Holiday Itinerary

Departing from London St Pancras station we travel by Eurostar to Paris; from there we connect with an overnight train to Venice.

Arriving in Venice early this morning we transfer to our hotel by taxi, and then the rest of the day is free for personal exploration. Built on 118 islands, Venice was once the centre of a great trading empire that stretched from the lagoon to the Black Sea. By the middle of the 15th century, it possessed trading networks that stretched across the Mediterranean and encompassed parts of old Byzantium and the Levant. You can spend your time visiting the famous sites of the Basilica di San Marco, or the Palazzo Ducale, undoubtedly the most dramatic structures in the city or the Accademia, a museum containing some of the finest examples of the Venetian masters. Alternatively you could just choose to explore this fascinating city, by foot and by boat.

Today we depart Italy, using both bus and train, continuing east into the independant republics of the old Yugoslavia. We journey into Slovenia, arriving in Ljubljana later that evening. Ljubljana is a small, majestic, baroque city, situated in the Ljubljana basin between the Polhov Gradechills to the west and Golovec hills to the east and south-east; a river separates the old and the new town. If time permits we explore the Old Town on foot. Walking along the cobblestone passageways, we’ll see medieval houses with wooden shop fronts, peaceful courtyards, fountains, churches and several bridges. There are three major landmarks: the Triple Bridge, the Magistrat (town hall), originally built in the 15th century and restored in the 17th century, and the 18th century Cathedral that overlooks the central market. Please note: this will be dependent on train times and daylight hours.

From Slovenia we continue into Croatia, taking an early morning train to Zagreb. The city has served as a Croatian centre for cultural and political thought since the Middle Ages and is a complex mix of European, Mediterranean and Balkan cultures. Zagreb combines 19th century elegance with a diverse cultural heritage and the streets and alleyways of the Baroque Kaptol and Gradec districts offer the visitor a great place to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. Free afternoon to take in some more highlights of this bustling capital city, or just enjoy the vibrant café culture.

The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was dissolved on 4 February 2003 and the state of Serbia and Montenegro was established. Continuing through the old Balkan Kingdoms, today we take an early train from Zagreb to Belgrade, the capital of this recently formed union. Destroyed 40 times in its 2300-year history the centre of the city lies on the right bank of Danube, at its confluence with the Sava River. One of the oldest cities in Europe it has, since ancient times, been an important intersection for the roads of Eastern and Western Europe. This afternoon you will have the opportunity to investigate this ancient capital, a city that has had a tumultuous history and been the centre of Serbian culture for centuries.

In 681 there were only three states in Europe: the Western Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) and Bulgaria. The Bulgarian lands are ancient crossroads and Sofia is one of the oldest settlements in Europe. For over 7,000 years it has been a meeting place of the four directions of the world: Thracians, Hellenes, Romans, Huns, Goths and Avars have all passed this way and today we join them. Monuments to its rich Thracian, Roman, Bulgar and Ottoman history abound in this city. It is an eclectic mix of architectural styles where ancient monuments rub shoulders with modern-day edifices of cosmopolitan city life and over 250 historic landmarks and architectural monuments blend in with the city's modern skyline.

This morning your tour leader will take you on a short tour of the city. Major landmarks include the Sveta Nedelya Cathedral, restored after a 1924 bomb attempt on Tsar Boris III in which 124 people (including most of the cabinet) were killed, the 14th-Century church of St Petka Samardjiiska and at the eastern end of the city the neo-Byzantine Alexander Nevski Church, a memorial to the 200,000 Russian soldiers who died in the fight for Bulgaria's independence and whose magnificent icons and frescoes are world famous. This evening we will transfer back to the train station to catch an overnight train to Istanbul.

Formerly Constantinople, Istanbul was the old capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, the gateway between Europe and Asia and a city that has assimilated the cultural achievements of consecutive Christian and Islamic Empires. To appreciate the wonderful skyline of domes and minarets, climb up the Galata Tower. Or just spend some time wandering around Istanbul’s famous Grand Bazaar.

We include a morning orientation tour, taking in the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace - the symbolic and political centre of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four centuries - and Sultanhammet Square. This afternoon is left free for you to explore Istanbul at your leisure. You may choose to visit the famous Sunken Palace cisterns, one of the largest water systems in Turkey, originally holding about 10,000 tons of water and connected by an underground waterway to the Topkapi Palace. Or perhaps you may choose to visit the magnificent Agia Sofia, for 1000 years, the largest church in the world.

The morning is free for you to further explore Istanbul, maybe taking an optional boat trip on the Bosphorous which offers stunning views of the Istanbul skyline. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the bus station where you will take a public bus to Ankara. We will overnight in Ankara, Turkey's capital.

From Ankara we will take a bus to Urgup where we will check into our hotel. The afternoon is then free for you to explore this fascinating area.

We spend the day visiting the major points of historical and topographical interest, including Uchisar. This area is famous the world over for its unique geological formations and a history stretching back to the Hittites (2000BC) and beyond. We will visit the underground city at Kaymakli, built by Christians escaping Arab oppression. More of this incredible underground maze of catacombs is being discovered every year. Centuries ago, volcanic eruptions covered the Goreme valley with mud, ash and sometimes with blocks of hard rock. Over the ages this volcanic tufa was sculpted by erosion into strange and improbable shapes; cones, needles of stone, pyramids of soft stone – some 30m high. Into this remote spot came the Byzantine hermits, who carved churches, houses, fortresses and even complete underground cities into the cones. Entire troglodite villages and subterranean churches are hewn out of the soft volcanic rock and make the whole place a spectacular sight to behold. We shall wonder at the ‘fairy chimneys’ – tall needles of stone with rocks perched on top, caused by erosion, which fill entire valleys.

This morning we take a flight back to Istanbul Airport when the tour will end.