KURBAN BAYRAMI SPECIAL - Balkan Tour with Turkish Airlines 4 Countries TIA - PRN KURBAN BAYRAMI ÖZEL Turkish Airlines BALKAN TOUR 4 COUNTRIES WITHOUT VISA!! 5 NIGHTS 6 DAYS – Accommodation in 4* HOTELS Kosovo – Macedonia – Albania – Montenegro Tiran – Podgorica – Kotor – Shkodra – Elbasan – Ohrid - Sveti Naum - Bitola (Monastery) - Matka Canyon – Tetova (Kalkandelen) – Skopje – Pristina - Prizren Tour Departure Date 27 May Day 1 Istanbul – Tiran – Podgorica Meeting at the Turkish Airlines Check-in Counter at Istanbul Airport International Departures Terminal. After ticket, baggage and passport procedures, we will depart for Tiran with Turkish Airlines flight TK1073 at 8:00 am. Arrival in Tiran at 08:45. After passport, baggage, and customs procedures, we arrive in Tiran. We will make a panoramic tour of this beautiful city, which has been caught up in wars throughout the 20th century and lived under Enver Hoca's dictatorship for 40 years, which was developed by Suleiman Pasha in 1614 and became the capital of Albania in 1920. During our tour, we will see some of the landmarks, including the Ethem Bey Mosque, the historical Clock Tower, the National Museum, the Opera and Ballet Building, the Parliament and Prime Ministry Buildings, the Presidential Palace, the Mother Teresa Statue, and Skanderbeg Square. After the Tiran tour, we have free time, and then we move to the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica, with our special buses. After arrival, we will have a panoramic tour of Podgorica, the smallest capital in the Balkans. After our free time in the charming streets of the city, we transfer to our hotel. Guests wishing to can join the extra Skadar Lake tour (45EUR). Known as Lake Shkodra, this lake is the largest in the Balkans. It is home to more than 270 species of birds, including pelicans, who are under threat of extinction; this peaceful lake will captivate you with its nature. We will end this tour with our private boat in Rijeka Crnojevica. Overnight at our hotel. Lunch: Free time at a location determined by the guide; it will be taken as an extra. Dinner: Free time at a location determined by the guide; it will be taken as an extra. Accommodation: Oasis Hotel or similar – PODGORICA Route: Tiran – Podgorica; 160 KM **Estimated Hotel Check-in Time:** 20:00, subject to customs clearance. Day 2 Podgorica - Shkodra (Kotor-Tivat-Perast-Budva) After breakfast at our hotel, those who wish can join the extra Kotor-Tivat-Perast-Budva tour (70 EUR). Our first stop is Kotor, a small but historically and architecturally significant city that has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979. During our walking city tour, we will see Kotor's most important buildings, embodying the texture of Venetian architecture, and then start to walk around the Kotor Bay, where breathtaking views await us. We will visit the postcard-like Perast. The last stop of our journey along these precious shores will be Tivat, known as the Monaco of Montenegro. You can relax in Tivat's luxury cafes, swimming or walking on the beach to shake off the day’s fatigue. Afterwards, we move on to Budva. After a panoramic tour in Budva, we will take a break at the viewpoint where we can see the magnificent St. Stefan, which was once a settlement area for fishermen that was expropriated and later sold to a multimillionaire from Singapore, and is now a holiday destination for the jet set, and we will complete our transfer to the hotel in Shkodra. Overnight at our hotel. Breakfast: This will be included in the tour price at our hotel. Lunch: Free time at a location determined by the guide; it will be taken as an extra. Dinner: This will be at a restaurant determined by our guide; it will be taken as an extra. Accommodation: Belvedere Hotel or similar – OHRID Route: Podgorica-Perast 130 KM, Perast-Kotor 19 KM, Kotor–Tivat 11 KM, Tivat-Shkodra 110 KM **Estimated Hotel Check-in Time:** 20:30, dependent on road conditions. Day 3 Shkodra – Elbasan - Ohrid After breakfast, we will move on to Ohrid. We will pass through Elbasan on our way to Ohrid, considered the pearl of the Balkans. Our tour of the city begins at the Harbor Square, and during our walk in the neighborhood where the historic Ohrid houses, featured in the series “Elveda Rumeli,” are located, we will talk about the statues we see along the square and conclude our tour with the presentation of the famous Ohrid Pearl, which is an important tradition in Ohrid’s history. After our tour of Ohrid, we will have some free time for shopping. In this free time, we can learn about the city’s significant tradition of pearl production throughout history and also have the chance to shop. Guests wishing can join the St. Naum tour (25EUR). We will first reach St. Naum, enjoying beautiful views along the approximately 1-hour journey. We will see the source of Kara Drin, where Ohrid Lake is born. The mesmerizing view here will take your breath away. (25EUR). After free time, we arrive at our hotel. During our free time in Ohrid, those who wish can join the extra Ohrid Lake Boat Tour (15 EUR). Overnight at our hotel. Breakfast: This will be included in the tour price at our hotel. Lunch: Free time at a location determined by the guide; it will be taken as an extra. Dinner: This will be at a restaurant determined by our guide; it will be taken as an extra. Accommodation: Imperial Hotel or similar – OHRID Route: Shkodra – Ohrid; 230 KM, Ohrid – St.Naum 30 KM **Estimated Hotel Check-in Time:** 20:00, dependent on road conditions. Day 4 Ohrid (Resne – Bitola (Monastery) – Skopje) After breakfast at our hotel, we have free time. Guests wishing can join the Resne – Monastery (Bitola) tour (40 EUR). We will first move towards Resne, where we will see the Palace of Resneli Niyazi, who became famous for his contributions during the Turkish-Greek war. We will continue to Bitola. During our city tour in Bitola, we will visit the Turkish Bazaar, the Bedesten, Ishak Mosque, the New Mosque, Haydar Kadi Mosque, and visit Atatürk’s Military Secondary School and Atatürk Museum, where you will experience the most emotional moments of the tour. Afterward, we will move towards the capital, Skopje. Guests wishing can join the optional Tetova (Kalkandelen) tour (15 EUR). In this tour, we will first visit Tetova, the second-largest city in Macedonia known as Kalkandelen in our history. After that, guests wishing can join the extra Matka Canyon tour (25 EUR). We will visit the Matka Canyon, known for its unique beauty. During our pleasant walk here, the beautiful photos we take will remain unforgettable. Here we will also visit the world-famous Alaca Mosque and the medrese and the city center. After that, we will arrive in Skopje. Guests may join the optional Macedonian Night Tour (45 EUR). Overnight at our hotel. Breakfast: This will be included in the tour price at our hotel. Lunch: Free time at a location determined by the guide; it will be taken as an extra. Dinner: This will be at a restaurant determined by our guide; it will be taken as an extra. Accommodation: Gold Hotel or similar – OHRID Route: Ohrid – Monastery; 70 KM, Monastery – Ohrid; 70 KM, Ohrid – Tetova 131 KM, Tetova – Skopje 40 KM **Estimated Hotel Check-in Time:** 19:30, dependent on road conditions. Day 5 Skopje – Pristina (Prizren) After breakfast at our hotel, we will have a panoramic city tour. We will start our tour of this city, where two different cultures are separated by the famous Vardar River, with the Macedonian side, which can be called the land of statues, starting with the giant statue of Alexander the Great. We will cross the historic Skopje Stone Bridge over the Vardar River and witness how cultures can change instantly, and we will move on to the Skopje Turkish Bazaar, one of the most qualified bazaars in the Balkans during the Ottoman period. Our city tour will start with the historical Davut Pasha Bath, see Kapan Han, and visit the Murat Pasha Mosque, which has managed to survive the earthquakes. Afterwards, we will have an hour of free time in the Turkish Bazaar for shopping. Among the items we can buy are Shushka pepper, Ustrumca peanuts, and chariks. Now we will depart for the capital of Kosovo, Pristina, which has mostly a Muslim Albanian population and is one of the youngest countries in the world for a city tour. We will spend an emotional day in the old Ottoman lands, where a human tragedy recently happened. Among the places we will see are the Bazaar, the Bazaar Mosque built by Sultan Beyazıt in the 15th century, and the clock tower built in the 19th century to remind the people of prayer times. After that, we will have free time. Guests wishing can join the extra tour of Prizren and Murat Hüdavendigar Tomb (45 EUR). First, we will visit the Murad Hüdavendigar Tomb, then we will have a short bus ride to Kosovo. We will explore this charming city with a panoramic tour of places like the Turkish Bath from the 17th century, the Sinan Pasha Mosque built in 1615, and Prizren Castle. Afterward, we have free time to explore this charming city. After the tour, we will transfer to our hotel in Kosovo. Overnight at our hotel. Breakfast: This will be included in the tour price at our hotel. Lunch: Free time at a location determined by the guide; it will be taken as an extra. Dinner: This will be at a restaurant determined by our guide; it will be taken as an extra. Accommodation: Hotel Royal or similar – Pristina Route: Skopje – Pristina; 90 KM, Pristina – Prizren 96 KM. **Estimated Hotel Check-in Time:** 20:00, dependent on road conditions. Day 6 Pristina – Istanbul After breakfast at our hotel, we will transfer to Pristina Airport. After the ticket, baggage, and passport procedures, we will depart for Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight TK1018 at 9:30 am and arrive in Istanbul at 12:15. We look forward to seeing you on your next journey...