• 7 Dinner (D)
• 13 Breakfast (B)

• Bucharest: Bask in the rich history of Bucharest and its lasting legacies. 
• Sinaia: Journey to the Carpathian Mountains and discover Pele? Castle.
• Bran: Visit the infamous mythical home of Count Dracula and favourite residence of Romanian royalty – Bran Castle.
• Brasov: Journey through the medieval streets of Brasov and discover its trading history. 
• Veliko Tarnovo: Discover the rich history of Veliko Tarnovo with a Local Specialist. 
• Sofia: Journey to Sofia and spend the day basking in the wonders of Bulgaria’s modern-day capital. 
• Skopje: Join a Local Specialist on a city tour of the historic center of Skopje. 
• Tirana: Meet a local resident who will show you Skanderbeg Square and walk you through their home city as they share insights into life in the Albanian capital.
• Budva: Spend the day exploring the picturesque town of Budva. 
• Mostar: Discover the magnificent coves and cliffs of the Kotor coast as well as the monumental Mostar Bridge.
• Kotor: Enjoy some time in the morning discovering the wonders of Kotor. 
• Sarajevo: Discover the wonders and hidden treasures of Sarajevo. 
• Sarajevo: Discover the history of the Bosnian war tunnel in Sarajevo. 
• Belgrade: Explore Belgrade with a Local Specialist and uncover the stories behind Serbia’s capital. You’ll visit the Church of Saint Sava and Kalemegdan Fortress, set above the meeting point of the Sava and Danube rivers, while tracing the influences of Celtic, Roman, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian rule across the city.

• Deluxe coach travel
• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• 4-star stays

Trafalgar

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers over a welcome dinner in Bucharest. It is an opportunity to get acquainted and hear more about the journey through the Balkans.

Romania’s capital provides an atmospheric setting for the gathering, with broad Belle Époque boulevards and an Old Town of cobbled streets and historic facades. The shared meal marks the beginning of the group experience rather than a formal sightseeing visit.

Explore Bucharest with a Local Specialist and see the immense Palace of Parliament. The guided sightseeing introduces a capital whose elegant boulevards and older streets tell very different chapters of Romanian history.

Hear how Nicolae Ceau?escu’s monumental building project came to embody the excesses of his dictatorship. Viewed from outside, its sheer scale offers a striking contrast to the poverty many Romanians experienced during the communist period.

Visit Bran Castle with a Local Specialist and explore the imposing walls, towers and passageways that have made it one of Transylvania’s best-known sights. Learn about its place in Romanian royal history, including its association with Queen Marie.

The castle’s link to Bram Stoker’s Dracula is largely a matter of legend, but its dramatic silhouette has helped sustain the story. Its real history offers a perspective beyond the fictional count.

Discover Veliko Târnovo with a Local Specialist and visit Tsarevets Fortress, the historic stronghold at the heart of Bulgaria’s former imperial capital. Its hilltop setting gives a sense of the city’s commanding position above the Yantra River.

Known as the City of the Tsars, Veliko Târnovo was a centre of the Second Bulgarian Empire. The surviving fortifications and winding old streets reveal why this dramatic landscape became a seat of medieval power.

Visit the Church of the Nativity in Arbanasi, a village known for its preserved houses and Bulgarian National Revival heritage. The church’s modest exterior conceals a richly decorated interior.

Look for the extensive frescoes that cover its walls and ceilings, reflecting centuries of Orthodox religious tradition. Arbanasi’s historic streets and spiritual sites offer an intimate contrast to the grand fortifications of nearby Veliko Târnovo.

Explore Sofia with a Local Specialist and view the golden-domed St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and historic St Sofia Church. The sightseeing introduces landmarks that give Bulgaria’s capital its distinctive skyline.

Named for a church with roots in the early Christian era, Sofia carries layers of Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and modern history. Its religious buildings stand among broad streets and civic spaces, making those different influences visible across the city.

Tour Skopje with a Local Specialist and discover a capital shaped by its role as a religious crossroads and trading centre. The guided sightseeing draws attention to the Ottoman legacy visible in its bazaars and mosques.

In the historic centre, traces of older commercial life sit alongside the changing face of North Macedonia’s capital. Local insight helps connect Skopje’s streets and places of worship with the communities that have lived and traded here.

Explore Tirana with a local guide and see Skanderbeg Square, the Palace of Culture, the National Library and the Clock Tower. First-hand perspectives bring the Albanian capital’s public spaces and everyday life into focus.

Learn how Tirana has changed since the end of communist rule, when many once-grey buildings acquired colourful facades. Around the central square, monuments and civic buildings provide a setting for understanding both the city’s past and its present energy.

Get acquainted with Budva during an orientation led by your Travel Director. This introduction helps you find your bearings in Montenegro’s Adriatic resort town and identify the historic centre.

Budva’s walled Old Town, Stari Grad, is known for its narrow lanes and small squares behind coastal ramparts. The orientation provides context for exploring a place where centuries-old stonework stands close to a lively seaside setting.

Discover Kotor during an orientation in this historic Montenegrin town on the Bay of Kotor. Gain an introduction to its setting, where steep mountains rise above sheltered Adriatic waters.

Kotor’s old town is celebrated for its stone lanes, squares and Venetian-era character. The orientation gives you a way to appreciate the town’s maritime heritage and the remarkable coastal landscape that surrounds it.

Walk Mostar’s cobbled streets with a Local Specialist and view Stari Most, the celebrated stone bridge spanning the Neretva River. The guided tour brings the city’s historic centre and its mix of cultural influences into focus.

Originally built in the Ottoman period, the bridge was destroyed during the Bosnian War and later reconstructed. Its arch remains a powerful symbol of Mostar, linking the city’s architectural heritage with a history of conflict and renewal.

Explore Sarajevo on a guided walking tour with a Local Specialist, seeing the mosques, synagogues and Orthodox and Catholic churches that reflect its diverse communities. The city’s close-knit historic streets reveal why it is sometimes called the Jerusalem of Europe.

Ottoman and later Austro-Hungarian influences shaped Sarajevo’s architecture and daily life. Walking with a local expert offers a grounded introduction to the religious traditions and layered history still visible in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital.

Visit Sarajevo’s War Tunnel and learn how this underground passage served the besieged city during the Bosnian War. Built in 1993, it provided a vital route for supplies and humanitarian aid when ordinary access was cut off.

The visit gives concrete form to accounts of the Siege of Sarajevo, one of the defining events of the 1990s conflict. It is a sobering opportunity to consider the resourcefulness and hardship of the city’s residents.

Meet third-generation coppersmiths Adnan and Kenan in Sarajevo and discover how they preserve an Ottoman-era metalworking tradition. Hear about the skill behind their coffee sets, jewellery and decorative pieces, including work made with repurposed war materials.

This Make Travel Matter® experience connects a living family craft with the city’s complex history. The visit supports efforts to sustain local cultural heritage in the face of mass production.

Meet a local host in Sarajevo for a Be My Guest experience centred on food, conversation and personal stories. This hosted meal offers a closer connection to Bosnian hospitality than an ordinary hotel dinner.

Local flavours provide an introduction to the traditions shared around the table, while your host’s perspective adds texture to your understanding of Sarajevo. The experience is included as a distinctive cultural gathering, rather than simply an evening meal.

Explore Belgrade with a Local Specialist, visiting the Church of Saint Sava and Kalemegdan Fortress. See the church’s vast dome and white facade, and take in the fortress’s position above the meeting of the Sava and Danube rivers.

Belgrade’s strategic setting has drawn successive Celtic, Roman, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian influences. The fortress walls, reshaped over many centuries, make the city’s contested history especially tangible.

Experience a Bulgarian folk evening during your time in Sofia. This optional gathering offers a lively introduction to the performance traditions associated with the country’s regional cultures.

Folk music and dance have long been part of Bulgarian celebrations, with rhythms and styles that vary across the country. The evening is at additional cost and bookable on tour; the itinerary does not specify its programme or venue.

Spend an evening enjoying live music in Sofia as an alternative optional experience. It is a way to share time with fellow travellers while experiencing the Bulgarian capital after dark.

Sofia’s evening scene adds another dimension to a city known for its historic churches and broad boulevards. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; the performer, musical style and venue are not specified.

Visit UNESCO-listed Rila Monastery on an optional excursion from Sofia. Set in the Rila Mountains, the monastery is one of Bulgaria’s most important spiritual and cultural landmarks.

Its origins are linked to Saint Ivan of Rila, a 10th-century hermit. The monastery’s painted arcades and mountain setting offer a vivid sense of its enduring place in Bulgarian Orthodox life. This excursion is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

View Pele? Castle in Sinaia, set against the forested slopes of Romania’s Carpathian Mountains. Its ornate towers and richly detailed exterior make it a distinctive landmark of the mountain resort.

Built as a summer residence for King Carol I, Romania’s first king, the castle reflects the ambitions of a young monarchy and the architectural tastes of late-19th-century Europe. This is a viewing stop; entry to the castle is not specified.

Walk Bra?ov’s medieval streets with a Local Specialist, exploring Town Hall Square and seeing the Black Church. The tour reveals how the city’s position on trading routes shaped its prosperous Saxon community.

Merchants once connected this Transylvanian centre with markets across Europe and the Ottoman world. The Black Church takes its name from the damage associated with Bra?ov’s great fire of 1689, a reminder of the city’s turbulent past.

Join an optional dinner with your travel companions during your stay in the Bra?ov area. It offers a social evening and a chance to explore local Transylvanian flavours beyond the included meals.

Regional cooking reflects the varied traditions of this part of Romania, shaped by Romanian, Saxon and Hungarian communities. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; the specific venue and menu are not stated.

Dine on the panoramic terrace at Hotel Adrovic, overlooking Sveti Stefan and Montenegro’s Adriatic coast. This optional evening pairs a hosted dining setting with wide views of the shoreline.

Sveti Stefan’s cluster of stone buildings on a small coastal islet is one of the region’s most recognisable sights. The terrace makes the setting part of the experience. Dinner is at additional cost and bookable on tour; a specific menu is not stated.