The Eastern Discovery: Vienna to Athens Self-Launched (17 Days)

Land in Vienna and take the S-Bahn or CAT train from the airport into the centre (~£4–14). Check into a central hostel or budget hotel near Mariahilf or the 7th district. In the evening, do your own version of the welcome dinner: a heuriger (wine tavern) in Grinzing or a plateglass café meal — a hearty schnitzel and glass of Grüner Veltliner runs £18–25. Wander the Naschmarkt area afterwards.

🚌S-Bahn/CAT from Vienna Airport (~£4)

🛏Central hostel or budget hotel, Vienna (private room ~£35–45/night, dorm ~£20)

• →Airport train to city
• →Self-guided evening stroll in Innere Stadt
• →Heuriger dinner with local wine

Pre-book a timed Schönbrunn Palace 'Grand Tour' ticket online (~£22–26) and explore the formal gardens free of charge. In the afternoon, ride tram 1 or 2 around the Ringstrasse for a cheap self-guided loop past the State Opera, Hofburg Imperial Palace, Parliament and Karlskirche (~£2.40 single ticket, or a 24-hour pass ~£8). Skip a private guide — a £10 downloadable audio guide covers the same ground.

🚌Trams and metro, Vienna

🛏Central hostel or budget hotel, Vienna

• →Schönbrunn Palace Grand Tour ticket
• →Schönbrunn gardens
• →Ringstrasse tram circuit: Opera House, Hofburg, Parliament, Karlskirche

Take an early train or FlixBus/RegioJet from Vienna to Maribor (~2.5–3.5 hrs, £15–25). Spend 2–3 hours in Maribor's old town and riverside Lent district, then continue by bus or train to Zagreb (~2 hrs, £10–15). Check into a hostel near Ban Jelačić Square. Take the short Zagreb funicular (£0.60) up to Gornji Grad and self-guide the Stone Gate, St Mark's Church and Lotrščak Tower. A free walking tour (tip-based, ~£5–10) replaces the local expert.

🚌Vienna–Maribor train/bus + Maribor–Zagreb bus (~£30 total)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse near Ban Jelačić Square, Zagreb (~£22–30 private, £15 dorm)

• →Maribor old town and Lent riverside
• →Zagreb funicular to Upper Town
• →Free walking tour of Lower and Upper Town
• →Stone Gate, St Mark's Church, Lotrščak Tower, Zagreb Cathedral

Morning bus from Zagreb to Plitvice (Entrance 1), roughly 2–2.5 hrs for £10–13 with Arriva/FlixBus. Stay in a guesthouse in Rastoke or Grabovac just outside the park (much cheaper than park hotels). Afternoon free to relax or walk to Rastoke watermill village. Buy your Plitvice entry ticket online in advance — in high season it's timed and sells out (~£32–35 including boat and shuttle).

🚌Arriva or FlixBus Zagreb to Plitvice (~£11)

🛏Guesthouse/Sobe in Rastoke or Grabovac (~£22–30 private)

• →Bus Zagreb–Plitvice
• →Rastoke watermill village walk
• →Guesthouse evening meal

Self-guide the lakes from opening time using the official map: the lower lakes, Veliki Slap waterfall and the boat crossing between the lakes are all included in your ticket. Late afternoon, bus to Split (~4 hrs, £18–22, or earlier direct buses via Karlovac). If timing allows, hop off for 2 hours in Trogir to see the cathedral and Cipiko Palace — Trogir is a 30-min local bus from Split if you'd rather do it tomorrow morning.

🚌Plitvice–Split bus (~£20)

🛏Hostel in Split old town (~£20–30 private, £14 dorm)

• →Self-guided Plitvice Lakes boardwalk route
• →Veliki Slap waterfall
• →Plitvice boat crossing and panoramic viewpoints
• →Optional Trogir stop

Join a small-group walking tour of Diocletian's Palace on GetYourGuide (~£15–20) — this covers the cellars, the peristyle, St Duje's Cathedral, Temple of Jupiter and the Golden Gate, essentially the local-historian experience the tour includes. Afternoon: Marjan Hill viewpoint or Bačvice beach. Evening: create your own dine-around — a konoba dinner with local wine runs £18–25.

🚌Walking / local bus in Split

🛏Hostel in Split old town

• →Diocletian's Palace small-group walking tour
• →St Duje's Cathedral and Temple of Jupiter
• →Golden Gate
• →Marjan Hill sunset
• →Konoba dinner with local wine

Take the morning bus Split–Dubrovnik along the coast (~4–4.5 hrs, £15–20; sit on the right for the views). Check into a hostel or soba in Lapad or Gruž rather than the Old Town to keep costs down. Late afternoon self-guided walk of the Old Town: Onofrio's Fountain, Stradun, the Franciscan and Dominican monasteries, the cathedral and the Old Jewish Quarter and synagogue.

🚌Split–Dubrovnik bus (~£18)

🛏Hostel or soba in Lapad/Gruž, Dubrovnik (~£25–35 private, £18 dorm)

• →Coastal bus Split–Dubrovnik
• →Self-guided Dubrovnik Old Town walk
• →Onofrio's Fountain, monasteries, cathedral, synagogue

Walk the city walls early to beat crowds and heat (~£30 entry — pricey but the definitive Dubrovnik experience; or skip for a £12 kayak trip from Banje beach instead). Take the cable car up Srđ for views (~£14) and wander the Old Port. Afternoon free — swim off Buža cliff bar or catch a local ferry to Lokrum island (~£8 return).

🚌Local buses and ferries

🛏Hostel or soba in Lapad/Gruž, Dubrovnik

• →Dubrovnik city walls walk
• →Srđ cable car
• →Lokrum island ferry option
• →Old Port and Buža cliff bar

Instead of pushing straight to Tirana, break the long journey in Kotor. Bus Dubrovnik–Kotor is 2.5–3 hrs for £12–15 (a scenic ride around the Bay). Explore Kotor's walled old town and, if you have energy, climb the 1,350 steps to the fortress for the classic bay view (£2 entry). Stay overnight in Kotor or Dobrota.

🚌Dubrovnik–Kotor bus (~£14)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Kotor/Dobrota (~£20–28)

• →Bus around Kotor Bay
• →Kotor old town self-guided walk
• →Kotor fortress trail climb

Continue by bus to Tirana (via Podgorica or Ulcinj/Shkodër, roughly 5–7 hrs in total, £18–25 total; a shared minivan through Kotor Travel or similar can cut it to ~4.5 hrs for £20). Check into a hostel in Blloku. Evening self-guided loop: Skanderbeg Square, the colourful Blloku district, Dajti Ekspres cable car if time allows (£6 return).

🚌Kotor–Tirana bus/minivan (~£22)

🛏Hostel in Blloku, Tirana (~£15–22 private, £10 dorm)

• →Bus/minivan to Tirana
• →Skanderbeg Square and Blloku walk
• →Optional Dajti Ekspres cable car

Bus Tirana–Saranda (~5 hrs with Taksi/ABC, £10–14). In Saranda, catch the fast passenger ferry to Corfu (~30–90 mins, £18–28 depending on operator and season; check schedules with Ionian Seaways/Sarris, they change seasonally). Check into a guesthouse or hostel in Corfu Town. Evening in the old town's alleys and Liston.

🚌Bus Tirana–Saranda + ferry (~£35)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Corfu Town (~£20–30)

• →Bus Tirana–Saranda
• →Ferry Saranda–Corfu
• →Corfu Town evening stroll

A free day as the tour intends. Options: self-guided walk of Corfu Old Town (UNESCO listed, free), swim at Faliraki or Glyfada beach (local bus ~£2), or a half-day boat trip to Paxos/Antipaxos or the Channel of Love (~£30–40 on GetYourGuide). Cheap gyros and a beer lunch for £7–9.

🚌Local buses (~£4)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Corfu Town

• →Corfu Old Town walking route
• →Beach day by local bus
• →Optional boat cruise

Take the morning bus to Igoumenitsa and ferry to Patras (~£22 all-in), then bus Patras–Delphi via Itea (~£10, ~3.5 hrs). Alternatively, and usually cheaper/simpler in one day, take the KTEL bus from Corfu port to Ioannina then continue to Arachova/Delphi. Overnight in the village of Delphi or Arachova (~£25–35). Sunset over the valley is free and excellent.

🚌Ferry + KTEL buses (~£35)

🛏Guesthouse in Delphi or Arachova (~£25–35)

• →Ferry/bus across western Greece
• →Evening in Delphi or Arachova village

Arrive at the site at opening (08:00). One combined ticket (~£12, more in peak) covers the Sanctuary of Apollo, the Sacred Way, the Treasury of the Athenians, the Polygonal Wall, the Temple of Apollo and the museum — a £10 audio guide substitutes for the local expert. Lunch in Arachova (grilled meats, £10). Afternoon bus to Athens (~3 hrs, £12–15). Evening: your own celebration dinner in Plaka — meze and house wine, ~£20–25.

🚌KTEL bus Delphi–Athens (~£13)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Monastiraki/Plaka, Athens (~£20–35 private, £12 dorm)

• →Delphi archaeological site self-guided visit
• →Delphi Museum
• →Sacred Way, Treasury of the Athenians, Temple of Apollo
• →Bus to Athens
• →Plaka celebration dinner

Pre-book a timed Acropolis ticket online (~£12–15, or the £26 combined ticket covering the Ancient Agora, Kerameikos and more). Walk up early to see the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike and Erechtheion before heat and crowds. Then self-guide down to the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch. Join a free tip-based city walking tour (~£8 tip) in the afternoon for the guide element.

🚌Metro (~£4 day pass)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Monastiraki/Plaka, Athens

• →Acropolis and Parthenon
• →Temple of Athena Nike and Erechtheion
• →Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch
• →Free walking tour of Athens

The original includes a multi-night cruise to Kusadasi, Ephesus, Patmos, Crete and Santorini. A true independent equivalent: either (a) a one-day Saronic Gulf island cruise bookable on GetYourGuide/Klook for ~£70–90 including lunch and Hydra, Poros and Aegina stops, or (b) a DIY ferry day — Metro to Piraeus, ferry to Aegina (~£12 return) and Agistri, with lunch by the harbour. For a deeper version, add a 2-night island stay instead of returning to Athens. Note: Ephesus would need a separate Turkey trip — the visa logistics make it impractical as a day trip from a Greek ferry route.

🚌Metro + ferry (~£15 self-guided)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Athens (or 2 nights on an island if extending)

• →Optional Saronic Gulf day cruise via GetYourGuide
• →DIY Piraeus–Aegina–Agistri ferry day
• →Swimming and seafood lunch

Final morning: Monastiraki flea market or the Acropolis Museum (~£13) if flights are later. Metro line 3 direct to Athens Airport (~£9, 40 mins). Trip ends — but the islands are a 40-minute metro-then-ferry ride away if you want to extend.

🚌Metro to Athens Airport (~£9)

🛏—

• →Monastiraki flea market
• →Optional Acropolis Museum
• →Airport transfer