Tirana to Santorini: The Albanian Riviera & Iconic Greek Islands (Self-Launched)

Land at Tirana Airport (TIA) and take the Rinas Express shuttle bus from outside arrivals to Skanderbeg Square — roughly 400 lek (£3.50), 30–40 minutes. Check into a central hostel (Hostel Trip'n'Hostel or Milingona Hostel, both well under £15 a night in a dorm). Spend the evening on a self-guided orientation loop: Skanderbeg Square, the Et'hem Bey Mosque and its clock tower, then the colourful painted facades of the Blloku district. Cheap dinner of tavë kosi or byrek for £5–7.

🚌Airport shuttle bus ~£3.50

🛏Dorm bed in central Tirana hostel, ~£13

• →Rinas Express airport shuttle
• →Skanderbeg Square walk
• →Et'hem Bey Mosque and clock tower
• →Blloku district evening stroll

Book an Albanian home-cooking session through Airbnb Experiences, GetYourGuide or directly with Cooking Classes Tirana — expect £25–35 for a half-day class with a local cook covering byrek, tavë kosi and fërgesë, eaten as lunch. In the afternoon pick one of the nuclear bunker museums: Bunk'Art 1 (larger, £5) or Bunk'Art 2 in the city centre (£4). Evening free — walk the New Bazaar for grilled meat and a beer.

🚌Walking + occasional local bus ~£2

🛏Dorm bed in central Tirana hostel, ~£13

• →Albanian cooking class (book via GetYourGuide/Airbnb Experiences)
• →Bunk'Art bunker museum
• →New Bazaar food stalls

Take a furgon (shared minibus) or public bus from Tirana's Regional Bus Terminal to Krujë, about 1 hour and 200 lek (£1.70). Walk the old bazaar — one of Albania's oldest — and climb to Krujë Castle and the Skanderbeg Museum (£3). Continue by bus down to Tirana and onward to Berat (roughly 2.5 hours total, £5). Berat's Mangalem and Gorica quarters and the hilltop castle are free to wander; a local licensed guide for a 90-minute castle-and-old-town walk is about £15 if you want the history. Dinner of Berat specialities by the Osumi river, £8.

🚌Furgon/bus Tirana–Krujë–Tirana–Berat ~£7

🛏Guesthouse double or dorm in Berat old town, ~£15

• →Krujë old bazaar and castle
• →Skanderbeg Museum
• →Self-guided Berat castle and old town walk
• →Optional local guide at Berat castle

Bus from Berat to Vlorë (about 2 hours, £4), then a local furgon south to the Vjosë-Nartë Delta Protected Area near Nartë — a lagoon-and-wetland reserve with a Byzantine monastery ruin, free to visit and best walked in the morning. Continue to Tragjas and, if you want the shepherd experience, arrange it in advance through your Himarë guesthouse or a local guiding outfit (roughly £30–40 including a typical mountain lunch); otherwise hike the marked trail up past the village yourself and eat at a roadside taverna. Furgon on to Himarë (£1.50), check in, and walk the old town and castle hill before a seafood dinner.

🚌Buses/furgons Berat–Vlorë–Nartë–Tragjas–Himarë ~£10

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Himarë, ~£18

• →Vjosë-Nartë Delta wetlands walk
• →Byzantine monastery ruins
• →Hike to shepherd outpost from Tragjas (arrange locally)
• →Himarë old town and castle walk

Free day. The town beach is a five-minute walk; for something quieter take the local bus or a short boat taxi to Livadh, Filikuri or Gjipe — Gjipe's canyon-backed beach is the pick of the Albanian Riviera and reachable by boat from Jala beach for about £8 return. Sunbeds where you want them, £3–5. Dinner in the old town, £8.

🚌Local bus/boat taxis ~£8

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Himarë, ~£18

• →Beach time at Livadh/Filikuri
• →Boat to Gjipe beach
• →Sunset at Himarë castle

Furgon down the coast to Sarandë (£2). Take the passenger ferry across to Corfu — the Sarandë–Corfu route runs with Ionian Seaways/Finikas, around 40–60 minutes, £20–25 one way; book online a day or two ahead in high season. From Corfu's New Port, local bus No. 2 or a 20-minute walk gets you to the old town. Check in to a hostel (Corfu Backpackers or similar) and head out for a gyros dinner (£5) and a bar crawl in the old town.

🚌Furgon + ferry ~£24

🛏Hostel dorm in Corfu Town, ~£18

• →Sarandë–Corfu passenger ferry
• →Corfu Town old town evening
• →Gyros dinner and bars

Full free day. Local green buses from the San Rocco terminus run to Glyfada, Paleokastritsa and Sidari for £2–3 each way. Paleokastritsa has the best swimming and a monastery on the headland; kayak rental there is about £15 an hour. Alternatively book a day boat trip to the Antipaxos/Paxos sea caves through GetYourGuide, usually £30–40.

🚌Local green buses ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm in Corfu Town, ~£18

• →Green bus to Paleokastritsa
• →Sea kayaking or swimming
• →Optional boat trip to Paxos/Antipaxos

Morning self-guided walk through Corfu's UNESCO-listed old town — the Liston, Spianada Square, the Old Fortress (£6) and the churches of St Spyridon; the Archaeological Museum is £3 and the Achilleion Palace about £9 if you take the bus south. Mid-afternoon, bus to Agios Gordios (£2.50) and walk the coastal trail north out of the village for the sunset over the Ionian — the cliff-jumping spots along the route are well known locally, but only swim or jump where others are doing it and never alone. Bus back to town, £2.50.

🚌Local buses ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm in Corfu Town, ~£18

• →Corfu Old Town walking route
• →Old Fortress or Archaeological Museum
• →Agios Gordios sunset coastal hike
• →Optional cliff jumping at Agios Gordios

Another open day — options include the Corfu Trail section walking south, renting a scooter for the day (£20–25 plus fuel, bring an IDP), a boat trip to the remote Erimitis beaches, or the Achilleion Palace and Benitses. Hostel kitchens make a cheap lunch; eat out in the old town at night for £10.

🚌Local buses or scooter ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm in Corfu Town, ~£18

• →Scooter rental and island loop
• →Corfu Trail day section
• →Beach time at Benitses or Barbati

The long travel day. Ferry Corfu to Igoumenitsa (£10, about 1.5 hours), then KTEL bus Igoumenitsa–Ioannina (£8), then Ioannina–Trikala–Kalambaka (£18 total, roughly 5–6 hours of buses). Check into a guesthouse or hostel in Kalambaka (Hostel Tsikeli or Doupiani House, £18–22) and walk up to the Great Meteoron area in the late afternoon light — the rock formations are spectacular even when the monasteries are shut. Dinner in Kalambaka, £10.

🚌Ferry + intercity buses ~£36

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Kalambaka, ~£20

• →Corfu–Igoumenitsa ferry
• →KTEL bus route via Ioannina and Trikala
• →Evening walk among the Meteora rock pillars

Start early and hike the old mule path from Kastraki up to the monasteries — six are open on rotation, €3 each entry. Bring a shoulder-covering layer; women need a skirt (loaners available at the doors). Mid-afternoon KTEL bus Kalambaka to Athens (Liosion terminal), about 4.5 hours, £20–25. Take the metro to Monastiraki, check into a hostel, then walk the Plaka lanes in the evening for dinner and a drink with a view of the Acropolis — this is the Plaka night out, done yourself.

🚌KTEL bus ~£22 + metro £1.20

🛏Hostel dorm in Monastiraki/Plaka, ~£20

• →Meteora monasteries hike (€3 per monastery)
• →Kastraki old path
• →KTEL bus to Athens
• →Plaka evening walk and nightlife

Book the Acropolis and Parthenon timed ticket online in advance (€20–30 in season) and go at opening to beat the crowds and heat. Then the Ancient Agora (€20 combined or covered by the multi-site ticket), and the Acropolis Museum (€20) in the afternoon. Stop in at Shedia Home on Kolokotroni Street — the street magazine's café supporting people experiencing homelessness — for a coffee (€3). Evening: free walk past Syntagma, the changing of the guard, and dinner in Psyrri, £12.

🚌Metro and walking ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm in Monastiraki/Plaka, ~£20

• →Acropolis and Parthenon
• →Ancient Agora
• →Acropolis Museum
• →Shedia Home café visit
• →Syntagma Square and changing of the guard

Use the day for the National Archaeological Museum (€12–20) or a half-day trip to Cape Sounion for the Temple of Poseidon (KTEL bus £7 each way). Take an evening Blue Star ferry from Piraeus to Paros — about 3–4 hours, £30–40 — or a faster SeaJets catamaran if you'd rather pay more and go quicker. Ferries dock at Parikia; most hostels there are a 10-minute walk from the port.

🚌Metro to Piraeus + ferry ~£38

🛏Hostel dorm in Parikia, Paros, ~£20

• →National Archaeological Museum or Cape Sounion day trip
• →Piraeus–Paros ferry
• →Parikia harbour evening

Do the Paros beaches loop under your own steam: local KTEL buses run from Parikia to Kolymbithres, Santa Maria, Pounda and Golden Beach for £2–3 a hop. Kolymbithres' sculpted granite rocks and Golden Beach's windsurfing are the highlights. A half-day boat trip to Antiparos and the cave, or a small-group beaches tour booked through GetYourGuide, costs £25–35. Evening back in Parikia for fresh fish, £12.

🚌Local KTEL buses ~£7

🛏Hostel dorm in Parikia, Paros, ~£20

• →Kolymbithres beach
• →Golden Beach and Santa Maria
• →Optional boat trip to Antiparos cave
• →Parikia old town and Panagia Ekatontapyliani

Morning ferry Paros to Ios, roughly 1–1.5 hours, £15–20 (high-speed options run too). Check into a hostel in Chora — Ios is a backpacker island with dorms from £15. Afternoon orientation walk of Chora's whitewashed lanes up to the Panagia Gremiotissa church for sunset, then the bars of the main street. Optional sunset jeep safari to Manganari or Agios Theodoros is bookable locally for £25–30.

🚌Ferry ~£18

🛏Hostel dorm in Ios Chora, ~£16

• →Paros–Ios ferry
• →Chora orientation walk
• →Sunset at Panagia Gremiotissa
• →Optional jeep safari to southern beaches

Local buses and water taxis run from Chora and the port out to Mylopotas (the big sandy one, 15 minutes, £2), Manganari in the south, and Kalamos. A self-launched beaches day: bus out early, swim and walk between coves, take a water taxi back. Skarkos, the Bronze Age settlement above the port, is free-ish (£2) to visit. Dinner and a night out in Chora, £15.

🚌Local buses and water taxi ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Ios Chora, ~£16

• →Mylopotas beach
• →Manganari beach by bus/water taxi
• →Skarkos archaeological site
• →Chora nightlife

Morning ferry Ios to Santorini (Athinios port), about 45 minutes, £15–20. Bus up to Fira (£2) and check into a hostel in Fira or Karterados (Caveland in Karterados is the classic backpacker base, dorms £20–25). Afternoon: walk the caldera rim path from Fira to Oia — 10km, 3–4 hours, and the single best free thing on the island. Catch sunset in Oia if you can, then bus back to Fira (£2).

🚌Ferry ~£18 + local buses £4

🛏Hostel dorm in Fira or Karterados, ~£24

• →Ios–Santorini ferry
• →Fira to Oia caldera walk
• →Oia sunset

Last morning: the Akrotiri Bronze Age excavation (€12) or a bus to Red Beach and Perissa's black sand (£2 each way). Book either a ferry onward to Naxos/Athens or your JTR flight out. If you're flying home from Athens instead, the Santorini–Athens ferry is £35–45 and takes 5–8 hours; flights are often cheaper in shoulder season.

🚌Local buses ~£4 + onward ferry/flight excluded

🛏Not included — onward travel day

• →Akrotiri archaeological site
• →Red Beach and Perissa black sand beach
• →Onward ferry or flight booking