The Balkans: Landscapes and Memories of YugoslaviaThe Balkans: Landscapes and Memories of Yugoslavia

This morning, you’ll set out for a walking tour of Belgrade, taking in sights such as Republic Square and the Kalemegdan Fortress. You’ll get a sense of the city’s diverse architecture, ranging from Serbo-Byzantine through Baroque and Classical, to striking works in the Modernist style. In the afternoon you’ll visit an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Belgrade where you’ll wander through the ruins of a once-thriving site of Yugoslav manufacturing. Finish off the day with a tour of a local brewery and a dinner of modern Serbian cuisine.

This morning your vehicle will collect you from the hotel and you’ll make your first stop at the partisan monument on Mount Kosmaj. You’ll then drive south to visit the Šumarice Memorial Park at Kragujevac, the site of terrible atrocities during WWII and now a place of great national significance. After a tour of the museum, you’ll explore the sprawling park on foot and admire the many monuments placed in memory of the victims.  Driving west, in the afternoon you’ll visit the Mausoleum in Čačak, before finally arriving for dinner, and your accommodation for the night, in Užice.

Užice is a paradise for architecture geeks. You’ll take a walk through the city in the morning, admiring some truly remarkable examples of the Brutalist and Modernist styles. Later you’ll hit the road to visit the nearby Kadinjača Memorial Complex... and then you bid Serbia “Zbogom” as you cross the border into Bosnia and Herzegovina. You’ll visit the Tjentište Monument, located down south in the remote Sutjeska National Park, before settling in at our comfortable hotel with excellent mountain views in time for dinner.

Awake today to more beautiful scenery, and you have the option to venture out on an easy hike. Alternatively, enjoy the fine views with a cup of coffee from the hotel. In the late morning, you’ll have an easy drive into Sarajevo and have a guided tour for your first taste of the Bosnian capital. Here you'll have the opportunity to learn about the Bosnian War and the 1992-96 Siege of Sarajevo. Survivors of the conflict will share their stories during a walking tour of the abandoned Olympic bobsleigh track, which became a front line during the conflict. Check into your boutique hotel with time to freshen up before heading out to dinner at a family-run local restaurant.

Today you have free time to explore the city’s many markets, mosques, plazas, and coffee shops on your own. Sarajevo is a one-of-a-kind place, rich and layered with history, and your guide will have many suggestions of how to make the best use of your day. You could even check out the city’s thriving contemporary craft beer scene. Then this evening, you’ll meet for a group dinner in one of Sarajevo’s premier nightspots.

Leaving Sarajevo in the morning, you’ll drive northward.  You’ll stop in Visoko to investigate what may - or may not - be a Bosnian pyramid, alleged to be larger and older than the pyramids of Egypt. In the historic city of Zenica, you’ll learn more about Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Islamic heritage during an architectural tour. By late afternoon, you’ll arrive in Banja Luka, the largest city in Bosnia’s 'Republika Srpska' region. Here you’ll take a look around the city center before gathering for dinner in a modern local restaurant.

Crossing the scenic north of Bosnia and Herzegovina today, you’ll drive first to Mount Kozara to visit the memorial tower built on the site of a WWII battlefield. Next, after a scenic riverside lunch, you continue west to Bihać to see the Garavice Memorial Park, and learn about the town’s troubled history. After that, you’re crossing the border—out of Bosnia and Herzegovina, into Croatia—to reach your final stop: a cozy guesthouse in the Plitvice National Park.

Today, you’ll see the famous Plitvice Lakes before heading out to explore (access allowing) the nearby Željava Air Base, an abandoned tunnel complex hidden deep beneath a mountain on the Croatian-Bosnian border. Afterward, you’ll drive north to see the largest monument of this tour: the colossal memorial house on Petrova Gora. After taking your time to explore this extraordinary ruin you’ll continue on towards the Croatian capital, Zagreb, where you’ll have dinner and settle in.

Today you’ll explore the Croatian capital and its Old Town in the company of a local expert, stopping at various unconventional attractions and abandoned buildings around the city. The remainder of the day is yours to relax or explore on your own. 

A number of powerful monuments await you today. you’ll stop at the Monument to the Revolution of the People of Moslavina, at Podgarić, and then drive on to Sisak to see the partisan monument in the forests on the edge of town. Finally, you’ll drive south to Jasenovac to visit the Stone Flower monument and learn about this site’s tragic history at the concentration camp museum. It’s one more hour from here to your accommodations, a rustic, traditional-styled hotel in the town of Slavonski Brod.

Today you begin with a drive towards Vukovar, a town that played a key role in the Croatian War for Independence, and where you’ll visit the striking – but sobering – Dudik Memorial Park. Right after that, you’ll cross the border, back into Serbia. Upon reaching Belgrade in mid-afternoon, you’ll visit the Museum of Yugoslavia and the House of Flowers to pay your respects at the tomb of Marshall Josip Broz Tito. By early evening, you’ll be checked into your hotel, ready to wind down with one final farewell dinner and drinks in the Serbian capital.

Today’s breakfast will be your last group meal—but the fun doesn’t have to end here. You’ll find plenty more to explore in Belgrade, from Brutalist architecture to curious museums and quirky bars, if you'd like to spend more time here on your own. Until next time!