Balkan Adventure: Self-Launched Bucharest to Belgrade

Fly or bus into Bucharest (Otopeni airport bus 783 to the centre is ~£1.50). Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Universitate/Old Town, then walk the elegant boulevards and cobbled Old City, grab a coffee in a vintage café and take an evening stroll past the Palace of Parliament (book the 1-hour guided interior tour directly with the Romanian Chamber of Deputies online in advance, ~£10, ID required). Dinner of ciorbă and mici at a local bistro.

🚌Airport bus + walking; ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in central Bucharest (~£18)

• →Self-guided Old Town walk
• →Palace of Parliament guided tour (pre-book direct, ~£10)
• →Vintage café crawl

Take an early train from Gara de Nord to Sinaia (~1h20, ~£5 with CFR), drop bags in a locker and walk 20 minutes uphill to Peleș Castle — buy the ticket at the gate on the day (~£8 for the ground floor, closed Mondays). Continue by regional train to Brașov (~1h, ~£3). Settle into a guesthouse in the old Saxon quarter and eat traditional Romanian food at a cellar restaurant off Piața Sfatului.

🚌CFR trains Bucharest–Sinaia–Brașov, ~£8 total

🛏Guesthouse or hostel private room in Brașov Old Town (~£22)

• →Peleș Castle visit
• →Evening walk in Piața Sfatului

Bus 20 or a shared maxi-taxi from Brașov's Livada Poștei to Bran (~45 min, ~£1.50) and explore Bran Castle — the Dracula-adjacent fortress — with the audio guide or a pre-booked GetYourGuide entry+transfer option (~£15). Return early afternoon for a self-guided walk of Brașov's Black Church (small entry fee), Town Hall Square and the Rope Street, or hike the short trail up Mount Tâmpa for the view.

🚌Local bus to Bran and back, ~£3

🛏Guesthouse or hostel private room in Brașov (~£22)

• →Bran Castle entry
• →Black Church
• →Tâmpa viewpoint hike

A long but straightforward travel day: bus Brașov–Bucharest (2.5h, ~£7) then a cross-border coach or train via Ruse to Veliko Tarnovo (~5–6h, ~£15). Alternatively book a shared minibus transfer through GetYourGuide. Check into a guesthouse in the old town on the hill, then take an evening stroll through the tumbledown lanes of the Old City and watch the Tsarevets fortress light up.

🚌Bus/train combo Brașov–Veliko Tarnovo, ~£22

🛏Guesthouse in Veliko Tarnovo old town (~£20)

• →Old Town evening stroll
• →Sunset viewpoint over Tsarevets

Morning at Tsarevets Fortress, the medieval tsar's citadel (~£5 entry, walkable from the old town). In the afternoon take local bus 2 to the stone village of Arbanasi (~£1) to see the Church of the Holy Nativity's painted interior and the merchant houses. In the evening join a Bulgarian folk show and dinner — bookable on GetYourGuide (~£25) or simply catch live music in a taverna in the old town.

🚌Local bus to Arbanasi, ~£2

🛏Guesthouse in Veliko Tarnovo (~£20)

• →Tsarevets Fortress
• →Arbanasi church and village
• →Optional Bulgarian folk evening (~£25)

Take the bus or train to Sofia (~3–4h, ~£8–10). Afternoon self-guided walk of the city's main sights: the gold-domed St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (free), St Sofia Church and the Roman ruins, Vitosha Boulevard and the covered market. Book a free walking tour for tomorrow morning or pay a little extra to visit the UNESCO-listed Rila Monastery as a day trip instead (shared tour ~£25 from GetYourGuide).

🚌Bus or train Veliko Tarnovo–Sofia, ~£9

🛏Hostel or budget hotel near the city centre (~£22)

• →Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
• →City centre self-guided walk

Either take an early shared minibus tour to Rila Monastery (~£25, ~3h each way including the frescoes and museum) and continue to Skopje in the late afternoon, or head straight to Skopje on the direct bus (~5h, ~£15). Settle into a hostel or guesthouse in Skopje's old bazaar area and eat grilled ćevapi by the Vardar.

🚌Bus Sofia–Skopje ~£15, or Rila tour + onward bus

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Skopje centre (~£18)

• →Optional Rila Monastery tour
• →Skopje old bazaar evening

Self-guided morning in Skopje: Macedonia Square, the Stone Bridge, the Kale Fortress (free) and the Old Bazaar. Then take the bus to Tirana (~5–6h, ~£18, some services via Ohrid where you can break the journey). Arrive in Tirana, check into a hostel near Blloku and try tavë kosi or byrek for dinner.

🚌Bus Skopje–Tirana, ~£18

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Tirana (~£20)

• →Kale Fortress
• →Stone Bridge and Old Bazaar

Morning self-guided loop of Tirana: Skanderbeg Square, the colourful painted façades, the Clock Tower and the Bunk'Art 2 museum (~£5) if you have time. Then take the bus or a shared minibus up the coast to Budva (~4–5h, ~£18, seasonal direct services; otherwise change at Shkodër). Check in, walk the walled Stari Grad old town and swim off the Adriatic beaches in the late afternoon.

🚌Bus/minibus Tirana–Budva, ~£18

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Budva old town (~£22)

• →Tirana city loop
• →Bunk'Art 2
• →Budva Stari Grad and beach

Early bus to Kotor (~40 min, ~£2.50), climb the city walls to the fortress for the classic bay view (~£5 entry), then continue by bus Kotor–Mostar via Trebinje (~4–5h, ~£18). Arrive in Mostar in the late afternoon: walk the Stari Most bridge, watch the divers and wander the Ottoman bazaar. Overnight in a guesthouse on the east bank.

🚌Local bus Budva–Kotor, then Kotor–Mostar bus, ~£21

🛏Guesthouse near Stari Most, Mostar (~£20)

• →Kotor city walls climb
• →Stari Most bridge and old bazaar

Join a pre-booked Mostar walking tour on GetYourGuide (~£12) covering the bridge's wartime history, or do it with a free map. Midday train or bus to Sarajevo (~2–2.5h, ~£7 — the train through the Neretva canyon is spectacular). Evening walk in Baščaršija, coffee in a traditional čaršija courtyard and a locally hosted dinner of bosanski lonac.

🚌Train Mostar–Sarajevo, ~£7

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Baščaršija, Sarajevo (~£20)

• →Mostar walking tour
• →Baščaršija evening
• →Bosnian dinner

Take a local trolleybus or taxi to the Tunnel of Hope in Butmir (~£4 entry, ~£3 transport) — go early to beat groups. Back in town, do a self-guided walk of the Old Town: the Yellow Fortress viewpoint, the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, the Latin Bridge and the Sarajevo Roses. Browse the coppersmith street (Kazandžiluk) where families like Adnan and Kenan's still hammer out coffee sets, and buy directly from the workshop. Optional: a War History / Siege of Sarajevo tour (~£15) or the Gallery 11/07/95 museum (~£5).

🚌Trolleybus to Tunnel of Hope and back, ~£3

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Sarajevo (~£20)

• →Tunnel of Hope
• →Old Town self-guided walk
• →Kazandžiluk coppersmiths

A scenic but slow travel day: the daily bus Sarajevo–Belgrade takes around 7–8 hours (~£22); there's no direct train. Arrive in Belgrade in the evening, check into a hostel in the Bohemian Skadarlija or Savamala district and eat a Serbian pljeskavica on Skadarlija's cobbled street.

🚌Bus Sarajevo–Belgrade, ~£22

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Belgrade (~£22)

• →Skadarlija evening
• →Savamala riverside bars

Self-guided morning: walk up to Kalemegdan Fortress for views over the Sava–Danube confluence (free), then bus or tram to the vast Church of Saint Sava (~£1.50, free entry) and, if time allows, Tito's mausoleum at the House of Flowers (~£4). Finish with a coffee in Dorćol before heading to Nikola Tesla Airport by bus A1 (~£3) or continuing onwards.

🚌City transport + airport bus A1, ~£5

🛏Not included (departure day)

• →Kalemegdan Fortress
• →Church of Saint Sava
• →House of Flowers (optional)