*Basic Category 3 does not include guided tours, excursions, meals or meet and transfer.

**Air prices vary depending upon time of year and market conditions. Prices from and to other gateways in U.S.A. may be somewhat higher than for NYC.

• Daily breakfast (buffet or continental depending on hotel)
  

Zagreb

• One night at the deluxe Sheraton Hotel
• Free time to explore the city including the historic Upper Town
• Half-day free with opportunity to visit the Mimara Museum and World Center

 Dubrovnik *

• Four nights at the deluxe Excelsior Hotel
• Half-day city tour including the Old Town, The Library of the Franciscan Monastery * and the Synagogue
• Full-day excursion to Konavle Region: Cilipi and Cavtat
• Full-day excursion to the Island of Korcula with guided tour
• Half-day tour of famous artists’ galleries and studios
• Sunset cocktail cruise

 Split *

• Three nights at the first-class Hotel Split
• Half-day guided city tour including Emperor Diocletian’s Palace
• Full-day excursion along the “Riviera of Seven Castles”

Island of Hvar

• One night at the first-class Hotel Palace
• Walking tour of Stari Grad Old Town
• Full-day excursion around the island including its Dominican Monastery and Vrboska’s unique church fortress
• Detailed Trip Packet with maps and guidebooks
• Extensive Pre-trip consultation
  

U.S.A. /Paris
Day 1
Depart U.S.A. for Europe. Meals Aloft

 There is time this afternoon to settle in and independently explore the environs.  Stroll through the historic medieval “Upper Town” to view St. Mark’s Church, a twin-spired neo-Gothic cathedral, the lavishly baroque Church of St. Catherine, the Parliament and the Government Palace.   Pause at the famous cemetery of Mirogoj, said to be the “Westminster Abbey of Croatia”, as well as the ornate 19^th-century National Theater, featuring opera and ballet.    Meals aloft

Zagreb/Dubrovnik
Day 3
This morning is free is explore the acclaimed Mimara Museum and The World Center. The Mimara is housed in a former gymnasium, built in the neo-Renaissance style and restored by the controversial Izidor Krsnjavi.  Here you find the internationally famous Ante Topic Mimara collection.  An avid art collector and painter, Ante Topic Mimara spent most of his life in various capitals of Europe.  It was only towards the end of his life that he returned to Croatia, bringing with him a remarkable collection of several thousand paintings, sculptures, objects of art in glass, metal, wood, porcelain, ivory, and other materials – in total, more than 3,750 pieces of art.   Ranging from antiquities to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance to Baroque, and several modern pieces, the collection boasts works from Raffaello, Velasquez, Rubens, and Rembrandt.

 The exhibition at the World Center, “The Miracle of Croatian Naive Art”, offers a comprehensive view of local art and artisans.  In the heart of Zagreb the World Center has launched an initiative to make Croatian Native Art not only an exhibition of picture and sculptures, but also a life style.  Through applied art, which adorns local homes, hotels, or even people, artists attempt to illustrate the art and beauty of everyday life and human form.  Visitors have the opportunity to purchase many of the articles on display, which include paintings, jewelry boxes, linens and fine crystal.

 Later, a brief flight brings you to Dubrovnik where you are met by our rep and transferred to the Excelsior Hotel.  B

A walking tour of the city begins at the Pile Gate.  “Those who seek paradise on earth,” George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “should come to Dubrovnik.”  Today, he might add that Dubrovnik is a place for renewal of faith in human nature.  Heavily damaged during 1991 and 1992, Dubrovnik is completely restored due to the dedication of its people and the Rebuild Dubrovnik Fund.  The city has been reclaimed as one of the world’s treasures and was officially recognized when the United Nations declared it a World Cultural Heritage Site.  Dubrovnik boasts the best-preserved Renaissance walls and towers – rivaled only by Venice and Amsterdam.

 Medieval ramparts encircle the city from which pedestrians can enter through one of two gates.  After crossing a stone bridge, you find yourselves amidst history.  Completed in the 13^th century, the old city of Dubrovnik has remained basically unchanged.  Guided through this striking, walled city, visit Sponza Palace, notable for its columned courtyard with elaborate stone carvings, the Dominican church and monastery with its rich treasury, the impressive Rector’s Palace, housing the Dubrovnik Museum,  and the Church of St. Blaise, the city’s patron saint. 

 Continue to the Library of the Franciscan Monastery, which has been nominated to be on the World Monuments Watch List of the World’s 100 Most Endangered Cultural Sites.   This 14^th-century monastery’s cloister ranks among the most inspiring sites of the city.  Continue to the Dubrovnik Synagogue, one of the oldest in Europe but whose temple was restored in 1997.

 Lunch and the afternoon are on own, which affords the opportunity to walk along the main street or “Stradun”, the city’s central artery, lined with graceful stone palazzos and brilliant red geraniums. As an alternative, public beaches are available but keep in mind that, as a general rule, pebbles not sand adorn the Adriatic Coast near Dubrovnik. This of course does not stop the Europeans and the water is no less blue and clear. Be reminded that topless and nude beaches are not uncommon in this part of Europe.    B

 Pausing for lunch at a restaurant converted from an ancient water mill, gain a better understanding of the Konavle Region’s architecture, culinary art and folklore. In the late afternoon, return to Dubrovnik for free time and dinner on your own.  B

Dubrovnik (Island of Korcula)
Day 6
Perched on the Peljesac Peninsula is the town of Orebic, where you board the ferry to the Island of Korcula.  The island is redolent with history  - from Marco Polo’s purported birthplace to the medieval fortifications erected to keep Turkish invaders and pirates at bay. 

 Upon arrival, you are met by  our local guide who leads you on a tour of the island.  His narrative spans centuries and myriad art forms.  Begin with the 14^th- to 16^th-century fortifications, continue through the Rector’s Palace with its 15^th-century turrets, and into the City Museum housed in a 16^th-century house, filled with an impressive array of artifacts and Byzantine icons.

 After a leisurely lunch, return to Orebic by ferry.  Your return to Dubrovnik is through the town of Pijavicino and a wine-producing region with an opportunity for wine tasting.  Dinner and evening are at leisure.  B

Dubrovnik/Split
Day 7

Travel through the picturesque countryside this morning to Split, arriving in time for lunch. 

 An introduction to Split includes the palace that Emperor Diocletian built for his retirement at the turn of the 4^th century.  The mausoleum of the pagan Roman emperor evolved with time into the world’s oldest Roman Catholic Church.  Tour the Palace including the entire new wing, which has recently been opened after 50 years of excavations, revealing an intriguing maze of narrow cobblestone streets where pre-Romanesque churches are nestled alongside Gothic chapels.  History-filled museums boast galleries of contemporary art and aromatically-alluring restaurants.

 Overnight at the Hotel Split.  B

 Through narrow streets, reach the 15^th-century Franciscan monastery, visit the Renaissance cloister, the old rectory that today houses a collection of lace, manuscripts and books, and the church, with its remarkable collection of paintings.  Walking through the main square, visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral, its treasury and bell tower.  Next, visit the baroque-style Arsenal, built in the heart of the port in 1611 which is a thick walled fortress overlooking the harbor with an arched portal.

 Following lunch  the balance of the afternoon is free to explore the town and island on your own.   

 Overnight at the Hotel Palace.  B

During your exploration of the island today, detect the passage of civilizations – Greek, Roman, Early Christian – in ancient walls and churches.  Stop in the Dominican monastery, where a rich library houses priceless books and paintings.  Then proceed to Vrboska, a town nestled on a lovely bay, for a visit to its unique church-fortress and a rare collection of paintings, which includes such masters as Veronese, Bassano and the Croatian painter, Medovic.  Continue your drive through the ruggedly beautiful countryside sprinkled with lavender, heather and sage, pause at Jelsa, a quaint fisherman’s village at the northern tip of the island, and the lovely village of Dolac. 

 Late afternoon return to Split and the now-familiar Hotel Split.  B

Travel along the “Riviera of Seven Castles” to visit the historic city of Trogir just north of Split.  Although connected to the mainland by a short bridge, Trogir nevertheless retains the feel of a self-contained island.  Except for parks at either end, the island is entirely occupied by bleached, stone houses.  Many of these structures are decorated with elaborately carved doors and Romanesque architectural details that you view as you stroll through town.  Visit its 13^th-century cathedral, which is quite rare in that it has three naves with three semi-circular apses; and the town loggia, which is decorated with stone carvings.

 After lunch, there is time to explore on own before returning to Split.  B