both sides of the battle. After the war the damaged areas were meticulously rebuilt to UNESCO standards, so that the damage is almost impossible to see.

Overnight Dubrovnik.

Day 6:  DUBROVNIK

Rejuvenated by a good night's sleep, we will enjoy a morning walking tour of the walled city including entrances to four of its most famous attractions: the 14th-century Dominican and Franciscan Monasteries, Rector's Palace, and Sponza Palace.

The Franciscan Monastery houses Europe's oldest pharmacy, dating to 1317. Sponza Palace, dating from the 15th century, contains a beautiful 30 metre bell tower. Today it functions as a history museum, containing a memorial to Croatians who perished during the civil war. The balance of the afternoon will be free to enjoy in Dubrovnik (it is a delightful city for walking) or at our hotel.

Overnight Dubrovnik

Day 6:   DUBROVNIK

Today you can use to explore this wonderful city on your own or join us on multiple optional extra tours.

OPTIONAL TOUR – ISLANDS OF ELAFITI WITH FISH PICNIC

A visit to the Elafiti (or Elaphiti) Islands could be a very nice choice just to relax and enjoy a boat ride along the little islands of Elafiti. The terrain is forested and hilly and the little villages retain the relaxed slowness of traditional Adriatic life. There are 13 islands, but only three of those beautiful pearls in the dark blue and clear sea are inhabited: Kolocep, Lopud and Sipan.

Overnight Dubrovnik

Day 7:    DUBROVNIK- SPLIT–TROGIR

Today we take a luxury tour bus from Dubrovnik to the island town of Trogir. Along the way we stop in Ston and Split to explore these antique places.

First we will stop in Mali Ston, the town on the peninsula of Pelješac. Veli Ston faces the open sea. Both towns are connected with an ancient wall with a series of 20 towers and forts.

Split, a city tour featuring the historic inner city, built around the Roman Emperor Diocletian's Palace, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. See the remnants of Split's Roman heritage, its Renaissance and Gothic structures, Jupiter's Temple, the Peristyle and the Cathedral.

Chief among the Roman sites is the Palace of Diocletian, built as the Emperor's retirement home. Diocletian had a special hatred for Christians and tried to stamp out the religion throughout the Roman Empire. It is interesting to speculate whether he would have abdicated in 305 AD if he had known that his successor, Constantine, would embrace Christianity! Split's cathedral, consecrated in the 7th century, was originally Diocletian's mausoleum. The church is richly decorated, and among its many treasures are the relics of martyrs killed on the orders of Diocletian. This evening enjoy a pleasant stroll along the city’s beautiful streets which fortunately were spared the ravages of the recent war.

Overnight Trogir

Day  8:   EXPLORE TROGIR

Morning walking tour of Trogir.

Trogir is a living monument to medieval art and architecture. Named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, Trogir developed from the 13th to the 15th centuries and was once the cultural centre of Dalmatia.  Its golden age is visible everywhere.

Sightseeing in Trogir is a joy. It's a small town and Trogir's sights are conveniently clustered together, making it an easy walk and easy to understand why it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Start your walking tour from the Renaissance City Gate (the main entrance to the town from the car and bus park). Above the gate is a statue of the town's protector, the Blessed Ivan Orsini. Nearby is the town museum which gives a good overview of Trogir's history.

On the east side of town, don't miss the church of St John the Baptist, dating from the 13th century with a magnificent portal and bell tower.  In the church is a "Pieta" also by Firentinac.

Overnight Trogir

Day 9:   TROGIR - PLITVICE NATIONAL PARK - ZAGREB

Today we will get to know the central part of Croatia. Plitvice Lakes National Park consists of a string of sixteen beautiful crystal blue-green coloured lakes lay one attached to another with beautiful cascades spreads around the beautiful landscape. They are fed by many small streams that spill into each other in foaming cascades and thundering waterfalls.

Overnight Zagreb

Day 10:    EXPLORE - ZAGREB

Morning tour of Zagreb. We will enjoy a city tour featuring the historic Upper Town, St. Mark's Church, St. Catherine's Church, the Cathedral, the Parliament and the Government Palace. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore the winding streets or museums.

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. Zagreb is the cultural, scientific, economic and governmental centre of Croatia. It is situated between the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain and both northern and southern bank of the Sava river at an elevation of approximately 122 m (400 ft) above sea level.

Transfer to airport for flight to Istanbul and South Africa.

Day 11:  ZAGREB – ISTANBUL – SOUTH AFRICA

Arrive Cape Town / Johannesburg

Pearls, Slovenia, Croatia, 2010