Serbia, Bulgaria & Romania Self-Launched Balkan Loop: Belgrade to Belgrade (14 Days)

Morning bus or train from Belgrade to Niš (the bus is faster and more frequent — around 3.5-4 hours, ~£12). Check into a hostel near the city centre, then walk the Niš Fortress on the Nišava riverbank — free to enter, with Roman and Ottoman layers and a small Roman bathhouse. Continue to Bubanj Memorial Park (the three-fist WWII monument) on the edge of town, reachable by local bus or a 30-minute walk. Evening in the buzzing Kazandžijsko Sokače old craft street for a cheap grilled-meat dinner.

🚌Public bus Belgrade-Niš (~£12, 3.5-4 hrs) or slower train; local buses/walking in Niš

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in central Niš (~£12-16 dorm, £20-25 double)

• →Niš Fortress (free)
• →Bubanj Memorial Park (free)
• →Kazandžijsko Sokače old street walk

The original tour drives to Rila Monastery on this day. Doing it independently is doable but tight: take an early bus Niš-Sofia (changing in Sofia, ~5-6 hrs total, ~£18), drop bags, then it's not practical to reach Rila the same day. Realistic self-launch option: travel Niš-Sofia today and shift Rila Monastery to tomorrow as a day trip, OR overnight in the Rila area. Most travellers do Rila as a day trip from Sofia. Settle into a hostel in central Sofia and explore the covered market and Vitosha Boulevard for dinner.

🚌Bus Niš-Sofia (~£18, 5-6 hrs with change); Sofia metro/trams for local travel

🛏Hostel in central Sofia (~£12-18 dorm, £25-35 double)

• →Arrival wander of central Sofia
• →Vitosha Boulevard evening stroll

Book a GetYourGuide day trip to Rila Monastery (UNESCO) — most operators run shared minibuses from central Sofia for ~£25-35 including the 2-hour drive through the Rila Mountains and a couple of hours at the monastery (main church with its famous frescoes, museum, monastic courtyards). Back in Sofia by late afternoon, join a free walking tour (tip-based, ~£5-8 tip) covering Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, St. Sophia Church, the Royal Palace/National Art Gallery, the National Theatre and the Triangle of Tolerance. Traditional dinner of banitsa and shopska salad at a mehana.

🚌Shared day-trip minibus to Rila (~£25-35 with tour); walking + metro in Sofia

🛏Hostel in central Sofia (~£12-18 dorm, £25-35 double)

• →Rila Monastery day trip (shared tour, ~£30)
• →Free walking tour of Sofia (tip ~£6)
• →Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
• →Traditional Bulgarian dinner

Morning bus Sofia-Plovdiv (frequent, ~2 hrs, ~£8) or the train (~2.5 hrs, ~£6). Plovdiv is compact and walkable. Explore the Bishop's Basilica with its 5th-6th century mosaics, then wander the cobbled Old Town with its colourful National Revival merchant houses. See the Roman theatre (still used for performances) and the remains of the Roman stadium under the main pedestrian street. Join Plovdiv's free walking tour (tip-based) for context. Evening stroll along the riverbanks at sunset.

🚌Bus Sofia-Plovdiv (~£8, 2 hrs) or train (~£6); walking in Plovdiv

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Plovdiv Old Town/new town (~£12-18 dorm, £25-35 double)

• →Bishop's Basilica mosaics
• →Plovdiv Old Town walk
• →Ancient Roman Theatre & Stadium
• →Free walking tour (tip ~£5)

Bus Plovdiv-Veliko Tarnovo (change at Stara Zagora or direct, ~4-5 hrs, ~£12). To include Shipka Memorial Church and the Shipka Pass, hop off at Shipka village or book a small shared transfer — the church with its gold-domed Russian architecture and frescoes is a short detour off the main route. Arrive Veliko Tarnovo, check in, then climb the Tsarevets Fortress citadel (small entry fee ~£3) for the evening light show if timed right, and stroll the Samovodene arts and crafts street where artisans sell on site.

🚌Bus Plovdiv-Veliko Tarnovo (~£12, 4-5 hrs) with Shipka detour

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Veliko Tarnovo old town (~£12-18 dorm, £25-35 double)

• →Shipka Memorial Church
• →Shipka Pass views
• →Tsarevets Fortress (~£3)
• →Samovodene craft street

Bus or train Veliko Tarnovo to Ruse (the Danube border town, ~2 hrs, ~£5). Walk Ruse's elegant centre — neo-Baroque Alexandrovskaya Street, the Statue of Liberty, the Opera House and City Hall — and the Danube promenade. Then cross into Romania: bus Ruse to Bucharest (~2 hrs, ~£8) over the Friendship Bridge. Note border checks add time; keep passport handy. Check into a Bucharest hostel and head to Old Town (Lipscani) for dinner.

🚌Bus/train Veliko Tarnovo-Ruse (~£5); cross-border bus Ruse-Bucharest (~£8); metro in Bucharest

🛏Hostel in central Bucharest (~£12-18 dorm, £28-38 double)

• →Ruse Alexandrovskaya Street & Statue of Liberty
• →Danube promenade
• →Bucharest Old Town evening

Book the Palace of the Parliament tour in advance direct with the palace (ID/passport required at entry, ~£10-12) — one of the world's heaviest buildings. Join a free walking tour of Bucharest's Old Town (Lipscani) for the interwar and communist history (tip-based ~£5). In the afternoon, take the metro/tram to the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum in Herăstrău Park (~£5 entry), an open-air collection of transplanted Romanian village houses and churches. Lunch or dinner in Old Town — try sarmale (cabbage rolls) and mămăligă (polenta).

🚌Metro/tram in Bucharest (~£1-2 per ride)

🛏Hostel in central Bucharest (~£12-18 dorm, £28-38 double)

• →Palace of the Parliament tour (~£11)
• →Old Town free walking tour (tip ~£5)
• →Village Museum (~£5)

Morning train Bucharest-Brașov (~2.5-3 hrs, ~£9) through the Carpathian foothills. Drop bags, then get to Bran Castle — easiest self-launch option is a shared taxi or local bus from Brașov bus station to Bran (~1 hr, ~£4 each way), or a GetYourGuide half-day tour from Brașov (~£30-40) that bundles Bran with Peleș or Râșnov. Tour Bran's rooms and towers and the Vlad the Impaler legend, explore Bran village and its craft market. Return to Brașov for the evening.

🚌Train Bucharest-Brașov (~£9); local bus/shared taxi to Bran (~£8 return)

🛏Hostel or pension in Brașov old town (~£15-22 dorm, £30-40 double)

• →Bran Castle entry (~£10)
• →Bran village & market
• →Carpathian scenery

Spend the morning in Brașov: Piața Sfatului (Council Square), the colourful Baroque merchant houses and the Black Church (~£5 entry, biggest Gothic church in Romania). Then bus or train Brașov-Sighișoara (~2-2.5 hrs, ~£6-8). Check in within the walled Citadel — staying inside the medieval walls is the highlight. Climb the Clock Tower and its History Museum, and — if you dare — the Clock Tower basement torture chamber (~£4 combined). Browse the artisan shops and galleries.

🚌Bus/train Brașov-Sighișoara (~£7, 2-2.5 hrs)

🛏Guesthouse inside Sighișoara Citadel or lower town (~£15-22 dorm, £30-40 double)

• →Black Church (~£5)
• →Sighișoara Citadel & Clock Tower (~£4)
• →Council Square Brașov

Bus or train Sighișoara to Alba Iulia (~2-3 hrs, ~£8) to see the star-shaped Alba Carolina Citadel with its Vauban-style fortifications and the Saint Andrew's Cathedral's Neo-Gothic architecture, plus Unirii Square and the Roman Catholic St. Michael's Church with the Matthias Corvinus statue. Continue by bus or train to Sibiu (~1.5-2 hrs, ~£6). Settle into Sibiu and take an evening walk through the old town squares.

🚌Bus/train Sighișoara-Alba Iulia-Sibiu (~£14 total, 4-5 hrs)

🛏Hostel in Sibiu old town (~£13-18 dorm, £28-38 double)

• →Alba Carolina Citadel (free)
• →St. Andrew's Cathedral
• →Unirii Square & St. Michael's Church

Morning walk through Sibiu: Piața Mare (Large Square) with its Baroque buildings and City Hall, the Council Tower, and the Bridge of Lies legend. Midday, travel toward Hunedoara for Corvin's Castle (one of Europe's largest Gothic castles, tied to Vlad Țepeș) — reachable by local bus/train via Hunedoara (~£8-10 from Sibiu) then onward to Timișoara (~£8-10). This is a long transit day; alternatively make Corvin's Castle a stopover with an extra night in Deva or Hunedoara. Arrive Timișoara in the evening.

🚌Bus/train Sibiu-Hunedoara-Timișoara (~£18 total, 5-6 hrs)

🛏Hostel in Timișoara city centre (~£13-18 dorm, £28-38 double)

• →Sibiu Piața Mare, Council Tower, Bridge of Lies
• →Corvin's Castle Hunedoara (~£6)

Morning Timișoara city tour on foot: Union Square (Piața Unirii) with its Baroque Palace, the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral and Huniade Castle. Timișoara was the first European city with electric streetlights — the squares are compact and free to explore, and there's a free walking tour most days (tip-based). Afternoon travel to Novi Sad: bus is easiest, via Belgrade where needed (~5-6 hrs total, ~£18-22) — or bus Timișoara-Vršac then onward. Arrive Novi Sad, check in, and stroll Zmaj Jovina and Dunavska pedestrian streets.

🚌Bus Timișoara-Nov Sad (~£20, 5-6 hrs; some routes via Belgrade)

🛏Hostel in central Novi Sad (~£13-18 dorm, £28-38 double)

• →Timișoara Union Square, Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, Huniade Castle
• →Novi Sad pedestrian streets

Morning self-guided tour of Petrovaradin Fortress ('the Gibraltar of the Danube') — walk up from the old town or take a local bus, and explore the tunnels and clock tower (free to walk the grounds). Continue to Sremski Karlovci, the historic wine town, by bus (~30 mins, ~£2). The town is the centre of Fruška Gora wine production — drop into a local cellar for a tasting (~£8-12). See the Four Lions fountain. Late afternoon bus Novi Sad-Belgrade (~1.5 hrs, ~£6). Check into a Belgrade hostel and head to Skadarlija bohemian street for dinner.

🚌Local buses Novi Sad-Petrovaradin-Sremski Karlovci-Belgrade (~£10 total)

🛏Hostel in central Belgrade (~£13-18 dorm, £28-38 double)

• →Petrovaradin Fortress (free)
• →Sremski Karlovci wine tasting (~£10)
• →Four Lions Fountain

Final day on foot in Belgrade. Start at Belgrade Fortress and Kalemegdan Park, walk the Upper Town, and see the Pobednik (Victor) monument looking over the Sava-Danube confluence. Stroll the Knez Mihailova pedestrian street to Republic Square, with the National Theatre and National Museum — the latter has good Roman and medieval Balkan collections (~£4). See the Statue of Prince Michael. End where the tour ends, at the fortress or Republic Square, with a farewell drink in the Bohemian Quarter or a splav on the riverbank depending on season.

🚌Walking in Belgrade; trams/local buses as needed (~£1-2)

🛏Not included — book onward travel; hostels in Belgrade (~£13-18 dorm) if staying an extra night

• →Belgrade Fortress & Kalemegdan Park (free)
• →Pobednik monument
• →Knez Mihailova street
• →National Museum (~£4) & Republic Square