Marian Shrines
Croatia
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Slovenia
11 days
10 nights
Day 1 • Dubrovnik
Arrival today at the Dubrovnik airport where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Afternoon at leisure to relax and become acclimated to a new time zone. Before meeting your fellow travelers and tour director for dinner, you can take a walk to Old Town called the “Pearl of the Adriatic”. Welcome dinner in a typical Dalmatian restaurant with local delicacies and wine.
Day 2 • Dubrovnik / Medjugorje
This morning enjoy a walking tour of “Old Dubrovnik”; starting with St. Blaze church, the Rector’s Palace, Bell Tower clock, Orlando’s Column and the Sponza Palace. You will also see the Dominican Monastery and Franciscan Monastery with its Pharmacy, one of the oldest in the world. We pause for a lunch in one of the many small family-owned restaurants along the narrow streets. After visit we depart for Medjugorje and drive along the breath-taking Adriatic coast. Dinner and overnight in Medjugorje.
Day 3/4 • Medjugorje
Join the English Mass, visit the Apparition Hill and climb Holy Cross Mountain. If possible, we’ll have meetings with visionaries. In the evenings attend the recitation of the Rosary and the Healing service at the St. James Church. Dinner and overnight in Medjugorje. (B.D.)
Day 5 • Medjugorje / Split
Depart very early (8AM) from this peace filled heaven to Split. En route you are welcome to stop at the little Lourdes Shrine in Vepric (next to Makarska, half way to Split). We then stop in Makarska for a quick break before arriving at Our Lady of Sinj, one of Croatia’s oldest spiritual centers. The shrine is home of the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, dating from the seventeenth century. Upon arrival in Split, enjoy a city tour featuring the historic inner city, built around Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Dinner in a local “Konoba”.
Day 6 • Split / Trogir / Zadar / Plitvice Lakes
After breakfast, we head north along the coast to Trogir, the center of artistic activities, where scholars from around the world gather to study and paint. Then it’s on to Zadar, the oldest Slavic city on the Adriatic, once famed cultural center. We pause here for an orientation tour that includes the ruins of the Roman Forum, the Cathedral and St. Donat Church. Our journey continues, as we turn inland towards the beautiful Plitvice Lakes National Park. Dinner and overnight. (B.D.)
Day 7 • Plitvice Lakes / Our Lady of Trsat / Opatija
Today we enjoy Plitvice National Park listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage list, with breathtaking scenery of this natural wonder of 16 terraced lakes, surrounded by thickly wooded mountains and lush vegetation. After lunch we depart for Opatija, once the favorite resort of the European royalty. En route we stop for Holy Mass at Our Lady of Trsat, built to commemorate the transfer of the Holy House of Nazareth from Jerusalem to Loreto. Tradition tells us the Holy House was kept here between 1292 and 1294 before its final destination in Loreto. We arrive at Opatija late in the day. Dinner and overnight in Opatija.
Day 8 • Opatija / Postojna / Bled
We have a leisurely morning in Opatija and then head across the border into Slovenia to Postojna, home of one of the largest caves in Europe. We tour the fantastic subterranean world by miniature electric train. The Slovenes owe their devotion to the Blessed Mother to the disciples of Cyril and Methodius. We stop at the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Succor in Brezje for Holy Mass. Here we see the famous painting of the Our Lady of Brezje, the Patron Saint of Slovenia. Then on to Bled a resort area, beautifully situated in the Julian Alps. Dinner and overnight in Bled.
Day 9 • Bled / Ljubljana
Our morning sightseeing tour features the town of Bled with the lake-shore, and includes a visit to the Bled Castle, perched on a cliff high above the lake. In the afternoon we tour Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia, visiting the open-air market, City Hall, Robba’s Fountain, the Three Bridges and the Parliament. Overnight in Ljubljana.
Day 10 • Marija Bistrica / Zagreb
We depart for Marija Bistrica, to the sanctuary of Mother of God, Queen of Croatia, crowned with Papal crowns, where we celebrate Holy Mass. This is the national Croatian Shrine where we will pray the Stations of the Cross, then proceed to Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia. Upon arrival in Zagreb and time permitting we have a brief sightseeing tour visiting the historic Upper Town, to see the St. Mark’s Church, St. Catherine’s Church, the Cathedral, the Parliament and the Government Palace. Dinner and overnight in Zagreb.
Day 11 • Zagreb
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your departure flight.