Вместе на Рождество: Сербия ждёт нас!

Even if you do your research, it is always daunting to be in Australia and book a tour via email with an unknown company in another country. However, in this case our 25-day three country (Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia) tour with Victor Tours was exemplary and delivered on all aspects. Firstly, our contact with Ivana in the office was prompt, positive, efficient and reassuring. She initially solicited information from me about our requirements and interests and proposed a draft itinerary. We sent this back and forth a couple of times until we had a plan that met our needs. Each time, Ivana provided advice but also listened to us.

Secondly, the itinerary was as comprehensive as it could be in our timeframe but also varied and offered diverse experiences. The pace of the tour was relaxed. We discovered that the beauty of a private tour was the flexibility. Even with the itinerary we could vary the day by eliminating or adding places or spending less or more time at places, so long as we were at our accommodation that night. The hotels all met our needs and were centrally located. The cars were also very comfortable. The price of the tour was very reasonable we felt.

Thirdly, we were able to use the private tour as a transfer between countries. For example, we were picked up in Kotor in Montenegro, spending a night in the southern border town of Ulcinj before crossing into Albania. Each guide took us into the next country before we met our new country’s guide the following day. At the conclusion of Serbia, our guide took us into Bosnia and Herzegovina for us to continue or travels, although Victor Tours would have organised a tour of this country for us too.

Finally, on Ivana’s advice, she organised a different guide for each country, so we had a local’s perspective with expert knowledge and it gave us someone new to talk to and learn from. All of our guides – Gino in Albania, Milan in North Macedonia and Nikola in Serbia – were excellent. They were very knowledgeable and organised and communicated clearly. They were also flexible so we could change things spontaneously as we went along. In can be quite hard to be in a car with a stranger for several days but all our guides were personable and easy to talk to about a range of topics. They were generous in spirit, shared their passion for their countries and provided a deeper understanding of the countries, their people, history, and culture. We had quite a few laughs along the way too. In the end we appreciated their consideration and care of the two of us and they all showed a genuine concern that we should have the best experience of their countries. In the end we even got to speak to Ivana by telephone as our guide Nikola called her for us.

While private tours aren’t for everyone, I totally recommend Victor Tours. They provide private and group day tours as well as multi-day tours.

We had a wonderful road trip from Romania to Croatia over 13 days on a private tour.
Well organized itinerary with excellent accommodation. Comfortable van.
Our guide/ driver Uroš and Radenko were very knowledgeable and accommodating to our requests.

We took the 8 hour day trip to Novi Sad, stopping at Krusedol Monastery and Sremski Karlovci operated by Victor Tours. The guide, Milicha, was very good and knowledgeable, and spoke very good English (not common in many European countries). Pick-up at the hotel was right on schedule and so was the drop-off.
Krusedol Monastery was interesting, especially the iconography inside the church. The central square at Sremski Karlovci is great - the churches, the school, the old buildings, and the wine tasting (sweet dessert wines) that was part of the tour. On we went to the Novi Sad fortress - a long uphill haul - with nice views of the Sava River and the town. The main square in Novi Sad and the pedestrian street are very nice.
The tour cost about $80 and well worth it.