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9-Nights Adriatic Escape - Small Group from $4,950
Insight Vacations
OFFER ID 1663380
Adriatic Escape - Small Group
Journey from Zagreb to Venice in a Small Group, following the northern Adriatic through Croatia, Slovenia and Italy. Along the way, explore Zagreb and Ljubljana, cruise Lake Bled, visit Postojna Cave, Krk Island and Istrian towns such as Rovinj and Pula before continuing to Piran and Venice. Local Experts and MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences will connect you with family-run wineries, Murano glassblowers and local initiatives, with balanced time at leisure in harbors, old towns and lakeside settings.
Dining Summary
- 4 Dinner (D)
- 9 Breakfast (B)
- 1 Lunch (L)
- Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
- Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
- Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
- Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
- We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
- From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
- Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
- If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
- Travel by funicular in Zagreb • Enjoy a gondola serenade in Venice
- Visit Postojna Caves • Pula Arena
- City tours of Zagreb, Ljubljana, Krk, all with Local Experts.
- Welcome Dinner in Zagreb • Farm-to-Table Lunch in Krk • Celebration Dinner in Venice
- Choose between two experiences at Lake Bled.
- Lake Bled: Board a traditional wooden pletna boat and cross Lake Bled to its island. Climb the steps to the 15th-century Church of the Assumption and ring its "wishing bell", linked to a local legend that those who sound it three times may have their wish granted.
- Lake Bled: Visit Vila Bled, once a presidential residence set among lakeside gardens. Sit on the terrace overlooking Lake Bled and sample kremšnita, the local cream slice created here in the mid-20th century, served with coffee as you look across to the island and surrounding hills.
- Zagreb: Walk with your Local Expert from the 19th-century parks and facades of the Lower Town towards the older streets around the main square. Along the way, you’ll see key buildings such as the Art Pavilion and the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, setting out the city’s main landmarks.
- Zagreb: Ride Zagreb’s funicular, in operation since 1890 and often cited as one of the world’s shortest public-transport funiculars. The 66 m (217 ft) line links Ilica Street with the Upper Town in around a minute, giving an immediate sense of the change from the commercial Lower Town to the old fortified ridge.
- Ljubljana: Join a walking tour with a Local Expert, following riverbanks and squares towards key landmarks. See Ljubljana Castle on its hilltop, City Hall on Mestni trg, the Baroque cathedral dedicated to St. Nicholas and Plecnik’s Triple Bridge spanning the Ljubljanica, setting out the main civic and religious centers of the city.
- Postojna Cave: Explore Postojna Cave, a karst system with more than 20 kilometers of surveyed passages and one of the first caves in Europe to introduce an underground railway in the 19th century. Inside, discover the cave’s role in karst research and spot endemic species such as the proteus, or "olm", that live in these underground waters.
- Krk: Explore Krk with your Local Expert, tracing its development from Roman settlement to medieval stronghold. Walk through the walled old town, note traces of Venetian rule in the stone facades and lanes, and visit St. Mary’s Cathedral and Frankopan Castle, once the seat of a prominent Croatian noble family.
- Pula: Visit one of the largest and best-preserved Roman amphitheatres still standing, built in the 1st century CE under Emperor Augustus. You’ll stand inside a structure that once held around 20,000 spectators for gladiatorial games and public events, with the outer walls and tiers still clearly defined.
- Venice: Travel by boat along the Giudecca Canal as your Travel Director gives an orientation to Venice. Pass 13th to 18th-century palazzi, the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Square, an iconic introduction to the city from the water.
- Venice: Glide through Venice’s canals on an iconic gondola ride, passing beneath historic bridges and past elegant palaces. Soak up the city’s romantic atmosphere as your gondolier navigates the tranquil waterways, offering a unique perspective of this timeless floating city.
- Ljubljana: Meet inspiring individuals at Soncek – Cerebral Palsy Association of Slovenia, a social enterprise dedicated to empowering adults with disabilities through meaningful employment and community integration. Learn how their Care and Work Center provides guidance, care and adapted jobs, allowing members to create handcr
9 nights from $4,950 per person
Special Promotion: Best of Summer Sale | Save Up to $3,400 per Couple on Select Tours, Plus a $300 Flight Credit*
Valid for new bookings deposited Now – May 28, 2026 for travel June 1, 2026 – September 30, 2026.
*Promotion is combinable with 5% Global Tour Rewards. Not combinable with other in market savings. Ask your Travel Advisor for more information.
Insight Vacations: Adriatic Escape - Small Group
Day 1 - Welcome to Zagreb
Arrive in Zagreb, capital of Croatia, capital of Croatia and a key Central European gateway to the Adriatic. After check-in, you’ll have time to settle and take in first impressions of the city or simply rest at the hotel. In the evening, you’ll meet your Travel Director and your Small Group for a welcome dinner in a local restaurant, where regional dishes will introduce your northern Adriatic journey.
Accommodations: Sheraton Zagreb
Meals: Dinner
Day 2 - Zagreb Sightseeing and on to Ljubljana
Explore Zagreb with your Local Expert, beginning in the Lower Town near the Art Pavilion and the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. You’ll walk the formal paths of Zrinjevac Park before riding the funicular up to the Upper Town for St. Mark’s Church and a view of the Lotršcak Tower, once part of the city’s defensive walls. Later, continue across the border to Slovenia and arrive in Ljubljana. Join a walking tour that follows the riverbanks and main squares, crossing the bridges that link the historic center. In the afternoon, visit the Soncek association for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, meeting artists with cerebral palsy who craft distinctive Slovenian souvenirs. This evening, enjoy dinner of local specialties in a Ljubljana restaurant.
Accommodations: Exe Lev Ljubljana
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3 - Lake Bled, Jewel of the Slovenian Alps
Travel to Lake Bled, one of Slovenia’s best-known Alpine lakes, long recognized as a historic spa resort. With Insight Choice, choose to board a traditional wooden pletna boat to Bled Island, climbing to the 15th-century church to ring its bell, or visit Villa Bled, once a presidential residence, to sample Bled’s kremšnita cream cake with coffee on the terrace overlooking the water. Return to Ljubljana for an afternoon at leisure, perhaps taking the funicular up to Ljubljana Castle for city views, walking the avenues and gardens of Tivoli Park or exploring Jože Plecnik’s riverside Central Market, and perhaps join an Optional Experience to Pr’ Krac for a traditional dinner showcasing Slovenia’s rural heritage.
Accommodations: Exe Lev Ljubljana
Meals: Breakfast
Day 4 - Postojna Caves and across the border to Croatia
Leave Ljubljana and travel south to Postojna Cave, one of Europe’s best-known karst cave systems and a show cave visited since the 19th century. Inside, you’ll travel by underground train into the heart of the cave, then continue on foot through chambers marked by stalactites, stalagmites and limestone columns formed by water over millions of years. Continue across the border into Croatia towards Rijeka, a major Adriatic port once known as Fiume under Habsburg rule. After settling into the hotel, spend time along the waterfront or on the Korzo promenade, and perhaps join an Optional Experience to Opatija to follow its seafront promenade and try coastal specialties in a local restaurant.
Accommodations: Hilton Rijeka Costabella Beach Resort and Spa
Meals: Breakfast
Day 5 - Explore the island of Krk
Enjoy a Relaxed Start before traveling from Rijeka across the bridge to Krk, one of the largest islands in the Adriatic and an early center of Croatian literacy and rule. In Krk Town, explore with a Local Expert, visiting St Mary’s Cathedral, whose origins trace back to an early Christian basilica, and viewing the Frankopan Castle, seat of a powerful medieval noble family. Continue to a family-owned winery for a farm-to-table lunch, with dishes prepared from seasonal island ingredients and paired with local wines such as Žlahtina. Return to Rijeka in the afternoon and spend the evening at leisure, perhaps walking the Korzo promenade, seeking out a seafood konoba along the waterfront or visiting Trsat Castle above the city for views over the port and Kvarner Bay.
Accommodations: Hilton Rijeka Costabella Beach Resort and Spa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 6 - Rovinj and Pula, Jewels of Istria
Leave Rijeka and travel south into Istria for a morning in Rovinj, a former island town later linked to the mainland. With time at leisure, perhaps walk the harbourfront and old fishing port, follow stone lanes that climb towards the Church of St. Euphemia or step into small galleries and workshops along Grisia Street. If you’re ready for an early lunch, take a table in a harbor-side konoba to try grilled Adriatic fish, mussels cooked buzara-style or pasta with local truffles with a glass of Malvazija. In the afternoon, continue to Pula, Istria’s largest city, known for its Roman amphitheater and Augustan temple, and settle into the hotel.
Accommodations: Park Plaza Histria
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7 - Discover Roman Pula
Join a Local Expert to uncover Pula’s layered history, beginning at the Pula Arena, one of the largest and best-preserved Roman amphitheatres still standing. Built in the 1st century CE under Emperor Augustus, the arena could seat up to 20,000 spectators. From here, continue to the Temple of Augustus on the former Roman Forum and the Arch of the Sergii, a 1st-century BCE triumphal arch that marks one of the old approaches into town. The afternoon is at leisure in Pula; you might visit the local market, walk the waterfront around the marina or take a short trip to the Verudela peninsula for a coastal stroll.
Accommodations: Park Plaza Histria
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8 - Piran, Jewel of the Istrian Coast, and on to Venice
Leave Pula and travel north into Slovenia for a morning in Piran, a coastal town that spent centuries under Venetian rule. Spend the morning at leisure in Piran: walk around Tartini Square, follow narrow streets to the small harbor or climb towards St. George’s Church and the town walls for views over the bay. In the afternoon, cross into Italy and drive across the Venetian Plain to Venice, an island city built in a lagoon and long recognized for its role in Adriatic trade and politics.
Accommodations: Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal, Venice.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 9 - Through the Canals of Venice
Start the day on Murano with a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience at a traditional glassblowing workshop. Watch artisans shape molten glass using techniques refined over centuries and hear how their work helps keep this local craft alive. Return to Venice for a gondola ride along the canals, gliding under small bridges and past historic facades. The afternoon is at leisure for final discoveries and souvenirs — perhaps visiting St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto area or stopping in a bacaro for cicchetti. In the evening, meet your Travel Director and your Small Group for dinner, marking the final night of your journey through the Adriatic.
Accommodations: Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal, Venice.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10 - Arrivederci Venice
Say goodbye to your Travel Director and your Small Group as your journey through the northern Adriatic – from Croatian ports and islands to Slovenian lakes and the Venetian lagoon – comes to an end.
Meals: Breakfast
Vacation Details
* This departure has been designated a guaranteed departure by the operator, meaning that the minimum number of guests has been met, although still subject to weather and other conditions.
Fine dining, on-site bars or lounges and room service with extended hours are characteristic of deluxe establishments. Guest services usually include valet parking, concierge services, baggage assistance and laundry services. Other on-site facilities often include shops and boutiques, full service spas, full fitness facilities with pools and tennis courts. Business amenities may include available up-to-date technology and support staffs available for services. Attention to detail is apparent in the guestrooms which typically have stylish furnishings, quality bedding and bath products and often provide an evening turn down service.
All fares are quoted in US Dollars.
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