Welcome to the Queen of the Adriatic, where grand waterfront palazzi and long-standing traditions echo the city’s medieval grace and glory. Transfers depart from Venice Airport at 11:00 and 13:00 to your hotel. As you start off your women’s-only tour, meet your Travel Director and fellow travelers at 17:30 to enjoy a delightful Welcome Dinner at a nearby restaurant.
This morning join your Travel Director to see the sights of Venice, including the Byzantine basilica in St Mark’s Square, Doge’s Palace and the iconic Bridge of Sighs. Continue to the island of Murano and join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience to witness the ancient skill of glassblowing. Listen to Venetian songs as you glide through the myriad of beautiful canals on a gondola. Spend the rest of your day further exploring the back lanes and campi of Venice or perhaps join an optional excursion to the colorful island of Burano?
Travel to Slovenia and meet Irena Fonda, a passionate and awarded biologist who is carrying out important conservation work in the Gulf of Piran. Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you accompany her on a short boat ride to see her family’s fish farm. Make your way to a seafront restaurant in the atmospheric Old Town of Piran and indulge in a fresh Sea-to-Table lunch, tasting the unique and refined flavors of the fresh Fonda sea bass. Cross the border to Croatia and arrive to the Opatija Riviera, a favorite destination of the Austro-Hungarian elite in the 19th century and still synonymous with style and elegance. Take time to stroll along Lungomare, the seafront promenade lined with luxurious villas.
The Istria Peninsula is dotted with coastal towns, rocky bays and hilltop rustic villages. Join a Local Expert to learn about the various influences that shaped its present image. Enjoy a mouth-watering Farm-to-Table lunch in Barban hosted by three generations of women of the Zufič Family. Learn about Prstenac, a popular medieval jousting game they reintroduced to the community in 1976 and that became a highlight cultural event attracting thousands of visitors each year.
Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience at Plitvice Lakes National Park as you walk along the forest paths among 16 interconnecting lakes with a Local Expert. Be amazed by this unique landscape and learn how the site actively carries out research to monitor the natural habitat of its species. Spend the night surrounded by nature at your hotel, a modern resort committed to sustainability, the regeneration of the war-torn local area and bringing together different ethnic communities. Enjoy a delicious dinner prepared from locally available ingredients and when the night falls take your chances at stargazing undisturbed by light pollution.
In the morning join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience and meet the industrious women of the Tara Community Center. Learn how they are producing handicrafts, and enabling employment and engagement in the community. Your journey then takes you to Zadar, the ancient capital of the historical region of Dalmatia. Visit Brlog, Croatia’s first female-owned co-op brewery and try a selection of their natural craft beers. On this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience hear the inspiring story of founders Maja Šepetavec and Ana Teskera and how they built their responsible social enterprise. Continue towards Split and meet mother and daughter Deana and Ivana Perič to taste their homemade cakes steeped in local folklore. In the evening, don't miss the opportunity of dinner in a traditional konoba.
Explore Split with Insight Choice. Choose to discover Diocletian’s Palace and the labyrinthine streets of the Old Town with a Local Expert. Or alternatively join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience and go on a walk with the local Domine organisation to uncover the stories of the women who helped shape Split’s history. Cross the azure waters of the Adriatic this afternoon to Hvar, the sunniest island in the country. Dine tonight at a local restaurant.
Hvar is often called the Lavender Island but aromatic herbs, citrus fruits, olive trees and grapes also flourish in the warm Mediterranean climate. The Faria Women’s Co-op is doing a remarkable job in using the indigenous island ingredients to create delicacies and cosmetics. Explore Hvar with Insight Choice. Choose to join Fedra Gamulin, the founder of the co-op on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience to taste her sustainable chocolate creations that were inspired by the love of locally available produce and grandma’s recipes. Alternatively, meet Ivana Carić and join her for a wine tasting at her family’s wine cellar. Spend the rest of your day at leisure or perhaps stroll around Stari Grad, Croatia’s oldest town and Hvar’s historical heart.
Your journey takes you back to the mainland. Pass the fertile and colourful fields of the Neretva Delta before you briefly enter Bosnia & Herzegovina. Continue to the island of Korčula and delight in Croatian fare at a local restaurant.
Get active this morning and start your day with Insight Choice. Choose to immerse yourself in nature as you join a Local Expert for a gentle hike in the area surrounding Korčula Town. Alternatively, grab a sea-view spot and connect with your inner peace as you take part in a yoga class. Visit an organic farm run by the Marovič family offering seasonal homemade products ranging from olive oil to jams and marmalades. The rest of the day is at your leisure to enjoy the narrow streets, beautiful churches and laid-back atmosphere of this charming medieval town.
This morning, should weather permit, cruise the tranquil waters of the bay of Mali Ston. Meet Tomislav, a local oyster farmer and taste fresh shellfish direct from the sea, accompanied with a glass of wine. Continue along the coast and arrive to Dubrovnik and its perfectly preserved Old Town. Known as the self- governing Republic of Ragusa for most of its history, the city has always been a metaphor of freedom. Enter through the 15th century gate and join a Local Expert to walk past Onofrio's Fountain, see the Rector’s Palace, the Church of St Blaise and the Franciscan and Dominican monasteries. Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you visit the workshop of Deša, an organisation founded following the Siege of Dubrovnik to help refugees and women who were victims of violence. Later, settle into your seaside hotel and perhaps join a home hosted dinner.
Travel into the heart of the nearby Konavle region and join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you meet Antonia Rusković Radonić, a dedicated artist working to preserve the local silk and embroidery traditions originating in the 15thcentury. Learn how silkworms became popular here, the importance of the craft in national folklore and the efforts made to keep this heritage alive. Upon returning to Dubrovnik enjoy time at leisure. This evening, weather permitting, embark on a dazzling cruise before savouring authentic flavours of local specialties at your Celebration Dinner. Raise a glass to your travels and the wonderful women of the Adriatic.
Your travels draw to a close after breakfast. Departure transfers arrive at Dubrovnik airport at 05:00, 09:30 and 11:30.
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