Montenegro & Albania - Magical Illyria

Fly to Dubrovnik, meet your tour manager and transfer across the border from Croatia to Montenegro and your hotel in Bar, which overlooks the shores of the Adriatic surrounded by lush vegetation and backed by forested mountains. Settle into your room and relax before your first dinner.

Depending on the arrival time of your flight, you may be taken into the nearby Croatian resort of Cavtat for two to three hours free time while you wait for other passengers to arrive on later flights.

Rest and relax in the hotel this morning, take a morning dip or stroll along the promenade. Later, join the first of our included excursions and head to the startling ruins of ancient Stari Bar, a timeless jumble of narrow streets and crumbling buildings filled with the echoes of history that lies not far from your hotel.

Today’s excursion sees you heading north along the pristine coast to Budva, one of the Adriatic’s oldest settlements. You’ll get the chance to explore this now-thriving holiday resort, with its beautiful beaches and scenic surroundings, and have the opportunity to explore Budva’s old town.

Afterwards, you'll travel the short distance to the spectacular Bay of Kotor, sometimes called Southern Europe’s largest fjord, and enjoy a guided tour of UNESCO-listed Kotor itself, with its old town of narrow streets and ancient houses.

At the end of a wonderful day, during which there’ll be time for a leisurely lunch, you’ll head back to your hotel past the impossibly beautiful island-village of Sveti Stefan. Connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway, this private island and resort is Montenegro’s most-photographed sight.

You'll arrive back in Bar in plenty of time for dinner.

Today you're free to enjoy your hotel and its surroundings. Hang out by the pool, enjoy drinks at the bar, make the most of the well-appointed wellness and spa area, or wander into the centre of Bar, where the colourful streets of the Turkish-influenced ‘new’ town are a delight. For a glimpse of Montenegrin history, pay a visit to the town museum in the former royal palace on the seafront, and don’t miss what is said to be the Mediterranean’s oldest olive tree. However you choose to spend your day, it's sure to prove hugely enjoyable.

Today's included excursion sees you journey inland to Lake Skadar. Straddling the border between Montenegro and Albania, Lake Skadar is home to over 300 different species of birds and other wildlife, some protected and some unique to this beautiful place. Dotted with sleepy towns and villages, the lake shore is a haven of peace and tranquillity, and a rich source of Montenegrin folklore and legend. Don't miss the chance to enjoy an optional cruise on the lake – the best way to see its full glory – followed by a lunch of traditional fish dishes in a local restaurant.

Perhaps saving the very best till last, today you'll cross the border to head into Albania, for a day of fascinating exploration. Famed as part of the Illyria of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and for decades hidden by a repressive regime that largely prevented foreigners from visiting, Albania is a spectacularly beautiful country. Today’s brief glimpse will reveal the rolling hills and mountain-backed landscape of the nation's north, and will include a visit to hillside Krujë – once the home of Albanian hero George Castriot (better known as Skanderberg) who is widely celebrated throughout the town. See the giant statue of the Lord of Albania, as he is known, and wander through the colourful stalls of the town's ancient Ottoman bazaar shopping for handcrafted curios.

You'll return to Bar at the end of a memorable day that may well whet your appetite for a longer visit.

Your last day is left free for rest and relaxation. Soak up the sunshine on the beach, perhaps enjoy a leisurely lunch in Bar, or make the most of the hotel and its amenities before your last dinner, this evening.

Today you'll return to the airport, and check in for your flight home.