Best of Belarus, Ukraine & Moldova 2020 Group tours

• 14 nights accommodation standard twin rooms;

• International flights;

• Air-conditioned minivan;

• Other meals;

• Local English-speaking guides in Minsk, Lviv,Verhovyna, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Chernivtsi, Chisinau, Odessa, Kyiv;

• Expenses of a personal nature such as: beverages with meals, camera fees, etc;
• Travel protection Insurance;

• Tour manager from Lviv to Kyiv throughout the tour;
• Airport transfers;

• Trip surcharge to operate below required minimum participants;
• Early/late check-in/check-out

• Flight tickets Minsk – Lviv (economy class);

• Tips and gratitudes to drivers and guides.

• Entrance tickets according to the program;

• 14 breakfasts, 2 dinners, 13 lunches;

• Bottled water per person per day;
• Local taxes

Arrival, meeting and transfer to a hotel. Check-in, free time for rest. Walk to a restaurant.

06:00 pm Welcome dinner (if you arrive on time), now you are a part of JC Travel team (D)

09:00 am – 06:00 pm

Discover Minsk: from the moment of foundation to nowadays.

We start our 3-hour walking tour with meeting the local guide in the hotel lobby. You will see the architectural monuments of the 17th – 20th centuries, the Upper Town with the City Hall, the temples and monasteries, a visit to Holy Spirit Cathedral and the old small streets of Trinity Suburb. Continue and visit «The Isle of Tears» with the famous chapel that commemorates soldiers who perished during the Soviet-Afghan war in the 1980’s. Explore the Victory Monument; Independence Avenue and Victory Avenue. Then after lunch, we continue to visit the National Library, which was included in the list of the most remarkable buildings in the world! Then drive to the Dudutki museum – the open-air museum of folk architecture; there you will get an idea of the traditional village life. Back to the hotel and free time. (B,L)

09:00 am – 06:00 pm

We drive to Mir Castle Complex. Mir Castle was founded in the early 16th century. The castle was rebuilt into a magnate palace and became luxurious apartments of the noble family, filled with works of art. Next, we continue to Nesvizh Palace which includes a visit to the museum inside the Palace and a landscaped park in the English tradition. Both palaces are included into the UNESCO World Heritage List. (B,L)

Check-out, pick up at 10:20 am and transfer to Minsk airport for a flight to Lviv 1:10 pm – 02:30 pm (Belavia). Meeting at Lvivairport and transfer to a hotel. Late lunch (04:00 pm) and Lviv city walking tour. During the tour we will see the architecture of Rynok Square, typical Austrian streets, as well as modern dwellings. Together they narrate Lviv’s glorious history. You will walk around the Medieval part of Lviv – the Market Square and the old quarters around it with visits to a few impressive churches and cathedrals.(B,L)

09:00 am – 02:00 pm

Continue the tour of Lviv. Highlights of this tour include visits of the Opera House, built in the classical tradition with Neo-Renaissance details. Then we visit the High Castle Hill, where a castle once stood during 1300s to the 1770s to protect the residents of Lviv during attacks. The hill now offers the best views of the city. You will discover the former Austrian casino, presently called “The House of Scientists”. The casino was a meeting place for the aristocratic elite. You will also visit St. George’s Cathedral, which serves as a great example of rococo architecture and was built between 1744-1760. Today St. George’s Cathedral is the main Greek-Catholic church. After lunch we drive to Carpathians, Tatariv. Overnight (B,L)

10:00 am – 04:00 pm.

This day is dedicated to the mountains and its people – Нutsuls.

We drive to Verhovyna – the capital of hutsuls. You will see traditional mountain villages, find out about people who live there: Ukrainian ethnical group – Hutsuls. We will visit the Hutsul Everyday Life and musical instruments museum, which is located on a hill (hiking required or you will be taken up and down by a soviet jeep 5 mins ride) and will find out about Ukrainian embroidery and its different meanings in the unique museum of Vyshyvanka. A home-made lunch will be served in a private house of one of the museum’s owners to let you feel the life of locals. Then we drive to Chernivtsi, overnight. (B,L)

10:00 am – 04:00 pm.

We will enjoy a 2-hour walking tour in the historical city center, walk along the main pedestrian street – Kobylyanska, will see the City Hall, Teatralnaya square and many other. Will have lunch in one of the local Bukovenian restaurants and then we visit the National University – it will be a real highlight! Then drive to Kamianets-Podilskyi and explore the city. Why does this city seem to be a phenomenon of the cultural and historical importance? You’ll discover the history from the moment of town’s foundation till recent times. You will see the Cathedral of the Saint Peter and Paul, St. Nicolas Armenian Church, Enjoy a breathtaking view of the Smotrich River Canyon and of course, the highlight will for sure be a visit to the Kamianets-Podilskyi fortress. (B,L)

09:00 am- 07:00 pm.

We head to Chisinau with a stop at Khotyn fortress for a photo stop, which was founded in 13th century and had Moldavian, Polish and Turkish influence. Then continue to Chisinau, crossing borders. Lunch in Balti town. (B,L)

09:00 am – 05:00 pm.

We go to the Cricova Winery for the wine tasting of 4 types of wine. Then drive to Orhei Vechi – a unique natural and historical complex in the open air. It organically combines the natural landscape and vestiges of ancient civilizations, it is known for the ancient monastery and eco-village resorts. (B,L)

09:00 am – 07:00 pm.

Enjoy morning walking 2,5-hour tour of Chisinau where you will see both the historic and the modern faces of the city. Who Stephen the Great was and what did he do for the city?You will listen to the cultural, historical facts and legends, while we walk along the central part of the city. On Stephen the Great Boulevard there are many elegant administrative buildings – the Presidency, the Parliament, and the City Administration. There are cultural centers such as the National Theatre M. Eminescu, the Organ Hall, Theatre of Opera and Ballet. Well-known architects and poets such as Bernardazzi, Sciusev and Pushkin gave Chisinau a unique character. Then we drive to Odessa via the country that officially doesn’t exist. Exploring its capital, Tiraspol city. It will take you back in USSR: Feel the atmosphere of this disputed territory, which has always been a battlefield between the major powers of the region. This place is full of contrasts. (B,L)

09:00 am – 01:00 pm.

Start your day with a walking 3-hour tour around downtown visiting its historical places and strolling the age-old streets: Deribasovskaya, Pushkinskaya, Rishelievskaya and Landzheronovskaya. You will see masterpieces of architecture and art of buildings, Opera and Ballet Theatre, and also historical buildings, where the archeological and marine museums are situated. Strolling along the Primorsky Boulevard it’s your chance to see an ancient building of municipal Duma, count Vorontsov palace with colonnaded entrance and the monument to Duke de Richelieu and the famous Potemkin stairs. They are the main entrance to Primorsky Boulevard from the seaside from where you witness the fascinating view to the marine terminal and the seaport. After lunch – free time.

Optional** tour to Odessa Catacombs, which are some of the longest in the world and played an important role during the WWII as a shelter for the partisans. (B,L)

09:00 am – 07:00 pm.

We drive to Kyiv with a stop on the way: visiting a Cold War era nuclear missile base. The base today is a museum and you can experience a bit of what it was like to serve here.You’ll walk down a 150 meter long underground corridor and take a lift 12 floors down to the “Red” button of the Unified Launch Control Center… (B,L)

09:00 am – 04:00 pm.

Our walking tour will start from exploring ancient part of Kyiv city center. You will enjoy seeing Bessarabskyi market, Golden Gates, walk along Volodymyrskaya street and explore St. Sophia Cathedral, will discover secrets of St. Andrew church and descent, will discover St. Michael Golden-Domed Church.After lunch, we continue with a walk along Khreshchatyk street-the shortest yet the widest main street in the world, Maidan- the square where all of the Ukrainian revolutions started and many more! Back to the hotel, free time. (B,L)

09:00 am – 01:00 pm.

We visit Kyevo Pecherska Lavra with its caves – the most ancient monastery and UNESCO Heritage site, then exploring the Motherland Statue complex and WWII museum. Back to the hotel. Free time.

Optional*** tour to Mezhyhirya Residence – a house of Ukrainian former president.

05:45 pm Meeting in the hotel lobby and walk to a restaurant for dinner. After dinner – walk back to the hotel or a guide can assist with getting a taxi. (B,D)

Pick up from the hotel and transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

Saying goodbye to your new friends… We will be glad to see you again!

End of services. (B)