Discover the Balkans’ rich history and vibrant culture on Insight Vacations’ Treasures of the Balkans tour. Explore Bucharest’s former Communist headquarters and Sofia’s Roman ruins before journeying through Transylvania to Brașov. Enjoy a private after-hours visit and dinner at the legendary Bran Castle, then uncover Sarajevo’s moving Tunnel of Hope and Mostar’s iconic Old Bridge with a Local Expert.
End your adventure with a heartwarming Dine at Home experience, sharing traditional dishes and stories with a local Sarajevan family before concluding in dynamic Belgrade.
(twin share)
Departure dates – 13 July, 10 August,
31 August 2026
✨SAVE up to 15%* off select tours! ✨
SAVE $1,237*pp!
Bucharest to Belgrade
Includes:
🔥Handpicked 4 & 5 star hotels in great locations
🔥‘Business Class’ style coaches with extended legroom*
🔥Insider Access, Insightful Encounters and Insight Choice experiences
🔥Local discovery led by Local Experts
🔥Porterage, plus tips and gratuities at hotels and restaurants, is included
Highlights
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® EXPERIENCES
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Itinerary:
Day 1: Welcome to Bucharest
- Welcome to Bucharest! Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for dinner at a local restaurant.
Included:
- Accommodation: Radisson Blu Hotel Bucharest
- Meals: Dinner
- Experiences: Bucharest Dinner
Day 2: Bucharest and Castles of Transylvanian City
- Join a Local Expert for sightseeing to view University Square and the former communist headquarters. Visit the immense Parliament Palace, one of the most impressive buildings in the world. Enjoy a delicious private dinner in the recently renovated Queen Marie’s Tea House. This evening after the crowds have left enjoy a private visit to the iconic Bran Castle, said to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Learn about Queen Marie of Romania, the last inhabitant of the castle, visit the torture rooms and relive the tales of the infamous Count Dracula.
Included:
- Accommodation: Radisson Blu Aurum
- Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Day 3: BRAȘOV and Sinaia
- Travel along the Prahova Valley to the elegant mountain resort of Sinaia to visit Peleș Castle. Admire the lavish rooms filled with art, armour and tapestries. Return through the Carpathian Mountains to the charming medieval city of Brașov, founded in 1211 by the Teutonic Knights. With your Local Expert, walk around Town Hall Square, lined with beautiful red-roofed houses and dominated by the Black Church.
Included:
- Accommodation: Radisson Blu Aurum
- Meals: Breakfast
Optional experience at additional cost: Traditional dinner in the Transylvanian Alps
Day 4: Veliko Tarnovo
- Cross the Danube into Bulgaria and continue to Veliko Tarnovo, the City of the Tsars, where houses cling to the cliffs of the River Yantra, making it one of the country's most beautiful towns. In the evening, enjoy dinner at your hotel.
Included:
- Accommodation: Yantra Hotel
- Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Day 5: To Sofia
- Meet your Local Expert to climb up to the ruined Tsarevets Fortress, a reminder of the town's former imperial status. Enjoy the stunning views over the old Bulgarian capital and the Yantra Valley. Arbanasi is one of Bulgaria’s most beautiful villages and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The frescoed churches and fortified dwellings offer a unique insight into the former wealth and spiritual commitment of the settlement. Visit a traditional 17th-century merchant's house and the Church of the Holy Nativity. Cross the Balkan Mountains to Bulgaria's modern day capital of Sofia. On arrival, sightseeing with a Local Expert takes you to St. Sofia Church, across the square from the golden domed St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the archaeological complex, dominated by the church of St. George Rotonda.
Included:
- Accommodation: Grand Millennium Sofia
- Meals: Breakfast
- Optional experience at additional cost: Traditional Bulgarian dinner with musical entertainment
Day 6: Sofia at Your Pace
- Enjoy the day at your leisure. Perhaps visit the Rila Monastery to enjoy a fascinating insight into the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria?
Included:
- Accommodation: Grand Millennium Sofia
- Meals: Breakfast & dinner
- Optional experience at additional cost: Rila Monastery with lunch
Day 7: Skopje
- Cross the border and continue to the North Macedonian capital of Skopje, an ultra-modern city juxtaposed by an ancient bazaar, where Turkish influences can still be seen and felt. Enjoy sightseeing with a Local Expert.
Included:
- Accommodation: Skopje Marriott Hotel
- Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Day 8: Lake Ohrid and Tirana
- Making your way to the border, stop by the scenic Lake Ohrid for lunch. Cross into Albania and journey to Tirana, renowned for its friendly locals. Continue to the landmark Skanderbeg Square for an insider’s look at the Albanian capital with a Local Expert.
Included:
- Accommodation: Hilton Garden Inn Tirana
- Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Day 9: Journey to Montenegro’s Budva
- Soak up Montenegro’s natural beauty as you drive towards Budva where you will have the day to explore 'Montenegro's Miami'. Head to Stari Grad (the Old Town) surrounded by 15th-century ramparts to explore its labyrinthine lanes and small squares where you could choose to sit back and watch the world go by.
Included:
- Accommodation: Hotel TQ Plaza Budva
- Meals: Breakfast
- Optional experience at additional cost: Budva cruise
Day 10: Kotor and Dubrovnik
- Journey to the Old Town of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue to the fortified port of Dubrovnik.
Included:
- Accommodation: Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik
- Meals: Breakfast
- Optional experience at additional cost: Olive mill & UNESCO protected Peka dinner
Day 11: Dubrovnik Sightseeing
- Join a Local Expert for a morning of exploring the stone-paved streets within the 16th-century bastions. See Onofrio's Fountain and the Rector's Palace, the city walls, and the Franciscan and Dominican monasteries. The rest of the day is free for you to immerse yourself in the beautiful surroundings. Perhaps enjoy an Optional Experience to a stunning town on the Adriatic coast, Cavtat, where you can wander along the pine-forest paths beside the crystal-clear sea and visit a local winery. This evening, choose from a fine selection of restaurants for your Dine-Around evening.
Included:
- Accommodation: Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik
- Meals: Breakfast & dinner
- Optional experience at additional cost: Cavtat and local winery experience
Day 12: Mostar and Sarajevo
- Journey to Mostar, where your Local Expert will guide you to the famed Stari Most, the Old Bridge, a 16th-century Ottoman landmark painstakingly reconstructed after near destruction in the 1990s conflict. Stroll the cobbled streets of the Old Town, lined with shops offering traditional handicrafts and artisanal treasures. Continue along a scenic route to Sarajevo for your MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience: a warm welcome into a Sarajevan family home. Over authentic dishes, hear personal stories that illuminate the city’s resilience and cultural heritage, helping preserve its traditions for future generations.
Included:
- Accommodation: Swissotel Sarajevo
- Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Day 13: Sarajevo, City of Culture
- Explore Sarajevo with Insight Choice. Choose to meet an expert on the Bosnian War for a visit to Sarajevo’s astonishing Tunnel of Hope. Alternatively, join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience for a nature walk to the spring of the Bosna River, a protected park just beyond the city, led by a conservation guide. The rest of the afternoon is for you to explore as you wish.
Included:
- Accommodation: Swissotel Sarajevo
- Meals: Breakfast
- Optional experiences at additional cost: Charm of old Sarajevo & traditional Bosnian dinner with entertainment
Day 14: The Serbian capital of Belgrade
- Trace your way along the Drina River, that lies on the border of Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Take in beautiful landscapes of lush, green mountains that create magical forest canyons, winding your way through deep valleys as you make your way to Belgrade.
Included:
- Accommodation: Radisson Collection Hotel, Old Mill Belgrade
- Meals: Breakfast
- Optional experience at additional cost: Serbian dinner in the Bohemian Quarter
Day 15: The Best of Belgrade
- Join a Local Expert to see the best of Belgrade including Terazije Street, the national museum and national theatre in Republic Square, as well as a visit to the famous St. Sava Church. Finish your sightseeing at the Kalemegdan Fortress, situated at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure before joining your fellow travellers for dinner this evening.
Included:
- Accommodation: Radisson Collection Hotel, Old Mill Belgrade
- Meals: Breakfast, dinner with wine
- Optional experience at additional cost: The Genius & the Leader
Day 16: Farewell Belgrade
- Your journey through the Balkans has come to an end. All that’s left is to say a fond doviđenja as you bid your new friends farewell.
Included:
- Meals: Breakfast
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
Save up to 15% on select 2026 departures featured on InsightVacations.com as “Black Friday Deal”. Deposit due at time of booking; full payment due 120 days prior to departure, or at time of booking if within 120 days. Valid on new bookings only made between October 30, 2025 and December 4, 2025. Savings are valid on the land-only portion and are not valid on airfares or extra night accommodations. Savings are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Minimum number of guests are required to operate departures. If guests change to another tour or date not on sale, they are responsible to pay the difference and adhere to different payment conditions; discounts are not transferrable. Deals may be combined with 5% Global Tour Rewards savings only; not combinable with other promotional offers, group discounts, custom group bookings or Future Travel Credit carry forward discount. Please note that websites do not reflect live capacity and in some instances sold out departures may still display for a brief period of time. Other conditions may apply.