Self-Launched Balkans Grand Tour: Zagreb to Athens in 21 Days

Arrive Zagreb (bus/train from the airport to the main station, ~£1.50). If time allows, stop off at Karlovac to see Dubovac Fortress, then continue toward the coast. The classic route is a bus Zagreb → Zadar (~4.5–5 hrs, £15–20, FlixBus or Arriva), with the Senj/Nehaj Fortress stop best done as a short detour by local bus from Senj if you're routing along the coast. Alternatively fly Zagreb → Zadar with Croatia Airlines (~£40–70 one way, 45 min) and use the afternoon to explore Nehaj Fortress and Zadar's walled Old Town. Evening: catch the sunset at the Sea Organ and Greeting to the Sun installation.

🚌Bus Zagreb–Zadar (~£17) or Croatia Airlines flight (~£50); local buses in Zadar ~£1.50/ride

🛏Hostel in Zadar Old Town (dorm £18–25, budget private £35–45)

• →Dubovac Fortress, Karlovac (optional stop)
• →Nehaj Fortress, Senj
• →Zadar Old Town walk
• →Sea Organ & Greeting to the Sun

Full day on foot in Zadar. Climb the bell tower of St Anastasia Cathedral (€3) for harbour views, wander the Roman Forum and the 9th-century St Donatus church, and check out the Glass Museum (€6). Swim at Kolovare beach or take a local bus to the quieter Punta Bajlo. Book your onward Split bus tonight — Arriva and FlixBus run roughly hourly, 2.5 hrs, £10–14.

🚌Walking; local bus to beaches ~£1.50

🛏Hostel in Zadar Old Town (dorm £18–25)

• →St Anastasia bell tower
• →Roman Forum & St Donatus
• →Glass Museum Zadar
• →Kolovare beach swim

Take the morning bus to Sibenik (1.5 hrs, £7). Spend 3 hrs in the UNESCO-listed old town: St James' Cathedral (€3–5, the famous 71 carved stone heads) and St Michael's Fortress (€6, best views in Dalmatia). Continue by bus Sibenik → Split (1.5 hrs, £6–8) arriving early evening. Check into a hostel in the old town or Bacvice and eat cheap at a konoba off the Riva.

🚌Bus Zadar–Sibenik (£7) + Sibenik–Split (£7)

🛏Hostel near Diocletian's Palace or Bacvice (dorm £20–28)

• →St James' Cathedral, Sibenik (UNESCO)
• →St Michael's Fortress
• →Sibenik old town lanes

Local bus #37 from Split to Trogir (30–40 min, £2–3) drops you at the UNESCO-listed island old town. Climb the Cathedral of St Lawrence bell tower (€3), walk the Kamerlengo Fortress walls (€3) and have lunch on the palm-lined riva. Back to Split by late afternoon — or stay for sunset and take the last bus back around 21:00.

🚌Local bus Split–Trogir ~£2.50 each way

🛏Hostel in Split (dorm £20–28)

• →Trogir old town (UNESCO)
• →St Lawrence Cathedral bell tower
• →Kamerlengo Fortress

Full day exploring Split's UNESCO historic centre on foot. Diocletian's Palace is free to wander — pay €10 to enter the cathedral and crypt and €6 for the substructures (or skip and just enjoy the courtyards). Hike up Marjan Hill for the best panorama (free, 45 min). Optional: a half-day Blue Cave & Hvar boat trip booked via GetYourGuide (~£45–55) if you want a sea day. Buy your Dubrovnik bus ticket tonight (4.5 hrs, £15–20).

🚌Walking; optional catamaran day trip

🛏Hostel in Split (dorm £20–28)

• →Diocletian's Palace (UNESCO)
• →Cathedral of St Domnius
• →Marjan Hill viewpoint
• →Optional Blue Cave boat trip

Break the coastal run with stops. Bus Split → Omis (30 min, £2.50) for a walk through the old town at the mouth of the Cetina canyon. Continue Omis → Ploce/Ston by bus, then a local connection to Ston (total ~£8) — don't miss the 5.5 km medieval city walls (€10 with the fortress) and a plate of the town's famous oysters (~£8). Late afternoon bus Ston → Dubrovnik (~£7, 1.5 hrs). Stay in a guesthouse just outside the walls in Gruz or Lapad to save money.

🚌Local/intercity bus Split–Omis–Ston–Dubrovnik (~£18 total)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Gruz/Lapad (dorm £22–30, private £45–60)

• →Omis old town
• →Ston city walls
• →Ston oyster tasting

Get up early to walk Dubrovnik's city walls (€35 — the priciest single ticket on this trip but non-negotiable), then wander the Stradun, Jesuit Staircase and the free-to-enter old port. Early afternoon take a bus from Dubrovnik's main station to Trebinje (~£3–4, 1 hr, two border posts). Trebinje is dramatically cheaper and only 30 km away — settle into a guesthouse and eat a £6 Bosnian dinner by the river.

🚌Bus Dubrovnik–Trebinje ~£4

🛏Sobe (guesthouse) in Trebinje old town (£18–28 private)

• →Dubrovnik city walls (UNESCO)
• →Stradun & old port
• →Border crossing to Trebinje

Slow day in Herzegovina's wine country. Walk to the 16th-century Trebinje Cathedral and the Hercegovacka Gracanica church on the hill, then take a taxi or rent a bike/scooter to Tvrdos Orthodox Monastery (8 km, ~£8 taxi each way) — arguably the best wine cellar in Bosnia, tastings ~£5–8. Back in town, taste local Zilavka at a courtyard bar for £2 a glass.

🚌Taxi/bike to Tvrdos ~£15 return; walking in town

🛏Sobe in Trebinje (£18–28 private)

• →Tvrdos Monastery & wine tasting
• →Trebinje Cathedral
• →Hercegovacka Gracanica
• →Local Zilavka wine bars

Long but rewarding transit day. Bus Trebinje → Niksic then on toward Ostrog (~£8, 3 hrs total), with a taxi from the base to the cliff-carved upper monastery (free entry, ~£5 shared). Then continue by bus Ostrog/Podgorica → Budva (~£5–7, 2 hrs). Arrive in Budva in the evening; hostels near the old town are plentiful.

🚌Bus Trebinje–Ostrog–Budva (~£15 total) plus short taxi

🛏Hostel in Budva (~£20–28 dorm; private £45+)

• →Ostrog Monastery
• →Scenic Montenegro mountain roads

Morning dip at Mogren Beach and a wander through Budva's walled medieval old town (free). Then local bus to Kotor (45 min, £3) for the UNESCO old town and the 1,350-step climb up the fortress walls (€15) — 1.5 hrs round trip, best light late afternoon. Bus back to Budva by evening or, if you'd rather reduce backtracking, sleep in Kotor and rejoin the route from there tomorrow.

🚌Local bus Budva–Kotor ~£3 each way

🛏Hostel in Budva or Kotor (dorm £20–28)

• →Budva old town
• →Mogren Beach
• →Kotor old town (UNESCO)
• →Kotor fortress walls climb

Train from Bar to Podgorica is one of the great Balkan rail journeys — get the morning service (£4–6, 1 hr, crosses the lake viaduct). En route, stop in Bar to see the medieval old town and the 19th-century olive tree (free). In Podgorica, the modern capital, walk the Ribnica bridge and Millennium Bridge, and enjoy the cheapest food of the trip at a pekara (bakery) — burek for £1.50.

🚌Bus Budva–Bar (£3) + train Bar–Podgorica (£5)

🛏Hostel or apartment in Podgorica (£18–26 dorm)

• →Bar old town
• →Bar–Podgorica scenic railway
• →Podgorica Millennium Bridge & Ribnica

Morning visit to Dajbabe Monastery in the hills above Podgorica (local bus plus 20 min walk, ~£2; free entry). Then the long ride south: bus Podgorica → Shkoder (~£7, 2.5 hrs), change for Tirana (~£5, 2 hrs) or a direct to Berat via Durres (~£10, 4 hrs). Arrive Berat after dark; a cheap guesthouse in Mangalem will cost £15–22 a night including breakfast.

🚌Buses Podgorica–Shkoder–Tirana/Berat (~£15 total)

🛏Guesthouse in Berat Old Town (£15–22 private)

• →Dajbabe Monastery
• →Crossing into Albania

Full day in the UNESCO-listed Mangalem and Gorica quarters. Climb Berat Castle (free to enter the walls, €3 for the Onufri Icon Museum with its gold-ground frescoes). Have a long Albanian lunch — byrek £1, tavë kosi £4, a coffee for 70p — then walk the riverbanks and the Gorica bridge at golden hour.

🚌Walking

🛏Guesthouse in Berat (£15–22)

• →Berat Castle (UNESCO)
• →Onufri Icon Museum
• →Mangalem & Gorica quarters
• →Berat river walk

Bus Berat → Fier (~£3, 1.5 hrs), local transport to the Apollonia archaeological site above Pojan (£2 entry, Greek/Roman ruins with almost no crowds), then on to Gjirokaster (~£5, 2 hrs). Arrive in the stone city of Gjirokaster — a UNESCO World Heritage Ottoman town — and settle into a family guesthouse in the old bazaar for £15–20.

🚌Buses Berat–Fier–Gjirokaster (~£10)

🛏Family guesthouse, Gjirokaster old town (£15–20 private)

• →Apollonia archaeological site
• →Gjirokaster old town (UNESCO)

Morning at Gjirokaster Fortress (£2.50) — the vast citadel overlooks the Drino valley and houses a captured Luftwaffe plane. Wander the Skenduli House (€2) and the bazaar. Afternoon: bus or shared taxi Gjirokaster → Ioannina via Kakavija border (~£8–10, 2.5 hrs; furgons leave when full). Arrive in Greece, switch currency mentally to euros, and eat a £7 gyros-and-salad dinner by Lake Pamvotida.

🚌Furgon/bus Gjirokaster–Ioannina ~£9

🛏Budget hotel or hostel, Ioannina centre (£20–30)

• →Gjirokaster Fortress
• →Skenduli House
• →Border crossing into Greece

Explore Ioannina's old walled city — the Fethiye Mosque, the Silversmithing Museum, and the Byzantine Museum in the Its Kale citadel (each €3–6). Take the little ferry to Nissi island on Lake Pamvotida (£2.50, 15 min) to see the Ali Pasha museum and eat trout at a lakeside taverna. Evening bus tickets for Parga can be bought in advance.

🚌Walking; local ferry £2.50; city bus £1.20

🛏Budget hotel or hostel, Ioannina (£20–30)

• →Ioannina castle & Its Kale
• →Silversmithing Museum
• →Nissi island lake trip

Hire a shared taxi or take the early bus to Dodoni (30 min, ~£3) for the wonderfully uncrowded ancient theatre and oracle — one of Greece's best-kept secrets, €3 entry. Continue to Parga via Preveza by KTEL bus (~£8, 2.5 hrs). Parga's Venetian fortress (free) sits above a horseshoe bay; swim at Valtos beach and eat grilled sardines for £7. Off-season Parga rooms drop to £25–35.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Ioannina–Dodoni–Preveza–Parga (~£12)

🛏Guesthouse or studio in Parga (£25–40, more in July–Aug)

• →Dodoni archaeological site
• →Parga fortress
• →Valtos Beach

Transit day along the Ambracian Gulf. Bus Parga → Arta (£3, 1 hr) to see the 13th-century Bridge of Arta and the archaeological museum (€4). Onward to Messolonghi (£7, 2 hrs) — the lagoon town famous for its salt pans, its heroic 1826 exodus and, in the right season, flocks of flamingos (free to view from the causeway). Final hop to Nafpaktos (£5, 1 hr).

🚌KTEL buses Parga–Arta–Messolonghi–Nafpaktos (~£15)

🛏Small hotel in Nafpaktos old harbour (£25–35)

• →Bridge of Arta
• →Arta archaeological museum
• →Messolonghi lagoon & wildlife

A lazy day in one of Greece's prettiest small harbours — climb to the Venetian fortress (free) for views across the Gulf of Corinth, wander the horseshoe port and the old walls, and swim at Psani or Gribovo beach. Sort your onward bus to Delphi tonight (via Patras or direct KTEL connections, ~£9).

🚌Walking; local bus £1.20

🛏Small hotel in Nafpaktos (£25–35)

• →Nafpaktos castle
• →Venetian harbour
• →Psani Beach

Early bus to Delphi (via Patras/Amfissa or direct seasonal service, ~£9, 3 hrs). The Delphi archaeological site and museum (combined €12) are among Greece's greatest — the Temple of Apollo, the Treasury of the Athenians and the Charioteer bronze. Stay the night in Arachova, the mountain town 10 min up the road, which is cheaper than Delphi itself and buzzing with ski-season energy in winter.

🚌KTEL bus Nafpaktos–Delphi (~£9); local bus to Arachova £1.50

🛏Guesthouse in Arachova or Delphi (£25–40)

• →Delphi archaeological site (UNESCO)
• →Delphi Museum
• →Arachova mountain town

A short local bus or taxi gets you to Hosios Loukas Monastery (UNESCO, free/€2), one of the finest Byzantine monuments in Greece — gold mosaics on a hillside. Continue to Livadeia for its Ottoman-era old town, the springs of Krya and the medieval castle, then the bus to Athens (~£6, 2 hrs). End point is Athens, matching the original tour — most travellers finish with a souvlaki and a rooftop view of the Acropolis from Monastiraki.

🚌Local buses + KTEL bus Livadeia–Athens (~£10)

🛏Hostel in Athens (Monastiraki/Plaka, dorm £18–25) — or fly home

• →Hosios Loukas Monastery (UNESCO)
• →Livadeia Old Town & Krya springs