19-Day Grand Balkan Tour: Self-Launched Romania to Slovenia

Fly into Sibiu (SBZ) or take a train/bus from Bucharest (~4h, £8–12). Check into a central hostel in the Old Town area. Spend the afternoon on a self-guided loop of the Large Square (Piața Mare), Small Square (Piața Mică) and the Bridge of Lies — free, and the best intro to Transylvania's Saxon heritage. Evening: a plate of ciorbă and mici at a local tavern, roughly £8. Note the famous 'eyes of Sibiu' rooftops on the attics above you.

🚌Airport bus or Bolt from SBZ (~£3); walking in town

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in Sibiu Old Town (£15–22)

• →Self-guided Old Town walk: Large Square, Small Square, Bridge of Lies
• →Evening in Piața Mică

Take an early bus or train toward Sighișoara (~2h). Climb to the Citadel and pay a few lei to go up the Clock Tower (Turnul cu Ceas) for the view. Continue by train or bus to Brașov (~2.5h) and, if time allows, detour to Bran Castle — reachable by bus from Brașov (~45 min, £2) or a shared taxi. Skip the pricey private transfers: the local buses run frequently from Brașov's Autogara 2. Evening in Brașov's Council Square with a cheap goulash.

🚌Sibiu–Sighișoara bus/train ~£6; Sighișoara–Brașov train ~£5; Bran local bus ~£3

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Brașov Old Town (£15–20)

• →Sighișoara Citadel & Clock Tower (entry ~£3)
• →Bran Castle (entry ~£8)
• →Evening walk in Council Square

Morning stroll of Brașov's Council Square and a look at the Black Church exterior (interior ~£4). Then take a bus to Sinaia (~1h, £3) to see Peles Castle (entry ~£8, closed Mondays) before continuing by train to Bucharest (~1.5h from Sinaia, £6–9). Arrive Bucharest, dump bags, and do the free-ish evening loop of the Old Town. Dinner at a bistro near Lipscani rather than the tour's Caru' cu Bere splurge — though Caru' cu Bere itself is worth a beer if you fancy it.

🚌Brașov–Sinaia bus ~£3; Sinaia–Bucharest train ~£7

🛏Hostel in Bucharest Old Town (£12–18)

• →Black Church exterior & Council Square
• →Peles Castle in Sinaia (entry ~£8)
• →Bucharest Old Town evening walk

Book the Palace of Parliament tour online in advance (approx £7, ID required, book days ahead as slots fill). Then catch an afternoon bus or shared minivan to Ruse, Bulgaria, and onward to Veliko Tarnovo — the direct Bucharest–Veliko Tarnovo minivans (~4.5h, £15–20) are the easiest option and can be booked via local operators or a hostel. Arrive in the evening and see Tsarevets Fortress lit up above the town — free to view from below.

🚌Bucharest–Veliko Tarnovo shared minivan ~£18

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Veliko Tarnovo (£12–18)

• →Palace of Parliament guided tour (~£7)
• →Panoramic walk of Bucharest centre
• →Tsarevets Fortress viewpoint at night

Do Tsarevets Fortress properly in the morning (entry ~£3). Then take a bus to Gabrovo/Etar (~1.5h) for the Etar Open-Air Ethnographic Museum (entry ~£3) — a working craft village, easily reached on local buses. Continue by bus or train to Plovdiv (~2.5h). Wander the cobbled Old Town, see the Ancient Roman Theatre from outside (free) or catch a show, and finish with a glass of Bulgarian Mavrud at a Kapana district wine bar (~£5).

🚌Local buses Veliko Tarnovo–Etar ~£4; Etar–Plovdiv bus ~£6

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Plovdiv Kapana/Old Town (£12–18)

• →Tsarevets Fortress (~£3)
• →Etar Ethnographic Museum (~£3)
• →Plovdiv Old Town & Roman Theatre
• →Wine tasting in Kapana (~£5)

Grab a banitsa and coffee for breakfast (£2), then take a bus or train to Sofia (~2.5h, £6–8). Join one of Sofia's free walking tours (tip ~£8) covering Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, St. Sofia Basilica and the Roman Serdica ruins — all free to view from outside. Evening: cheap dinner in the student quarter or a plate of shopska salad near Vitosha Boulevard.

🚌Plovdiv–Sofia bus or train ~£7

🛏Hostel in central Sofia (£12–18)

• →Banitsa & coffee tasting (~£2)
• →Free walking tour of Sofia (tip ~£8)
• →Alexander Nevsky Cathedral & Serdica ruins

Take an early bus from Sofia to Skopje (~4.5–5h, £12–15; check the direct Skopje-bound services or go via Kyustendil). From Skopje, local bus/taxi to Matka Canyon (~30 min, £3–5). Take a small boat to Vrelo Cave (~£8) and hike a short stretch of the canyon trail. Back in Skopje, do the free loop: Macedonia Square, the Stone Bridge, and the Ottoman Old Bazaar, which is atmospheric and cheap for dinner (kebabs ~£5).

🚌Sofia–Skopje bus ~£13; local bus to Matka ~£3

🛏Hostel in Skopje centre (£10–15)

• →Matka Canyon boat to Vrelo Cave (~£8)
• →Macedonia Square & Stone Bridge
• →Old Bazaar (Stara Čaršija)

Bus from Skopje to Ohrid (~3h, £8). Drop bags and take the local boat or bus to St. Naum Monastery at the southern end of the lake (£4–8), where the springs are swimmable and gorgeous. Return to Ohrid for a self-guided Old Town walk: the amphitheatre, the Church of St. John at Kaneo on the cliff edge (the postcard shot), and a swim off the town beaches. Cheap lake fish dinner ~£7.

🚌Skopje–Ohrid bus ~£8; boat/bus to St. Naum ~£6

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Ohrid Old Town (£12–18)

• →St. Naum Monastery & springs
• →Lake Ohrid boat trip
• →Ohrid Old Town & Church of St. John at Kaneo

Take the bus from Ohrid to Tirana via Struga/Pogradec and the Lin peninsula (~4–5h, £12–15 with a change; check with your hostel for the shared minivan option, often ~£15 direct). The Lin village stop and Elbasan's castle quarter are worth a short pause if your driver allows. In Tirana, do a free walking tour or self-guide Skanderbeg Square, Et'hem Bey Mosque and the colourful Blloku district. Albanian dinner and a raki ~£8.

🚌Ohrid–Tirana shared minivan or bus ~£14

🛏Hostel in Tirana centre (£10–16)

• →Lin village & Elbasan castle quarter (en route)
• →Skanderbeg Square & Et'hem Bey Mosque
• →Blloku district evening

Morning bus from Tirana to Kruja (~1h, £3), climb to Kruja Castle (entry ~£3) and browse the Ottoman-era Old Bazaar. If you want the Mrizi i Zanave farm-to-table experience, book ahead and take a taxi/shared ride to Fishtë (~£15 each way) — otherwise grab a cheap byrek lunch in Kruja. Then take a bus or shared minivan onward to Shkodër and across the border to Budva/Bečići (~4–5h total, £18–25). Sunset on the Bečići beach strip.

🚌Tirana–Kruja bus ~£3; Kruja–Budva/Bečići bus/minivan ~£22

🛏Hostel or apartment in Budva/Bečići (£15–22)

• →Kruja Castle & Old Bazaar (~£3)
• →Optional Mrizi i Zanave farm lunch
• →Bečići beach sunset

Catch the local bus to the Sveti Stefan viewpoint (~30 min, £2), then continue to Kotor (~1h) for a self-guided walk of the walled Old Town. Optional: hike the Kotor fortress walls for the bay view (~£8, allow 1.5h up). Take a local bus to Perast and a small boat to Our Lady of the Rocks (~£5 return). Then the coastal bus to Dubrovnik via Herceg Novi (~3h with border crossing, £12–15). Book your Dubrovnik hostel outside the Old Town walls for better value.

🚌Bečići–Sveti Stefan–Kotor–Perast local buses ~£8; Kotor–Dubrovnik bus ~£14

🛏Hostel in Dubrovnik (Lapad or outside the walls) (£20–28)

• →Sveti Stefan viewpoint
• →Kotor Old Town & optional fortress hike (~£8)
• →Boat to Our Lady of the Rocks (~£5)

Get up early to beat the crowds and do the City Walls walk (£30 — the splurge of the trip, but worth it) or simply wander Stradun, Onofrio's Fountain and the Rector's Palace exterior for free. A Dubrovnik walking tour via GetYourGuide runs ~£18, or use a free audio guide. Swim off Buža or Banje beach in the afternoon and have a budget dinner of seafood pasta outside the walls (~£12).

🚌Local bus into Old Town (~£2)

🛏Hostel in Dubrovnik (£20–28)

• →Dubrovnik City Walls walk (~£30)
• →Stradun, Onofrio's Fountain, Rector's Palace
• →Swim at Banje beach

Take the early bus from Dubrovnik to Mostar (~3h, £12–15). Many drivers stop near Kravica Waterfalls or Čapljina — ask to be dropped and take a local bus to Kravica (entry ~£8) if you have time. Alternatively book a small-group transfer tour via GetYourGuide that includes Kravica, Počitelj and Mostar for around £35. In Mostar, see the Stari Most at golden hour and the Ottoman bazaar; the cheapest beds are in the Old Town guesthouses.

🚌Dubrovnik–Mostar bus ~£14; local bus to Kravica ~£3

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Mostar Old Town (£12–18)

• →Kravica Waterfalls (~£8)
• →Počitelj Ottoman village
• →Stari Most at sunset

Morning self-guided walk of Mostar Old Town with the Stari Most and bazaar. On the way out, the Battle of the Neretva memorial at Jablanica can be reached if your bus takes the valley road — otherwise the standard train (the scenic one, ~2h, £7) or bus (~2.5h, £9) delivers you to Sarajevo by afternoon. Evening in Bašćaršija: the Sebilj Fountain, Latin Bridge, and cheap ćevapi at a local joint (~£5).

🚌Mostar–Sarajevo train or bus ~£8

🛏Hostel in Sarajevo Bašćaršija/centre (£10–15)

• →Mostar Old Town & bazaar
• →Scenic Mostar–Sarajevo train
• →Bašćaršija, Sebilj Fountain & Latin Bridge

Do a morning free walking tour of Sarajevo or visit the Tunnel of Hope (taxi ~£10 + entry £5). Then the overnight-ish bus to Belgrade (~7–8h, £18–22) — or break the journey in Višegrad. Arrive Belgrade late afternoon/evening: walk Knez Mihailova, see Republic Square, and head to Skadarlija for a cheap Serbian dinner with live music (kafana meal ~£10). Belgrade Fortress at sunset is free and excellent.

🚌Sarajevo–Belgrade bus ~£20

🛏Hostel in Belgrade centre (£10–15)

• →Free walking tour of Sarajevo (tip ~£6)
• →Belgrade Fortress & Kalemegdan Park
• →Skadarlija kafana evening (~£10)

Take the morning or midday bus/train to Zagreb (~7–8h, £20–25). In Zagreb, do the free self-guided loop: Ban Jelačić Square, Zagreb Cathedral, Dolac Market (great cheap lunch), then up to Upper Town for St. Mark's Church and the Stone Gate. Evening: a glass of Croatian wine and a štrukli (~£8) in Tkalčićeva street.

🚌Belgrade–Zagreb bus or train ~£22

🛏Hostel in Zagreb centre (£15–22)

• →Dolac Market lunch
• →Zagreb Cathedral & Ban Jelačić Square
• →Upper Town: St. Mark's Church & Stone Gate

Early bus or train Zagreb–Ljubljana (~2.5h, £15), drop bags, then take the local bus to Bled (~1.5h, £6). Visit Bled Castle (£12) and take a pletna boat to the island (£15 return) — or swim out if you're brave. Optional stop in Radovljica by bus for honey tasting (~£5) at the Gingerbread museum. Return to Ljubljana in the evening and stroll Prešeren Square, the Triple Bridge and the Dragon Bridge — all free and lit nicely after dark.

🚌Zagreb–Ljubljana bus ~£15; Ljubljana–Bled bus ~£6

🛏Hostel in Ljubljana centre (£15–22)

• →Bled Castle (~£12)
• →Pletna boat to Bled Island (~£15)
• →Radovljica honey tasting (~£5)
• →Ljubljana bridges evening walk

Book a Postojna Cave + Predjama Castle combo ticket online (~£35–40 including the underground train ride) and take the local train or bus to Postojna (~1h, £6). Shuttle buses connect the cave to Predjama Castle. Return to Ljubljana in the evening for a farewell dinner of Slovenian štruklji and a local wine (~£15).

🚌Ljubljana–Postojna train/bus ~£6; cave shuttle ~£3

🛏Hostel in Ljubljana centre (£15–22)

• →Postojna Cave with underground train (~£25)
• →Predjama Castle (~£15 combo)
• →Farewell dinner in Ljubljana (~£15)

Final morning in Ljubljana — climb to the castle for the free-ish view (£10 for the tower) or browse the central market. Then depart from Ljubljana Airport (bus ~£5), or head onward by FlixBus/train to Venice, Zagreb or Budapest if you're extending the trip.

🚌Ljubljana city bus to airport ~£5

🛏—

• →Ljubljana Castle viewpoint (~£10)
• →Central market