My Slavonia, Baranja and Syrmia

Our first destination is Ilok, the most eastern town in Croatia in the region Srymia. On the charming country estate Principovac enjoy the amazing views of Ilok, Syrmia, and Bačka. Next is wine tasting and lunch at the Papak winery.

Moving on, we continue towards the city. We make our way to the 14th century St. John of Capistrano Church. Close is the Odescalchi castle, an important central building of the medieval core of Ilok is where the Ilok Municipal Museum is situated. We take a stroll through the Ilok wine cellars “Iločki Podrumi” with an expert guide. Here you can learn about stories of famous wines that were enjoyed by Roman emperors and Queens of England. Travel to Vukovar for dinner and overnight stay.

Today, it`s all about Vukovar, a city that became a symbol of resistance and Croatian freedom. We will visit the Ovčara Memorial House and the Memorial Cemetary for Homeland War Victims. Nearby is the Museum of Vučedol Culture, one of the most significant archeological sites in Europe. Each of the 19 rooms is thematically specified, and also presents and interprets the archeological heritage of East Croatia.

While on our way to the city’s center, we turn to check out the new Water Tower. A panoramic elevator takes us to the top viewpoint, a place where you can see spectacular views of the city, Danube and Syrmia. The heart of the city is full of streets with baroque arches, but on the other side of the pedestrian bridge, you can see modern art and 3D drawings. At this point, we stand between two regions: Syrmia and Slavonia. We carry on walking to the Memorial Cross placed on the mouth of river Vuka into the Danube.

It’s lunchtime in our hotel followed by a short break. We continue our tour and visit the Baroque castle Eltz from the 18th century, in which the City Museum is located. The permanent exhibition shows the rich history, tradition, and culture of Vukovar on over 3500 m2. One more stop awaits us before officially ending our tour. In the Memorial Hospital, we visit the museum exhibition „Place of Memory – Museum Space 1991“.

The rest of the afternoon is for free time. We recommend you visit the nearby Adica forest park, a favorite place for recreationists and nature lovers. You can also get to know Vukovar in a completely different way by sailing the beautiful blue Danube. This tour includes a projection show, storytelling, and wine tasting. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

North from Vukovar is Dalj. Our first stop for the day is the Milutin Milanković Cultural and Scientific Center. We get to know the works of a world-renowned scientist in whose honor a crater on Mars and a planetoid got named.

We continue towards the wine-growing area of Erdut, located on the eastern slopes of the Dalj mountain by the Danube river. We make a stop at the ruins of the medieval city that once existed. The Adamovich Cseh Castle and the Erdut winery are close by where the largest barrel in the world is still in use. The barrel is built out of Slavonian oak,  with a total volume of 75 000 L, and is always full of Graševina – the trademark wine of this area. 

For lunch, we head to Aljmaš, situated near the mouth of the Drava and Danube rivers. Aljmaš is a famous Marian shrine where many pilgrims gather on the day of the Assumption of Mary. The Shrine of Our Lady of Refuge is the newest, fourth church edition in a row, and boasts of its unusual appearance in the form of a sailing ship.

A short drive takes us to the largest city in Slavonia, the city on the Drava river, Osijek. The bus leaves us at Tvrđa, Osijek’s core from the 18th century. The largest and the most sophisticated military fortress in Central Europe is best to explore by foot. An orientation walk takes us through the main sights: the monument of St. Trinity, the Museum of Slavonia, the Church of St. Michael from the 18th century, the Water Gate, one of the four gates that were used to enter the city… Free time for your own activities until dinner and overnight stay.

An easy walking tour by foot covers the sights in the city center. We visit Ante Starčević’s monument, concathedral of St. Peter and Paul, a neo-Gothic church, which is also the second-largest in Croatia. Close by, on the Drava river, there is a unique floating replica of one of the former mills, which became the largest mill-ship in Croatia. Before lunch, we take a stroll through Sakuntala Park to the pedestrian bridge. In your free time, make sure you enjoy a walk on the promenade -the most beautiful and largest river promenade in Croatia.

We leave Osijek as the road takes us to Baranja, situated between the rivers Drava and Danube and the land border with Hungary. We eventually reach the Nature Park Kopački Rit, the largest natural gem of this area and a wetland home to thousands of biological species. At arrival, a short presentation will be held at the reception center before our tour. The „White water lily“ trail will take us to the boat dock from where we cruise the lake through the Special Zoological Reserve. After sightseeing, we set off for dinner and accommodation at Hotel Patria in the nearby town of Beli Manastir.

We start our fresh morning at the Ethnological Center of Baranja Heritage. This place holds all the valuable ethnological treasures of Baranja, from the end of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. We move east towards the Danube and Batina, where the Battle of Batina Memorial is located. The monument is 29 meters high and due to its position, it offers spectacular views of the Danube, Serbia, and Hungary. The neighbor winery Kalazić is where we next enjoy Baranja’s best wines while touring the ECO cellar. The story of wines continues through the town of Zmajevac, rich in vineyards, wine roads, cellars, and “surduci” – deep narrowed roads in the Baranja Mountains.

Delicious lunch is served in the Kolar family estate in Suza, whose wines are decorated with numerous awards. Afterward, we visit the Ethno village Karanac, a picturesque place in the heart of Baranja. On the Three Wise Men estate, we can relax, socialize, participate in many activities (hiking, cycling, off-road driving, archery, shooting…), or just simply take a stroll up to the Bansko Brdo hill and the Goldberg vineyard position. After dinner, overnight stay.

Off to the city of Đakovo, situated in the heart of Slavonia. Our first sight is the oldest church in Đakovo, the Church of All Saints, mentioned as early as the 14th century. Despite being turned into a mosque during the Ottoman reign, it is preserved in that style when it turned back into a catholic church.

Moving on to the Cathedral, better known as Strossmayer Cathedral by its builder’s name J. J. Strossmayer. This magnificent building contains 7 altars, 43 frescoes, 31 statues, 32 reliefs, organ… it will not leave anyone indifferent. Right next to the Cathedral is the wine cellar of the Đakovo-Osijek archdiocese. Time to taste Mass wines and watch a short movie projection about the production and processing of their wines.

We walk towards Strossmayer Park, the city’s popular promenade, created almost two centuries ago. From here we can approach the Đakovo Forge and visit the local blacksmith who forges swords, ornaments, and fences, mostly by hand. At this time we`re hungry so we`ll stop for lunch.

We visit the first location of the State Stud Farm Đakovo situated in the city center. It is one of the oldest stables in Europe with a horse breeding tradition that lasts more than 500 years. After our guided tour we head to the second location called Ivandvor, not far from Đakovo, where the stud herd of mares with their foals are situated. Visitors can enjoy many gazebos, promenades and freely tour the facilities which have been preserved in their original form built-in 1912. Return to Đakovo for dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast, check-out and return to the place of departure.