The Eastern Discovery - With Cruise Premier, Classic Group

The Eastern Discovery - With Cruise Premier, Classic Group

14 Views
17 Days From

$6915

The Eastern Discovery - With Cruise Premier, Classic Group

17 Days Starting in Zagreb and ending in Athens

Visiting: Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Trogir, Split, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Budva, Tirana, Corfu, Delphi, Athens, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos, Crete, Fira

Tour operator:

Insight Vacations

Tour code:

E872MLN19

From:
$6915 (USD)

This tour is no longer available, please see similar tours below or send an enquiry

Tour Overview

See the great lakes of Croatia in Plitvice National Park and breathe in the Balkan beauty of Montenegro on this two-week discovery of the east. From Zagreb’s Presidential Palace and Split’s Old City, your expert led itinerary gallops across Croatia to the pearl of the Adriatic—Dubrovnik. Marble streets, hidden markets and terracotta roofs abound within the walled city and a Dubrovnik traditional dinner acquaints the taste buds with glasses of grappa, authentic local flavors and delicious dessert wines. Set sail from the shores of Greece to the island of Corfu—with its bleach white domes and azure blue seas, before forging onwards to the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, and the Acropolis in Athens. Spend 3 nights cruising around the Greek Islands.

Highlights

  • 6 Dinner with Wine (DW)

  • 14 Breakfast (B)

  • 3 Lunch with Wine (LW)

  • 1 Dinner (D)

  • Choose between two carefully selected activities

  • Plitvice Lakes National Park: Join a Local Expert to explore Plitvice National Park. Learn about the studies taking place to monitor and protect the natural habitat, and education initiatives on the marine environment and best practices for a low-impact experience. The site participates in habitat restoration and is constantly working to protect the parks natural ecosystems and animal population. The staff educate their visitors about local traditions and share their personal story of the village with great passion from personal knowledge and experience.  This experience advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water, UN Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life On Land and UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable cities & Communities.  Alternatively, meet the industrious women of the Tara Community Center.

  • Plitvice Lakes National Park: Through its income the Tara Center has built a small community Center that is used by the Tara Citizens’ Association, a collective of mostly older women, many of whom were refugees. There the women produce handicrafts which have giving them a much-needed financial and psychological boost. The staff educate their visitors about local traditions and share their personal story of the village with great passion from personal knowledge and experience.  The Tara Center advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities and UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable cities & Communities.  Alternatively, join a Local Expert to explore Plitvice National Park.

  • : Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.

  • : Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.

  • : We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.

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Itinerary

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Day 1: Welcome To Zagreb

Location: Zagreb

Accommodation: Sheraton Zagreb Hotel.

Meals Included: Dinner with Wine

Welcome to Zagreb. Relax and settle in or perhaps head for the romantic chestnut-lined Stross Promenade for your first views over the city. In the evening, join your Travel Director for a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant with the opportunity to get to know your fellow travelers over a pleasant evening with wine.

Day 2: Zagreb’S Twin Towns Relaxed Start

Location: Zagreb

Accommodation: Sheraton Zagreb Hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Join your Local Expert to explore the two-tiered capital of Croatia. Take a walk and see the art Pavillion, the academy of Sciences and Art and pass Zrinjevac Park. We then board the city's funicular to St. Mark's Church and the Lotrščak Tower, take a walk back down through the Stone gate and back to the Square. The afternoon is at leisure. Relax and enjoy your hotel's amenities or perhaps take an Optional Experience to the Zagorje region to learn about the local traditions and visit the house of Marshall Tito?

Day 3: The Crystal Lakes Of Plitvice Relaxed Start

Location: Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes National Park

Accommodation: Hotel Lyra, Licko Petrovo Selo.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Take this morning to relax and enjoy your hotel's facilities. In the afternoon depart for your next hotel, located inside the Plitvice Lakes National Park. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, this is Croatia’s first and largest national park of Croatia. While the park is predominately forests and grasslands, the true highlight are the interconnected lakes that cascade from one to another.

Day 4: Plitvice Lakes, Ancient Trogir And Split

Location: Plitvice Lakes National Park, Trogir, Split

Accommodation: Hotel President Solin, Split.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Explore Plitvice with Insight Choice. Choose between two MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences: Join a Local Expert to explore Plitvice National Park and learn how the site actively researches and monitors the natural habitat of species. Alternatively meet the industrious women of the Tara Community Center, who produce handicrafts, enabling employment and engagement in the community.Travel along the coast and visit Trogir, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded by the Greeks more than 2,300 years ago. This town is renowned for its beautiful cathedral and Renaissance Cipiko Palace. Continue to the historic port of Split.

Day 5: Diocletian’S Palace

Location: Split, Dubrovnik

Accommodation: Hotel Croatia Cavtat., Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

The Roman Emperor Diocletian built his palace here, and today it forms the heart of the Old Town of Split. With your Local Expert, explore the 1,700 year-old palace cellars, and learn the story of the infamous emperor. Continue through the labyrinthine streets and arcaded squares to see St. Duje's - originally Diocletian's Mausoleum, and the Temple of Jupiter, which today is a baptistery, as well as the Golden Gate. Travel alongside sparkling deep blue seas and the rocky islands of the Dalmatian coast to Dubrovnik. This evening, should weather permit, embark on a dazzling cruise around the fabled bay and gaze out at views of the glistening Adriatic. Start your dinner with a glass of grappa, before savoring authentic flavors of local specialties and enjoy locally produced wine.

Day 6: Dubrovnik, Pearl Of The Adriatic Relaxed Start

Location: Dubrovnik

Accommodation: Hotel Croatia Cavtat., Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik.

Meals Included: Breakfast

The walled town of Dubrovnik, was once described as 'paradise on Earth', according to George Bernard Shaw.Join a walking exploration of the city, guided by a Local Expert. Get a glimpse into local life, as you explore the stone-paved streets inside the 16th century bastions of the Old Town. Walk past Onofrio's Fountain, see the Old Jewish Quarter and the synagogue, and marvel at the grandeur of the cathedral and the Franciscan and Dominican monasteries.

Day 7: Mediterranean Montenegro Relaxed Start

Location: Dubrovnik, Kotor, Budva

Accommodation: Hotel TQ Plaza, Budva.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Stop to visit the old town of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Admire the bay, with its azure waters lapping at the edges of the medieval towns which dot the coastline. Next, make your way along the Adriatic sea to Budva. Discover the medieval old town, home to religious sites such as the 9th century Church of Santa Maria in Punta.

Day 8: Scenic Drive To Tirana

Location: Budva, Tirana

Accommodation: MAK Albania Hotel Tirana.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Travel through the spectacular scenery of Montenegro and Albania and continue to the fascinating capital of Tirana. Led by your Local Expert, explore this warmhearted and colorful city, and see the diverse relics that remain from its Ottoman, Italian and communist past.

Day 9: Across To Corfu

Location: Tirana, Corfu

Accommodation: Divani Palace Hotel Corfu.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Take in Albania’s unique scenery, as you journey across the country to Greece, and set sail for the cobalt-blue waters of Corfu. Renowned since Odysseus for its untamed beauty and strategic position in the Mediterranean, Corfu today is one of Greece’s most charming islands.

Day 10: Relax In Corfu Relaxed Start

Location: Corfu

Accommodation: Divani Palace Hotel Corfu.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Enjoy a full day at leisure to relax and enjoy the beautiful island of Corfu. Perhaps explore the Old Town and admire the interesting mix of architectural styles, from Roman and Venetian to French and British, each resembling an era of the island’s interesting past before it was united with Greece. Alternatively, you may want to lay back and unwind at one of the incredible beaches?

Day 11: Delphi, Center Of The Ancient World

Location: Corfu, Delphi

Accommodation: Amalia Hotel Delphi.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Set off from your island paradise for Delphi, a spectacular cliff-side amphitheater and worthy of its status as the center of the ancient world. History and mythology run deep here, with finds of ritual artefacts that date back to 4,000 BC and remains of a Mycenaean settlement. It is said that Delphi is the location where two eagles crossed paths, after they were released by Zeus from opposite end of the universe to find ‘the navel of the world.’

Day 12: Delphi Sightseeing And On To Athens

Location: Delphi, Athens

Accommodation: Divani Palace Acropolis, NEW Hotel, Athens Marriott Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

Ascend the Sacred Way of Delphi with your Local Expert. Pass the Parian marble Treasury of the Athenians and Polygonal Wall with its interlocking stones, still perfectly intact after thousands of years. You'll approach the Temple of Apollo, where for 14 centuries the mysterious Oracle of Delphi breathed her enigmatic ‘words,' rumoured to have successfully predicted events related to the Argonauts expedition and the Trojan War. Your travels then continue to the ancient city of Athens, the modern capital of Greece.

Day 13: Cruise To Mykonos

Location: Athens, Mykonos

Accommodation: MV Celestyal Discovery (or similar).

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch with Wine, Dinner with Wine

Board your cruise ship and set sail for the lovely island of Mykonos with its dazzling sugar cube houses and whitewashed windmills. Tonight, the maze of walkways, welcoming tavernas and nightlife are yours to explore. Late in the evening, your cruise sails across the Aegean to Turkey.While cruising, enjoy an exquisite variety of Mediterranean dishes as well as flavors, aromas and spices from around the world. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served onboard daily. Your cruise includes a complimentary drinks package, featuring a selection of alcoholic, soft drinks and hot beverages.

Day 14: Kusadasi To Patmos Relaxed Start

Location: Kusadasi, Patmos

Accommodation: MV Celestyal Discovery (or similar).

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch with Wine, Dinner with Wine

Today explore the Turkish port of Kusadasi and visit the ancient ruins of Ephesus. With your Local Expert, explore this Greco-Roman treasure, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.In the afternoon, sail to the island of Patmos where St. John the Devine was exiled by the Emperor Domitian. Later, your cruise sets sail for the island of Crete.

Day 15: Crete And Santorini Relaxed Start

Location: Crete, Fira

Accommodation: MV Celestyal Discovery (or similar).

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch with Wine, Dinner with Wine

In the morning, you dock at Heraklion in Crete, where you visit the site of the ruins of King Minos' Palace of Knossos with a Local Expert. Later, cruise beneath the sheer cliffs of Santorini. Explore the capital of Thira, with its clifftop restaurants and cafes, breathtaking views and amazing sunsets.In the evening you sail onto Athens.

Day 16: Depart Athens

Location: Athens

Meals Included: Breakfast

Bid farewell to Athens. Your journey ends with a transfer to the airport.

Day 17: Depart Athens

Location: Athens

Meals Included: Breakfast

Bid farewell to Athens. Your journey ends with a transfer to the airport.

Check out our Q&As

  • Can I join the tour once it has departed?

    We regret that no refunds can be made for absences from a tour, including experiences such as missed meals or sightseeing.

  • How long has the tour company been trading?

    Since 1978.

  • What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?

    Insight Vacations is a founding member of the TreadRight Foundation, a joint initiative created by the brands within The Travel Corporation (TTC) almost 15 years ago to ensure our impact through tourism is positive. Our ethos to #MakeTravelMatter guides our decision-making at every level of our business.

  • Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?

    Yes

  • Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?

    You have two options as a solo traveller. Either choose to be matched with a same sex partner for a room share - at no extra cost. Or choose a room of your own with a reduced or even free private room upgrade on select tours.

  • What policies are in place for Covid-19?

    Please contact us for latest COVID-19 policies

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Dates & Availability

Instant Booking Available

Sunday - Tuesday

Jul 07, 2024 - Jul 23, 2024
$6915 (USD)
Instant Booking Available

Sunday - Tuesday

Jul 21, 2024 - Aug 06, 2024
$6940 (USD)
Instant Booking Available

Sunday - Tuesday

Aug 04, 2024 - Aug 20, 2024
$7685 (USD)
Instant Booking Available

Sunday - Tuesday

Aug 18, 2024 - Sep 03, 2024
$6940 (USD)
Instant Booking Available

Sunday - Tuesday

Sep 15, 2024 - Oct 01, 2024
$7660 (USD)

Book with Confidence

  • Low Deposit

    Insight Vacations requires a minimum deposit of 350 USD per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 90 days before departure.

  • Cancellation Policy

    We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of insight vacations charges.

    Up to 91 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.

    At 90 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.

    At 29 days before tour starts: Forfeit 80% of booking price.

    At 1 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.

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