ILLYRIA (BALKAN) EXPLORER – SILVER ROUTE

After breakfast travel to Elbasan. Elbasan which was a very important city in ancient time where in Roman empire time was called “Via Egnatia” that used to connect Rome-Naples-Bari-Durres-Elbasan-Ohrid-Thessaloniki-Istanbul. City tour to visit: Elbasan Castle (dating back to 4rth Century BC), The Clock, The ethnographic Museum, Church, The Old Mosque. Then we continue the beautiful city of Ohrid, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We visit first the Sveti Naum Monastery, a beautiful site with impressive views of Lake Ohrid across to Albania. Explore its mixture of western and oriental architecture including the Orthodox Cathedral, the 11th century church of St Sofia as well as the Roman theater. Continue the road to Skopje. Walk through the landmarks of the old part of Skopje, starting with the Skopje Castle placed on a hill, which gives a view to the old and the new part of Skopje. Then continue with walking down toward Mustafa Pasha Mosque (1492) and the church of Holy Savior (18th Century), then to the historical district known as the Skopje’s Old Bazaar characterized by architectural mixture of churches, mosques, inns, baths, many craftsmen’s shops, old buildings, restaurants and pubs and small shops. Overnight in Skopje. 

In the morning after breakfast, continue to Sofia. departure to Sofia. Panoramic tour around the Bulgarian capital – an 8500-years old city called “My Rome” by the emperor Constantine The Great. Visit the most fascinating places of interest: the forum of Ancient Serdica (the old name of the city) with the newest archeological discoveries from Roman time, which are exhibited next to the Bulgarian presidency. Next is the St. Nedelya square, where 4 worship buildings of the main religions in Bulgaria are located next to each other. These are the Orthodox Church St. Nedelya, the Catholic church, the Synagogue and the Mosque. They form a quadrangle, symbolizing the peace between different religions in Bulgaria. Our tour continues with the “Alexander I” square where the Royal Palace and the National Theatre are located, “Tzar Osvoboditel” boulevard, the Parliament, the Church of ”St. Sofia” (the name means wisdom), which had given the name of the city, the Sofia University and the “Alexander Nevski” Cathedral (the biggest Orthodox church on the Balkan peninsula). Overnight in Sofia. 

After breakfast, continue to the village of Arbanassi. The village is famous for its ancient, richly decorated churches and magnificent architecture. It used to be a residence of the Bulgarian kings. Continue to the old capital of Bulgaria – Veliko Tarnovo. Visit to the historical hill Tsarevets with the Fortress, the Wax museum, the Patriarchal church and the Emperor Baldwin’s Tower. You will walk along the old Trade Street – “Samovodska charshia”. Overnight in Arbanashki. 

After breakfast, continue to Bucharest. the Romanian capital, Bucharest. Visit the patriarchal church, the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch, the village museum with its houses from all parts of Romania, and stop at the Palace of Parliament, the second-largest building in the world after the Pentagon. The wide boulevards of Bucharest, monuments like the triumphal arch and wide places explain why Bucharest is known as "small Paris of the East". Overnight in Bucharest. 

After breakfast, continue to Piteşti. Piteşti is a pleasant, medium-sized city with a pretty, pedestrianised centre lined with cafes, bars, etc. Pitești is a city in Romania, located on the Argeș River. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Then continue to Craiova. It is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians and the River Danube. We will start our tour visiting Downtown, Art Museum,Ethnographic museum " Casa Baniei" , House of Culture "Traian Demetrescu" , Romanescu Park ( Zoo, the bridge, The Castle) and Botanic Park. Overnight in Craiova. 

After breakfast, we will then continue to Zajecar. We have a walk through the main streets and squares, your attention will be drawn to the colorful and exceptionally beautiful buildings like those of the district office, regional court, national museum and old gymnasium. Then continue to Nis. Nis is the third largest city in Serbia and it is one of the oldest cities in the Balkans and Europe, and from ancient times has been considered a gateway between the East and the West. It was named Navissos by the Scordisci in 279 BC, after an invasion of the Balkans. The city was among several taken in the Roman conquest in 75 BC. The Romans built the Via Militaris in the 1st century, with Naissus being one of its key towns; it is also the birthplace of Constantine the Great, the first Christian Emperor and the founder of Constantinople, and Constantius III and Justin I. It is home to one of the oldest churches in Serbia, dating to the 4th century, located in the suburb of Mediana. Upon our arrival in Nis we will first visit the famous Cele Kula (Skull Tower NIS) where you will learn about the atrocities of the Turks against the Serbs and you will see a unique in the world monument for the sacrifice of Serbian revolutionaries. The second important archaeological site in Nis is Medijana. This Roman estate exhibits the remains of a granary, craft centre, villas , thermae, and the remains of ancient villa with with rich mosaics. Most mosaics exhibit geometrical or floral motifs, while two mosaics presenting figures –the head of the Medusa and a semi-prostrate figure of a river deity (probably Neptune). Overnight in Nis. 

After breakfast drive to Pristina. Explore the city visiting its main sites such as the Orthodox Church and the Carshi Mosque, dating back to the early 15th century. We then head to the ruins of Ulpiana, an ancient Roman city that was once one of the most powerful in the Balkans. Later we visit the spectacular Gracanica Monastery, one of Kosovo’s most beautiful sites and containing some impressive frescoes. and Ulpiana antic Darnadian-Illyrian city remaining form roman period. Then continue to Prizren. this city, probably is the most attractive town in Kosovo with superbly preserved buildings from the Ottoman era. We visit the castle which is one of the oldest in the Balkans (almost 3 millenniums), built to protect the city from attacks, the ornate Bajrakli Mosque and the old Turkish Hammam among other sights. Prizren is an absolute highlight of any visit to Kosovo and to see the old houses of the old town in low light as the sun sets is a delight. Then we continue to Tirane. After arrival and check in the hotel, we start exploring Albania’s capital. We visit Skanderbeg Square, dedicated to Albania’s national hero, the Mosque of Ethem Bey, one of the oldest buildings in Tirana, and the Archaeological Museum among other sites. Panoramic walking tour to visit the Skanderbeg Square, Mosque of Et’hem Bey (1824), the Clock Tower (1822), and government buildings, and BunkArt. Overnight in Tirane. 

After breakfast depature to onward journey