10 DAYS TOUR
ZAGREB - MARIJA BISTRICA SHRINE - LUDBREG EUCHARISTIC MIRACLE - KRASIC BLESSED CARDINAL STEPINAC - OUR LADY OF SINJ - SPLIT - MEDJUGORJE - DUBROVNIK...

Visiting Croatia’s most popular Marian Shrines, touring some of the most interesting and fascinating cities and towns, hearing the history of the country from the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans to the last unfortunate war is the only real way to learn about nowadays Croatia.We embark on the tour from the capital Zagreb with its 900 years of history, move to the Sinj Marian Shrine and the Greek colony of “Tragurion” (Trogir) which was founded in 3rd century BC. We will follow the Roman traces, Emperor Diocletian’s palace from 4th century AD, a new spiritual well on the map of Catholic shrines - Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina and will finally end with the Adriatic pearl - Dubrovnik.
Catholic, safe and beautiful...... it is Croatia.

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Day 1 ARRIVAL CROATIA

Arrival to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia . Upon arrival the group will meet our Blue Heart Travel tour guide and proceed with a bus sightseeing of Zagreb followed by an opening holy mass, in the St. Stephen's Cathedral, Zagreb. Transfer to hotel, dinner and overnight.

Day 2 ZAGREB CITY TOUR

Today we start with the city tour of Zagreb, we will start from the Old Town, from Kaptol and St. Stephen's Cathedral - dedicated to the Assumption of Our Lady. Morning walking tour will also take us to Gric, second part of old Zagreb, to the chapel of "Majka Bozja od Kamenitih vrata", St. Mark's square with the church of St. Mark, then down to the St. Cyril and St. Methodius church until we reach the main Jelacic Square - Zagreb's main square with the equestrian statue of Ban Jelacic. Panoramic bus tour of Zagreb will include Mirogoj cemetery, National Library, Croatian National Theatre and so on.... Some free time before dinner and our second night in Zagreb.

Day 3 ZAGREB - MARIJA BISTRICA - LUDBREG - VARAZDIN

After breakfast your group will leave Zagreb for the entire day - pilgrimage excursion to the most popular and oldest Croatian Marian Shrine - Marija Bistrica. Here, we will get the chance to celebrate a private Holy mass, walk the Way of The Cross and hear the story of the statue of Our Lady of Marija Bistrica on the border with most powerful Ottoman Empire . Same day visit will include stop in Ludbreg, Eucharistic Miracle Shrine. After lunch break, the tour will continue on to Varazdin, a baroque town on the very north of Croatia. Later in the evening we will return to Zagreb for our last overnight stay in the capital of Croatia.

Day 4 ZAGREB - KRASIC - SINJ - SPLIT

This morning we will leave Zagreb and will head south to Dalmatia, to Split. Our first stop will be Krasic, the church where the blessed Cardinal Stepinac, beatified in Marija Bistrica by Pope John Paul II, spent his last days before he died. The life of Blessed Stepinac was a great inspiration to all those who stayed faithful to the Church in the long years of the Communist regime. From Krasic we continue on to Sinj, a little town not far from Split, with its three hundred years old Marian Shrine, to Our Lady of Sinj. Miraculously Our Lady saved the town, fortress of Sinj from the invasion of the Turks in 1715 year. This event is something historians can't explain to this very day, why the Ottoman army suddenly, over night, left the Valley of Sinj where town and the fortress were kept under the siege - is it only because of the prayers before the Miraculous Icon, painting of Our Lady? At the end of the day we are in our hotel in Split, dinner and overnight.

Day 5 SPLIT - SOLIN - TROGIR

Morning in Split, after breakfast we take a walking city tour of ancient Split. We will go back to the Roman times, to the life of Diocletian, Roman Emperor and his palace - today we visit the most beautiful and interesting part of Split, Diocletain's Palace. After our lunch break, we will head to Solin, an archaeological site from the times before Christ, Greeks, Ilyrians, Romans and Croats....where the story of the Kingdom of Croatia begins. At the end of the day we find ourselves in Trogir, (L. Tragurium) a town whose history dates back to the ancient Greeks who founded their colony here in 3rd century BC as Tragurion. Before we return to our hotel, we will enjoy a dinner at a "konoba" - typical Dalmatian restaurant. A glass of good wine in the medieval Trogir will help us get a good night's sleep.

Day 6 SPLIT - MEDJUGORJE

This morning we are on the way to Bosnia and Herzegovina, to the shrine of Our Lady of Peace, Medjugorje. After about 2 hours drive we will cross the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and then next 30 minutes drive through the countryside of Herzegovina. After arrival to Medjugorje and lunch break we will climb the Apparition Hill, Podbrdo as the locals call it. It was here that Our Lady Queen of Peace appeared to 6 children the first day of June 24. We will have a chance to visit the site on the hill of Podbrdo and Bijakovici village before returning to our hotel in Medjugorje. Again here in the heart of Herzegovina we will have a chance to enjoy a good dinner, local cuisine and quality Herzegovina wine - "U zdravlje"!

Day 7 MEDJUGORJE  - DUBROVNIK 

Good morning in Medjugorje always goes as "Faljen Isus i Marija", a sign of the cross and short prayer before breakfast. Then we will go to a morning mass in English. After mass, the group will have some short free time for personal devotions, maybe confession or prayer on your own by the "Resurrection" statue behind  St. James church. After our lunch break we will slowly move south, back to Croatia but this time through Dubrovnik, a breathtaking town on the Adriatic coast. Check in to hotel, and dinner, your first night in Dubrovnik. 

Day 8 DUBROVNIK CITY TOUR

After breakfast we will start our day with a walk across the bridge and through the Pile gate where our walking tour begins. You will have a chance to visit Franciscan cloister and one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe, pass by the Fountain of Onofrio, along Stradun, the largest street in the old town of Dubrovnik and finally you will end at the Square of the Loggia with the Orlando's column and from where one can see major architectural masterpieces such as St. Blaise church, Cathedral of the Dubrovnik dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the Cathedral one can see most precious treasure and the relics of St. Blaise the patron saint of Dubrovnik.Not far from here we will see the Ploce gate and also exit to the old port with the beautiful view of the St. John fort which in the past played an important role in defending and protecting Dubrovnik and its port.
The tour will end just in time for lunch, and this town provides you with numerous opportunities to enjoy fresh seafood. One can go from fine expensive restaurants to cozy little "konoba" where one can have a good meal for little money.

Day 9 DUBROVNIK - WINE TOUR/PELJESAC/STONE

Today we will make an excursion to the Peljesac peninsula - an area where one can visit one of the best wineries in the entire southern Dalmatia. Serious production and top quality wine has made this region famous for its wines and most of the glory goes to wines like Plavac, Postup, Posip, Dingac. After a visit to the wineries, and after we made sure that few bottles will go with us back home we can continue the tour. The tour will end in Stone, the site where God was most generous when creating the waters: It is here in the bay that the perfect conditions enable the cultivation of the gastronomic delight - oysters and we cannot miss it! Also right by the town Stone we will see how the the traditional and natural production of salt remained unchanged for centuries, and this will bring an end to our tour when we climb the Stone Walls, about 5,5 kilometers walls built for the protection of once powerful Republic of Dubrovnik. Return to Dubrovnik...farewell dinner, traditional Croatian songs in the background and a breeze from the Adriatic.....who would want to leave?

Day 10 DEPART CROATIA

Early morning breakfast and transfer to Dubrovnik International Airport - flight back home.

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Tour Includes

• Airfares USA - Croatia - USA, airport taxes included
• 9 nights in 4* first class hotel
• 7 dinners out in restaurants, drinks included (wine, soft drink, water, coffee)
• Buffet breakfast daily
• Tour escort from arrival to Zagreb until departure from Dubrovnik
• High class tourist coach
• City tours of Zagreb, Split, Trogir, Medjugorje, Dubrovnik
• Excursion to Peljesac for wine tasting and visit Stone for oysters tasting
• Farewell dinner out in restaurant in Dubrovnik, drinks included (wine, soft drink, water, coffee)
• Bottle of top quality wine from Peljesac, Croatia
• Holy mass daily  - when priest with the group

Not Included

• Third meal daily, personal expenses
• Tips and gratuities for guides, drivers and hotel/restaurant staff
• Travel insurance - recommended

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Dates & prices

May 16 - 25, 2017 (rate is based on minimum 20 people in the group):
Land only.......................................................US$ 1790.00
Land and air..........New York /Newark......US$  2980.00
Single room supplement...........................US$    490.00


September 12 - 21, 2017 (rate is based on minimum 20 people in the group):
Land only.......................................................US$ 1890.00
Land and air.........Chicago / Detroit..........US$  3090.00
Single room supplement...........................US$    540.00
 

October 20 - 29, 2017 (rate is based on minimum 20 people in the group):
Land only.......................................................US$ 1890.00
Land and air.........Chicago / Detroit..........US$ 3090.00
Single room supplement...........................US$ 540.00
 

November 27 - December 6 , 2017 (rate is based on minimum 20 people in the group):
Land only.......................................................US$ 1890.00
Land and air.........Chicago / Detroit..........US$ 3090.00
Single room supplement...........................US$ 540.00
 

February 21 - March 2, 2018 (rate is based on minimum 20 people in the group):
Land only.......................................................US$ 1890.00
Land and air.........Chicago / Detroit..........US$ 3090.00
Single room supplement...........................US$ 540.00
 

April 15 - April 24, 2018 (rate is based on minimum 20 people in the group):
Land only.......................................................US$ 1890.00
Land and air.........Chicago / Detroit..........US$ 3090.00
Single room supplement...........................US$ 540.00

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