Croatia & Montenegro
Croatia and Montenegro are two beautiful nations situated where the Dinaric Alps meet the Adriatic sea. With small fishing villages, magnificent mountain scenery, delicious food, and warm hospitality, you will love discovering this lesser-known area of Europe!
2022 Dates
Contact us for private/custom trip options.
Duration
7 Days/ 6 Nights
Difficulty
Easy
Group Size
8 guests maximum
Price From
$1,895 per person
Croatia & Montenegro Trip Highlights
- Swim in the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic Sea
- Enjoy cruising on a private boat to Croatia's most enchanting islands and discovering Skadar Lake National Park in Montenegro
- Explore the walled cities of Dubrovnik, Korčula and Kotor (Lonely Planet's #1 city to visit in 2016!)
- Indulge in incredible fresh food and wine, be prepared to discover some of Europe's tastiest food!
Trip Difficulty: Easy
This is one of our leisure trips- less strenuous than our hiking and biking trips, yet still offering plenty of opportunities for fun! You can go kayaking and hiking, relax at a waterfront restaurant, or visit local museums, churches, and forts. If you are a Game of Thrones fan, you will love exploring Dubrovnik, aka King’s Landing. If you would like more adventure, you can opt for more kayaking and hiking, visit additional national parks, or go paddleboarding or sailing.
Balkan Cuisine
You will be delightfully surprised by Croatian and Montenegrin food! Some of the more popular items are homemade cheese, prosciutto and olive oil, as well as freshly caught fish and locally grown produce. You can try homemade rakija (fruit brandy) and varieties of wine found nowhere else in the world. Here, farm to table is a way of life. On this tour you will visit small family wineries, partake in a cooking class, and dine at a seaside restaurant where you can take a boat ride into the harbor to choose your lobster! With fresh ingredients from land and sea, eating delicious food will definitely be a highlight of the trip!
Itinerary
This is the general itinerary that is used for the trip. Itineraries are subject to change based on weather, group preferences, and other circumstances. Click on each day to discover a more detailed description of the itinerary.
For the first day of the tour, you have the day to explore the beautiful city of Split. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for Diocletian’s Palace which was built for the Roman Emperor Diocletian over 1,700 years ago! Split has some of the best preserved Roman remnants in Europe and you will love wandering the narrow streets of this enchanting city. If you would like to arrive before the tour starts and spend more time, consider visiting nearby Plitvice or Krka National Parks.
In the morning we take a ferry to the island of Korcula where we will spend the next two nights in the town of Korcula. Korcula is the rumored birthplace of Marco Polo, and the small walled city is loved by almost all who visit.
After a delicious breakfast, we charter a boat to go island hopping among some of Croatia’s most beautiful islands! You can swim in the crystal clear water, visit a monastery on one of the islands, enjoy a beach bar accessible only by boat, and/or just relax on the boat . In the afternoon, you can explore Korcula on your own, rent a bike to venture around the island, or visit nearby vineyards (Korcula is known for Grk, a type of white wine found only on the island!).
Today we head down the coast to Montenegro, passing through the Peljesac Peninsula which is one of Croatia’s premier wine growing regions. We stop at a local winery along the way, where you will learn about Croatian wine and will sample varieties like plavac mali, which is found only in this region! We continue to the small fishing village of Perast, located on the Bay of Kotor (this area was selected by Lonely Planet as the #1 place to visit in 2016!). You will be amazed by the beauty here as the mountains plunge into the sea. The next two nights are spent at a seaside hotel with gorgeous views of the Bay.
In the morning, you will have time to visit the town of Kotor. This is a great spot for shopping, or for those wanting a workout you can climb up the fortress that rises above the town, affording a panoramic view of the bay. Then, we continue to Lake Skadar, one of the largest lakes in the region. Situated in a valley surrounded by high mountains, we embark on a boat tour of the lake and will hopefully see a lot of wildlife (part of the lake is a National Park). There are dozens of monasteries around the lake and we stop to visit one built in the 14th century- still with the original frescoes! After the boat tour, we visit a small family owned winery for a fantastic dinner before returning to Perast. Sampling the local wines along with homemade cheese, prosciutto and bread will be the perfect way to end the day!
Today we head back to Croatia to the incredible city of Dubrovnik. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and perhaps Croatia’s best known city- it has become even more popular recently since it is used as a filming location for Game of Thrones. You can wander the narrow cobblestone streets, eat at a cliffside café, swim at one of the nearby beaches, or go for a sunset sail on the Adriatic! There’s an optional cooking class where you can learn to make a traditional Croatian meal- for many this is one of the trip highlights.
This is the end of the tour, and you have the day to explore as you please. Dubrovnik is an incredible city so we recommend spending an additional night or two if your schedule allows. There are a lot of additional activities for you to enjoy, or you can take a flight or ferry to Italy or a day trip to Mostar in Bosnia.
Pre/Post Trip Travels. Spend more time exploring the Balkans before or after our trip! You can head north to see more of Croatia, or visit Bosnia, Serbia or Albania, all of which are close by. If you want to venture further, Italy and Greece are easily accessible, and combining this trip with our Italy Biking or Germany Biking tour would be an excellent combo!
Dates & Prices
2022 Trip Dates
Contact us for private/custom trip options.
Pricing
$1,895 per person*
*Prices are in US Dollars, based on double occupancy.
We pride ourselves on offering one of the smallest group sizes and best leader to guest ratios in the industry. Our groups for this tour have a maximum of 8 guests with one guide. Our small groups allow us to personalize the trip based on the group to best suit your travel needs and preferences. Larger groups are available as a custom/private tour.
IncludeD:
- Accomodation for six nights
- Daily breakfast
- Two wine tastings (in Croatia & Montenegro!)
- Private transfers during trip (excluding airport transfers & non-private ferry transfers)
- Dalmatian Islands & Lake Skadar Boat Toar
- Online trip photo album
- Carpe Mundo shirt
Not IncludeD:
- Airfare (we can help!)
- Airport transfers
- Meals (not listed above)
- Alcoholic beverages
- Any additional/optional activities (canyoning, museum admissions, etc)
- Travel insurance
- Leader gratuities
Supplemental:
- Single Supplement: $375
- Airport Transfers: contact us for pricing to/from various airports (Dubrovnik, Tivat, Podgorica, Split)
Additional Information
Accommodations: One night in Dubrovnik is spent at a beautiful seaside resort not far from the Old Town. Two nights in Korcula are spent at a waterfront hotel with the sea just steps from your door. In Perast, we will stay at a beautiful four star hotel in a building that dates back hundreds of years. In all three locations, you will feel at home and will not want to leave!
Payment Terms & Conditions: If you are thinking about signing up for a trip but are not yet ready to commit, we offer a 5 day courtesy hold. To secure your space on a trip, a $500 per person deposit is required and can be paid by check or credit card. The remaining trip balance is due no later than 90 days prior to the start of the trip. If you decide to cancel more than 45 days prior to the start of your trip, you will receive a Carpe Mundo credit that is transferable with no expiration for the amount paid, or we will refund your payment less a $250/person cancellation fee. If you decide to cancel less than 45 days prior to the start of your trip, no refunds or credits will be available.
Single Supplement: Single accommodations are available for an additional fee, based on availability. If you are willing to be placed in a room with someone else from the trip, we will match you with another traveler if possible and waive the single supplement fee.
Packing List: A suggested packing list as well as additional information on travel to Croatia and Montenegro can be found in our Customer Information packet.
Release of Liability: We require that everyone participating in a Carpe Mundo trip completes and e-signs an Assumption of Risk/Liability Release waiver as well as a Medical Information Form. You will receive these after you have registered for a trip, and they must be completed prior to your trip.
Insurance: Due to the nature and locations of our trips, we highly recommend that everyone participating in a trip has medical insurance that provides coverage while abroad. Although not required, we highly recommend purchasing travel insurance or a travel protection plan for your trip. We adhere to our cancellation policy, and these plans will protect your trip purchase in the event you cancel under certain circumstances.