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Country Roads of Croatia - Classic Group
Tour Type: Country RoadsBrochure Type: IV Europe Summer 2023 v2Discover Croatia's rich heritage and stunning Dalmatian coastline-with fascinating itineraries curated by Local Experts. Charting a course through the cities of Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik, the journey pauses for sea-to-table oysters in Ston, a quaint coastal village. Croatia's culinary delicacies are also the order of the day at Celebration Dinner in Dubrovnik paired with wine and grappa. Explore Plitvice National Park, one of Europe's great natural wonders. On this Insight Choice, learn about local Tara Community folklore, or journey through the forest paths, alongside 16 interconnecting lakes. Choice Highlights
- 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.
Well-being
- Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
- Experience enhanced hygiene protocols to align with the latest guidance following COVID-19.All Travel Directors, Well-Being Directors and Drivers have completed training in enhanced well-being and hygiene protocols.
- We only work with establishments we are confident will consistently adhere to our high well-being standards, which include hotels, restaurants and sight-seeing venues.
- Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
Travel Director
- "One thing I really love about showing guests Eastern Europe is the rich history and culture of places that have previously been impossible to visit due to political situations."
- "I decided to become a Travel Director because I love the joy of discovery. When people see a place they've dreamed about, tasted something they've only read about, and hear the music and stories of a place they're exploring, we all share a joyful creation of lifelong memories."
Authentic Dining
- Zagreb: At 17:30, join your Travel Director for a Welcome Dinner with the opportunity to get to know your fellow travellers over a pleasant evening with wine.
- Dubrovnik: Toast the culmination of your journey with a typical Dalmatian Coast Celebration Dinner, accompanied with wine and grappa.
- Dining Summary: 6 Dinner with Wine (DW), 13 Breakfast (B), and 1 Morning Tea (MT)
Top Rated Highlights
- Zagreb: Your Local Expert guides you this two-tiered capital. Explore Donji Grad, the Lower Town, and see the Mimara Art Museum in Roosevelt Square, Ban Josip Jelacic Square and the cathedral.
- Zagreb: Ride the funicular to Gornji Grad, the medieval Upper Town, to view the former Presidential Palace, Stone Gate, St. Mark's Church and the Lotr?cak Tower.
- Postojna Cave: Enter by mini-train into these world-famous cave systems, before walking through an illuminated fairyland of stalactites and stalagmites.
- Opatija: Led by your Local Expert, spend a day discovering the Jewels of Istria, including the sparkling seas of Rovinj and the gleaming white stone of the Roman arena at Pula.
- Trogir: See the cathedral and Renaissance Cipiko Palace during an orientation with your Travel Director.
- Split: Cruise to the sunniest island of the country, Hvar, your home for the next two nights. Enjoy beautiful views and crystal waters on this one hour ferry crossing.
- Split: Sightseeing with your Local Expert continues through the old town. Walk through the Jewish Quarter to reach Narodni Trg, the centre of Old Split. Continue to Trg Brace Radic, translated as the Square of the Radic brothers, but better known to the locals as Vocni Trg, or the Fruit Square.
- Split: Explore above and below the Roman Emperor Diocletian's palace. A Local Expert guides you through labyrinthine streets to see St. Duje's, the Temple of Jupiter, the Golden Gate and the Cellars.
- Hvar: Explore the coves and hidden beaches and ascend the lofty peaks from where there are magnificent views over this beautiful island.
- Hvar: Cruise back to the mainland to continue your journey.
- Korcula: Walk the herringbone maze of streets and flagstone plazas with your Local Expert. Learn why the locals claim this is where Marco Polo was born.
- Ston: Cruise to this quaint coastal village by private boat.
- Dubrovnik: Explore the Pearl of the Adriatic with your Local Expert. Walk the stone-paved streets of the Old Town to see Onofrio's Fountain, Rector's Palace and the medieval city walls. Admire the Franciscan and Dominican monasteries.
- Dubrovnik: As the sun descends and should the weather be favourable, enjoy a relaxing cruise around the fabled bay of Dubrovnik. Gaze out at views of the glistening Adriatic before your cruise moors in the Old Town Harbour.
Make Travel Matter
- 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.
Insight Experiences
- Ston: Meet a local oyster farmer and learn about the cultivation of oysters, before enjoying a delicious Sea-to-Table tasting of fresh shellfish and local wine.
Additional Included Highlights
- Our highly-skilled Travel Director will ensure your journey is seamless, serving as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas.
- Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
- We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
- 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.
- Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
- From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
- If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
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| Details | | Insight Vacations | | Offer valid through 9/30/2023 | | | | Day | Destination | Description | | Day 1 | Zagreb | Welcome to Zagreb: Transfers to your hotel depart from Zagreb airport at 11:30 and 14:00. Relax and settle in or perhaps head for the romantic chestnut-lined Stross Promenade for your first views over the city. At 17:30, join your Travel Director for a Welcome Dinner, with the opportunity to get to know your fellow travellers over a pleasant evening with wine.
Sheraton Zagreb Hotel. | | Day 2 | Zagreb | Zagreb's Twin Towns Relaxed Start: Join your Local Expert to explore the two-tiered capital of Croatia. Drive through the squares of the Lower Town, Donji Grad, designed to give a sense of grandeur. See the Mimara Art Museum in Roosevelt Square and continue to Ban Josip Jelacic Square en route to the cathedral. Board the city's funicular to the medieval Upper Town, Gornji Grad. It's a network of little streets, stretching between the Kaptol and Gradec hills. View the former Presidential Palace, Stone Gate, St. Mark's Church and the Lotršcak Tower. 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?
Sheraton Zagreb Hotel. | | Day 3 | Rijeka | Postojna Caves and Rijeka: Venture into Slovenia to visit the world-famous Postojna Caves. Step aboard the cave train and descend into a subterranean world of stunning stalactites, stalagmites, columns and curtains. Marvel at the five-metre tall Brilliant, the cave's most beautiful stalagmite. Return to Croatia, where your hotel is in Rijeka.
Hotel Bonavia Plava Laguna, Rijeka. | | Day 4 | the Jewels of Istria | Discover the Jewels of Istria: Cross the heart-shaped peninsula to explore the Jewels of Istria with your Local Expert. Visit the well-preserved first-century arena at Pula, scene of brutal gladiatorial battles in Roman times. Continue to the charming old town of Rovinj, rising directly from the sea. Wander through the cobbled streets lined with tempting shops, pastel-coloured bars and sidewalk cafes.
Hotel Bonavia Plava Laguna, Rijeka. | | Day 5 | Pristine Plitvice National Park | Pristine Plitvice National Park: Enjoy the scenery of the Adriatic coast in the morning - journey past sparkling deep blue seas, studded with rocky islands, before heading inland to visit one of Europe's great natural wonders. 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 carries out research to monitor the natural habitat of species. Alternatively meet the industrious women of the Tara Community Centre, who produce handicrafts, enabling employment and engagement in the community.
Hotel Lyra, Licko Petrovo Selo. | | Day 6 | The Dalmatian Coast to Split | The Dalmatian Coast to Split: The green forests of Plitvice Lakes National Park give way to pebble-dashed shores lapped by turquoise waters. Walk through the Roman Ruins and market to see the sea organ of Zadar. Witness the dramatic change in landscape, as you travel through Mediterranean olive groves on your way to Trogir, a city founded by the Greeks in 3rd century B.C. Admire the cathedral and Renaissance Cipiko Palace before continuing to the historic port of Split. In the evening, don't miss the opportunity of dinner in a traditional konoba.
Hotel President Solin, Split. | | Day 7 | Hvar | Island Hopping to Hvar Relaxed Start: 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. Your island-hopping adventure begins here. Cross the azure waters of the Adriatic to spend two nights on Hvar, famed for being the sunniest island in the country and boasting an interior dotted with lofty mountain peaks and aromatic ?elds of lavender.
Amfora, Hvar Grand Beach Resort. | | Day 8 | the island of Hvar | Exploring the Island of Hvar Relaxed Start: Enjoy a full day at leisure, as you explore the hidden coves, secluded beaches, old monasteries and villages of Hvar. Perhaps stroll around seaside Stari Grad, known for being one of Europe's oldest towns and a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Maybe visit the local museum with its impressive collection of archeological finds dating back to Greek antiquity or enjoy fresh seafood at a local restaurant? You could even see the glitz and glamour of Hvar Town with its yacht-lined marinas, famous for being the trendy playground of the rich and famous.
Amfora, Hvar Grand Beach Resort. | | Day 9 | Korcula | On the Trail of Marco Polo to Korcula: Cruise back to the mainland and continue your journey to the island of Korcula, known for its grace, history and rich culture. The perfect place for relaxing, the island is filled with quiet coves and small beaches that dot the south coastline. This evening, dinner will be at the hotel.
Hotel Liburna, Korcula. | | Day 10 | Korcula | Captivating Korcula Relaxed Start: In the morning, join a knowledgeable Local Expert for a walking tour of the Old Town. Marvel at spectacular views of the mainland as you stroll towards the main square of Korcula where the Cathedral of St. Mark dominates the ancient skyline. Hear about local legends and history from your Local Expert, stopping by the Town Museum, the Bishop's Palace with its treasury collection and the Town Hall. Visit the ruins of the house where according to local legend Marco Polo was born. The rest of the day is at your leisure to enjoy the narrow streets, beautiful churches and magnificent palaces of this charming medieval town.
Hotel Liburna, Korcula. | | Day 11 | Dubrovnik | Dubrovnik, Pearl of the Adriatic: Journey to the beautiful southern slopes of the Peljesac Peninsula. Weather permitting, cruise the tranquil waters of the bay of Mali Ston and admire the surrounding untouched natural beauty, as you enjoy a glass of traditional Croatian brandy. Stop at a shellfish farm and meet Tomislav, a local oyster farmer, to learn about the cultivation and harvest of oysters. Enjoy a delicious Sea-to-Table tasting of the fresh shellfish, accompanied by a glass of wine. Continue to the walled town of Dubrovnik, '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. With the rest of the day at your leisure, perhaps enjoy the luxuries of the five-star Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, your home for the next three nights.
Hotel Dubrovnik Palace. | | Day 12 | Optional Montenegro Experience | Optional Montenegro Experience Relaxed Start: Spend the day at your leisure or enjoy an optional visit to Montenegro, travelling along the coast to the pretty port town of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A photographer's dream, capture one of the most beautiful parts of the bay and learn about some of the compelling history of this area. Return to Dubrovnik and enjoy an evening at your leisure. Perhaps start at a trendy wine bar, followed by dinner at a romantic sidewalk cafe?
Hotel Dubrovnik Palace. | | Day 13 | Dubrovnik | Dubrovnik at Leisure Relaxed Start: Make the most of a day at leisure in the Pearl of the Adriatic. Relax by the pool, shop in the markets or perhaps take the opportunity to visit Cavtat, one of the most enchanting seaside resorts in Croatia. This evening, should weather permit, you're invited to embark on a dazzling cruise around the fabled bay of Dubrovnik. Start your Celebration Dinner with the national favourite drink, a glass of grappa. Savour authentic flavours of local specialities washed down with locally produced wine.
Hotel Dubrovnik Palace. | | Day 14 | Dubrovnik | Depart Dubrovnik: Your travels draw to a close after breakfast. Departure transfers arrive at Dubrovnik airport at 05:00, 09:00 and 11:30. |
| | Twin prices are per person.
- These prices are correct at the time of the website going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking.
- All tour information is correct at time of tours going live, however is subject to change, please confirm all details at time of booking.
- For full terms and conditions, please refer to our Conditions page.
- Hotel Class Key: D: Deluxe SF: Superior First Class F: First Class |
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