Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight flight(s). Your meals will be served on board.

Welcome to Rome, also known as “The Eternal City”. Upon arrival, in Rome airport, collect your luggage in the baggage claim area, and continue to the Arrivals Hall, where you will be greeted by a tour escort and/or driver. You will make your way to the bus and transfer to your hotel. Following check-in, you will have free time to unpack and relax or explore Rome on your own. Your tour escort may suggest places to visit. Later in the afternoon, your group will meet in the hotel lobby for a “Meet and Greet” with your fellow pilgrims and depart for Mass. Following Mass, you will attend a welcome dinner. After dinner, you will have the opportunity to walk to St. Peter’s Square as a group, for the Rosary (optional).

We begin with the Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square! The Audience is celebrated each Wednesday by His Holiness, Pope Francis (pending the papal schedule). Following the Audience, we will visit the Trevi Fountain, where you may enjoy some free time on your own for lunch. This afternoon, you will visit the oldest of the four major Basilicas in Rome, and the home to the relics of Peter and Paul, the Basilica of St. John the Lateran. This Basilica is where Pope Francis was installed as Bishop of Rome. Next, you will cross the street to visit the Holy Stairs. These Holy Stairs are the very steps leading up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem on which Jesus stepped on his way to trial during his Passion. The Stairs were brought to Rome by Saint Helena in the fourth century. Ascending these stairs on your knees, in memory of Christ’s agonizing Passion. We conclude your day, with a Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Church dedicated to Our Blessed Mother, St. Mary Major reigns as the only Basilica that has kept its original structure and is an authentic jewel in the crown of Roman Churches. This Basilica contains a relic from the Manger of the Infant Jesus. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Celebrate Mass. Tour St. Peter’s Basilica, built on site where St. Peter, was martyred. Pray at the tomb of St. John Paul II. View the Michelangelo’s Pieta, a sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary holding Christ after His crucifixion. Visit Vatican Museum, to view the Tapestry Gallery, Raphael Rooms, Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s Masterpiece. After lunch, we continue down the Appian Way, the earliest road from Ancient Rome. This road leads to the Domino Quo Vadis Chapel, the Baths of Caracalla, the Arch of Drusus, the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, and the catacomb of St. Callixtus. The day concludes with a visit to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside The Walls. Originally founded by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century this Basilica is the burial place of Saint Paul the Apostle. Dinner and overnight.

After a leisurely morning, we depart for Rome Airport for your short flight to Medjugorje. Upon arrival, you will find your luggage and exit the baggage claim into the Arrival’s Hall, where you will be greeted by your tour guide and/or driver. You will be escorted to the vehicle which will then take you on the 2.5-hour drive to the village of Medjugorje. Dinner will be served before retiring for the evening.

The most beautiful features of Medjugorje are its simplicity and peace. Over the next three days in Medjugorje, you may experience your faith grow, and share in the faith journey of pilgrims from all over the world. A local guide will accompany your group throughout your stay in the village.

Some activities that may accompany you in your spiritual journey:

Attend Daily Mass: Each morning at 10:00 AM, your group will assemble at St. James Church for Mass (English-Speaking). At the end of each Mass, regardless of language, there is a blessing of the religious articles that you have with you.

On Feast Days, and Sundays: English Mass is at 12 PM.

Climb Apparition Hill: This mountainous hill is where the visionaries first encountered Our Lady. At the base of this hill is a Blue Cross, where it is said Our Lady appeared to the children while they hid from the communist police in the early days of the alleged apparitions. While climbing, your group is invited to recite the Rosary, pausing five times for each decade of the Rosary. At the top of the hill, you will witness the exact location of the first alleged apparition of Our Lady to the visionaries, and enjoy private time for prayer.

Climb Mt. Krizevac (Cross Mountain): In 1933, the villagers built a 30′ high cross atop a mountain to commemorate Jesus’ passion and death on the cross. Your group will have the opportunity to climb this mountain, and venerate that very cross. While climbing, your group is invited to pray the Stations of the Cross (to meditate on Jesus’ suffering Road to Calvary), pausing fifteen times for each Station.

Apparitions: Each evening at 5:00 PM (or 6:00 PM depending on Daylight Savings Time), your group can join the villagers and fellow pilgrims of Medjugorje at either St James Church or Apparition Hill to commemorate the time Our Lady appears to the Visionaries. There you can pray the Rosary, as you all await that time (5:40 PM or 6:40 PM during Daylight Savings Time).

*Afterward, Croatian Mass is held at St. James Church and is free to all to attend. It is broadcasted by the radio, simultaneously in order to translate the services from Croatian into many languages. Following the Croatian Mass, there is a Blessing of the Sick.
**For details about the Visionaries, please visit: www.206tours.com/visionaries

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Our Lady has always called us to be close to her Son. For this, you will have the opportunity to adore the Blessed Sacrament at the altar outside of St. James Church. Adoration is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays; Veneration of the Cross is held on Fridays inside the church. Additionally, there is an Adoration Chapel on the grounds of St. James Church, where Adoration is held in the afternoon hours.

Visit the Community of Cenacolo:
Pilgrims will have the opportunity to visit the Community of Cenacolo, founded by Sr. Elvira Petrozzi, for young men and women who have taken the wrong path and are on the road to recovery. You will be able to listen to their inspirational testimonies about their journeys back to Jesus Christ.

Prayer at the Statue of the Risen Christ: The bronze statue of the Risen Christ is located on the grounds of St. James Church. Many pilgrims sit and pray on the benches surrounding this peaceful statue. This statue miraculously seeps droplets of water at all times of the day, out of Christ’s right knee.

* The balance of your trip in Medjugorje is meant to provide you with time for a personal retreat. As such, your time in Medjugorje is not designed to be a “tour”, but rather to provide you with time to pray, reflect, and explore on your own as you feel called. On arrival, you will have an orientation tour after which a representative of 206 Tours will be available should you have any questions or requests. Daily Mass in English, as well as English confessions are available at St. James Church. During your stay in Medjugorje you will have full discretion over how your time is spent, in order to have the fullest spiritual experience possible. If you would prefer our traditional pilgrimage/tour of Medjugorje, we would recommend you consider our Tour #1 (www.206tours.com/tour1) which provides a tour escort and spiritual leader through out your stay.

After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, we leave by motor coach for Dubrovnik. Arrive at Dubrovnik where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Spend the afternoon in this city overlooking the Adriatic, at your leisure. Feel free to walk to the Old Town, also known as the “Pearl of the Adriatic”. This evening, you will have dinner at a typical Dalmatian restaurant that serves local delicacies and wines.

Following breakfast, enjoy a walking tour of the Old City. It will begin at St. Blasius Church, which is dedicated to the Patron Saint of Dubrovnik. This Baroque styled church was constructed by Venetian architect, Marino Gropelli in 1715; it was styled after the Venetian Church, St. Mauritius. The masterpiece of this Church is its large staircase leading to the ornamented main portal and the large dome that decorates the roof. Continue to the Gothic and Renaissance styled Rector’s Palace, home to the History Department of the Museum of Dubrovnik. Next, stroll by the iconic Bell Tower Clock and Orlando’s Column. To the left of this column, is the Sponza Palace. In the sixteenth century, members of the Academia dei Concordi met on the palace’s first floor hall to discuss literature. As a result, the palace is the most important cultural institution of Dubrovnik. Lastly, you will visit the Dominican and Franciscan Monasteries. The location of the Dominican Monastery is strategically placed at the most sensitive point of Dubrovnik’s defense barriers. While at the Franciscan Monastery, you will have the opportunity to visit the Pharmacy. The founding of this Pharmacy was collaborative, as it served as the public pharmacy and for the needs of the monks. This afternoon, you will enjoy lunch on your own at one of the many small, family-owned restaurants along the narrow streets. The remainder of the day is to be enjoyed at leisure. This evening enjoy dinner and an overnight in Dubrovnik.

After breakfast, depart for the Republic of Montenegro a Balkan country boasting a dynamic landscape of extremely high peaks juxtaposed beside very deep canyons, caves, and bays. Begin your excursion by heading towards the mouth of the beautiful Bay of Kotor, the longest and deepest fjord in Southern Europe. Enjoy a boat ride to Our Lady of the Rocks, one of two islets off the coast of Perast. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest building on the artificial island made of rocks and old ships. The island was created by local fisherman who found an icon of the Blessed Mother and Jesus on a rock here. Now it is a tradition to throw rocks at the island to increase its size on July 22 each year. Upon return to the coast, we will stop in Perast, an old charming coastal town with just one main street, yet sixteen Churches! Spend time in the city of Kotor famous for its winding streets and medieval charm before returning to Dubrovnik for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, depart Dubrovnik and travel north along the spectacular Adriatic coast. Pass old fishing villages and new resorts, before arriving in Croatia’s second largest city, Split. The historic inner city of Split was built around the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. While exploring, you will have the opportunity to see remnants of Split’s Roman heritage such as, Jupiter’s Temple, the Peristyle of Diocletian’s Palace and the Cathedral of St. Domnius. The Temple of Jupiter was built around the third century and is dedicated to the highest Roman god, the god of the sky, and the god of thunder. The Diocletian’s Palace had two purposes; half was used for the Diocletian’s personal use, and the other half was used as a military garrison. Lastly, you will visit the Cathedral of St. Dominus that is encircled by twenty-four columns. The oldest monuments in this Holy place are those depicting the life of Christ, which can be found on the entrance doors of the Church. This evening, you will enjoy dinner at a local Konoba (restaurant in the coastal area of Croatia). Following dinner, you will continue to your hotel where you will have a restful overnight.

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. Trogir is a small island connected to the mainland of Croatia by bridges. Some remnants of Medieval walls remain here while much of the island boasts Gothic and Renaissance influences. Our journey continues towards the beautiful Plitvice Lakes where we will enjoy dinner and overnight after a full day of touring.

Today we enjoy Plitvice National Park listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage list, and the breathtaking scenery of this natural wonder. Founded in 1949 the park spans 295 square kilometers and preserves an incredible landscape that includes 16 terraced lakes, countless waterfalls, mountains, and limestone canyons. The mountainous region of the park borders Bosnia and Herzegovina. Wildlife like the European brown bears, wolves, eagles, owls, lynx, and wild cats roam this scene. After a full day of exploring, enjoy dinner and overnight in Plitvice.

Return to the coast to the beautiful bay of Kvarner and its popular tourism town, Opatia. An orientation tour of Opatia will present the highlights of this former Imperial resort city. After your visit here, drive across the border into Slovenia to Postojna Caves, home to one of the largest caves in Europe. Tour the fantastic subterranean world by miniature electric train. Over 38 million people have visited these caves in the past 200 years. In 1872 the first cave rails were laid, and overhead electric lighting was installed in 1884 – before electric lighting was added to the city of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Afterward, continue to Bled for dinner and overnight.

Bled is a stunning Alpine lake surrounded by high peaks in northwestern Slovenia at the southern foot of the Karawanks mountain, just about 30 miles from Ljubljana. A sightseeing tour features the charming town and lakeshore, and visits Bled Castle, a medieval castle perched on a cliff high above the lake. Bled Castle is the oldest Slovenian Castle, first mentioned in a 1011 deed. This afternoon enjoy an excursion to Ljubjana, the capital of Slovenia. Here, view the Central open-air Market, Baroque Town Hall, Robba’s Fountain, the Three Bridges and the Parliament. Farewell dinner and overnight in Ljubljana.

After breakfast transfer to Ljubljana airport for your flight home.

*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Occasionally local religious and national holidays, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of events or the missing of certain events/places. Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of events and places to be visited.