Balkans Best 15-Day Group Tour: Dubrovnik to Athens

Arrive in Dubrovnik and meet your group leader and fellow travellers at 6 pm. Arrive early and you can wander the Old Town’s marble streets, visit the 15th-century Rector’s Palace or take a boat out to the Elafiti Islands.

Travel by private vehicle into Montenegro to Kotor, a World Heritage town tucked into a mountain-ringed bay. Wander the crooked alleyways past the 12th-century cathedral, and watch the city walls light up after dark. Optional cruise on the Kotor fjord.

Cross into Albania and stop in Shkodra to explore Rozafa Castle, with its Venetian roots and views over lake and mountains. Continue to Tirana for an orientation walk through the capital’s colourful streets, parks and wide boulevards.

A half-day trip to Kruja, Skanderbeg’s mountain stronghold and Albania’s former capital. Explore the citadel, the Skanderbeg Museum and the old bazaar, then back in Tirana visit the National History Museum or the frescoed Et’hem Bey Mosque.

Travel south to UNESCO-listed Berat. A guided afternoon walk leads through the Mangalemi quarter and up to the 13th-century hilltop kala, with wide views over the Osum valley. The cobbled climb is steep, so bring sturdy shoes.

Drive into North Macedonia to Ohrid, set on Europe’s oldest lake. After an orientation walk and a browse through the Old Bazaar, board a boat cruise across the lake’s turquoise water.

A free day by the lake. Climb to the Church of Sveti Jovan at Kaneo on its rocky outcrop, explore Tsar Samoil’s Fortress and the 2,000-year-old Roman theatre, or head down the shore to the peacock-filled gardens of Sveti Naum Monastery.

Continue to Skopje, North Macedonia’s capital of Byzantine domes, Ottoman bazaars and oversized monuments. Cross the stone bridge over the Vardar, get lost in the lanes of the Čaršija old bazaar and try gozleme and baklava.

Head out to Matka Canyon, carved by the Treska River and dotted with medieval monasteries and caves. Take the included boat ride through the gorge and walk the valley trails, then back in Skopje ride the Mount Vodno cable car to the Millennium Cross.

A scenic bus ride brings you to Bitola, near Pelister National Park. Visit a local beekeeper’s farm to learn traditional honey-making and share a home-cooked lunch with the family.

Cross into Greece, stopping at the Heraclea Lyncestis archaeological site. Continue to Kastoria, a medieval lakeside town of Byzantine churches and Ottoman fur-trade mansions, and stroll the shore of Lake Orestiada, watching for Dalmatian pelicans.

A free morning in Kastoria, with an optional visit to the reconstructed Neolithic lake village at Dispilio. Then travel to Litochoro at the foot of Mt Olympus, swim at Plaka beach and eat at a fish taverna on the shore.

Hike a lush trail in Mt Olympus National Park to the Orlias waterfall, beneath Greece’s highest mountain and the mythical home of the twelve gods. Brave a swim in the cold pool, or visit the monastery of St Dionysios on the way back.

A train ride south brings you to Athens. Climb to the Acropolis and the Parthenon, see the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Panathenaic Stadium and the changing of the guard at Syntagma Square, then celebrate over Greek food and ouzo.

The trip ends after breakfast and you can depart at any time. Extra nights in Athens can be arranged if you want to keep exploring.