Hiking in the Balkans — Self-Launched (Dubrovnik to Dubrovnik)

Land at Dubrovnik Airport and take the Atlas/Konavle airport shuttle bus to Pile Gate (~€10 / £8.50), or a local Libertas bus if you're staying further out. Check into a guesthouse or hostel in the Lapad or Old Town area. Spend the afternoon walking the city walls or free-strolling the Stradun, then hit a supermarket for trail snacks and pick up any hiking poles you need. Use the evening to confirm your onward bus — the Dubrovnik to Kotor line (arriva/Croatia bus, roughly 2.5–3 hrs) usually runs once or twice daily in season; if that timing doesn't suit, plan to take a local bus to Herceg Novi first and a second short bus/taxi down the bay to Kotor.

🚌Airport shuttle bus ~£8.50; walking in town

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Lapad/Old Town area, £20–30

• →Dubrovnik city walls walk (city wall ticket ~£30 or free Stradun wander)
• →Old Town orientation by foot
• →Supermarket stock-up for hiking days

Cross into Montenegro by local bus — Dubrovnik to Kotor is around €18–22 (£15–19) and takes 2.5–3 hrs including the border stop. Drop bags at a hostel or guesthouse inside the old town walls or just outside. In the afternoon follow the marked trail from Kotor up the serpentine switchbacks towards Njeguši on the slopes of Mount Lovćen — roughly 3–4 hrs up, with the classic view over the Bay of Kotor opening up as you climb. In Njeguši, stop at a village konoba for the local njeguški pršut (smoked ham) and cheese — a plate and a drink is about €8–10 (£7–9). Return to Kotor by local taxi or a shared ride (~€20–25 per car, so pool with others from the village) or catch an afternoon bus if one passes. Evening is for wandering the old town squares.

🚌Local bus Dubrovnik–Kotor ~£17; hiking; local taxi/shared ride back from Njeguši ~£8 per person if shared

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in/near Kotor Old Town, £18–28

• →Bay of Kotor mountain hike to Njeguši village
• →Njeguši ham and cheese tasting (~£8)
• →Kotor Old Town evening wander

Get an early local bus or taxi up to Lovćen National Park (entrance fee ~€3–4). The park road climbs from Kotor via the 25 hairpins of the Lovćen serpentine — around €25–30 for a taxi each way from Kotor, or cheaper if you share. Hike from the Ivanova Korita area up to Jezerski Vrh, the highest point in Montenegro at 1,657 m, following the marked trail through beech forest and limestone karst — allow 4–5 hrs round trip, and the Njeguši mausoleum on the summit is a €3 entry. Bring water and layers; there's little shade and no services up top. Taxi or hitch back down in the late afternoon and stay a second night in Kotor.

🚌Shared taxi to/from Lovćen ~£15–20 each way split; hiking

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Kotor, £18–28

• →Hike to Jezerski Vrh summit (1,657 m) — Montenegro's highest point
• →Njeguši mausoleum entry (~£3)
• →Lovćen serpentine viewpoint stop

This is the long transfer day. Take a local bus from Kotor via Podgorica to Žabljak — there's usually an early bus to Podgorica (~€8–9, 2 hrs) and then a connecting bus up to Žabljak (~€8–10, 2.5 hrs); total travel time 5–6 hrs and around £16–18. If connections are awkward, a shared minivan transfer can be arranged locally for €40–50 per person. Check into a guesthouse or small hotel in the village centre. In the afternoon do a gentle warm-up walk out of town into Durmitor National Park toward Crno Jezero (Black Lake) — the loop around the lake is flat, about 1.5 hrs, and costs just the national park entry (~€3). Sort out your big hike for the next day and buy supplies in town.

🚌Local bus Kotor–Podgorica–Žabljak ~£17; walking

🛏Guesthouse or small hotel in Žabljak, £20–30

• →Durmitor National Park entry (~£3)
• →Black Lake (Crno Jezero) loop walk
• →Žabljak village evening

Full day on foot in Durmitor. Your aim is the Ališnica area and the ascent of Planinica ('small mountain', 2,330 m) — a sustained 6–8 hr day with roughly 900–1,000 m of climbing, skirting the sheer limestone walls of the Durmitor massif and passing high pasture and small glacial lakes. Maps are available in Žabljak and trails are waymarked, but it's exposed terrain — start early, carry 2–3 litres of water, a proper map or offline GPS app, and a shell layer. Food is from your own supplies plus a packed lunch from the guesthouse; expect €12–15 (£10–13) for a day of self-catered food and a beer back in town.

🚌Walking from the village; national park entry (~£3)

🛏Guesthouse or small hotel in Žabljak, £20–30

• →Alisnica valley and Planinica summit hike (2,330 m)
• →Glacial lake viewpoint stops
• →National park entry (~£3)

Take an early bus from Žabljak to Sarajevo — the direct service is patchy, so the reliable route is Žabljak–Plužine–Foča–Sarajevo or Žabljak–Podgorica–Sarajevo, either way 6–7 hrs and €25–30 (£21–25). If you want to replicate the operator's Scepan Polje/Hum crossing, break the journey at Šćepan-Polje on the border and walk the marked trail towards Hum before picking up a later bus — but check bus timings carefully, this is the fiddly day of the trip. Arrive in Sarajevo in the evening, check into a hostel in Baščaršija or Marijin Dvor, and eat burek and ćevapi on Ferhadija (€8–10).

🚌Local bus Žabljak–Sarajevo ~£23

🛏Hostel in Baščaršija/Marijin Dvor, £15–22

• →Sarajevo Baščaršija bazaar evening wander
• →Ćevapi and burek dinner (~£9)

The toughest day of the trip. Take a local bus or marshrutka from Sarajevo towards Bjelašnica (the 1984 Winter Olympics mountain) — buses to the ski resort run from the main bus station, roughly €3–4 each way, or a shared taxi for €25–30. Hike the marked trails across the Bjelašnica plateau and ridge — open, high-altitude karst with old shepherds' huts and views to Visočica and Treskavica. Full day out, 7–8 hrs and 800–1,000 m of ascent; this is exposed terrain with changeable weather, so start early and don't rely on phone signal. Return to Sarajevo in the late afternoon for a well-earned dinner in Baščaršija (€10–12).

🚌Local bus to Bjelašnica ~£6 return; walking

🛏Hostel in Sarajevo, £15–22

• →Bjelašnica full-day ridge hike
• →Olympic mountain viewpoints
• →Baščaršija dinner (~£11)

Morning bus from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik — around €25–30 (£21–25), 6–7 hrs including the Neum coastal border crossing. Efficient travellers can instead take the bus Sarajevo–Mostar (~€10, 2.5 hrs) and connect onward to Dubrovnik (~€15), which lets you see the Old Bridge for an hour if you've got the whole day. Either way, aim to arrive in Dubrovnik by late afternoon for onward flights or a final night in the city. If you're flying home the same day, book departing flights after 8pm to be safe with border delays.

🚌Local bus Sarajevo–Dubrovnik ~£23

🛏None included (final day) — budget a final night in Dubrovnik ~£25 if needed

• →Optional Mostar Old Bridge stop en route
• →Final wander in Dubrovnik Old Town