PLAST Ukrainian Scouting Organization
Плем’я Перші Стежі організує
Maндрівні Стежки Культури
June 19 – July 1, 2025

13 Day Escorted Тоur
for PLAST members only
Ages 18 – 28

Христина Сілецька
(Комендaнт)
Тарас Сілецький
(Заступник)

5 seats left

Rome – Florence- Venice – Graz – Vienna
plus: Pisa, Verona, Villach

Tour Highlights Included:

·        Selected 3* hotels

·        Rooming: Double or triple occupancy

·        Daily breakfast and dinner

·        Bottle of water daily

·        Farewell dinner

·        Private AC bus from Rome to Vienna

·        Airport transfers

·        Licensed English  speaking Tour Director

·        Licensed English speaking local guides

·        Guided tours in Rome, Pisa, Florence, Venice and Vienna

·        Entrance fees to sites listed below:

o   ROOM: Sisteen Chapel, Colosseum

o   PISA: Cathedral and Leaning Tower

o   FLORENCE: Palazzo Vecchio, Galleria degli Uffizi

o   VENICE: Doge’s Palace

o   VILLACH: Ski lift ride

o   VIENNA: Hofburg, Schoenbrunn Palace, Spanish Riding School

NOT INCLUDED:

• • Hotel tax payable upon check-in 2-3 Euro per person per night
  • Airfare (we can assist you in purchasing your airline tickets)
  • All rates are subject to Euro/USD currency fluctuation exchange and fuel surcharge. Tour price is based on exchange rates for land cost as of May 2024.  Itinerary and price is subject to change without prior notice.

Detailed day by day itinerary

Please be at departure Airport 3 hrs prior to flight time.

Check baggage to ROME.  Check in with group leader

Rome, the capital of Italy, is situated along the shores of the Tiber River. A population of almost 5 million makes Rome the most populous metropolitan city in Italy.  Vatican City (the smallest country in the world) is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome.  Rome is often referred to as the City of Seven Hills due to its geographic location and also as the “Eternal City.“ Rome is  considered to be the cradle of western civilization and  the center of the Catholic Church.

Upon arrival at Rome Inter Airport (FIUMICINO), pass through passport and customs control.  You will be met by your Tour Director, who will direct you to your bus for transfer to group hotel.  Dinner at hotel.  Time permitting, an evening tour of the seven hills of Rome by night!

After breakfast –  first full day of sightseeing.   Projected program:

St. Peters Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, or simply Saint Peter’s Basilica, is a church of the Italian High Renaissance.  St. Peter’s is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. Construction began in 1506 and was completed by 1626.  Styles are Renaissance and Baroque.  Architects were Michelangelo, Lorenzo Bernini and Donato Benzoin. Here you will see the most famous statue Madonna della Pieta, and for Ukrainians the crypt of Ukrainian Bishop martyr Josaphat Kuntsevych. Bishop Kuntsevych was canonized in 1867 by Pope Pius IX.

 Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope’s official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the Cappella Magna, it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and 1481. Since that time, it has served as a place of both religious and functionary papal activity. The Sistine Chapel ceiling, a series of frescoes painted by  Michelangelo, stands as one of the greatest works of art in world history. It is here where the papal conclave is held – the process of selecting a new pope.

 Lunch in the city under own arrangements.

Trevi Fountain The Trevi Fountain, built in the 1700s, is perhaps one of Rome’s most iconic structures. Erected on the site of an ancient Roman water source, the fountain is made of the same material as the Colosseum (travertine stone).  Designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762. Learn the myth of three coins in a fountain!!!

 Return to hotel for dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at hotel.   We join our tourist bus to discover “Ukrainian Rome.”

Santa Sofia a Via Boccea, also known as the Basilica of St. Sophia, is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic church in Rome, Italy. It is a place of worship and gathering for Ukrainian immigrants in Italy.  The church’s interior is decorated with mosaics that reflect the style of Ukrainian churches The Divine Liturgy is celebrated according to the Byzantine-Ukrainian rite, while still in full communion with the Catholic Church.

Authorized by Cardinal Josyf Slipyj, the Major Archbishop of Lviv, the church was built in 1967-1968. The church was modeled after the cathedral of the same name in Kyiv, Ukraine. Cardinal Slipyj spent 18 years in a Soviet gulag, until his release in 1963. He was not allowed to return to Ukraine. During Soviet rule in Ukraine, Santa Sofia served as the mother church for Ukrainian Greek Catholics.

We proceed to our bus to Piazza dei Monti.  Lunch under own arrangements.

 Santi Sergio e Bacco is a Catholic church of the Byzantine Rite located on Piazza Madonna dei Monti in the Monti division of Rome. Sergius and Bacchus were 4^th century Syrian Christian soldiers who were tortured for refusing to give up their faith.

Since 1970, it has been the national church of the Ukrainian Greek Catholics and is known officially as the “Parish of Ukrainian Catholics.”

 Our final destination today is the COLOSSEUM, located one block from Santi Sergio e Bacco Church.

The Colosseum is an elliptical amphitheater (72-80AD) located in the center of Rome, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built. Despite its age, the Colosseum is still the largest standing amphitheater in the world. Thousands of hand-to-hand combats between gladiators and other public spectacles were held in this arena. It is one of Rome’s most popular tourist attractions.

Breakfast at hotel.  Today we leave Rome and proceed north to Pisa.

Pisa is a city in Italy’s Tuscany region, best known for its iconic Leaning Tower. Already tilting when it was completed in 1372, the 56m white-marble cylinder is the bell tower of the Romanesque, striped-marble cathedral that stands next to it. Also located here is the Baptistry, whose renowned acoustics are demonstrated by amateur singers daily, as well as the Caposanto Monumentale cemetery. 

Lunch break, followed by a tour of the Cathedral. Volunteers are welcome to walk up the tower!   We continue to hotel for dinner and overnight.

Montecatini Terme – The largest and most famous of Tuscany’s spa towns, Montecatini Terme has been revered for its curative waters since at least the 16th century.  Our stop for 2 nights at a lovely hotel to rest before and after Florence.

Florence, capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, is home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. One of its most iconic sights is the Duomo, a cathedral with a terracotta-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and a bell tower by Giotto. The Galleria dell’Accademia displays Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture. The Uffizi Gallery exhibits Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and da Vinci’s “Annunciation.” 

Shop at the Ponte Vecchio bridge – a medieval stone closed arch bridge over the Arno River. It is the only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during World War II. Known for the shops (jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers) built along it.

We return to Montecatini for dinner and overnight.

VERONA is a city in northern Italy’s Veneto region, with a medieval old town built between the winding Adige River. It’s famous for being the setting of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” A 14th-century residence with a tiny balcony overlooking a courtyard is said to be “Juliet’s House.” The Verona Arena is a huge 1st-century Roman amphitheater, which currently hosts concerts and large-scale opera performances.

Guided city tour and free time for lunch.  In the afternoon, we travel to Lido for dinner and overnight. Here we stay 2 nights while visiting Venice.

Early after breakfast, we take our bus to the boat loading dock for transfer to Venice.

VENICE , the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals – including the Grand Canal thoroughfare, which is lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The central square, Piazza San Marco,  features St. Mark’s Basilica, tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower, offering views of the city’s red roofs. City tour will include Doge’s Palace built in 1340, in Venetian Gothic style. It was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice.

Return to hotel in Lido for dinner and overnight.

VILLACH  Today, marvel at the spectacular natural setting of this famous ski area in Austria.  Enjoy a ski lift ride up the mountain and free time on “top” for lunch.             In the afternoon, we rejoin our bus for the ride to GRAZ – a lovely Austrian village for dinner and overnight.

 GRAZ is the second largest city in Austria and the capital city of the   province of Styria. At its center is Hauptplatz, the medieval old town’s main square. Shops and restaurants line the narrow streets, which blend Renaissance and baroque architecture.  Graz has preserved its historic center and boasts wonderful food, beer and wine. Good shopping for ski outfits – in off season rates!

Vienna.  Austria’s capital, lies on the Danube River. Its artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence. The Museums Quartier district displays works by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and other artists. Modern architecture by Hundertwasser is also a draw.

Stefans Kirche  (1578) – St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. 

Hofburg Spanish Riding School   This school is an Austrian institution dedicated to the preservation of classical training of Lipizzaner horses, based in Vienna. Performances in the Hofburg are a big tourist attraction.

Return to hotel for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, transfer to the Ukrainian Catholic Church

 (time TBA)  8-12 Postgasse, Vienna

St. Barbara’s Greek Catholic Church (Barbarakirche) is the first Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish in Vienna.  Built by the Jesuits in 1652, it was later granted to the Greek Catholics by Empress Maria Theresa in 1775. The parish became an important center of Ukrainian community life in Vienna. The Barbareum seminary and a boarding school were located at the church. 

Free time for lunch.

Schoenbrunn Palace is one of Europe’s most beautiful Baroque complexes and has been in the possession of the Habsburgs since 1569. It was the main summer residence of the Habsburgs rulers. The palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural and historic monuments in Austria.  

Enjoy this day in Vienna on your own.

Enjoy a delicious treat at one of Vienna’s famous coffeehouses!

 Shopping streets in Vienna: Grabenstrasse, Kaertnerstrasse, Marihilferstrasse Return to hotel for farewell dinner  (time and location TBA) and overnight.

Breakfast at hotel.

Transfer to Schwechat Airport in Vienna for your flight/s home.

CROATIA
September 20 – 30, 2025

11 Day Escorted
First Class Tour

Guide: Fr Ihor Royik

Zagreb90Zagreb – Pletvice Lakes – Split –Medjugorje –  Dubrovnik

 Medjugorje is located in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Here you will experience the beauty and peace of this quaint pilgrimage village.

During your stay in Medjugorje, you will have the opportunity to share faith with pilgrims from all over the world.  In the evening, about 6:00PM, you may join the villagers and pilgrims to pray the rosary.

Tour Land cost:         $3880 Land rate per person in double room
Single supplement:   $850
Gratuities:                  $150
Arriving:                     Zagreb
Departing:                  Dubrovnik

Tour features:

• Selected class hotel 4*
• Service charges and hotel taxes & mandatory tourist city taxes
• Daily breakfast and 7 dinners
• Gala Farewell Dinner
• Bottle of water daily

• One arrival and one departure transfer
• All transportation with modern A/C motor coach as per itinerary
• Sightseeing tours as per itinerary
• Admission fees as indicated in bold letters.
• English -speaking Tour Director throughout.
• English -speaking Licensed Local Guides
• Whispers technology for enhanced touring
• Luggage handling at hotels (one piece per person in / out)

Sightseeing Tours Included:

• Zagreb
• Plitvice Lakes
• Split
• Dubrovnik

Hotels:
Sep 20 – Sep 22, 2025: Zagreb, Hotel Sherato, Weston or similar CAPITAL 5*
Sep 22 – Sep 23, 2025: Plitvice Lakes, Hotel JEZERO 3* 
Sep 23 – Sep 25, 2025: Split, Hotel BRIGG 4* or similar
Sep 25 – Sep 28  2025: Medjugorje, Hotel LEONE 4* or similar
Sep 28 – Sep 30, 2025: Dubrovnik, Hotel CITY 4* or similar

  Day-by day itinerary:

Welcome to Croatia and its capital, Zagreb! Croatia’s political and cultural heart, Zagreb is a thriving and energetic city. Long popular as a tourist destination, it hosts some of Croatia’s best museums, along with a great shopping, dining, and café culture. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. (one transfer for group) Individual transfers available at additional cost.

Check in and afternoon free until you gather for the Welcome Dinner at your hotel.

Overnight in Zagreb. (WD)

Following breakfast, drive to Ukrainian Catholic Church for Mass.  PENDING CONFIRMATION of LOCATION

Afternoon guided tour. A good place to start your Zagreb adventure is in Trg Bana Jelacica, the city’s main square where the Upper and Lower Towns meet. Here, you will find the colorful Tkalciceva Street, filled with sidewalk cafes and restaurants, as well as boutique shops. 

Other highlights include Kaptol Square, known for its many early 17th-century buildings, and the Dolac fruit and vegetable market. Perhaps the most striking attraction is St. Mark’s Church, easily recognizable by the brightly colored tile roof bearing the coats of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia, Slavonia, and Zagreb City. View the Zagreb Cathedrale, famous for its two ornately decorated spires, built in the 13th century. (see note below*)

 Lotršćak Tower, dates back to the 13th century, has long been one of Zagreb’s most recognizable landmarks. Another important medieval structure is the famous Stone Gate (Kamenita Vrata), the last of five original city gates, located in Upper Town. 

Return to your hotel to enjoy dinner together. Overnight in Zagreb. (B)

Note*: At the moment, only outside viewing is possible, since both sides were damaged during the 2020 earthquake, and we do not know when they will be open for the visit inside. St. Mark’s church can also be closed without prior notice due to some church events.

Check-out from your hotel and travel to Plitvice Lakes, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon arrival, walking tour and hike around the Lakes. Croatia’s most visited inland attraction, Plitvice Lakes National Park encompasses steep forested hillsides, which surround 16 emerald-blue lakes connected by a series of thundering waterfalls. A network of footpaths and wooden bridges crisscross the park (the country’s first national park), and the entrance ticket includes boat ride across the lakes. Dinner. 

Overnight in Plitvice National Park. (B, D)

Note 2: Best possible way is to go down into the canyon, close to the lakes and falls.

There is one part of the trail, viewpoint trail (about 1km), which is suitable for people who have walking problems. Usually, we decide on the spot, who can go down and who wishes to stay only on the viewpoint trail, entrance level. From this viewpoint, at entrance 1, you can see a part of the trail and then  decide which trail you want to take.

Breakfast. Travel to the Adriatic Coast and on the way, stop in Sibenik and Trogir.  Orientation tours of both towns and time permitting, visit and possible MASS at the Cathedral of St. James in Šibenik. It is a triple-nave Catholic Basilica with three apses and a dome. It is the episcopal seat of the Šibenik diocese. It is also the most important architectural monument of the Renaissance in the entire country.   Šibenik consists of stone buildings, stone stairways, rock cliffs, cobbled streets and stone arches. It is built on rocks and constructed with rocks. Šibenik is a city of sun, sea, and stone, a unique combination that makes this a city unlike any other in Croatia. This city is filled with incredible historical sites, beautiful seaside hang-outs and quaint alleys and squares—just what you may expect from a medieval coastal city in Croatia. Trogir is one of the most beautiful and the most preserved historic places to visit in Croatia, that is both a living museum and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  There are many amazing things to do in Trogir: countless historical attractions, impressive architecture and picturesque scenery. We continue to Split.  (B.D).

After breakfast, a guided walking tour of Split, Croatia’s second largest city after Zagreb, situated within the ancient Roman walls of the huge Diocletian’s Palace. Overlooking the Adriatic Sea, Split was built by Roman Emperor Diocletian, who retired here in AD 305. Enjoy a city tour featuring the historic inner city, built around the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Then view the remnants of Split’s Roman heritage, its Renaissance and Gothic structures, Jupiter’s Temple, the Peristyle and the Cathedral. Afternoon drive to Sinj, (possible MASS). Here we visit Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sinj, the most significant Marian shrine in Dalmatia, which displays the gold-crowned painting of Our Miraculous Lady of Sinj. Return to Split for dinner at your hotel. Overnight in Split. (B)

Following breakfast, depart Split and travel south to Makarska Riviera. We will stop at the “Little Lourdes’ Shrine in Vepric”. The Shrine was founded in 1908 and is situated in a natural cave surrounded by hills, just as the Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes. Some free time at the 4 km beach to stroll on the Makarska promenade.  We continue towards Medjugorje, Republic Bosnia and Herzegovina, deemed to be one of the best known and visited Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world. It was at this place that the vision of Our Lady was witnessed. Discover and experience the phenomenon that has made Medjugorje one of the most famous places of pilgrimage throughout the Catholic world. Since 1981, the Virgin Mary has been appearing to people who have been receiving her message of peace. Arrive in Medjugorje for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Following breakfast, a morning walk with your TD and local guide to the Church of St. James. You will hear the story about Medjugorje and visit the most beautiful places of the city: the marvelous church of Saint James with a wonderful open theater, Statue of the Risen. We will stop at the Apparition Hill called “Podbrdo”, where the Virgin Mary first appeared to the children. We attend English mass at St. James Church. (Subject to availability and change). Free time for individual prayers and reflection.  Dinner at a hotel and overnight in Medjugorje. (B, D)

Note: private masses in St. James Church cannot be organized. They have daily schedules, and our guests can join those masses every day. If our group needs space for a private mass, we can ask the hotel – supplement for the room may apply.

Breakfast.  Experience the beauty and peace of this simple village. During your stay in Medjugorje, you will have the opportunity to share faith with pilgrims from all over the world. Around 6:00 p.m. you may join the villagers and pilgrims to pray the rosary. Dinner and overnight in Medjugorje. (B, D)

The Mass schedule will be advised at a later note.

Today we end our spiritual experience as we depart Medjugorje towards the Pearl of the Adriatic, “Dubrovnik”. Panoramic drive as we enter the city towards the old town. Begin a 2-hrs walking tour of old Dubrovnik. Stop at Pile Gate, view the Onofrio Fountain and continue through the Stradum, the elegant main street. See Orlando`s Column, Church of St Blaise – the town’s patron saint, the Cathedral and other sights: the rector’s palace, bell tower clock and the Sponza Palace. You will also see the Dominican monastery & visit the Franciscan monastery with its pharmacy. This is a unique medieval pharmacy that has been in use since 1317 (making it one of the oldest in the world). It is known for its numerous old, decorated jars, measuring devices and mortars. Free time for lunch on your own and to take a stroll. Perhaps travel the cable car for the most amazing view from above.  Check in to your hotel.  Dinner at the hotel. Overnight.  (B)

Breakfast and transfer to Old Town for morning Mass. The rest of the day is at leisure to enjoy more of this amazing city on your own. In the afternoon, you will be picked up and taken to the hotel. In the evening, we gather for our farewell dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Dubrovnik (B, FD)

Following breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home. 

(One transfer for group). (B)

POLAND

10 Day First-class
Escorted Tour

Nov 30 - Dec 9, 2025

Featuring the Christmas markets
of Krakow and the opening
of the first one in Zakopane. 

KRAKOW plus Wieliczka Salt Mines,
Zakopane and Chocholow

Tour Land cost:        $ 2690  per person in double room
Gratuities:                 $ 120
Arriving:                     Krakow
Departing:                  Krakow

Tour features:

• • Hotel Indigo **** in old city center of Krakow
  • Service charges and hotel taxes & mandatory tourist city taxes
  • Daily breakfast and dinners
  • Farewell Dinner
  • All transportation with modern motor coach as per itinerary
  • Sightseeing tours as per itinerary
  • Admission fees to Wawel Castle, Royal Cathedral, St. Mary’s Church and Underground
  • Museum in Main Market Sq of Krakow
  • Admission fees to cultural activities: Christmas Carol Festival; more TBA
  • English -speaking Tour Director throughout.

CHECK YOUR BAGGAGE TO FINAL DESTINATION: Krakow Airport Use SCOPE tags!
FINAL INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE MAILED TO YOU ABOUT 3 WEEKS BEFORE DEPARTURE

Hotel Indigo **** Boutique Hotel in Krakow city center near Wawel Castle  and the medieval town square. 

Upon arrival in USA, claim baggage, pass through passport/customs control and continue to your final destination under own arrangements.  Passengers with domestic connections must claim baggage and pass through USA customs in first city of entry to USA.  Then proceed to recheck baggage for connecting flights. 

THANK YOU FOR TRAVELING VIA SCOPE !!!