Montenegro & Croatia Island-Hopping — Self-Launched Version

Fly into Dubrovnik (DBV), then take the Atlas or Libertas shuttle bus to Pile Gate (~€8 / £7, 30-40 min) rather than the €40+ taxi. Base yourself in a hostel inside or just outside the walls (Old Town Hostel or a Lapad guesthouse). Spend the late afternoon walking the Stradun and getting your bearings, then buy a Dubrovnik Pass (€35, includes the City Walls + several museums) if you plan to walk the walls tomorrow. Grab a cheap konoba dinner — grilled fish and blitva — and stock up on water and snacks for the trip.

🚌Airport shuttle bus ~£7

🛏Hostel in Dubrovnik Old Town / Lapad — dorm £25-35

• →Stradun evening wander
• →Dubrovnik Pass purchase

Walk the 2km City Walls early (opens 8am — go before the cruise crowds and the heat) for the classic red-roof views over Fort Minčeta and St John. Afternoon: take the 15-minute ferry to Lokrum island (€27 return) for swimming off the rocks and the botanical gardens, or just swim at Banje beach for free. In the evening catch the direct intercity bus Dubrovnik → Kotor (~3 hrs, €20-25 / £17-21). Buses run a few times daily; book via GetByBus or at the Gruž bus station. On the way the bus crosses the border and loops around the Bay of Kotor — sit on the right for the view.

🚌Lokrum ferry £23 return; Dubrovnik–Kotor bus ~£19

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Kotor Old Town — dorm £18-25

• →City Walls walk
• →Lokrum island swim
• →Bay of Kotor bus crossing

Kotor's walled Old Town is a UNESCO site sitting at the head of a submerged river canyon ringed by limestone cliffs. Walk the free self-guided loop of the squares, churches and cats (Kotor is famously cat-obsessed), then do the San Giovanni fortress hike at 6-7am or late afternoon to dodge the heat — €15 entry, ~1,350 steps, 1.5 hrs up, with the best view of the bay. In the afternoon take a local bus or taxi to Perast (20 min) and a small boat out to Our Lady of the Rocks church (€5). Eat cheaply: burek, pršut and local Njeguši cheese.

🚌Local bus to Perast ~£2 each way; church boat £4

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Kotor Old Town — dorm £18-25

• →Old Town self-guided walk
• →San Giovanni fortress hike (€15)
• →Perast & Our Lady of the Rocks

Take the local/coastal bus from Kotor to Budva (~40 min, €3-4) or a shared taxi. Drop bags and head for Mogren beach (a 5-minute walk through a rock tunnel from the Old Town) or the pebble beaches along Slovenska Plaža. Budva Old Town is small and pretty — a quick loop takes an hour. In the evening the promenade bars and clubs pick up — Budva is the region's nightlife capital, so budget accordingly. Tip: the Adriatic coast here is a cheap alternative to Croatia for eating out; a sit-down seafood dinner is €12-18.

🚌Kotor–Budva bus ~£3

🛏Hostel in Budva near Slovenska Plaža — dorm £20-28

• →Mogren beach
• →Budva Old Town walk
• →Promenade nightlife

Hire a kayak or take the local bus south along the Budva Riviera. The iconic photo stop is Sveti Stefan — the islet-hotel village — viewable from the free public beach next door (you can't go on the island itself). Continue to Petrovac for a quieter cove and a swim. Alternatively, book a half-day boat trip from Budva harbour along the coast (~€25-35) — you'll see beaches only reachable by water, mirroring the original itinerary's 'best beaches only accessible by boat' day. Return to Budva for dinner.

🚌Local bus along the riviera ~£3 total

🛏Hostel in Budva — dorm £20-28

• →Sveti Stefan viewpoint
• →Petrovac beach
• →Optional half-day boat trip (~£25)

Bus back up the coast to Dubrovnik (~3 hrs, €22), crossing the border at Debeli Brijeg. If you'd rather add a sleepier stop, break the journey at Herceg Novi (1.5 hrs) — a terraced seaside town with a fortress and cheap seafood. In Dubrovnik, this is the night to book a sunset shared sail: a 2-3 hour group sail or sunset cruise on a small yacht runs €45-70 per person — a genuinely affordable way to get real time under sail without chartering the whole boat.

🚌Budva–Dubrovnik bus ~£20

🛏Hostel in Dubrovnik (Gruž or Lapad) — dorm £25-32

• →Herceg Novi stop (optional)
• →Sunset shared sailing trip (~£45)

Take the morning catamaran from Dubrovnik's Gruž port to Sobra or Polače on Mljet (Kapetan Luka / TP Line, ~1h45, €18-25). Mljet is the greenest of the Dalmatian islands and is almost entirely a national park. Base yourself in Polače or Pomena in a guesthouse (sobe). Rent a bike (€15/day) and ride the salt lakes, or hike the rim trails. Park entry €25 in high season includes the boat shuttle to St Mary's Island monastery. This is your 'hike through the national park that inspired Odysseus' day.

🚌Catamaran Dubrovnik–Mljet ~£20

🛏Guesthouse (sobe) in Polače or Pomena — £28-38

• →Mljet National Park entry (€25)
• →Bike rental on the salt lakes
• →St Mary's Island monastery boat

Second day on Mljet: swim in the salt lakes first thing before the day-trippers arrive. Take a local boat or kayak to the Odysseus Cave on the south coast (~€25-30 with a local fisherman-boat; cheaper if you kayak). Afternoon ferry or catamaran from Sobra to Korčula (~1 hr). Korčula town is best in the early evening when the day boats leave — walk the walls and have a glass of Pošip white at a konoba on the water.

🚌Mljet–Korčula catamaran ~£10; Odysseus cave boat ~£22

🛏Guesthouse in Korčula Old Town — £28-38

• →Odysseus Cave boat trip
• →Salt lake morning swim
• →Korčula evening walk

Marco Polo's supposed birthplace: a small fortified peninsula of stone alleys, churches, fountains and Venetian loggia. Climb the Revelin tower for the panorama (€5), visit the Marco Polo House museum if you're curious, and then take a water taxi to Badija island (€5-8) — a Franciscan monastery islet with a pebble beach and no traffic. Evening is for the Moreška sword dance if it's on (€15-20) or simply a slow dinner of fish and local olive oil.

🚌Water taxi to Badija ~£5 each way

🛏Guesthouse in Korčula Old Town — £28-38

• →Revelin tower
• →Badija island beach
• →Moreška sword dance (optional)

Catamaran Korčula → Hvar town (Kapetan Luka, ~1 hr, €15-20; some services only run certain days, so check schedules — Korčula–Hvar via Sćedro is also possible). Hvar town is the glamorous one: a Venetian square, the Spanjola fortress (€10) and the Pakleni islands just offshore. Skip the €€€ harbourfront bars and drink where locals do inland. Book 2-3 nights here — staying put is cheaper than moving every day.

🚌Korčula–Hvar catamaran ~£16

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Hvar town / Stari Grad — £30-40

• →Spanjola fortress climb
• →Hvar square and harbour
• →Pakleni islands swim (water taxi)

Take a local water taxi from Hvar harbour to the Pakleni islands (€8-10 each way) — Palmižana is the sandy-ish, pine-shaded one, and you can walk between coves. This is your long beach-lounging day, matching the original trip's 'sunny beaches and long days relaxing on a yacht deck' vibe but on dry land with a €5 beer. Optionally rent a kayak (~€25 half day) and paddle between the islands. Evening: the Carpe Diem beach club on Stipanska island is the famous night out if you want it.

🚌Water taxi to Pakleni islands ~£14 return

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Hvar town — £30-40

• →Pakleni islands beach day
• →Optional kayak rental
• →Carpe Diem nightlife (optional)

Take the local bus (€4) over the hill to Stari Grad, one of the oldest towns in Europe and the gateway to the UNESCO-listed Stari Grad Plain — a 2,400-year-old Greek agricultural grid you can cycle (bike hire €15). Continue to Vrboska ('little Venice', with a tiny canal) or Jelsa if you have energy. If you hiked/stayed dry so far, this is also a good day to book a group sailing lesson or shared day-sail from Hvar (€60-90 including lunch) — the closest analogue to the original trip's full days under sail.

🚌Local bus Hvar–Stari Grad ~£4; bike hire £13

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Hvar town — £30-40

• →Stari Grad Plain cycling
• →Vrboska village
• →Optional group day-sail (~£60)

Morning catamaran Hvar → Split (Jadrolinija/Kapetan Luka, 1-2 hrs, €18-25 depending on service). Split is the transport hub of Dalmatia and a proper city: the Diocletian's Palace is a living Roman palace you can wander for free, with the cellars, cathedral and bell tower (€10-15 to climb) worth paying for. Book a hostel in the old town or Varoš district. Eat at the Green Market and grab a cheap ftira sandwich.

🚌Hvar–Split catamaran ~£20

🛏Hostel in Split old town / Varoš — dorm £25-32

• →Diocletian's Palace
• →Cathedral bell tower climb (~£8)
• →Riva waterfront evening

Easy day in Split: walk up Marjan hill for the sunset view over the harbour, swim at Kašjuni or Bene (pebble, local favourite, 20 min walk/park on Marjan), and spend the afternoon in the old town. If you want one big excursion, a day trip to Krka National Park waterfalls runs €35-50 including transport and park entry — book via GetYourGuide and go early to beat the crowds. Final night: cheap konoba dinner, then a drink on the Riva.

🚌Local bus ~£2; Krka day trip ~£40 (optional)

🛏Hostel in Split — dorm £25-32

• →Marjan hill sunset
• →Kašjuni beach
• →Optional Krka National Park day trip

Depending on your flight time, a final swim and coffee on the Riva before taking the airport bus (€6, 30 min) to Split Airport. If you're heading onward to Zagreb or further afield, there are direct intercity buses and trains, and ferries to Ancona in Italy. Total note: this itinerary adds up to roughly £980-1,120 per person excluding flights, against a G Adventures trip priced from around £2,000+ per person (plus their meal kitty and optional activities).

🚌Local bus to Split Airport ~£5

🛏—

• →Final Riva coffee
• →Airport transfer