News

Explore Slovenia and Croatia’s green Istrian peninsular on a week-long, two-centre tour through breathtaking coastal scenery to view fascinating former Roman towns and cities.

The tour starts in Portoroz, known as the ‘Port of Roses’, in Slovenia, with a three-night stay in the Hotel Riviera (4Q), which is opposite the beach.

Join a cruise along the coast to Piran, a beautiful Venetian-influenced resort, and take an optional excursion to the border town of Trieste, an Italian port with a grand canal and piazza modelled on St Mark's in Venice. Visit the flamboyant 19th-century Miramare Castle and Postojna Caves, carved out by the River Pivka and thought to be one of the world’s most beautiful cave systems, with stunning stalactites and stalagmites.

The base for the second part of the tour is the Valamar Diamant Hotel (4Q) in Porec, Croatia. The hotel features indoor and outdoor pools, a wellness centre and sports facilities including tennis.

A short stroll through a pine forest takes hotel guests to the Blue Flag beach of Brulo and Porec’s old town. During the four-night stay in Porec guests can join a walking tour of this former Roman colony and admire the UNESCO-listed Euphrasius’ basilica which is lavishly decorated with mosaics from the mid-6th century.

The itinerary also features an optional full-day’s tour of rural Istria, travelling past vineyards, olive groves and medieval villages.

Another optional excursion is to Pula, where the well-preserved Roman amphitheatre once accommodated 25,000 spectators for gladiatorial combat. This tour continues to Rovinj, a picturesque medieval old town on a peninsula that was an island until the Romans joined it to the mainland.

On another optional full-day’s excursion guests can discover more about the 14 beautiful Brijuni islands and islets which became a national park in 1983. The islands have an intriguing history and were used as the private residence of Yugoslavia’s President Tito.

For those that wish to there is also the option to extend the stay at the Diamant Hotel (4Q) for an additional seven nights.

For details call free on 0800 300 500 or visit saga.co.uk/slovenia

Seven nights from £769 departing London Stansted on April 30, May 14 and 21, June 4, September 10, 17 and October 1, 2017 or Manchester Airport on June 11, September 3 and 24, 2017. Price includes return flights and transfers, half-board accommodation, porterage at hotels, tour manager, optional travel insurance and additional cancellation rights, or a discount if passenger has own insurance.

Contact PR manager Naomi Thornton email naomi.thornton@saga.co.uk or call 01303 772499

Saga is a leading provider of products and services primarily tailored for customers over the age of 50 in the UK. The Saga brand has been carefully developed over the past 60 years to become one of the most recognised and trusted brands among UK consumers aged over 50. Saga is synonymous in the UK with the over 50s market and is recognised for its high quality products and services. These include cruises and holidays, home and motor insurance, savings and share dealing and the UK’s award winning Saga Magazine.