Classic Balkans Self-Launched: Zagreb to Sarajevo

Land at Zagreb airport and take the Pleso Prijevoz shuttle to the main bus station (roughly £7, 30-40 min) or local bus 290 (£2). Check into a hostel in the Lower Town. In the late afternoon do a self-guided orientation loop: Ban Jelačić Square, the Dolac market, Tkalčićeva street, and the street art around Medika and the railway embankment. Join a pay-what-you-want Zagreb walking tour if you want local context (£5-10 tip). Dinner at a konoba in the old town.

🚌Airport shuttle Pleso Prijevoz ~£7; everything else on foot

🛏Hostel in Zagreb Lower Town (dorm £18-25)

• →Self-guided Lower Town orientation walk
• →Dolac market
• →Street-art wander towards Medika
• →Optional free walking tour

Take an early FlixBus or Arriva bus from Zagreb bus station to Plitvice (Entrance 1), roughly 2h15 and £12-15. Buy your timed park ticket online in advance (£32 in peak season, £16 off-season) — this is what replaces the guide. Walk the classic lower-to-upper lakes route C (4-6 hours) on the boardwalks and electric boat, then take the panoramic train back. Stay in a guesthouse in Mukinje or Grabovac within walking distance of Entrance 2.

🚌FlixBus/Arriva Zagreb to Plitvice ~£13 (2h15)

🛏Guesthouse in Mukinje/Grabovac (£22-30)

• →Plitvice Lakes boardwalk route C
• →Electric boat crossing Kozjak lake
• →Panoramic train viewpoint

Bus from Plitvice to Zadar (~2h, £13). Drop your bag and do a Zadar food-and-old-town walk — book a small-group tasting tour via GetYourGuide (£35-45) or DIY it: gregada fish stew, pašticada, local cheese and a glass of maraschino around the Forum. Then take an afternoon bus to Skradin (£7) and walk into Krka National Park for the Skradinski Buk waterfalls (£6-7 entry, 2h loop). Continue by bus to Šibenik for the night.

🚌Plitvice→Zadar ~£13; Zadar→Skradin ~£7; Skradin→Šibenik ~£4

🛏Hostel or sobe in Šibenik old town (£22-28)

• →Zadar old town and Forum
• →Zadar food and wine tasting
• →Krka National Park waterfall hike

Walk to Šibenik ferry pier and take the local ferry to Prvić Luka or Šepurine (about 45 min, £4-6 return leg), wander the tiny stone village, then hop to Zlarin (£4). Zlarin is car-free, famous for coral jewellery and quiet coves — walk up to the viewpoint and swim. Return to Šibenik by late afternoon ferry and do a slow evening through the old town and St Michael's Fortress (£5). Note: out of season Prvić ferries are limited, so Zlarin only is a fine fallback.

🚌Local Jadrolinija ferries £8-12 total

🛏Hostel or sobe in Šibenik (£22-28)

• →Local ferry to Prvić
• →Zlarin island walk and swimming
• →St Michael's Fortress sunset

Bus Šibenik to Split (~1h40, £8). Explore the old town on foot: Diocletian's Palace, the Riva promenade, St Duje Cathedral bell tower (£5 for the tower) and the Green Market. Grab a burek lunch, then take the late-afternoon bus along the coast to Makarska (£8, 1.5h). Check into a hostel near the harbour and eat in the old town.

🚌Šibenik→Split ~£8; Split→Makarska ~£8

🛏Hostel in Makarska (£20-28)

• →Diocletian's Palace
• →St Duje Cathedral and bell tower
• →Riva promenade
• →Coastal bus to Makarska

Keep it flexible. Options: ferry from Makarska or nearby Sumartin to Brač for Zlatni Rat beach and Bol town (£10-14 return plus bus); the Biokovo Skywalk tuk-tuk tour (£55-65, book direct or via GetYourGuide); or a zip-line session in Tučepi (£40-50 direct). Cheapest good day: hike the Osejava peninsula ridge trail (free, 3h) and swim at Nugal beach. Dinner of fresh grilled fish at the harbour.

🚌Optional ferry/bus to Brač ~£12; local transport £4

🛏Hostel in Makarska (£20-28)

• →Optional Brač and Zlatni Rat day trip
• →Optional Biokovo Skywalk
• →Osejava peninsula hike and Nugal beach swim

Bus from Makarska to Ston (change at Ploče if needed; ~2h, £10). Walk the Ston city walls, the longest fortified wall system in Europe (£10 entry, 1.5h). Walk or take a short taxi to Uvala Bistrina and book a boat-accessible oyster farm tasting direct with the family farms there (Bistrina/Ston oyster producers, ~£30-40 with wine and light lunch) — call or book a small tour a day ahead via GetYourGuide if your language is limited. Afternoon bus to Dubrovnik (£6, 1h).

🚌Makarska→Ston ~£10; local taxi ~£5; Ston→Dubrovnik ~£6

🛏Hostel in Dubrovnik old town or Lapad (£28-38)

• →Ston city walls walk
• →Uvala Bistrina oyster farm tasting with wine
• →Bus along the Pelješac coast

Do the classic walls walk early (£35, opens 8am, 2h) before the heat and cruise crowds. Then a Dubrovnik Card or direct ticket for the Rector's Palace and Dominican Monastery, and a wander through the Stradun and the old port. In the afternoon, sea-kayak around the walls with a local operator booked via GetYourGuide (£30-40, 3h) as the kayak replacement for the group tour's optional. Visit the Maritimo Recycling-style creative/eco initiatives around Gruž if you want a community angle. Evening drinks on Buža cliff bar.

🚌On foot; local bus £2 if staying in Lapad

🛏Hostel in Dubrovnik (£28-38)

• →City walls walk
• →Old town and Stradun
• →Optional sea kayaking around the walls
• →Buža cliff bar sunset

Free morning in Dubrovnik for a swim at Banje or last shopping. Around midday take the bus to Trebinje (~1h, £6) across the border — bring your passport for a quick check. On arrival walk to the Tvrdoš Monastery (30 min walk or £4 taxi) and do a wine tasting in their cellar (£6-8). Then hike or taxi up to Hercegovačka Gračanica for the city view, and on the way down stop at the Arslanagić bridge. Evening stroll along the Trebišnjica river and dinner in the old town.

🚌Dubrovnik→Trebinje bus ~£6; local taxi ~£6

🛏Guesthouse or sobe in Trebinje (£18-25)

• →Border bus to Trebinje
• →Tvrdoš Monastery wine tasting
• →Hercegovačka Gračanica viewpoint
• →Arslanagić bridge

Start at the Trebinje green market for local honey, cheese and rakija samples (free to browse, £4 to taste). Then contact a women-run apiary in the Popovo polje / Trebinje hinterland directly through your guesthouse host or the local tourist office (a homestay apiary visit is usually £10-15), and a family cheese farm for a farm-to-table lunch (£15-20, often arranged the same way or via AirBnb Experiences / GetYourGuide). Afternoon free back in town. This is the kind of day the tour includes as a group — independently it's a couple of phone calls the day before.

🚌Local taxi or shared ride to farms ~£12 total

🛏Guesthouse in Trebinje (£18-25)

• →Trebinje organic market tasting
• →Women-run apiary visit
• →Family cheese farm with farm-to-table lunch

Take the local bus Trebinje to Stolac (~1h15, £5) and see the old town centre. Walk or short taxi to Radimlja to see the UNESCO-listed medieval stećci tombstones (£2 entry). Continue by bus or shared taxi to Kravica Waterfall (£5 entry, big and swimmable in summer), then to the quieter Koćuša waterfall for lunch at a riverside restaurant. End the day in Čitluk by bus/taxi (£6), and book a winery dinner in the Brotnjo wine country directly — Čitluk wineries run tasting dinners for ~£20-25 (call or ask your guesthouse).

🚌Buses and shared taxis total ~£16

🛏Guesthouse or sobe in Čitluk/Međugorje area (£18-25)

• →Stolac old town
• →Radimlja necropolis stećci
• →Kravica Waterfall
• →Koćuša Waterfall
• →Winery dinner and tasting in Čitluk

Bus to Počitelj (£3) and climb through the Ottoman stone town to the fortress (£2). Continue to Blagaj (£3) to see the Dervish Monastery at the mouth of the Buna river and the short hike up to Blagaj Fortress ruins (free, 45 min). Then bus to Mostar (£3, 30 min). Check in, then hit the old town: Stari Most, the Kujundžiluk bazaar, the Koski Mehmed Pasha mosque minaret view (£4) and the war-photo galleries. In the evening, watch the divers and eat ćevapi.

🚌Local buses Počitelj/Blagaj/Mostar ~£10

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Mostar old town (£18-28)

• →Počitelj Ottoman stone town
• →Blagaj Dervish Monastery and fortress hike
• →Mostar old town and Stari Most

Join a pay-what-you-want Mostar walking tour in the morning (£5-10 tip) — these are run by local guides and cover the bridge, the bazaar, and the war history better than most paid tours. Afternoon free: swim at the Neretva, take the train to nearby Bradina or catch the hillside views from the Old Bridge area. Optional day trip to the Vjetrenica cave or Kajtaz House (£3). Book your onward bus to Sarajevo for the next morning.

🚌On foot; local bus £2

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Mostar (£18-28)

• →Mostar free walking tour
• →Neretva swim
• →Optional Kajtaz House

Morning bus Mostar to Sarajevo (~2h15, £10) — the route through the Neretva gorge is stunning. Check into a hostel in Baščaršija. In the afternoon do a Sarajevo food walk: book a small-group tasting tour via GetYourGuide (£30-35) or DIY through Baščaršija — ćevabdžinica, buregdžinica, a Bosnian coffee at a courtyard han, and rahat lokum. Then the Tunnel of Hope and the 11/07/95 Gallery if you have time (£5 and £4). Evening on Ferhadija street.

🚌Mostar→Sarajevo bus ~£10

🛏Hostel in Sarajevo Baščaršija (£18-25)

• →Neretva gorge bus ride
• →Sarajevo food tour or DIY tasting
• →Tunnel of Hope
• →Gallery 11/07/95

Morning: walk up to the Yellow Fortress for the city view over the minarets and hills, browse the Baščaršija coppersmiths' street, and grab a final burek. Take tram 103 to the bus/train station (£1) or the airport bus (£4) for departure. If you have a late flight, the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (£3) is a good last stop.

🚌Tram to station £1 or airport bus £4

🛏—

• →Yellow Fortress viewpoint
• →Baščaršija bazaar
• →Optional National Museum