A combination of a gastronomic experience, nature, and historical sites. Enjoy the unique 12-day long combination of a gastronomic experience and breathtaking nature and historical sites that will bring pleasure to all your senses. You will see the best of Croatia's rich culture and long tradition of preparing homemade food and wine.
Day 1: Rovinj
Arrival in Rovinj. Check-in and an overnight stay.
Day 2: Rovinj – Vodnjan – Loborika – Pula – Rovinj
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Vodnjan, where we will visit a famous prosciutto production site.
We will then proceed to the town of Loborika, where we will visit the family business run by one of the most famous Istrian producers of cheese that has won many product quality awards. Visitors will be able to taste and become familiar with the production process, which will include a presentation, where you will also be able to personally observe a part of the production process.
Continue on to Pula. The history of Pula starts with the myth of the Argonauts and the search for the Golden Fleece. Various periods in history took part in the making of this unique town in which Roman temples overlook baroque palaces, early Christian churches stand side-by-side Austrian villas, and ancient town gates cut into the remains of medieval walls. And then you will discover the Amphitheater, revealing itself to you in all its beauty. This is one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheaters in the world and the most significant monument in Pula! Arena, the place where gladiators faced lions, used to be able to entertain 25 000 spectators. This grandiose building allows you to get insight into its glorious history, one that you can see, feel, and experience. It also serves as a venue for the best cultural programs.
Return to Rovinj. Overnight stay.
Day 3: Rovinj – Motovun – Livade - Rovinj
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Motovun.
After the Motovun city tour, we visit the Zigante restaurant, where you will get the chance to search for truffles, and after a successful hunt, enjoy a lunch full of truffles!
Day 4: Rovinj – Višnjan – Poreč - Rovinj
After breakfast, we leave for Poreč. En route, we stop to visit one of Istria’s famous winemakers where, along with a story of the grapevines of Istria and the production process for winemaking, you will have the opportunity to enjoy some wine tasting.
Day 5: Rovinj – Gorski Kotar – Plitvice Lakes
In the morning after breakfast, we depart for Plitvice Lakes. On your way to Plitvice, we stop in Gorski Kotar in one of the villages. There you will try local food: game specialties such as cured deer or wild boar meat. Gorski Kotar is also known for its frog's legs specialties, usually fried. It may seem a bit unusual, but give it a try!
Overnight stay at Plitvice Lakes.
Day 6: Plitvice Lakes – Zagreb
In the morning after breakfast, take a tour through the National Park.
Surrounded by high wooded mountains, sixteen beautiful lakes of crystal blue-green water lay one beneath another. Connected by a series of foaming cascades and thundering waterfalls, the lakes are fed by many rivers and streams. Plitvice Lakes was declared a National Park in 1949, and since 1979 it has been on UNESCO’s list of World Natural Heritage Sites.
Overnight stay in Zagreb.
Day 7: Zagreb – Samobor – Zagreb
Breakfast at the hotel. Take a guided walking tour while tasting local products. The first tasting – štrukli – will be served in a local café.
The second tasting – cheese and wine – in a delightful wine shop and cellar beneath the Gradec Hill. The experienced staff will give you an introduction to Croatian wine regions and present three of the most typical wines. Take a short funicular ride to the Upper Town – to a totally different, enchanting Zagreb where the story takes us back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Step-by-step, you will discover all the major sites here: St. Catherine’s Square with its baroque church, St. Mark’s Square where the Houses of Parliament and Government are located, and St. Mark’s Church with its picturesque roof, The Stone Gate, a remainder of the strong city walls, provides a place where you can light a candle and say a prayer to the Virgin Mary – one of two patron saints of Zagreb.
Free time at your leisure before departing for Samobor in the afternoon. SAMOBOR is a town with ancient ruins from the Stone and Iron Age, and even today keeps the charter of King Bela IV which included the town among the medieval and distinguished “free royal cities” of the time. During the tour, you will have a chance to taste the famous Croatian pastry, Samoborske Kremšnite.
Return to Zagreb. Overnight stay in the hotel.
Day 8: Zagreb – Zagorje & Varaždin Tour – Zagreb
Visit Trakoščan, a beautiful castle built in the 13th century, one of the most famous in Croatia. After a guided tour through the medieval castle walls, lunch will be served in a local restaurant close to Varaždin, where the wine will be paired with your food. Experience rustic examples of culinary arts through simple dishes such as polenta cooked slowly in a hearth oven for hours, fresh cottage cheese and slow-roasted turkey served with ‘mlinci’, a specially baked noodle.
Continue on to Varaždin, the pearl of Central European Baroque architecture and the former Croatian capital. Discover the beautiful sites of the old town fortifications and the central part of the town with its numerous museums and galleries that house valuable art collections.
After sightseeing in Varazdin, we will continue to the village of Hrašćina, the region’s leading boutique wine estate. Thanks to its rich vine-growing tradition, today high-quality grapevine varieties are grown and high-quality wines are produced in the area. Wine tasting and a presentation of the cellar and vineyards will be organized at one of the most famous wine-growing estates. Return to Zagreb. Overnight stay.
Day 9: Zagreb – Kutjevo – Osijek
Breakfast at the hotel. Check out and depart for Osijek. On our way to Osijek, we will stop at one of the best-developed wine-producing zones in the continental region, Kutjevo.
KUTJEVO is famous for its wines, and the local agricultural joint-stock company Kutjevo d.d. is the largest exporter of wines in Croatia. Take a tour through its cellars, experience some wine tasting, and enjoy wine that pairs with your food for lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch, continue to Osijek. Spend the night in a hotel.
Day 10: Osijek – Karanac – Osijek
You will learn how to prepare a local traditional dish – Fish paprikash.
After the cooking class and lunch, return to Osijek. In the afternoon, you can enjoy a sightseeing tour of Osijek. It is a popular tourist destination due to its baroque style, open spaces, and ample recreational opportunities. The most important sites in the city include the main
square, Trg Ante Starčevića, Tvrđa - the 18th-century baroque citadel, and the promenade along the Drava River. Overnight stay in Osijek.
Day 11: Osijek – Vukovar – Ilok – Osijek
In the morning depart to Vukovar, the town of heroes, heavily damaged during the Croatian War for independence. Visit the archaeological site & museum Vucedol located along the banks of the Danube and Memorial center of the Croatian War for independence.
Continue to Ilok, the easternmost town in Croatia. Located in the Syrmia region, it lies on a hill overlooking the Danube River, which forms the border with Vojvodina. Ilok is also the center of a rich wine-growing region. Visit the famous Ilok cellars at the Principovac country estate where you will have lunch. After lunch, take a tour through the cellars and taste some of the famous Ilok wines. Overnight stay in Osijek.
Day 12: Osijek – Đakovo – Lipica farm - Zagreb
After breakfast, you will be transferred back to Zagreb. On your way, you will stop in Đakovo.
After the city tour, continue to the State Stud Farm in Đakovo. Visit the Stallion Station and Ivandvor. Overnight stay in Zagreb.
Day 13: Departure
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the Zagreb airport. Departure flight.
MOTOVUN – monument city! The best-preserved medieval Istrian fortress was built on top of a steep hill 277 m above sea level, to which the longest staircase in Istria leads to the top with its 1052 steps. According to Istrian legend, Motovun was built by giants, but according to history, it was built by Illyrian or Celtic tribes. The Motovun forest spreads for miles across the valley of the Mirna River and is the largest habitat for Istrian truffles.
TRUFFLES – these unattractive underground mushrooms, shaped like a potato or a ball of mud, and whose aphrodisiac abilities are often debated, are the true treasure of the Istrian region. They can be found beneath the soil, some 10 – 30 cm deep, which means that in nature we can only find them with the help of specially trained dogs or pigs. These animals trace and discover the exact spot where the truffles are located using their sense of smell. The two most important types of truffles are white and black truffles. In Istria we can find both kinds, the white ones being the best and they can be found from September to December, while the best black ones can be found from May to November.
OLIVE OIL – Olive oil production in Istria dates back to ancient times, which is confirmed by numerous archeological findings of various oil tanks – amphoras, and it is assumed that the olive tree was brought to Istria by the Greeks and Phoenicians. Two types of olives grow in Istria, indigenous to the area: ‘buza’ and Istrian ‘bjelica’. Due to specific land and climatic conditions, and the application of modern methods in farming and processing olives, Istrian virgin olive oil is known for its high-quality today, just as it was in the ancient times when it was enjoyed by the Roman emperors who planted their own olive groves there.
STRUKLI – a pastry filled with a mixture of cheese, eggs, sour cream, and salt, covered in clotted[AS1] cream and baked in an oven – a traditional Croatian dish served in most households in the area surrounding Zagreb.
SAMOBORSKA KREMŠNITA – features two layers of puff pastry, filled mainly with cream, and on top a thin layer of whipped cream. The top layer of puff pastry is sprinkled with icing sugar.
FISH PAPRIKASH – One of the most renowned dishes of Slavonia is fish paprikash, also known as a fish stew. High-quality freshwater fish from the river and peppers boiled in a pot over an open fire is the secret to a good fish paprikash. But an excellent fish paprikash can also be prepared at home. Make sure you serve it with wide noodles. ĐAKOVO – The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul is the town’s most famous landmark and the most important sacral building, not only in Đakovo, but also in the whole region of Slavonia. The Cathedral was built between 1866-1882 by Josip Juraj Strossmayer, the bishop of the Đakovo and Srijem Catholic diocese at the time. The landscaped park near the bishop’s palace that dates back to the 19th century is a horticultural monument under special protection, as is the nearby Small Park (Mali Park) dating back to the turn of the 19th/20th century.