Balkan Foodie Discovery

Ljubljana will act as the starter course on your culinary tour. You will stroll through its lovely city center, and visit the Central Market on the way because as any true foodie knows, the key to a great dish is good local produce! 

You’ll get to know Ljubljana, all its more and less famous treasures, as well as its food scene. Apart from learning about Ljubljana’s food, you will try it during the lunch that is included in the tour. After sightseeing and filling your bellies, you will be able to cook up an afternoon to your tastes. Enjoy a free afternoon or opt for a cooking class or wine-tasting experience in Ljubljana.

You will continue your exploration of Slovenia’s menu in the beautiful Alps. You will start with a feast for the eyes with the breathtaking Lake Bled, the historic castle that lies on its shore, and the island in the middle of the lake which you will reach with a traditional “pletna” boat.

After taking in the views, you will visit a local beekeeper and learn about the honey-making traditions of Slovenia. You will also taste local honey, and potica, a traditional Slovenian walnut roll dessert.

In the afternoon, you will head to Lake Bohinj where you will visit a local cheesemaker and try their cheese while learning more about cheese making and classic Slovenian cheeses. You will spend the night in Bohinj, which will give you the opportunity to take a walk on the shores of Lake Bohinj, a mesmerizing and expansive glacial lake.

The third day of your tour will be dedicated to Slovenia’s wine. You will visit two different wine regions, Goriška Brda and the Vipava Valley. Goriška Brda is an idyllic wine-making region, with rolling hills covered in vineyards that bask in the sun as far as the eye can see. The vines grow on the slopes, where they can catch the most sunlight to grow the most delicious sweet grapes, while the tops of the hills are reserved for little villages full of authentic architecture and family winemakers. The fairest of them all is the medieval village of Šmartno, a small, stone-paved settlement encircled by walls. Here, you will have a wine tasting which will introduce you to all the best and most typical wines of the region, and to the wine-making tradition in Goriška Brda, as the winemaker will also show you their wine cellar.

The second part of the day will be dedicated to the Vipava Valley. All wine lovers will know that drinking on an empty stomach is never a good idea, so you will enjoy a home-cooked meal along with a wine tasting at a local Vipava Valley winemaker.

After the capital, the mountains, and the sunny wine countries, your final day in Slovenia will be spent on the coast. To start, you’ll get up your appetites with an olive oil tasting as part of a gourmet tour of olive groves. Apart from some of the best views of the Slovenian coast, you will also enjoy a traditional Istrian lunch here.

You will continue your day in Piran, the prettiest coastal town in Slovenia. You will also visit a Fonda fish farm for sea bass and sea salt tasting. 

The next day you will cross the first border on the tour and head to Croatia, but you will stay in the Istria region. You will visit the heart of the Istrian peninsula where you will discover the towns of Hum, the medieval Grožnjan, and Motovun, which is also home to an annual Motovun film festival.

After exploring these wondrous ancient settlements, you will head out on a truffle hunting experience with the best four-legged truffle hunters out there. After our foraging adventure, you will enjoy the fruits of your labor and enjoy some truffles along with other traditional Istrian dishes.

Our next stop is the Plitvice National Park in Croatia, a natural wonder that is under UNESCO heritage protection. You will spend the day marveling at the pristine environment full of breathtaking lakes and rivers. Wandering through the incredible terrain of the park is sure to work up your appetite, but you do not have to fear going hungry! You will sit down for a traditional lunch right next to the park, and enjoy some lamb which will be authentically prepared over an open fire. Afterward, you will take a ride to Zadar, one of Croatia’s beautiful historic harbor cities, and get a good night’s rest there.

You will continue your Croatian culinary tour in the Dalmatian city of Zadar. Your morning will be dedicated to a cooking class that will introduce you to the local ingredients, dishes, and some historical background to Dalmatian cuisine. You can look forward to cooking up some amazing fresh seafood dishes!

After the Zadar experience, you will drive to Trogir and make a stop there to enjoy the afternoon while exploring the old town. Then you will continue your journey to Split where you will spend the night.

You will start the day with a tour of the Roman ruins of Salona, near Solin. After letting our imaginations roam free among the ancient ruins, and learning about the lives of its past inhabitants, you will continue on your way. The next stop will be a family-owned olive oil-making business. You will go on a tour of their property, learn about olive oil, and try some of their products. You will combine this with a tour of the Klis Fortress, another incredible remnant of the long history of these parts. You will visit a local tavern for a traditional lunch which will further convince you of the magic of top-quality olive oil. After this comprehensive tour, you will have a free rest of the day in Split.

After spending the night in Split, you will drive to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the third Balkan country on your list. The goal will be Mostar, a city famous for its Turkish influences that date back to the Ottoman Empire, and its incredible stone bridge that connects the two parts of this glorious city built around the Neretva River.

You will walk through Mostar to take in some of its best sights and then commence on the food tour. This experience will be a great introduction to the multiculturalism of Balkan cuisine, with some classic Balkan meat dishes like “čevapi”, and the strong Ottoman influences that are a consequence of the Turkish invasions. These influences are present everywhere, with the popular “burek” savory pastry and Turkish coffee as just two examples.

The next day, you will head back to Croatia, to the famous city of Dubrovnik. On the way, you will stop in Ston for an oyster tasting. Once you reach Dubrovnik, you will go on a walking tour to get to know the city and its famous city walls.

Despite the beauty of Dubrovnik, the highlight of your day will definitely come in the evening when you have dinner with the locals. You will have the privilege of enjoying some Dalmatian home cooking. You will also be able to take part in making fresh local delights, like the “Croatian peka” which includes lamb, veal, and roasted potatoes. Our meal will be accompanied by authentic wines and homemade liquors.

On the eleventh day of your tour, you will visit the fourth country, Montenegro. First, you will drive around the spectacularly beautiful Bay of Kotor, and explore Kotor’s historic city center. 

You will then visit the Njeguši tourist village which is famous for its prosciutto “Negoški pršut”. Of course, we would not want you to miss an opportunity to taste this local delicacy so you will visit a smokehouse, and have a “pršut” tasting.

You will spend one more beautiful day in Montenegro, and stop at a local family farm for an authentic organic lunch. You will then head to Black Lake, located in the Durmitor National Park. This is the largest lake out of the whooping eighteen glacial lakes in the park. 

You will continue with our exploration of the great outdoors across the border in Serbia in the Zlatibor National Park, known for its awe-inspiring mountains, breathtaking scenery, and traditional villages such as Drvengrad. You will also spend the night in Zlatibor, to really soak up all its beauty.

The last two days of the tour will be dedicated to Serbia. You will start day thirteen by driving toward Belgrade. On the way, you will stop to have some sarmas for lunch. This is a traditional dish made of rice and meat rolled into fermented cabbage leaves, a favorite among locals and tourists alike. On our way, you will also stop at the historic town of Smederevo, to explore the Smederevo fortress and enjoy a wine tasting on the riverbanks of the Danube River. You will finish the day by arriving in Belgrade and taking some time to relax and reminisce about the amazing two weeks you have just had.

The final day will be spent in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. This mighty and magnificent city will offer plenty to see, and plenty to taste as well! You will get familiar with Belgrade’s culture and cuisine on a food tour, which will round up our knowledge of the Balkan culinary world. You will also enjoy a delicious lunch on our food tour.