Journey
Three Capitals of the Former Yugoslavia: Belgrade, Zagreb & Ljubljana
Nine private days from Belgrade to Ljubljana: Belgrade's fortress and Yugoslav story, Novi Sad on the Danube, the castle cellars of Ilok, Zagreb's Upper Town, Plečnik's Ljubljana and Lake Bled
- No payment now
- Private, on your dates
- Planned by our own team
- Length
- 9 days · 8 nights
- Travel style
- Private
- Pace
- Classic
- Stays
- Superior
- Starts · ends
- Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG) → Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport
- Guiding
- EnglishAll languages on request
- Group
- 2–12 guests
- Price
- On requestWritten offer first, no payment now
What you’ll see
Highlights along the way
Route & days
Day by day
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Day 1 Arrive in Belgrade
Meet your driver at Belgrade airport and transfer to your hotel in the centre. In the evening, a first walk with your tour leader along Knez Mihailova, the old town's pedestrian street, to the edge of Kalemegdan park.
- Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG)
- Belgrade
- Knez Mihailova Street
Included: Private arrival transfer; orientation walk.
Airport to the city centre. Easy city walk.
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Day 2 Belgrade: fortress and federal capital
A full day with a licensed Belgrade guide. Morning in Belgrade Fortress, above the meeting of the Sava and the Danube, where Roman Singidunum stood. Drive to Dedinje for the Museum of Yugoslavia and the House of Flowers, where Josip Broz Tito is buried, and hear how the common state was formed in 1918 and rebuilt as a federation after 1945. On the way back, stop at the Church of St Anthony of Padua, designed by the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik and built in 1929–1932, whose work you meet again in Ljubljana, and finish at the Temple of Saint Sava. Welcome dinner in town.
- Belgrade Fortress & Kalemegdan Park
- Museum of Yugoslavia & House of Flowers
- Church of St Anthony of Padua (Plečnik), Belgrade
- Saint Sava Temple
- Belgrade
Included: Licensed guide; private car and driver; Museum of Yugoslavia entrance; dinner.
City driving between the stops. Walking in the fortress park and at each stop.
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Day 3 Sremski Karlovci, Novi Sad and on to Ilok
Drive north-west to Sremski Karlovci, seat of the Serbian Orthodox metropolitans and patriarchs from 1713 to 1920, for a walk around its baroque square and a glass of bermet, the town's spiced dessert wine. Continue to Petrovaradin Fortress, built by the Habsburgs between 1692 and 1780, for the view over the Danube, then cross the river to the old town of Novi Sad for an afternoon walk with your guide. In the early evening, follow the Danube west and cross into Croatia at Bačka Palanka, where EU entry registration may add time at the border, for the night in Ilok.
- Belgrade
- Sremski Karlovci
- Petrovaradin Fortress
- Novi Sad
- Ilok
Included: Private vehicle and driver; licensed guide; bermet tasting (18+, or grape juice).
About 3 hours of planning time for a minibus in all; border waits are not included. Cobbled streets and the slope up to the fortress.
Easier or optional: Travel to Novi Sad by the fast train instead (timetable permitting); your vehicle meets you there.
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Day 4 Ilok and on to Zagreb
A morning in Ilok, the easternmost town of Croatia: a local guide shows you the Odescalchi castle above the river and its old wine cellars, with a tasting before lunch. In the afternoon, join the motorway west through Slavonia to Zagreb, about 4½ hours on the road, arriving in the early evening.
- Ilok
- Zagreb
Included: Private transfer; local licensed guide in Ilok; castle museum and cellar tasting (18+); dinner.
The longest drive of the journey: about 4½ hours of planning time for a minibus. Short walks with some slopes and steps.
Easier or optional: Lunch in Ilok.
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Day 5 Zagreb, Upper and Lower Town
A walk with a licensed Zagreb guide: from Ban Jelačić Square and the Dolac market to Kaptol, the old church quarter, then through the Stone Gate with its shrine to St Mark's Square and the tiled roof of St Mark's Church in Gradec, the old Upper Town. Ride the funicular, only 66 metres long, down to Ilica street and finish in the parks and squares of the Lower Town. Free afternoon.
- Zagreb
Included: Local licensed guide (about 3 hours); funicular ticket.
City walking with some steep lanes in the Upper Town.
Easier or optional: Mirogoj cemetery and its arcades; a Zagreb museum of your choice.
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Day 6 Zagreb to Ljubljana
A free morning in Zagreb, or a visit to Mirogoj, the city's park-like cemetery. Drive west into Slovenia to Ljubljana, about 2¼ hours on the road. In the late afternoon, a first stroll along the Ljubljanica river to Prešeren Square, the Triple Bridge and the riverside market.
- Zagreb
- Ljubljana
Included: Private transfer; dinner.
Planning time for a minibus; internal Schengen border. Easy, mostly pedestrian streets.
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Day 7 Plečnik's Ljubljana
A morning with a licensed Ljubljana guide on the trail of Jože Plečnik, the architect who reshaped his home city between the wars: the river embankments and bridges, Vega street with the National and University Library, and Congress Square. These works were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021. In the afternoon, take the funicular up to Ljubljana Castle for the view over the city and, on clear days, the Alps.
- Ljubljana
Included: Local licensed guide (about 3 hours); Ljubljana Castle funicular and entrance.
Easy city walking; the funicular saves the climb to the castle.
Easier or optional: A boat on the Ljubljanica.
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Day 8 Lake Bled
Drive north-west to Lake Bled below the Julian Alps. A pletna, the traditional wooden boat rowed by a local boatman, takes you to the island, where 99 stone steps lead up to the church. Back on shore, walk part of the lake path and go up to Bled Castle, first mentioned in 1011, on its cliff above the water. Time for kremšnita, Bled's cream cake, before you return to Ljubljana for a farewell dinner.
- Ljubljana
- Lake Bled
Included: Private vehicle and driver; local licensed guide; pletna boat and island church (subject to weather); Bled Castle entrance; farewell dinner.
Planning time for a minibus, there and back. Lake path and a steep path or steps up to the castle.
Easier or optional: Lake Bohinj, about 45 minutes further, or the Vintgar gorge (seasonal).
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Day 9 Departure
Transfer to Ljubljana airport, about 45 minutes away, or to Zagreb airport (about 2½ hours) if your flight leaves from there.
- Ljubljana
- Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport
Included: Private departure transfer.
Ljubljana to Ljubljana airport.
Driving times are approximate and don’t include stops. Every day can be adjusted: tell us what you’d change when you enquire.
What’s included
Included and not included
Included
- 8 nights in central hotels (Belgrade 2, Ilok 1, Zagreb 2, Ljubljana 3), breakfast daily
- 4 dinners
- A Travel2Serbia tour leader throughout, with licensed local guides in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Ilok, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Bled
- Private car or minivan with driver from Belgrade to Ljubljana
- Museum of Yugoslavia, Ilok castle museum and cellar tasting, Zagreb funicular, Ljubljana Castle and funicular, pletna boat and Bled island church, Bled Castle
- Arrival and departure transfers; Travel2Serbia support throughout
Guiding in all languages available on request, subject to availability.
Not included
- Flights
- Travel insurance
- Visas (a Schengen visa may be needed for Croatia and Slovenia even if you can enter Serbia without one)
- Lunches and drinks
- Tourist taxes paid locally
- Tips
Why this journey
Why you’ll love it
- Belgrade Fortress and the Museum of Yugoslavia with the House of Flowers
- Petrovaradin Fortress above the Danube and baroque Sremski Karlovci
- Ilok's Odescalchi castle and its old wine cellars
- Zagreb's Upper Town, the Stone Gate and a funicular only 66 metres long
- Plečnik's Ljubljana, on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2021
- Lake Bled by pletna boat, with its island church and cliff-top castle
Signature moments
Three capitals, one century
For most of the 20th century the three cities belonged to one country, with Belgrade as its capital; today each is the capital of its own state, and each tells the shared story in its own way.
An architect in two capitals
Jože Plečnik designed a church in Belgrade around 1930; in Ljubljana you walk the bridges, embankments and squares he built for his home city.
The island in the lake
At Bled a wooden pletna rows you to the island, where 99 stone steps lead up to the church.
What you’ll do
What you’ll do
Everything is arranged privately for your group. Hosts, guides and routes are confirmed in your offer.
Hosted experience · Day 4
Winery visits and tastings
Visits to small family wineries and historic cellars, with tastings of Serbian grapes.
Tastings as set out in your offer. Arranged on request, subject to availability.
Where you’ll stay
Your stays · 8 nights
8 nights in central hotels (Belgrade 2, Ilok 1, Zagreb 2, Ljubljana 3), breakfast daily
Nights 1–2
Superior comfort, chosen for your dates
- Superior comfort
Upgrade: Central Belgrade hotel
Night 3
Superior comfort, chosen for your dates
- Superior comfort
Upgrade: Small hotel in Ilok
Nights 4–5
Superior comfort, chosen for your dates
- Superior comfort
Upgrade: Central Zagreb hotel
Nights 6–8
Superior comfort, chosen for your dates
- Superior comfort
Upgrade: Central Ljubljana hotel
We name each stay, with its photos, in your written offer once availability is confirmed.
Before you choose
Is this journey for you?
A good fit if
Travellers who want three capitals of the former Yugoslavia in one unhurried journey, repeat visitors to the Balkans, and city lovers interested in architecture, café life and 20th-century history.
Maybe not if
Travellers looking for the Adriatic coast, hiking or village life, and anyone hoping to travel between the capitals by train: no direct passenger train runs between Serbia and Croatia at present.
Pace and effort
Classic. A guided walk of about three hours in each capital, with free afternoons. Travel days have about 2–3 hours on the road; day 4, from Ilok to Zagreb, is the longest, with about 4½ hours on the motorway. One Schengen external border (Serbia–Croatia), where EU entry registration (EES) may add time; Croatia–Slovenia is an internal Schengen border. Border waits are not included.
Tailor-made
Make it your own
Belgrade to Novi Sad by the fast train instead of by road (timetable permitting) · An extra night in Novi Sad before crossing to Ilok · Zagreb to Ljubljana by train · Lake Bohinj or the Postojna cave · Finish at Zagreb airport, or continue to the Adriatic.
Customise this journeyHow booking and payment work
From enquiry to voucher
We never ask for card details by email or on this website. Bank details are only sent in your personal offer or invoice.
- 1 You send an enquiry Free, with no obligation.
- 2 We send a written offer Availability and your final price, confirmed.
- 3 You accept the offer
- 4 You pay securely Card payment link (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro) or bank transfer.
- 5 We confirm your payment
- 6 You receive your confirmation and voucher
Booking terms for this journey: Price on request. This is a private programme, arranged on request for your dates; there are no fixed departures. The final offer, price and availability depend on confirmation of the services (accommodation, guides, transport and activities) after your enquiry. Nothing is booked and no payment is taken until you accept the written offer.
Three Capitals of the Former Yugoslavia: Belgrade, Zagreb & Ljubljana
Tell us when you’d like to come
We’ll check availability for your dates with our local partners and guides, then send you a written offer with the confirmed price. Asking is free.
- WhatsApp us
- office@love2travel.rs
- +381 60 40 80 510
- We send your first proposal within 2 working days.
Request a quote
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Continue the story
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Short break
Belgrade & Novi Sad
Two Danube cities in four days, with Sremski Karlovci and a Fruška Gora monastery on the way
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Day experience
Novi Sad & Sremski Karlovci
Petrovaradin, Novi Sad's old town, Sremski Karlovci and a Fruška Gora monastery in one private day
Individual services
Need something else?
For travellers who don’t need the complete journey, Travel2Serbia can also arrange individual services.
Tell us what you need- Airport & private transfers
- Hotels & accommodation
- Private guides
- Day trips & excursions
- Chauffeur / car with driver
- Activities & experiences