SERBIA

SERBIA

Tour Program

1^stDay: Athens-Thessaloniki

Our excursion to Serbia begins. Firstly, we are gathering at Athens’ El.Venizelos Airport, and depart for Thessaloniki. We arrive at the airport of Thessaloniki and transfer to the hotel. Take a walk in Thessaloniki, go to Agios Dimitrios and visit the hearth tower of the White Tower. We return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

2^ndDay: Athens-Serbia

We depart after breakfast by road for Serbia. Our first stop is the Skopje border. Our journey from there onwards becomes very interesting. We learn about all the small countries of the former Yugoslavia. Later, we are entering Serbia. We are in the town of Kragujevac in a very good hotel.

3^rdDay: Topola-Avala Hill- Belgrade-Fruska Gora

After breakfast we depart for the city of Topola, the historical and religious center of the Serbs. At the highest point of the city, we visit the unique church of St. George. Also, the church is well known with the name Oplenac(built by King Peter I) and renowned for its 725 mosaic icons. In the same city there is also the house (conac) of our well-known Karageorgi of Serbia. We learn his story and we have time to take pictures. We continue our excursion to Avala hill. There is the monument of the Unknown Soldier and the modern Tower of Telecommunications. We continue to Belgrade. We visit one of the largest churches of Orthodoxy St. Savvas. We reach the historic city center. We walk to the Knez Mihailova pedestrian street and we have time to have lunch. Later we see the fortress of Kalemegdan (also known as the Belgrade Acropolis) located at the confluence of the rivers Savva and Danube. We meet Parliament, the Patriarchate and many other buildings. We get to know Nebojsa Tower. There, Rigas Fereos was imprisoned and killed by the Turks. Lastly, we depart for FrusKa Gora where we stay overnight. There is dinner.

4^thDay: Krusedol Monastery-Sremski Karlovci-Novi Sad-Kragujevac

After breakfast, we visit the historic Krusedol Monastery built in 1509. The monastery was used as a hideout and base of the Serbs during the Serb-Turkish revolution. We continue to the UNESCO-protected Museum. We are impressed by the square with the historical buildings such as the Patriarchate, the Theological School, the church of Agios Nikolaos, the first pharmacy, etc. There is time to enjoy a coffee and take pictures. We continue for the capital of Vojvodina, the beautiful Novi Sad, and second largest city in Serbia after Belgrade. There, we photograph the Danube castle, Petrovaradin. The castle is famous for the Clock Tower, from which the time is distinct throughout the city. There is enough time to walk in the city center. Then we leave for Kragujevac, with the final stop at the hotel where we stay overnight and dine.

5^thDay: Manasija Monastery-Zica Monastery-Kraljevo-Kragujevac (Monument Of the Fallen)

At first, we have breakfast and then we depart for the Manasija Monastery, an one-hour drive. We are passing the villages through the Markovac and Despotovac areas. Arriving, the imposing Monastery is clearly distinct, with the towering walls and towers in every corner. It was built in 1406 by Despot Stephan Lazarevic to house his tomb. There the Serbian orthodox monks worked to perfect the Serbian language. They also translated many works that disappeared after the Turkish raids. Continuing our journey, after about two hours and twenty minutes, we are in the area of Kraljevo. There, we visit the historic monastery of Zica. The monastery was built in 1206 and its architecture refers to a monastery of Mount Athos. Then we visit the town of Kraljevo, where we have free time to go for a walk and lunch. In the afternoon, we return to Kragujevac, our tour guide recounts the events of the massacre by the Germans and we visit the Sumarice Memorial Park. We return to the hotel for overnight and dinner.

6^thDay: Kragujevac-Nis-Kalotina-Sofia-Borovec

We leave Kragujevac after breakfast. In less than two hours we are in the beautiful city of Nis. Nis is the birthplace of Grand Constantine. We are touring the city, seeing the most historic sites and buildings. We stroll in front of the historic castle of the city where the gate in front of us is called the gate of Constantinople. There, the pedestrian street starts with the shops and we have the time to enjoy a coffee. We continue our journey towards the Kalotina border to the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. Time is available to eat, to shop in the pedestrian zone, and for those of us who like it the tour guide will tour the historic center. In the afternoon we depart for Borovec, the most famous ski resort (65 km) where our hotel is situated at 1350 meters above sea level in amazing forest. We have the possibility, if we get early to enjoy the heated pool, Jacuzzi, Khammam etc. for free. Dinner and overnight stay follows.

7^thDay: Borovec-Sandanski-Thessaloniki/p>

We leave at 7:30 and we bid farewell to the unique Borovec. Passing from Sandanski to the Country of Spartacus, as the locals say, we stop to meet it. Sandanski today is famous for its warm, thermal springs, its climate and its good market. Free time is offered for walks in the pedestrian area and for shopping souvenirs. We arrive in Thessaloniki and transfer to our hotel for overnight stay.

8^thDay: Thessaloniki

After taking our breakfast, our day is free for shopping and strolling. In the afternoon we arrive at the airport for our return flight to Athens.

Included

• Air return ticket from Athens – Thessaloniki
• 7 overnights in hotels selected from our A class office
• 5 buffet meals and 5 dinners in Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece with breakfast.
• Daily tours and guided tours as provided in the program
• Offering tour guides throughout the trip as well as civil and professional liability insurance.