Grand Balkans Tour 6N/7D

DAY 1: ISTANBUL - SKOPJE - MATKA CANYON  

Departure to Skopje with THY scheduled flight at Istanbul airport. We are welcomed by the tour guide at the airport, then we move to the capital with our vehicle. We start our Skopje city tour from the historical Ottoman Turkish Bazaar, which will make us experience history during our tour. Places we will see during this time;  

Jewelers street in the bazaar, Skopje Castle, Vardar River, 16th century Stone Bridge, Turkish and Jewish neighborhood, Davut Pasha Complex, Mustafa Pasha Mosque, Yahya Pasha Mosque, Sultan Murat Mosque, Isa Bey Mosque, Double Baths, Sulu Han, Kapan Han, Kurşunlu Han, Clock Tower, Skopje Square and the huge statue of Alexander the Great, Sar Samuel and Cyril Method statues in the square, which was opened in 2011 and caused political problems with Greece.

Then we go to Vodno mountain where we will see the city panoramically, after a photo break, we go to Matka Canyon, the dam lake that meets the city's electricity needs. (If Matka Canyon falls on Saturday - Sunday or public holiday, the guide has the right to take the initiative according to the intensity of the region) Our guests who wish can join the boat tour here and drink coffee. After our Matka tour, we move towards our local restaurant to have our dinner and after our dinner, we will stay at our hotel.

DAY 2: SKOPJE - PRISHTINA - PRIZREN - SKOPJE  

07:00 Breakfast. 08:00 Departure from the hotel. After breakfast, departure to Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. We visit the mausoleum in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, which played key roles in many periods in Ottoman history, where the internal organs of the Ottoman Sultan Murad Hüdavendigar I, who was martyred in the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, are buried. We also visit the Selamlık building, which is located right next to the mausoleum and used as a museum. In the building, we have the opportunity to see the photos of the visit of Sultan Reşad, the last Ottoman Sultan to visit the Balkans in 1911. On our way from the mausoleum to Prizren, we visit the building on our way to Prizren where Slobodan Milošević, the president of Yugoslavia, launched the elections in 1989 on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the Kosovo war, which would later lead to the end of Yugoslavia. We see the square where the rally where the expression "Greater Serbia" was used for the first time and the monument in the square. Then, after an hour and a half journey, we arrive in Prizren, the second largest city of Kosovo, where there are many works of the Ottoman Empire. We start our Prizren city tour. Places we will see on this tour accompanied by our guide on foot;  

Halveti tekke, Gazi Mehmet Pasha bath, Namazgah where Mehmed the Conqueror prayed with his army, Bayraklı mosque, Maraş neighborhood and Maraş bridge, 400-year-old big plane tree, Emin pasha mosque, Turkish Consulate General building in Prizren, Stone Bridge on Bistrica (Akdere), Şadırvan square, Sinan Pasha mosque, St. Gorgi and Catholic Churches, Minaret of Arasta mosque, whose mosque was destroyed during Yugoslavia but the minaret managed to survive, Serbian neighborhood where we can still see the destructive effects of the war  

After our tour, free time to enjoy this beautiful city. Then we move to our local restaurant to have dinner at the time determined by our guide. After dinner, we move to our hotel in Skopje for accommodation. 

DAY 3: SKOPJE - TETOVO - OHRID  

07:00 Breakfast. 08:00 Departure from the hotel. After breakfast, we take a bus to Tetovo, a charming town built during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, 1 hour away from Skopje. ( Skopje - Skopje - Tetovo 40 KM ) The first of our two important stops in Skopje is the Harabati Baba Tekke, the Bektashi center of the period here. After getting information about the tekke from Cemali from Tetovo, the caretaker and caretaker of the tekke for 20 years, we go to Abdulmuttalip, a Bektashi dervish living in the other corner of the tekke, and listen to the history of the tekke and the work done. Then we visit the Alaca Mosque built by Abdurrahman Pasha in 1833. You will be mesmerized by the interior and exterior decorations of the mosque made with paint mixed with animal blood, plant roots and egg whites. The decorations are in the Baroque style, which is rare in Ottoman works (Kalkandelen - Ohrid 130 KM) Then we move towards Ohrid. Upon our arrival in Ohrid, we will organize a tour introducing the historical city of Ohrid, which was one of the important bases of the Ottomans in the Balkans. Places we will see during our tour ;  

11 centuries old plane tree, Zeynel Abidin Pasha Tekke (Halveti Tekke), Ali Pasha Mosque, Ohrid Bazaar famous for its City Square and Pearl Shops, Ohrid Marketplace, St. Clement Statue, a shop where we can see paper making with the technique applied in China in the 2nd century BC on the streets resembling Safranbolu, Hagia Sophia Church, Ancient Theater After our tour, we will have dinner at our local restaurant overlooking Lake Ohrid and then we will stay at our hotel in Ohrid.  

DAY 4: OHRID - STRUGA - ELBASAN - TIRAN - ISKODRA - PODGORICA (Or accommodation in Iskodër) 

07:00 Breakfast. 08:00 Departure from the hotel. After breakfast at our hotel, our first stop is the town of Struga, located on the western shore of Lake Ohrid, where most of the population is Muslim. (Ohrid - Struga 14 KM) In Struga, we see the Kara Drim river that originates from Lake Ohrid and get general information about Struga from our guide. Then we set off towards Albania. We enter Albania through the Kafasan border crossing. As soon as we enter Albania, especially in the border region, we will visit the ''Enver Hoxha'', which was built by the famous dictator Enver Hoxha, who ruled the country between 1945 and 1985, and whose number is said to be around 300,000. We see mushroom-shaped concrete bunkers called "bunkers". Our first stop in Albania is Elbasan. (Struga - Elbasan 78 KM) We pass through the city by bus and take a break at Elbasan Castle in the city center. After seeing the Turkish streets around the castle and the Hünkar mosque, we continue on our way to the capital Tirana. (Elbasan - Tirana 42 KM) In Tirana, which was built by Suleiman pasha in 1614 and has been the capital of Albania since 1920, we will see the places we will see on our panoramic tour with our bus; 

Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, US Embassy, the construction of the 4-balcony Namazgah mosque financed by the Religious Foundation, the statue of Suleiman Pasha, the founder of Tirana, Tirana City Square, Ethem Bey Mosque, Clock Tower, National Museum, University Building, Opera and Ballet Building, the statue of Skender Beg, the national hero of Albanians, Parliament and Ministry buildings, Presidential Mansion

After our Tirana tour, our next stop is the city of Iskodra, built next to Lake Iskodra, which forms the border between Albania and Montenegro. (Tirana - Iskodra 115 KM) We will see the city castle and city walls in this city, which has been under Ottoman rule for 435 years and is one of the most strategically important cities in the Balkans. We will take a short walking tour in the city center. After free time in the center, we move to Montenegro, one of the 6 republics of the former Yugoslavia and separated from Serbia by referendum in 2006. (Iskodra - Porgorica 55 KM) We have dinner at our local restaurant in the capital Podgorica and go to our hotel. (In case of accommodation in Iskodra, Podgorica will not be visited) 

DAY 5: PODGORICA (or Iskodër) - ST STEFAN - BUDVA - KOTOR - MOSTAR  

07:00 Breakfast. 08:00 Departure from the hotel. After breakfast, panoramic city tour by bus in the capital Podgorica. During our tour ;  

Presidency, City Park built by Azerbaijan, Millennium Bridge, King Nikola Statue 

Then we head towards the coastline. After a photo break here to immortalize the magnificent view, our stop is Budva. (St Stefan - Budva 11 KM) Places to see during our pedestrian tour in Budva;  

Budva Castle, the fortress built by Napoleon, shops inside the castle preserved in their original form since medieval times, Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Marina 

After free time for shopping in Budva, our next stop is Kotor, a medieval city protected by UNESCO. (Budva - Kotor 22 KM) In Kotor, we will see the places we will see on the city tour accompanied by our local guide;  

Arms Square, Clock Tower, Pillar of Shame, St. Trifun's Cathedral, Artisans' Street, Pumpkin Fountains, River Gate, St. Luke's Square

After free time, departure to Bosnia and Herzegovina. We enter Bosnia and Herzegovina and pass through the towns of Trebinje - Ljubinje - Stolac and arrive in Mostar. (Kotor - Mostar 186 KM) After having dinner at our local restaurant, accommodation is at our hotel in Mostar.  

DAY 6: MOSTAR - BLAGAJ - JABLANICA - KONJİC - SARAJEVO 

07.00 Breakfast - 08.00 Departure from the hotel. We leave our hotel and start our Mostar tour. Places to see during our tour;  Martyr mosque and cemetery in the courtyard. A feature of this cemetery is that the Croatian and Serbian Mostar people who fought shoulder to shoulder with Muslim Bosniaks during the war are also buried. Mostar Bazaar, Koski Mehmet Pasha mosque, Mostar Bridge, Tara Tower, Kriva Cuprija (Crooked bridge), Tabakhane mosque and bath - It is a mosque built by the notables who were engaged in the leather business at the time in order not to disturb the congregation in other mosques as an odour.  

Then we move to Alperenler Tekke, which was established 5 centuries ago at the source of Buna river. ( Mostar - Blagaj 12 km ) On our way we see Mostar airport and the military area built opposite the airport in Yugoslavia and used as a shelter for aircraft. This area was prepared for hiding the aeroplanes by carving the inside of the hill just opposite the airport. 

We visit the tekke, also known as the Sarı Saltuk tekke, built on the source of the Buna river, the source of which has not yet been reached and which produces up to 43,000 litres of water per second. We visit the tomb of Ali pasha and the tomb of Sarı Saltuk in the tekke and see the room used as a ladies' masjid, square room, masjid and dhikr room for men, hamamcık and halvethane and kitchen in this two-storey house built in the form of a typical Anatolian house. Our guests can drink Turkish tea in the courtyard overlooking the river.  

Our next stop is Jablanica, the city where the war was fought in which Josip Broz Tito, the founder of Yugoslavia, received the title of field marshal. (Yablanitsa, Blagaj - Jablanica 59 KM) At the same time, in this city, which is famous for its rotisserie lamb, we see the bridge destroyed by Tito in 1943 as a result of his struggle against the German Nazis and the area where the event took place. Then we arrive in Konjic (Konyits, Jablanica - Konjic 23 KM), which is our stop. In this small city of 50 thousand inhabitants built on the banks of the Neretva River, the Ottoman bridge, which was damaged in the 2nd World War and the 92-95 war and renovated by the Turkish Highways and Tika, the mosque with broken minarets, the mini bazaar restored in accordance with the original are among the places we will see. After our photo break, we continue our journey. Our last stop today is Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Konjic - Sarajevo 50 KM) Upon arrival, we have dinner at our local restaurant and go to our hotel for accommodation. 

DAY 7: SARAJEVO - WAR TUNNEL - ISTANBUL 

After our breakfast at our hotel, we check out from our hotel at 08.00. First of all, we visit the Life Tunnel, which was one of the most critical moves of the Bosniaks in the war between 92 - 95 and dug under the airport. We feel the war with a 15 minute video prepared from the original images in this tunnel and museum, which changed the course of the war and broke the siege of Sarajevo, which is considered the longest siege in history (4 years and 4 months). (In order not to disrupt the tour, if the guide deems appropriate, the War Tunnel tour will or will not be done). Then we move towards the Bazaar. On our way, we see the buildings that still have traces of the wartime bombardment, the tram line, which is the first electric motorised tram line in Europe and still actively travelling around Sarajevo, the buildings belonging to the Tito period Yugoslavian People's Army but now used as Sarajevo university campus, the second largest US embassy building in the world, the Sarajevo city museum, the Parliament building, the largest shopping mall in the region built by Arab investors and we arrive at the Bazaar. Our first stop is the martyrdom where the martyrs of the sad war of 1992-1995 and the mausoleum of Aliya Izetbegovic are located. We read Fatiha to the martyrs of the war and get information about the first President of Bosnia and Herzegovina Alija Izetbegovic and his life by our guide. Then we start our pedestrian tour of the Bashi Bazaar by passing through the Bosniak - Turkish neighbourhood with cobblestones that managed to remain from the Ottoman period. Places we will see during our tour ;  

18th century Bosnian architecture Sebil, the only active art street that managed to remain from the Ottoman period '' Bakırcılar Street '', Bazaar mosque, Moriça Han and the Young Muslims organisation clubhouse in it '' Mladi Muslimani '', Gazi Hüsrev Bey mosque and mausoleum, Clock Tower, Kurşunlu Madrasa, Gazi Hüsrev Bey museum and library, 1. Latin bridge known as the place where the World War I broke out, Hünkar Mosque built on behalf of Fatih Sultan Mehmet, Horse square - Okmeydanı, Orthodox Church, Alija Izetbegovic park, Ferhadiye Mosque, Ferhadiye Street, Jewish Synagogue, Catholic Church - Cathedral - Heart of Jesus Church, Sarajevo roses (points where more than one person lost their lives with a bomb during the war) The spot where the bakery massacre took place, the unquenchable fire lit by the Yugoslav army on 6 April 1945 to commemorate the liberation of Sarajevo from the German occupation, the Markale neighbourhood market, which was known as the Marketplace massacre on 5 February 1994, in which 68 people lost their lives, the Vjecnica (Viyeçnitsa) library, which was built as the Government House (City Hall) during the Austro-Hungarian period and burned down during the war period, causing many manuscripts to be burned. 

After our pedestrian tour in the Bazaar, our guests who wish can sip their coffee at the "Famous Historical Kahvana" overlooking the symbol of Sarajevo "Sebil". Our guests can also buy historical Bosnian coffee here. Then departure to Sarajevo airport. After passport and customs procedures, departure to Istanbul with a scheduled flight. Thus, we come to the end of our Balkan tour.