Grand Balkan Tour with Turkish Airlines 7N/8D

1st Day: TIVAT - KOTOR - BUDVA - SHKODRA

We meet at the Istanbul Airport International Departures Terminal. After completing ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, we depart for Tivat, Montenegro with a Turkish Airlines flight at 07:30. We arrive in Tivat at 08:15 local time. After completing passport, baggage, and customs procedures, we transfer to Kotor by our private buses. Our first stop is Perast, a significant historical and natural paradise, reached by following the panoramic route of the Bay of Kotor. Known as Little Venice, we photograph the medieval palaces and churches in this town. We also photograph the islands with the St. George and Our Lady of the Rocks churches. Then, we arrive in the historical medieval city of Kotor. During our walking tour in Stari Grad (Old Town-Castle), we explore this charming town. After our Kotor tour, we take a prayer break in Budva. Later, we photograph the magnificent St. Stefan island, which was once a settlement for fishermen, then nationalized and sold to a Singaporean billionaire, and is now being restored for tourism. Afterward, we pass through the cities of Bar and Ulcinj, reaching Shkodra in Albania. Upon arrival in Shkodra, we transfer to our hotel. Overnight stay at our hotel.

2nd Day: SHKODRA - TIRANA - BERAT - ELBASAN - OHRID

After having breakfast at our hotel, we head towards the capital, Tirana. During our panoramic tour, we will get to know Tirana, the beautiful city of Albania, which has been caught in wars throughout the 20th century and lived under Enver Hoxha's dictatorship for 40 years. It was developed by Suleiman Pasha in 1614 and became the capital of Albania in 1920. During our tour, we will see important sites such as the Ethem Bey Mosque, the historic Clock Tower, the National Museum, the Opera and Ballet Building, the Parliament and Prime Ministry Buildings, the Presidential Palace, Tirana University Square, and Skanderbeg Square. After our Tirana tour, we will have free time in the city center for lunch and the midday prayer. Then, we proceed to Elbasan and move towards North Macedonia. Passing through the Shkumbin Valley, we arrive at Ohrid, the pearl of the Balkans. We will head to Sveti Naum, the source of one of the largest lakes in the Balkans, Ohrid Lake. Enjoying magnificent views, we reach Sveti Naum in about an hour and visit the source of Ohrid Lake. Overnight stay at our hotel.

3rd Day: OHRID - SVETI NAUM - SKOPJE

After breakfast in Ohrid, during our tour together, we will visit the Halveti Tekke, which has existed since the 17th century, the symbol of Ohrid, the Plane Tree, the Turkish Bazaar, and the Ali Pasha Mosque, which reopened for worship after extensive restoration work. We will also see the Ohrid Harbor, Quarantine Church, Turkish and Horasan houses that make you feel like you're on a movie set, Abbaralar, the Ancient Egnatia Road, Keraklea Lynketis, the Clock Tower, St. Dimitri Church, Hagia Sophia Church, and Samuel's Fortress, among other panoramic sights. After the tour, we will have free time for shopping in the Ohrid Bazaar. Engraving is one of the significant traditions in Ohrid's history. During the free time, you will have the chance to explore all stages of production and shop. After free time, we will pass through the Mavrova National Park and visit the Alaca Mosque in Tetova-Kalkandelen via Gostivar. Then, we will head to the capital city of Skopje. In Skopje, we will begin our city tour. Our panoramic tour will introduce Skopje, the city where Yahya Kemal Beyatlı was born, showcasing landmarks such as the Old Train Station, the monument and house of the philanthropist Mother Teresa, the Stone Bridge, the Fortress Walls, the Old Bazaar, and significant Ottoman architectural heritage sites like the Mustafa Pasha, Sultan Murad, and Gazi Isa Bey Mosques, Davud Pasha Hamam, Kapan, Sulu, and Kurşunlu Han. We will spend the night at our hotel.

4th Day: SKOPJE - MATKA - KOSOVO

After breakfast at our hotel, we visit the magnificent Matka Canyon near Üsküp. We enjoy the stunning nature of the canyon by taking motorized boats on the reservoir. Following our visits, we head to Kosovo, one of the world's youngest states, mostly inhabited by Muslim Albanians. Here, we spend an emotional day in the former Ottoman territories where a recent humanitarian crisis took place. After a panoramic view of Pristina, we first visit the Murad Hüdavendigar Tomb. Then, we proceed to Prizren, perhaps one of the most charming cities in the Balkans. In Prizren, we visit various sites including a Turkish Bath from the 17th century, Sinan Pasha Mosque built in 1615, Prizren Castle, the historic plane tree, Bayraklı Mosque, the Fountain Square, Orthodox Church, and Christ Saviour Church. After the tour, we return to Üsküp and spend the night at our hotel.

5th Day: BELGRADE

After breakfast at the hotel, we will head towards the capital of Serbia, Belgrade. We will make a stop at a suitable facility along the way for lunch and noon prayer. Upon our arrival in Belgrade, we will embark on a 1-hour boat tour on the Danube and Sava rivers. This magnificent experience is included in the tour package, with the company's jet. During the boat tour, we will have the opportunity to see the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, as well as the War Island on the Sava River up close. We will begin our panoramic tour of Belgrade, during which we will visit landmarks such as Saint Sava Cathedral, Slavia Square, bombed military buildings, the Parliament Building, the former Royal Palace and the current Presidency Building, the Moscow Hotel, Terazije Square, Republic Square, the National Museum, and the Opera House. Later, we will start a guided walking tour, visiting places like Student Square, Knez Mihailova Street, Kalemegdan Square, the Military Museum, Istanbul Gate, the Clock Tower, Damat Ali Pasha Tomb, Dungeon Gate, Leopold Gate, Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Fountain, and the Stefan Lazarević Monument. We will conclude our tour with a visit to the only Turkish mosque in operation in Belgrade, the Bayraklı Mosque. After some free time in the city center, we will transfer back to our hotel for overnight accommodation.

6th Day: SREBRENICA - SARAJEVO

After breakfast, we depart from our hotel and head towards Sarajevo. Passing through Serbian and Bosnian villages, we reach the Bosnia-Herzegovina border crossing. After completing customs and passport procedures, we enter the Serbian region of Bosnia-Herzegovina. We set out to visit Srebrenica, one of the most important stops on our tour. This place holds significance as the center of the massacre that occurred on July 11, 1995. In Srebrenica, we will visit the camps and memorial site to commemorate the suffering of the innocent Bosniak people. We will take a break for lunch and afternoon prayers at a suitable facility. After the break, we will cross the Drina Alps, passing through the plateaus, until we reach the capital, Sarajevo.

7th Day: SARAJEVO - KONJIC - MOSTAR - BLAGAJ

After breakfast at the hotel and vacating our rooms, we depart from the hotel towards Mostar with our private buses. Our journey to Mostar will take approximately 2.5 hours, with some stops along the way. Our first stop is in Konjic (Konyitz). Here, we have the opportunity to see the famous Konjic Bridge, which dates back to the Ottoman period and has been restored by Turkey, and to take photos by the Neretva River. Then, in the town of Jablanica, we stop for a short tea and coffee break to photograph and hear the story of the black train, which was captured and bombed by the Partisans. During our panoramic journey along the Neretva River, we will be greeted by magnificent views. Upon our arrival in Mostar, we start our city tour on foot. First, we visit the Mostar Bridge, built by the architect Hayreddin in 1557, which is a masterpiece of Ottoman architecture. Although the bridge was destroyed by Croatian artillery in 1992, it was rebuilt with contributions from the Republic of Turkey in 2004. We also see the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque, the Small Mostar Bridge, the Tabakhane Mosque, and the Hammam. After our tour of Mostar, we visit Počitelj, the last Ottoman village, where we take a break in this 15th-century Ottoman border village. Then, we visit one of the maqams of Sarı Saltuk Hazrat before heading back to Saraybosna. On our way back, we enjoy a traditional lamb roast dinner at a local restaurant overlooking the Neretva River in the famous lamb roast region of Jablanica.

8th Day: SARAJEVO - WAR TUNNEL

After breakfast at our hotel, our first stop will undoubtedly be the War Tunnel Museum, also known as the Tunnel of Hope, near the airport. Here, we will have the opportunity to see the original remaining section of the Tunnel of Hope. This site, marked by special videos and photographs, is one of the symbolic points of the independence struggle and now serves as a military museum. Following this, we will visit Vrelo Bosna National Park, the source of the Bosna River. After some free time here, we will head to the city center of Sarajevo. On our panoramic city tour, we will explore Sarajevo, often referred to as the Jerusalem of Europe. We will see buildings bombed during the independence war, structures from 19th-century Austrian Sarajevo, the Latin Bridge where Austro-Hungarian heir Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, At Meydanı, and the Fatih Mosque built in honor of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. We will then disembark near the National Library and continue our tour on foot. Our first stop will be the Kovaci Martyrs' Cemetery, where the first president of independent Bosnia and Herzegovina, Aliya Izetbegovic, is buried. We will then stroll through the unique Bazaar, Başçarşı. Here, we will visit the Kurşunlu Madrasa, which has been operating since the Ottoman era, Başçarşı Mosque, the Sebil fountain, Morica Han, and the Hüsrev Bey Mosque and its complex, including the soup kitchen and covered market. Our tour will continue with visits to the Clock Tower, Sarajevo's Catholic Cathedral, Orthodox Churches, and Jewish Synagogue. After visiting the Latin Bridge, where World War I began, we will pass through the gate where Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror entered the city and drink water from the Ottoman Fountain. There will be free time for shopping and prayer in the Bazaar. After the free time, we will meet at the point indicated by our guide and head to Sarajevo Airport. Our Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul will depart at 20:45.