Balkan Kaleidoscope: Sofia to Sofia (Self-Launched)

Land in Sofia and settle into a hostel in the city centre (the Orlandovtsi area near the original tour's hotel is cheap but a 20-25 min walk/tram from the core — better to stay around Vitosha Blvd or the Women's Market). Spend the afternoon on a free walking tour of the city (Free Sofia Tour runs twice daily, tip-based), then eat a cheap banitsa and shopska salad dinner. If you have a spare day, a day trip to Rila Monastery (bus from Ovcha Kupel terminal, ~£5 each way) or Plovdiv + Bachkovo is well worth it. Buy a Bulgarian SIM/eSIM and sort your Balkan bus tickets tonight.

🚌Sofia Airport to centre: metro line 1, ~£0.80. On foot/tram in town.

🛏Hostel in central Sofia (dorm £12-16 or budget double £25-35)

• →Free walking tour of Sofia (tip-based)
• →Alexander Nevsky Cathedral & Vitosha Boulevard
• →Optional: Rila Monastery day trip
• →Optional: Plovdiv & Bachkovo Monastery day trip

Travel day. There's no direct train worth taking — the fastest reliable option is a direct bus (FlixBus or local carriers like Niš-Ekspres) from Sofia's Central Bus Station to Belgrade, roughly 6-7 hours and £20-25. Book a late-morning departure so you arrive mid-afternoon. Drop bags at a hostel near Republic Square or Skadarlija, then do a self-guided walk: Knez Mihailova street, Republic Square, St Michael's Cathedral, Kalemegdan Fortress and park for sunset over the Sava/Danube confluence, then dinner and a drink in Skadarlija's cobbled bohemian quarter. Free Belgrade walking tours also run daily from Republic Square if you want a guide.

🚌Sofia–Belgrade direct bus, ~6-7 hrs, ~£20-25

🛏Hostel near Skadarlija/Republic Square (dorm £12-18)

• →Self-guided walk: Knez Mihailova & Republic Square
• →St Michael's Cathedral
• →Belgrade Fortress & Kalemegdan Park
• →Skadarlija street for dinner
• →Optional: free walking tour of Belgrade

Long travel day: direct buses Belgrade–Sarajevo run roughly 8 hours (some overnight) and cost around £25-30. Take an early departure and arrive late afternoon. Check into a guesthouse in Baščaršija (the old Ottoman quarter) — it's cheaper and far more atmospheric than the modern centre. Evening stroll through Pigeon Square (Golubinja), see the Sarajevo City Hall (Vijećnica) from outside, the site of the Franz Ferdinand assassination on the Latin Bridge corner, and the Eternal Flame memorial. Eat ćevapi at a Baščaršija grill house.

🚌Belgrade–Sarajevo direct bus, ~8 hrs, ~£25-30

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Baščaršija (dorm £10-15, double £25-35)

• →Pigeon Square (Baščaršija)
• →Sarajevo City Hall (exterior)
• →Latin Bridge — Franz Ferdinand assassination site
• →Eternal Flame memorial
• →Ćevapi dinner in Baščaršija

A whole day in Sarajevo. Best value combination: grab a tram or taxi to the Tunnel of Hope (Tunel Spasa) in the morning — the 800m stretch of the wartime tunnel is one of the most moving sights in the Balkans (~£5 entry). Continue up to the abandoned 1984 Olympic bobsled track on Trebević (cable car up, ~£6 return, then walk) for views and street art. In the afternoon pick one museum: the War Childhood Museum or the Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide (both ~£5). Finish with a Turkish coffee and, if you fancy it, a hammam at Isa Begov Hammam (from ~£15).

🚌Tram + cable car + short taxi hops, ~£8-10

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Baščaršija

• →Tunnel of Hope (Tunel Spasa)
• →Abandoned 1984 Olympic bobsled track on Trebević
• →War Childhood Museum or Museum of Crimes Against Humanity
• →Optional: Isa Begov Hammam Turkish bath
• →Optional: National Museum of Bosnia

Take an early train or bus Sarajevo–Mostar (train is scenic along the Neretva gorge, ~2 hrs, ~£5-7; buses similar). Spend 3 hours in Mostar: Stari Most old bridge, the old bazaar Kujundžiluk, and the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque minaret for the classic view. Bus 10 minutes to Blagaj Tekija, the Sufi monastery at the source of the Buna river (~£3 entry) — a shared taxi or local bus from Mostar is easy. Then take an afternoon/evening bus Mostar–Trebinje (~2 hrs, ~£8) and overnight in Trebinje's pretty old town, which is far cheaper than Dubrovnik and 30 minutes from the border.

🚌Sarajevo–Mostar train or bus ~£6; Mostar–Blagaj local bus ~£2; Mostar–Trebinje bus ~£8

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Trebinje old town (£15-25 double)

• →Stari Most old bridge, Mostar
• →Kujundžiluk old bazaar
• →Blagaj Tekija Sufi monastery & Buna spring
• →Trebinje old town evening stroll

Local bus Trebinje–Dubrovnik takes about 45-60 minutes across the border (~£5-7); have your passport ready. Book a hostel outside the Old Town walls (Lapad, Ploče or Gruž) — inside the walls is 3x the price. Spend the afternoon doing a self-guided Old Town circuit: Pile Gate, Stradun, the Franciscan Monastery (oldest pharmacy in Europe), Sponza Palace, Rector's Palace, St Blaise's Church and the Dominican Church. A Dubrovnik Card or single Old Town Walls ticket (~£30) is optional — the free wandering and Buža cliff bar sunset are the real highlights. Eat outside the walls to save money.

🚌Trebinje–Dubrovnik local bus ~£5-7

🛏Hostel outside Old Town (dorm £20-28 summer, £14-20 shoulder)

• →Pile Gate & Stradun
• →Franciscan Monastery & Sponza Palace
• →Rector's Palace & St Blaise's Church
• →Dominican Church
• →Sunset at Buža cliff bar
• →Optional: City Walls walk

Bus Dubrovnik–Kotor (or Herceg Novi then local bus) takes roughly 2.5-3 hrs and costs ~£12-15, with the bonus of crossing the border and running around the Bay of Kotor. Stop in Herceg Novi for a couple of hours if you like, then break the journey at Perast to see Our Lady of the Rocks islet (short boat ride, ~£4). Arrive Kotor and check into a hostel or room in the walled old town. In the late afternoon do a self-guided walk: St Luka's Square, Beskuća Palace, St Tryphon's Cathedral, then climb the fortress walls (€15 entry, or free if you start at the unofficial trailhead before 8am) for sunset over the bay.

🚌Dubrovnik–Kotor bus ~£12-15; local buses along the bay ~£2-3

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Kotor old town (dorm £15-22, private room £30-45)

• →Herceg Novi old town stop
• →Perast & Our Lady of the Rocks boat trip
• →Kotor old town self-guided walk
• →Kotor Fortress walls hike for sunset
• →St Tryphon's Cathedral & St Luka's Square

The big mountain day. There's no useful train; take a bus Kotor–Podgorica (~2 hrs) then Podgorica–Peja via Rožaje (~4-5 hrs total onward), or, easier, book a shared shuttle/minivan Kotor–Peja with a local operator (~£35-45) which takes 5-6 hours over the spectacular Čakor/Rožaje passes. Whatever you do, take a window seat. Arrive Peja and stay in a small guesthouse near the centre. Evening: the Decani/Peja bazaar area for a cheap dinner and a rakia. Note Kosovo uses the euro.

🚌Bus via Podgorica ~£15-20 total, or shared minivan Kotor–Peja ~£35-45

🛏Guesthouse in Peja (double £25-35)

• →Scenic mountain drive above Kotor Bay
• →Rožaje highland route into Kosovo
• →Peja bazaar evening

Morning visit to Visoki Dečani Monastery (UNESCO, Serbian Orthodox, ~30 min by bus/taxi from Peja, free entry with a donation, ID required). Then bus Peja–Prizren (~2 hrs, ~£4-5). Prizren is the prettiest town in Kosovo: self-guided walk through the old town to Sinan Pasha Mosque, Our Lady of Ljevis church, the Old Stone Bridge and the fortress above town for sunset, with the Šadrvan square for coffee and ice cream. Cheap, friendly, and very few tourists compared to Dubrovnik.

🚌Local bus/taxi to Dečani ~£4; Peja–Prizren bus ~£4-5

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Prizren old town (£12-20 dorm, £25-35 double)

• →Visoki Dečani Monastery
• →Sinan Pasha Mosque
• →Our Lady of Ljevis church
• →Old Stone Bridge & Prizren fortress sunset
• →Šadrvan square cafés

Bus Prizren–Tirana runs via the Vërmica/Morina border, roughly 4-5 hours, ~£12-15 (furgon or coach from the bus station). Arrive midday and check into a hostel around Blloku or the centre. Afternoon self-guided walk: Skanderbeg Square, the Et'hem Bey Mosque, the colourful government buildings, and Bunk'Art 2 in the city centre. Tanner's Bridge is a short walk/taxi north of the centre, and the Enver Hoxha villa area is a quick taxi ride — or skip it and do Bunk'Art 1 instead. Dinner in Blloku, which is where Tirana's nightlife lives.

🚌Prizren–Tirana bus ~£12-15

🛏Hostel in Tirana centre/Blloku (dorm £10-15, double £25-35)

• →Skanderbeg Square & Et'hem Bey Mosque
• →Tanner's Bridge
• →Bunk'Art 2 (or Bunk'Art 1)
• →Enver Hoxha residence area
• →Blloku district dinner

Bus Tirana–Ohrid via Elbasan and the Qafë Thanë border takes 4-5 hours, ~£12-15. Arrive early afternoon and check into a guesthouse in Ohrid's old town — this is one of the best-value stays in the Balkans. Spend the afternoon at St Naum Monastery (local bus or boat along the lake, ~£4) if you still have daylight, or save it for the morning. Walk the lake shore boardwalk, see Samuil's Fortress (free/cheap entry), the cliffside St John at Kaneo church, and the Byzantine St Panteleimon (Plaošnik). Sunset at Kaneo is the postcard shot.

🚌Tirana–Ohrid bus ~£12-15; local buses/boat ~£4-6

🛏Guesthouse in Ohrid old town (double £20-30)

• →Lake Ohrid shoreline walk
• →St John at Kaneo church
• →Samuil's Fortress
• →St Panteleimon (Plaošnik)
• →Optional: St Naum Monastery by bus or boat

Bus Ohrid–Skopje is about 3-3.5 hours (~£8-10). Stop at Matka Canyon on the way in — get off at the Matka turn-off or take a local bus/taxi from Skopje (~£5) and do the easy lakeside walk, optional boat trip to Vrelo cave (~£8). Arrive Skopje and check into a hostel near the Old Bazaar. Self-guided walk through the Old Bazaar (Europe's biggest outside Istanbul), the Stone Bridge, Macedonia Square with its statues, and the Kale Fortress for sunset views over the city.

🚌Ohrid–Skopje bus ~£8-10; taxi/local bus to Matka ~£5

🛏Hostel near Skopje Old Bazaar (dorm £10-14)

• →Matka Canyon walk & optional Vrelo cave boat trip
• →Skopje Old Bazaar
• →Stone Bridge & Macedonia Square
• →Kale Fortress sunset

Bus Skopje–Sofia takes about 4.5-5 hours (~£15-18) — depart morning and arrive early afternoon. Back in Sofia, revisit anything you missed on day one or simply rest. If it's a warm evening, the Vitosha Boulevard cafés and the Roman ruins by the President's office make an easy last night. Buy any Bulgarian souvenirs (rose oil, ceramics) at the Women's Market rather than the airport.

🚌Skopje–Sofia bus ~£15-18

🛏Hostel in central Sofia (dorm £12-16)

• →Return to Sofia
• →Vitosha Boulevard & Roman ruins
• →Women's Market souvenir shopping

Breakfast, last-minute supplies, and metro to the airport (~£0.80). If you've got time and haven't done it yet, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral crypt and the free Sofia History Museum area near Serdika metro are quick and cheap before you go.

🚌Metro to Sofia Airport ~£0.80

🛏—

• →Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
• →Serdika Roman ruins
• →Flight home