Self-Launched Balkans Loop: Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo & North Macedonia

Land at Tirana Nënë Tereza Airport and take the Rinas Express airport bus to the city centre (~300 lek / £3, 30 min). Drop bags at a hostel in Blloku or near Skanderbeg Square, then take a local furgon (minibus) from Tirana's north bus terminal to Kruja (~150-200 lek / £2, 45 min). Wander the Ottoman Old Bazaar, climb through Kruja Castle and its Skanderbeg Museum (£3 entry), and peek at the Sarisalltik mountain shrine if time allows. Return to Tirana in the late afternoon for an easy first evening.

🚌Airport bus ~£3 + return furgon to Kruja ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm or private room, Tirana centre (£12-20)

• →Kruja Medieval Old Bazaar
• →Kruja Castle & Skanderbeg Museum
• →Sarisalltik Bektashi shrine (light walk)

Take the morning bus from Tirana to Ulcinj or Bar, then a connecting local bus to Budva (~€15-20 total, 5-6 hrs including border). Alternatively book a direct Tirana–Budva minivan seat through a hostel or GetYourGuide transfer (~£25). Settle into a guesthouse in Budva Old Town, then walk the coastal path to catch views of Sveti Stefan islet, and explore Old Budva's Venetian lanes, St. Ivan Church and the tiny Church of St. Mary.

🚌Local buses Tirana–Budva ~£16

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in or near Budva Old Town (£18-28)

• →Sveti Stefan viewpoint walk
• →Old Budva walking loop
• →St. Ivan Church
• →Church of St. Mary

Local bus Budva to Kotor (~€3-4, 45 min). Optional easy hike up the San Giovanni fortress walls for bay views (€8, ~1.5 hrs up — skip if you want a gentle day). Free-walk the UNESCO Old Town, step into Saint Luke's Church and St. Tryphon Cathedral, and spend the afternoon on a €15 half-hour boat to Our Lady of the Rocks. Evening in Kotor's squares for cheap grilled fish or priganice.

🚌Budva–Kotor local bus ~£4

🛏Hostel inside or beside Kotor Old Town (£18-25)

• →Kotor Old Town & Saint Luke's Church
• →Optional City Walls climb
• →Boat to Our Lady of the Rocks

Bus Kotor to Podgorica or direct to Shkodër via Hani i Hotit border (~€10-14, 3-4 hrs). Check into a guesthouse near Gjuhadol, then walk up to Rozafa Castle for sunset over Lake Shkodra (£3 entry). Evening on Rruga Kole Idromeno, where you can ask about Venetian mask workshops and, in February, the Shkodër carnival.

🚌Kotor–Shkodër bus ~£12

🛏Guesthouse, Shkodër centre (£12-18)

• →Rozafa Castle
• →Lake Shkodra viewpoint
• →Kole Idromeno street stroll

Cross into Kosovo by bus via Prizren-bound minivans from Shkodër (change in Kukës or use a hostel-arranged shared transfer, ~€15-20, 4-5 hrs). Kosovo uses the euro, so no money change needed. Walk the Ottoman centre: Sinan Pasha Mosque, the Shadërvan square, the Stone Bridge and the hilltop Kalaja fortress for sunset (free). Reward yourself with a tavë kosi or flija dinner in a riverside restaurant.

🚌Shared minivan/bus Shkodër–Prizren ~£16

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Prizren old town (£15-22)

• →Prizren city walk with GetYourGuide local guide (~£15, optional)
• →Sinan Pasha Mosque
• →Prizren Fortress sunset

Take a local bus to Gjakova (~€2) for the Grand Bazaar — one of the best-preserved Ottoman bazaars in the Balkans — then a minivan onward to the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Deçan (Visoki Dečani), a UNESCO site set in chestnut woods (free, modest dress required). In the afternoon head toward Rahovec Valley: independent wineries such as Stone Castle run tastings for €10-15 — book directly or via Klook/GetYourGuide if you'd rather not organise it yourself. Return to Prizren in the evening; the September wine festival is a good reason to time your trip.

🚌Local buses/minivans ~£10 return

🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Prizren (£15-22)

• →Gjakova Grand Bazaar
• →Monastery of Deçan
• →Rahovec Valley winery tasting

Morning bus Prizren to Pristina (~€3, 1.5 hrs): see the NEWBORN monument, walk Mother Teresa Boulevard and Skanderbeg Square. Midday bus Pristina to Skopje (~€10-12, 2.5-3 hrs) — switch to Macedonian denar on arrival. Spend the evening in Skopje's Ottoman Old Bazaar, cross the Stone Bridge and Art Bridge, and see the Alexander the Great statue on Macedonia Square. Coffee at Sheshi Nena Tereza is cheap and excellent.

🚌Prizren–Pristina–Skopje buses ~£14

🛏Hostel in Skopje centre (£12-18)

• →NEWBORN monument & Skanderbeg Square, Pristina
• →Skopje Old Bazaar
• →Stone Bridge, Art Bridge & Archaeological Museum exterior

Bus Skopje to Ohrid (~£8, 3 hrs). Check into a guesthouse in the old town, then take the seasonal boat from Ohrid harbour to St. Naum (May–September, ~€15-20 return, 2 hrs each way) — otherwise a minivan-taxi from the bus station costs similar. Tour St. Naum Monastery, then swim at the springs and riverside beaches where Lake Ohrid empties into the Crni Drim. Back in Ohrid, catch the Church of St. John at Kaneo at sunset.

🚌Skopje–Ohrid bus ~£8 + boat to St. Naum ~£17

🛏Guesthouse in Ohrid Old Town (£15-22)

• →Boat to St. Naum
• →St. Naum Monastery & springs
• →Swim at St. Naum beach
• →Kaneo church viewpoint

Bus Ohrid to Korça via the mountain border crossing (~€10-12, 3 hrs; some services change at the Albanian side). In Korça, walk the Pazari i Vjetër bazaar district, the Orthodox cathedral and the boutique-lined boulevards, then take a local furgon to Pogradec on Lake Ohrid (~€5, 1.5 hrs). Optional detour to Drilon National Park near Tushemisht for springs and willow-shaded walks.

🚌Buses Ohrid–Korça–Pogradec ~£14

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Pogradec lakeside (£12-18)

• →Korça Pazari i Vjetër
• →Korça city walk
• →Optional Drilon National Park

Long travel day: furgon/bus Pogradec to Elbasan or Tirana, then onward to Berat (~€12-15, 4-5 hrs). Arrive by late afternoon and explore Berat's Mangalem and Gorica neighbourhoods — the 'town of a thousand windows' — then climb to Berat Castle for golden-hour views. Dinner of Byrek and local wine in the lower town.

🚌Local buses Pogradec–Berat ~£13

🛏Guesthouse in Mangalem (£14-20)

• →Berat Castle
• →Gorica Neighbourhood
• →Medieval old town walk
• →Old stone bridge viewpoint

Morning bus Berat to Vlorë (~€5-7, 2.5 hrs). Check into a guesthouse near the seafront, then walk Flag's Square and the Independence Monument, explore the Muradie neighbourhood and its mosque, and finish with a swim and coffee along the promenade. Seafood in Vlorë's port area is fresh and inexpensive.

🚌Berat–Vlorë bus ~£6

🛏Guesthouse near Vlorë seafront (£12-18)

• →Flag's Square & Independence Monument
• →Muradie Mosque
• →Seafront promenade & swim

Take the Vlorë–Sarandë minivan/bus and get off at the Llogara Pass viewpoint — the famous 'balcony' over the Ionian — then continue to Dhermi for a swim (note: beaches here are mostly pebble, water shoes help). Continue to Himarë by local minivan (~€2) and stay in the old town. Evening seaside walk, fresh juice on the promenade and grilled fish.

🚌Vlorë–Dhermi–Himarë minivans ~£7

🛏Guesthouse in Himarë old town (£15-22)

• →Llogara National Park viewpoint
• →Dhermi Beach swim
• →Himarë old town & castle walk

Early minivan Himarë to Sarandë (~€3), then a local bus or taxi share to Butrint National Park (£6 entry) for the Roman amphitheatre, baptistery and Venetian towers; detour to Ksamil's four islands for a quick swim. From Sarandë, a shared taxi/minivan goes to the Blue Eye spring (Syri i Kaltër, ~€5 entry) for ~1 hr. Finish with the bus to Gjirokastër (~€4, 1.5 hrs) and check into a stone-house guesthouse.

🚌Minivans/buses + shared taxi ~£14

🛏Traditional guesthouse, Gjirokastër old town (£14-20)

• →Butrint National Park
• →Ksamil beach & four islands
• →Blue Eye spring
• →Gjirokastër evening walk

Morning exploring Gjirokastër: the hilltop Castle (with its captured US jet and Cold War tunnel), the medieval bazaar, and a look inside a traditional Ottoman stone house (Skenduli House, ~£3-4). Bus to Tirana from the main terminal (~€10-12, 4.5 hrs) — book the day before and take an afternoon departure. Evening in Blloku for street food and a cheap night out.

🚌Gjirokastër–Tirana bus ~£11

🛏Hostel/budget hotel, Tirana (£12-20)

• →Gjirokastër Castle & Cold War tunnel
• →Gjirokastër medieval bazaar
• →Skenduli traditional house

Walk Skanderbeg Square, the Et'hem Bey Mosque and the National Museum exterior, then take a city bus or the 15-minute walk to BUNK'ART, the vast underground nuclear bunker museum (£6 entry, allow 2 hrs). Browse the Tirana Castle pedestrian street and pick up last souvenirs before the Rinas Express airport bus (~£3). Flexible — if your flight leaves next day, add a night in a central hostel for ~£15.

🚌City bus to BUNK'ART ~£1 + airport bus ~£3

🛏Check out (or add an extra night ~£15)

• →Skanderbeg Square & Et'hem Bey Mosque
• →BUNK'ART museum
• →Tirana Castle pedestrian street
• →Blloku neighbourhood