Istanbul, Skopje
Balkan Fairy Tale Tour Day 1 After meeting at Sabiha Gökçen Airport at 09:00, we depart for Skopje at 12:25 on the AJet Airlines flight VF263. After approximately a one-and-a-half-hour flight, we arrive at Skopje Airport. After passport and customs procedures, we set off with our vehicle waiting for us at the airport to explore the streets of Skopje. While wandering through the largest part of the bazaar built outside the capital in Ottoman history, we will see the Kapan Han, Sulu Han, Çifte Hamam, Murat Pasha Mosque, Sultan Murat Mosque, the Clock Tower, the Stone Bridge, Skopje Fortress, the statue groups built as part of the 2014 project, Macedonia Square, the Vardar River, and the statue of Alexander the Great, which are just a few of the sights in this magnificent city. If you are lucky and they haven't run out, you must try the famous acıbadem and if in season, definitely enjoy a cold boravitsa and taste kikiriki. After our tour, we have some free time. After the free time, we have dinner at a local restaurant. After dinner, we transfer to our hotel and spend the night at our hotel.
Accommodation: 4* Hotels
Skopje, Matka Canyon, Prizren, Pristina, Skopje
Balkan Tale Tour Day 2 After having breakfast at the hotel, we leave our hotel for our Kosovo tour. First, our guide takes us to Matka Canyon, where we will enjoy a pleasant walk in nature and replenish our oxygen. After our delightful walk here, we head towards the Macedonia-Kosovo border. After the passport and customs procedures, we arrive in Kosovo, the world's second newest and Europe’s newest country. First, we reach Prizren, where you will feel as if you are in an Anatolian village, carrying many traces from the Ottoman period. During our walking tour here, we will see the Sinan Pasha Mosque, the minaret of Arasta Mosque, the Ottoman bath, the stone bridge, the Turkish consulate, and the castle, which are just some of the highlights. We highly recommend that you try some of the delicious local dishes during the free time we will have here. After completing our tour of Prizren, we visit the tomb built at the location where one of the important sultans of Ottoman history, Murat Hüdavendigar, had his tent during his time and where he was buried after dying in battle, having had his organs embalmed. Following our visit to the tomb, we get a panoramic view of the capital, Pristina, and we return to Skopje after completing our visits in Kosovo. We then transfer to a restaurant for an evening filled with dinner, music, and entertainment at the Macedonian Night tour. After enjoying the Balkan and Macedonian melodies while savoring the meals, we transfer back to our hotel for overnight stay.
Accommodation: 4* Hotels
Skopje, Belgrade
Balkan Tale Tour Day 3 After having breakfast at the hotel, we check out and head towards Belgrade with our luggage. After our journey, we arrive in Belgrade. Following our arrival, we will take a walking tour where we will see some of the highlights, including Knez Mihajlova Street, Kalemegdan Fortress, the Monument to France, Istanbul Gate, the Tomb of Damat Ali Pasha, panoramic viewpoint, the statue of Viktor, the Dungeon Gate, Leopold Gate, the clock tower, and the city walls. After the walking tour, you can roam the lively streets of Belgrade, try delicious ice cream flavors at a recommended ice cream shop by your guide, or enjoy a pleasant coffee while watching the surroundings and the city. After the tour, we will transfer to our hotel by our vehicle. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
Accommodation: 4* Hotels
Belgrade, Sarajevo
Balkan Tale Tour Day 4 After having breakfast at the hotel, we check out and head towards Sarajevo with our luggage. With a pleasant journey through the hills and villages of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we pass through the border gate located on the Drina River, which we are familiar with from books, entering another country included in our program. The vast plains of Serbia accompany us with amazing views, in contrast to the winding roads of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Upon arriving in Sarajevo, we start to explore the city center on foot. During our walking tour, we will see some of the city’s landmarks, including the Sebilj, Gazi Husrev Bey Medrese, Gazi Husrev Bey Mosque, bazaar, clock tower, various shops of the Baščaršija, Church of the Heart of Jesus, Eternal Flame, Latin Bridge, and Fatih Mosque. After our walking tour, we can enjoy Bosnian coffee at cafes unique to Bosnia, savor the amazing Bosnian pie, or lose ourselves exploring the streets from the European and Ottoman periods of the city. After the tour, we will have Bosnian famous meatballs, cevapi, for dinner in the city center (some hotels provide meals on-site). After dinner, we will transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.
Accommodation: 4* Hotels
Sarajevo, Mostar, Pocitelj, Medjugorje
Balkan Fairytale Tour Day 5 After enjoying breakfast at the hotel, we will complete our check-out procedures and leave the hotel with our luggage. First, we will head to Mostar, which is one of the most important cities in the region, famous for its bridge that was destroyed during the Bosnian War by Croatian artillery and later rebuilt with the contributions of the Republic of Turkey. This city, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, will take you to a different realm with its narrow and authentic streets from the Ottoman period. During our tour here, we will see the Mostar Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque, the Catholic Cathedral, the Turkish Consulate, and the memorial site among other sights. If we are lucky, we might also witness the young people diving off the bridge for show, a tradition that dates back many years. After the tour, during our free time, you can purchase souvenirs unique to Mostar or enjoy a nice meal. After our free time, we will meet our vehicle at the time and place set by our guide and head to Pocitelj, a stronghold village that has survived from the Ottoman era to the present. Here, we will see the Ottoman houses, the hammam, the mosque, and the old cobbled streets before savoring our Turkish teas and Bosnian coffees, after which we will depart the village. Following Pocitelj, we will head to our hotel. Check-in at the hotel and dinner will be at our hotel.
Accommodation: 4* Hotels
Medjugorje, Kravica Waterfall, Kotor, Budva, Sv. Stefan, Shkodra
Air Albania High With Balkan Tale Tour Day 6 After breakfast at the hotel, we leave early and depart from the hotel, our first destination is to visit the Kravica Waterfall, a gift of nature. After the Kravica Waterfall, we arrive in Kotor, one of the important places from the Middle Ages that has reached the present day. When you see the city of Kotor, which has stood the test of time on the slope of the mountain and deep in the bay, both your mind and heart will stay here. Upon arrival, we will take a walking city tour during which we will see some of the important things for Kotor such as family mansions, the Church of St. Tripun, the Orthodox church, squares, and the beautiful stories we will hear. During our free time in this city, if the season and weather permit, you can climb the stairs to the chapel at the top of the walls and take stunning landscape photos from here, follow the scents in the narrow streets of the city to taste different and amazing dishes, sip your drink in one of the squares, or visit one of the most interesting museums in the city, the Cat Museum. Don’t forget to ask your guide where that magnificent cake can be found, which is a recommendation for all dessert lovers. Immediately after free time, we proceed to see the city of Budva panoramically from our vehicle. After Budva, we have a panoramic view of the island of Sv. Stefan, which was bought by a multi-billionaire from Singapore, and we arrive at the Montenegro - Albania border. After completing the passport and customs procedures at the Montenegro - Albania border, we continue onwards and arrive at the hotel where we will be staying. Check in to the hotel, and dinner at our hotel.
Accommodation: 4* Hotels
Shkodra, Sv. Naum, Ohrid
Balkan Fairy Tale Tour Day 7 After having our breakfast at the hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and leave the hotel with our luggage, and we start our tour with our waiting vehicle. Following the route of Tirana, Elbasan, we arrive at the Albania - Montenegro border crossing. After completing our customs and passport procedures here, we head to our first stop, the Sv. Naum Monastery, also known as Sarı Saltuk, located right next to the source of Lake Ohrid. During the free time given here, you can choose to visit the church that contains the grave of St. Naum or take a boat tour on the natural spring called Kara Drin. After the free time, we head to Ohrid. Upon arriving in Ohrid, we start our walking tour. In this beautiful city, known for its pearls along the shores of Lake Ohrid, we will see the Ohrid houses, the Hagia Sophia church, the Damat Ali Pasha mosque, the Halveti Tekke and Mosque, and the Turkish neighborhood among other places. After exploring Ohrid on foot, we have free time for shopping and leisure. We recommend enjoying a cup of Turkish tea or Turkish coffee in the Turkish neighborhood. Following the free time, we head to our hotel. After settling into our rooms, we have dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Accommodation: 4* Hotels
Ohrid, Tetovo (Kalkandelen), Skopje, Istanbul Balkan Tale Tour Day 8: After breakfast at the hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and leave the hotel with our luggage, heading towards Kalkandelen. In Kalkandelen, one of the important cities of Macedonia, where the majority of the population consists of Albanians, we will see the Alaca Mosque and continue our journey to Skopje Airport (If the flight time is earlier, we will go directly to the airport without the Kalkandelen program). Upon arrival at the airport, we will proceed with our baggage, ticket, and passport procedures, and then take Ajet Airlines flight VF264, departing at 14:00 to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport. We will arrive at 16:30 local time, marking the end of our tour. Flight Times for April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December: Flight Route Flight Code Departure Time Arrival Time Sabiha Gokcen (SAW) - Skopje (SKP) VF 263 12:25 13:00 Skopje (SKP) - Sabiha Gokcen (SAW) VF 264 14:00 16:30 Accommodation: Attention, there is no accommodation this night!
INCLUSIONS:
- Economy Class Flight Ticket on Anadolu Jet Scheduled Flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen to Skopje and back
- 7 Nights Accommodation in 4* Hotels
- 7 Breakfasts to be Taken at Hotels
- 4 Dinners to be Taken at Hotels
- 1 Dinner at a Local Restaurant in Skopje
- 1 Dinner at a Local Restaurant in Sarajevo
- Dinner Show with Music and Entertaining Macedonian Night
- All Intercity Transfers Clearly Indicated as Included in the Program
- All Tours and Excursions Specified in the Program as Included
- Professional Turkish Guiding Services
- Local Guiding Services Required in Some Areas
- Checkpoint and Parking Fees
EXCLUSIONS:
- Personal and Extra Expenses
- Lunches
- Beverages Taken During Meals
- International Departure Tax
- Optional Guide and Driver Tips
- Museum and Archaeological Site Entrance Fees
- Extra Tours Specified or Not Specified in the Tour Program
- Any Types of Services Clearly Not Mentioned as Included