We're considering the Country Roads of Dalamatia tour however we noticed that Insight altered the itinerary for 2010.

The previous version of this tour started and ended in Vienna (1 night at commencement) and traveled to Budapest (2 nights), Zagreb (2 nights), Split (1 night), Dubrovnik (3 nights), Plitvice (1 night), Ljubljana (2 nights), return to Vienna (1 night).

The 2010 itinerary is Vienna (2 nights), Budapest (2 nights), Zagreb (2 nights), Split (1 night), Korcula (1 night), Dubrovnik (2 nights), Sarajevo (2 nights) and Belgrade (2 nights).

It appears the most significant changes are the substitution of 1 night on the island of Korcula at the expense of the third night in Dubrovnik and the inclusion of Sarajevo and Belgrade instead of staying in Plitvice, Ljubljana and a final night in Vienna.

According to the description the visit to Plitvice National Park and lakes will be done while traveling from Zagreb to Split.

Traveling to Sarajevo and Belgrade upon leaving Dubrovnik eliminates the optional excursions to Lake Bled and Postojna Caves in the Ljubljana region though it's unknown at this point what optionals will be available with this itinerary.

It does seem that not having to travel back to Vienna reduces some of the travel/bus time.

For those who have traveled to these areas before can anyone comment on their impressions of this altered itinerary?

Having done the original itinerary a few years ago I liked Ljubljana and the full day in Plitvice. I'm not sure about Belgrade - it's not somewhere which appeals to me. I guess the expedition to Montenegro could be done from Sarajevo. I love Vienna so I would be disappointed at not spending extra time there.

We did the original itinerary a few years ago and really enjoyed Plitvice Park and Lake Bled. I would rather do Korkula than spend 3 nights in Dubrovnik.

we did the original itinerary in 2007. I loved the Plitvice lakes but the hotel and meal there were not up to Insight's standards. So if the time touring the lakes is still the same, you have not lost anything there. I would expect, though, that you might not have as much time. Many people love Lake Bled, but I just thought it was ok [maybe because I come from a mountains and lakes area?] I did enjoy the visit to the Postojna Caves. I think Belgrade would be an interesting addition.

We booked the original tour because, apart from Vienna, we had not been to any of the other places. If I was making the same decision today I would certainly book the new one.

Do not worry about what you may be missing, no single tour so far invented will go to every destination in this lovely region.

We did the original version of “Country Roads” in 2007 (Vienna, Budapest, Zagreb, Split, Dubrivnik, Plitvice, Ljubljana, Vienna.) In September 2009 we have also took the trip from Belgrade, Sarajevo, Dubrovnik, Korchula, Split, Zagreb. So the 2010 itinerary is a merging of the two trips with the elimination of Ljubljana. This is unfortunate, because Ljubljana is a highlight. Not stopping overnight in Plitvice is not a problem as the tour can be fully completed without staying overnight, as we did on our second tour.

With two days in Vienna at the beginning, you will get a full day there, unlike the previous tour which basically gave you a late afternoon and evening on your last day. If you arrived in Vienna on the first day of the tour, there was little accomplished before you left for Budapest the next morning.

Belgrade is probably the weak part of the trip, but it will certainly give a greater perspective of what caused the break-up of Yugoslavia. Undoubtedly, the most scenic part of this trip is the Adriatic Coast, however, the whole trip gives one a very good perspective of what happened to the area politically, in our own lifetime and split a country into so many divergent parts.

Unfortunately, current economic conditions require some reduction is the number of tours offered. We are very glad to have gotten both tours in before they were consolidated. The duplication was also enjoyable as it gave us time on our own in some very nice spots. Given current availability, this tour is certainly well worth the time and money. Be prepared to learn some history of a time we all saw on television in the 1990's.