ChernobylX
ChernobylX YUGOSLAVIAN
With expert knowledge, artifacts, and direct witnesses uncover the hidden history of the former Yugoslavia
SECRET
Explore the weirdest political, military and technological places hidden until today
LOCAL TOUCH
Meet and talk to the local Croatian people about how they remember Tito, or the Yugoslavian wars with the help of your guide
BEST OF
Croatia’s most compact “back to the Cold War” tour with underground non-touristic locations
THE DARK SIDE OF SUNNY CROATIA
What is included in your Tito's Croatia Private tour?
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THE PRICE IS FINAL, NO HIDDEN FEES
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LARGEST UNDERGROUND AIRBASE IN EUROPE
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VISIT ALCATRAZ OF EUROPE - GOLI OTOK
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ABANDONED RADAR, YACHT AND HOTELS
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PRIVATE DRIVER, PRIVATE ENGLISH GUIDE
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TOURS FROM ZAGREB IN ENGLISH
Yugoslavia Tour of Croatia
THE LOST FEDERATION
Beaches and ice cream? This is not how you will remember Croatia as you are about to visit all its hidden gems from the lost Socialistic Yugoslavia era. Josip Broz Tito was a clever partisan general, dictator and communist, playing with both sides like a double agent. Socialism nurtured by the Soviet Union and yet, flirting with the USA. Need evidence? Come to see with your own eyes all the hidden secret military infrastructure with the largest underground military airbase in Europe – Zeljava. And after the swim in the Adriatic Sea, let’s explore the abandoned state of the art hotel complex in Malinska, which was funded by the American founder of Penthouse Magazine, Bob Guccione. By the way, Tito was a lady lover as well, married 3 times.
Tito’s Croatia Private Tour will blow your mind with the fast changing history of the gorgeous Balkans – from the pearl of Adriatic into a breakup and war. All told with details, stories, faces and context which will show you how powerful Tito and Yugoslavia were in the previous century.
NEW: Feel free to take this tour with your own car, discount applicable.
- In-depth exploration of the largest underground military airbase in Europe
- Visit gigantic WW2 monuments and even a Partisan hospital
- Get into the secret military radar which was protected even from a nuclear attack
- Become a political prisoner for a day in the “Alcatraz” of Europe together with a women prison island
- Visit the battlefield and museum of the Yugoslavian and Croatian wars
- Hear the stories of the enormous Tito’s yacht now left rusting
- Walk in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein’s visit to a Yugoslavian beach
- Abandoned American Hotel exploration
- Dive deep in the secret bunker system above the port city of Rijeka
- See Tito’s magnificent yacht now rusty and abandoned
- Meet ordinary Croatians who remember Tito and war times
- BONUS: With HERO package you will eat in a bunker restaurant and get a special DVD on Tito’s dictatorship sending political enemies to prison
WHY TOUR CROATIA WITH US?
DAY 1
Zagreb –> Turanj -> Petrova Gora ->Magarcevac ->Zeljava Airbase -> Zagreb (or hotel for 2+ day tours)
Day one of your Croatian adventure starts in Zagreb, heading south to the former front line during the Yugoslavian wars, where you will visit a former “military hotel” turned into a museum. From there will we go into the mountains to visit the greatest Yugoslavian memorial to WW2 partisans fighting againsts the Nazis, and not far from there you can travel back in time some 80 years as the original partisan hospital is still there.
We will fast forward to the Cold War visiting a secret radar on top of the nearby hill, Magarcevac with its underground bunkers and secret escape exit. The Yugoslavian army was very advanced, electrical engineers were preparing the federation for a nuclear war. It is not a coincidence that the famous inventor Nikola Tesla is actually from Croatia.
A direct hit from a nuclear warhead would do nothing to the best kept secret of Josips Tito’s army: the underground military airbase with the codename “Object 505”. Zeljava is nowadays an abandoned, ruined underground maze where once 100 MiG-21 jets were stored with around 1000 troops. It is most probably the greatest underground space you will ever see and walk around. The stories of destruction or Yugoslavian pilots fleeing the country on their jets will bring you to tears. Return to Zagreb or if you are not a quick-tourism fan and you can extend your experience by another day with Tito’s Croatia tour, you will have a good night sleep near the gorgeous Plitvicke lakes.
DAY 2
Plitvicke lakes –> Senj -> Goli Otok Island -> Sveti Grgur Island -> Senj -> Zagreb (or hotel for 3+ day tours)
After breakfast we will continue our journey by going to the seaside. Now a real Indiana Jones type adventure begins by hopping on a private boat and heading to the island of Goli Otok (Bare Island), the so-called Alcatraz of Europe. A former communist labour camp for “enemies of the state” will wow you with the cruelty as well as size. The empty barracks, factory, and sport grounds will be brought to life by a local expert showing you around, and providing you with historical pictures and evidence. After hours of exploring we will move by boat a bit further to a women’s prison on an island nearby. Sveti Grgur (Saint Gregory) is a romantic Adriatic island that became a symbol of cruel regime practices on women between 1948 and 1988. Not agreeing with the dictator Tito back then? This was a well known place to “correct” your opinion, or character. We will not spend so much time here as the prison is small and in ruins. You will love the deer community here, very tamed and people-friendly. Have some swim and let’s get back to the shore before sunset. Way back to Zagreb, or if you extend it by one more day, keep on reading…
DAY 3
Senj -> Haludovo Hotel -> Rijeka -> Monte Lesco ->Zagreb
The maximum Croatian in-depth experience will wake you up in the beautiful village of Senj. We are going to the pearl of Urban Exploration of the Adriatic – Rijeka, on the way you will fall in love with the seaside scenic road. After the magnificent views, we will explore the famous Tito’s yacht which is now left rusting and waiting for it to be repaired. DUE TO CURRENT WORKS ON THE YACHT, IT MIGHT NOT BE ACCESSIBLE AT ALL DURING 2022-2023. Listen to the stories of this iconic yacht that even brought Tito to London via river Thames in 1953 as the first communistic president ever visiting Winston Churchill. Besides capitalists staying on the yacht, most of the 102 statesmen who visited Tito on this yacht were, of course, fellow communists having parties.
But there was even a more famous “sin city” for the communist leaders. Haludovo was the most luxurious hotel in the whole of Yugoslavia, visited even by Saddam Hussein. This first hotel and casino investment by the Penthouse Magazine founder Bob Guccione in Yugoslavia went bankrupt after a year. With an outstanding location it functioned until the Yugoslavian wars in 1995 when it became a shelter for refugees. Now abandoned for over two decades you will still feel the American vibe from the 1970s so untypical for the Balkans. You will explore it into depth with historical pictures.
Rijeka city is famous for its site where torpedoes were invented, developed, and tested. The Whitehead factory brought torpedoes to the world in 1866. Exactly a century later it was closed down and since then it is derelict. Now in ruins, it still has something to teach us, with over 25,000 torpedoes produced in its history.
Before we go into war tunnels and an underground military fortress, let’s have lunch in the famous bunker restaurant of Rijeka. Yummy! And now let’s find the nearby 350 meter long (1,100 ft.) military tunnel that was constructed by the Italian Royal Army between 1939 and 1942. It was utilized to protect Rijeka inhabitants from bombing raids conducted by Allied forces during the war.
The Monte Lesco underground fortress which is located above Rijeka was part of the so-called Alpine Wall (Vallo Alpino), a defense line constructed by the Italian fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. Thrilling underground experience running around corridors with your flashlight finding all the machine gun nests in the rocks. All excited and ready for the way back to Zagreb before sunset.
Tours to remember
Tito’s Croatia Private Tour is the most compact Urban Exploration tour in the Balkans providing you with a complete story of Yugoslavia, from its partisan fights in WW2 to the split of the federation in a bloody ethnic war. The tour will take you to the most bizzare, secret, and abandoned places of the Yugoslavian era, and your English tour guide will tell you shivering stories of this gorgeous land where usually most foreigners come for a sun tan. And yet, there is so much more to discover
You are all covered for the Trip of your lifetime
PRICE INCLUDES
- Full adventurous programme during your stay in Croatia
- Professional English Guide
- Pick up and drop off at your address in Zagreb
- Exploring safe and hidden places, abandoned buildings, or locations
- Tickets to museums & natural reserve sites
- Access to non-touristic sites
- Hotel accommodation (2 and 3 day tours)
- Meet up with Locals, DVD from Yugoslavian prison archives (Hero package)
- Comfortable transportation with A/C and Wi-Fi
- VIP tour spots for other X destinations: Fukushima, North Korea, Baikonur….
Tito’s Croatia tour
Frequently Asked questions
We love things fast, however immersing ourselves into the Yugoslavian Communist era really takes time and visiting non-touristic spots – the abandoned evidence of the dictatorship, Josip Tito’s career or his yacht – one needs to dive deep to uncover the truth. With a 1-day tour you visit the best of the Yugoslav military – the Turanj frontline, Magarcevac radar, and the famous Zeljava underground airbase, which all give you a great feeling of the past. However, with a 2-tour you really need to see the real life of an ordinary Yugoslav citizen, whether that was a prisoner, fisherman, hotel clerk, or defense officer. For a 3-day we go all the way down from WW2 into the modern times of Yugoslavia with historical sites like the factory where torpedoes were invented, or an underground fortress carved in a rock. The costs for the extra day are just a bit higher, but the experience is exponentially better.
All countries enter Croatia visa-free. The only visa-obliged countries are follows:
Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Egypt, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Jordan, South Africa, Qatar, Kazakhstan, China, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Mongolia, Nigeria, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, and Vietnam.
All EU countries do not need a passport to enter Croatia (ID card is sufficient).
Visiting all the spots in Croatia is risk-free, although some places don’t have entrances and are thus visited at your own risk. We made exploration as safe as possible, however, always watch your safety with proper clothing, shoes, and protective gear.
During the Corona pandemic, we have ensured the absolute safety of you and your fellow travelers by an airline-level of disinfection and precautionary measurements: antibacterial gel, disinfected buses and cars, option to agree for all travelers, travel guides and drivers to wear masks. Together we can make sure you come back home safe and thrilled.
Due to actual constraints in some locations of Croatia, ChernobylX keeps the right to change the program of the itinerary, informing you about any constraints.
IS IT SAFE TO VISIT Croatia?
Croatia is an EU member state and in general a very safe country with low criminality, good infrastructure and healthcare. Our tour guide takes care of your safety and helps you to watch your belongings. Most of the itinerary and program is risk-free.
We recommend booking your Tito’s Croatia Private Tour From Zagreb in advance (at least 1 month), as last minute bookings might not be accepted, or may not have access to all the great visited sites, especially those where entry need to be booked ahead of time.
The Cancellation Conditions:
Up to 7 days prior to departure: 100% of your deposit/payment will be refunded.
7 days or less: No deposit/payment will be returned.
We reserve the right to cancel or interrupt any tours at any time. A full refund will be given if you have paid in advance and if your tour was cancelled before departure for unplanned causes*. Unfortunately, there will not be a refund if the tour needs to be interrupted (during the tour) due to these grounds*. We may not be held responsible if you miss your flight or you have incurred any unforeseen expenses connected to the tour**
*in the case of extreme weather, forecast of extreme weather, an accident, road closure, natural disaster, or any other reasons that might endanger our staff or customers’ safety.
**for example, booking new accommodation, extra flight fees, or lost baggage.
