Flight Included Grand Balkan Tour

After breakfast at our hotel, we head to MANASTIR (Bitola), one of the oldest cities in the Balkans and a cultural paradise of Macedonia. We visit the Military High School (Military Academy) where ATATÜRK studied, and we take a walking tour to see structures and works such as the Ottoman Orduevi, Eleni's House, Clock Tower, Pekmez Square, Ishakiye Mosque, and New Mosque. We continue our journey by seeing the fountain and fountain that inspired the famous folk song and head to RESNE, the hometown of Niyazi Bey, one of the pioneers of the Young Turk Revolution, which resulted in the re-declaration of the constitutional monarchy by Sultan Abdulhamid II. After seeing Resne's Palace panoramically, we reach Ohrid, famous for the saying, “When God made heaven from mud, a piece fell on Ohrid.” Our first stop in the city is Ohrid Fortress, named after Tsar Samuel, the founder of the first Macedonian state, which has a unique city view. We then move to the city center and, with the guidance of our guide, see the statues of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Saint Naum, and Clement, the neo-classical Ottoman houses, the Church of St. Sophia, the 1100-year-old tree in Chinar Square, the Church of the Virgin Mary, the Halveti Tekke, and the Ali Pasha Mosque, and we give free time in the Old Turkish Bazaar. You can shop for jewelry made from the famous Ohrid pearls and enjoy time in cafes. Later, we join the BOAT TOUR included in the price on Lake Ohrid, known as the “Blue Pearl,” one of the deepest lakes in the world. During our boat tour, you will have the chance to see the Ohrid Archbishopric Building, used as the “District Governor's Mansion” in the series “Elveda Rumeli,” Tito's Summer Residence, and the hotel area. After a delightful boat tour, we participate in a Macedonian Night with Balkan music and folklore performances during dinner at the restaurant or our hotel. Accommodation is at our hotel in Ohrid.

After breakfast at our hotel, we head to Sveti Naum, 40 km away from Ohrid, where the lake originates. Macedonians call this place “a corner of paradise.” It is possible to see every shade of green in this UNESCO-protected area... While enjoying the breathtaking beauty of Galicica National Park located in the Sveti Naum area, guests who wish can join a boat trip on the lake or shop at souvenir shops. After completing our visit here, we head to the Albania Border Gate. After completing our customs procedures, we go to TIRANA, which was established by Suleiman Pasha in 1614 and became the capital of Albania in 1920. This beautiful city of Albania, which has been caught between wars throughout the 20th century and experienced Enver Hoxha's dictatorship for 40 years, is where we will see places such as Ethem Bey Mosque, Historical Clock Tower, National Museum, Opera and Ballet Building, Parliament and Prime Ministry Buildings, Presidential Palace, and Skanderbeg Statue and Square. After our tour of Tirana, we reach Shkodra and check into our accommodation. Accommodation and dinner are at our hotel.

After breakfast at our hotel, we board our bus again and move along the Adriatic coast, passing through Bar and Petrovac, and we see the island of Sveti Stefan, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Montenegro, and BUDVA, one of the most famous holiday centers in the Balkans with its vibrant nightlife, panoramically. We arrive in KOTOR, which has never been conquered by the Ottomans due to its geographical conditions throughout history, accompanied by beautiful views. During our walking tour in the fortified city of Kotor, we will see many historical buildings, including the Sea Gate, Arms Square, Historical Clock Tower, Shame Column, Beskuca Palace, St. Triphon Church, the “Gossip” Fountain, and the churches of St. Nicholas and St. Luke, as well as important squares and mansions of the old town. After our Kotor tour, we proceed along Kotor Bay and see the town of Perast. This town is an amazing medieval village and is also under UNESCO protection. Among the two small islands facing the shore, the first is the island of St. George, which is a monastery island and is closed to tourist visits, and the other is the island of Lady of the Rocks, which was made by human hands 600 years ago. After passing through these beautiful sights, we leave Montenegro and cross into Bosnia and Herzegovina. We check into our hotel in Mostar.

We move to BLAGAJ to see the Yellow Saltuk Tekke (Alperenler Tekke) by the Buna River. After falling into the hands of the Ottomans in 1465, this tekke, established in this area with magnificent nature, played a significant role in the rapid conversion of the local Bosniak population to Islam. After completing our visit to Blagaj, we proceed to Mostar. We start our tour with the Mostar Bridge, built in 1557 by Hayreddin, one of Mimar Sinan's students, which was destroyed by Croatian artillery fire in 1993 and later rebuilt in 2004 with the great support of Turkey using original materials and construction technology of the time, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We also see the Old Bath, Sultan Selim Mosque, Koski Mehmet Pasha Mosque, and the Goldsmiths Bazaar, completing our tour and giving free time in Mostar's rich bazaar. After leaving Mostar, we see the Neretva Bridge in Jablanica, where German supply trains were blown up to prevent their passage during the Neretva Battle, and we head towards Sarajevo via Konjic. On our route, we enjoy a visual feast with a journey through a rare piece of the Balkan geography adorned with mountains and rivers, reaching the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo. We start our tour of Sarajevo, which has served as the cultural capital of the Balkans for two centuries and is known as the place where World War I broke out when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated by Serbs in 1914. Despite suffering significant destruction during the wars between Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks in the 1992 war, it still largely retains its beauty. We continue our walking tour in Sarajevo by seeing the Old Library, which burned for days during the Bosnian War, the Sebilj Fountain, Inat House, Hunkar Mosque, and the Latin Bridge, where the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, which triggered World War I, took place. We complete our tour by seeing works in the Austrian section of the old town, such as the Church of the Sacred Heart, the Eternal Flame Monument, the Open Market where the Market Massacre occurred, the Synagogue, and in the Turkish section, we see the Ferhadiye Mosque, Morica Han, and Gazi Husrev Bey Complex. After our free time in Baščaršija, the symbol of Sarajevo, we head to Sarajevo Airport. After necessary passport-check-in procedures, we take our flight with SunExpress Airlines at 17:45, arriving at Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport at 21:45. We bid farewell to our valued guests until we meet again in another GEZİ TUTKUNLARI organization with unforgettable memories.