Duration: 13 days
Best season: April–June & September
Group size: 8–14 participants
Type: Cross-border cultural-political study tour
Price: from €2,950 per person (includes all transport, entries, expert sessions, bilingual guides, hotels & daily breakfast)
The Balkans are not one story — they’re many. Sometimes parallel, sometimes in collision. This 13-day journey takes you across Bosnia, Serbia, and Kosovo, through cities still processing the past and redefining their future. It’s not just about “what happened” — it’s about how people remember, how communities rebuild, and how identity gets narrated after conflict.
You’ll meet historians, war journalists, NGO workers, musicians, imams, priests, bar owners — the ones shaping memory on the ground, not from a textbook. You’ll hear different versions of the same events. That’s the point.
What’s Included
Guided exploration of Sarajevo, Belgrade, Pristina, Mostar, Srebrenica, Mitrovica, Novi Pazar
Daily discussions and Q&As with local experts: historians, activists, artists, educators
Museum visits + memorial walks (War Childhood Museum, Srebrenica Genocide Memorial, Museum of Yugoslavia)
Talks on topics like: “Nation-building and Fragmentation,” “Memory Politics,” “Youth and Transition”
Small-group dialogue sessions: space to process what you’re learning
All border crossings, permits, local transport & trains
12 nights accommodation in boutique hotels or guesthouses (clean, central, with stories of their own)
Daily breakfast, 6 local meals, and all entrance fees included
Highlights
🕊️ A day in Srebrenica with survivor-led tour and debrief with NGO staff — emotional, essential, responsibly held
🏙️ Walking Sarajevo with a historian born during the siege — you’ll see bullet holes and beauty side by side
🎙️ Evening discussion with young artists in Pristina: What does “freedom” mean today?
📚 Visit to a Belgrade cultural centre for a roundtable on Serbian identity and the role of memory in education
🎧 Audio walk in divided Mitrovica — two narratives, one bridge
Accommodation & Food
You’ll stay in small hotels with soul — no corporate chains. Expect family-run places with photos on the walls, balconies, real conversations at check-in. Breakfasts are generous. The Balkan table is full of grilled vegetables, strong cheese, homemade bread, fresh yogurt, and, if you eat meat — a lot of it. Vegan/vegetarian options? Possible, just say in advance.
Who is this for?
Students of history, peace studies, journalism, anthropology
Curious adults wanting to understand, not just see
Travelers okay with complexity, discomfort, and holding contradictions
Anyone who’s asked: “How does a region move on after conflict — and who gets to decide the story?”
A Note Before You Book
This is a learning journey, not a vacation. You’ll hear hard things. Some days will be emotionally heavy. But you won’t be left alone with that — we build in space for reflection, conversation, and cultural lightness too.
It’s not about choosing sides. It’s about listening, asking, and being okay with not having clear answers.
Bring an open heart and a very good notebook.