Zagreb to Athens: Adriatic & Ancient Capitals — Self-Launched

Fly or bus into Zagreb and check into a hostel in the Donji Grad or near Jelacic Square (about 20 mins on the Pleso Prijevoz airport shuttle, roughly £8). Do your own orientation loop: Ban Jelacic Square, the Dolac market, Tkalciceva street and the colourful St Mark's Church. In the evening join a free walking tour tip or simply hostel-hop the craft beer bars around Tkalciceva and Medvescak — this is the night-out capital of the Balkans.

🚌Airport shuttle bus ~£8; everything else on foot

🛏Hostel in central Zagreb (dorm, £15-20)

• →Self-guided old town orientation walk
• →Dolac market and Tkalciceva street
• →Free walking tour (tip-based)

Take the morning bus from Zagreb's central bus station to Plitvice (2-2.5 hrs, ~£12-15 with Autotrans/Flixbus — book online a few days ahead). Buy the timed-entry park ticket yourself on the official NP Plitvice site (roughly £32 in high season, includes the shuttle boat and train inside the park). Do the Lower Lakes loop in the afternoon and stay overnight in a guesthouse in nearby Mukinje or Jezerce so you can hit the Upper Lakes early before the day-trippers.

🚌Intercity bus Zagreb–Plitvice ~£13; park shuttle included in ticket

🛏Guesthouse/Sobe in Mukinje or Jezerce (£20-25)

• →Plitvice Lakes National Park full entry (Lower Lakes loop)

Early entrance for the Upper Lakes and the Veliki Slap waterfall before the coaches arrive, then catch an afternoon bus down the coast to Split (about 3.5 hrs, ~£18). Settle into a hostel in the old town or Bacvice, then do a sunset walk along the Riva promenade and the Peristyle. Split's nightlife is concentrated in the Diocletian's Palace cellars and the Bacvice club strip — easy to find your own 'big night out'.

🚌Bus Plitvice–Split ~£18

🛏Hostel in Split old town or Bacvice (dorm, £20-25)

• →Upper Lakes and Veliki Slap waterfall
• →Riva and Peristyle sunset walk

Book a small-group or self-guided Diocletian's Palace walking tour through GetYourGuide (about £15-18 for 1.5 hrs) or just buy the palace/cathedral combo ticket and read up yourself. In the afternoon pick your own adventure: a local catamaran or ferry to Brac for Zlatni Rat beach, a bus to Trogir (30 mins, ~£4) for the walled old town, or the ruins at Solin. Evening: Marjan hill viewpoint, then seafood in the old town.

🚌Local bus to Trogir ~£4 (or ferry to Brac ~£10 return)

🛏Hostel in Split (dorm, £20-25)

• →Diocletian's Palace guided tour (~£16 via GetYourGuide)
• →Trogir old town day trip

Take the morning catamaran from Split to Hvar Town (about 1 hr, ~£12-15 one way with Krilo or TP Line). Walk up to the Hvar Fortress for the view (£10), then either swim off the rocks or book a Pakleni Islands boat trip directly with one of the kiosks on the riva (roughly £35-45 for a half-day with coves and swimming stops). Return on the evening catamaran and eat cheaply back in Split.

🚌Catamaran Split–Hvar return ~£28

🛏Hostel in Split (dorm, £20-25)

• →Hvar Fortress
• →Pakleni Islands half-day boat cruise (~£40)
• →Hvar Town swim spots

Take the intercity bus from Split to Dubrovnik (about 4.5 hrs, ~£17-20, some services cross into Bosnia at Neum so bring your passport). Check into a hostel just outside the walls in Ploce or Gruz for better value, then walk the old town at golden hour and grab a drink at one of the Buza cliff bars. Book sea kayaking for tomorrow if you want it.

🚌Intercity bus Split–Dubrovnik ~£18

🛏Hostel in Ploce/Gruz, Dubrovnik (dorm, £25-30)

• →Old town evening wander
• →Buza cliff bars

Walk the full city walls early (£30-35 entry, 1.5-2 hrs) to beat the crowds and the heat, hit Fort Minceta, Fort Lovrijenac and St John's Fortress. In the afternoon book a guided sea kayaking tour around the walls and Lokrum island directly with a local operator (~£30-35) or take the cheap local ferry to Lopud for a sandy beach instead. Evening: War Photo Limited museum (£10) and a cheap konoba dinner off Stradun.

🚌On foot; local ferry to Lopud ~£5 return if chosen

🛏Hostel in Dubrovnik (dorm, £25-30)

• →City walls walk (~£32)
• →Sea kayaking tour (~£32)
• →War Photo Limited museum

Take the bus from Dubrovnik to Kotor (about 2.5-3 hrs including the border at Karasovici, ~£15-18; some services route via Herceg Novi). Check into a hostel inside the old town or in Dobrota. Spend the afternoon wandering the walled old town and the waterfront, then either hike the Ladder of Kotor or pay the small fee to climb the city walls up to Sveti Ivan fortress for the classic bay view at sunset.

🚌Bus Dubrovnik–Kotor ~£17

🛏Hostel in Kotor old town (dorm, £18-22)

• →Kotor old town exploration
• →Sveti Ivan fortress / city walls climb (~£8)

Build your own day: the Blue Line bus or a shared taxi to Perast (15 mins, ~£2) to see the islets and Our Lady of the Rocks; a half-day kayak on Lake Skadar booked locally (~£20); or the free-ish beaches at Herceg Novi and Donji Stoliv. In the evening eat cheap grilled fish and local wine in Kotor's squares — Montenegro is noticeably cheaper than Croatia.

🚌Local bus to Perast ~£2 return

🛏Hostel in Kotor (dorm, £18-22)

• →Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks
• →Optional Lake Skadar kayaking (~£20)

Take the morning bus from Kotor to Tirana (about 5-6 hrs via the Sukobin/Muriqan border, ~£20-25 with a local operator or a shared minivan arranged through your hostel). Albania uses the lek, but euros are widely accepted in tourist spots. Once in Tirana, do a free walking tour (tip-based) of Skanderbeg Square, the Pyramid, Bunk'Art and the colourful houses, then eat byrek and tavë kosi in the Blloku district.

🚌Bus Kotor–Tirana ~£22

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in central Tirana (£15-20)

• →Free walking tour of Tirana (tip-based)
• →Bunk'Art 2 museum (~£5)

Take the local furgon or bus south — Tirana to Gjirokastër (about 4 hrs, ~£8) then on to Saranda (1.5 hrs, ~£4-5), or a direct minibus if your hostel can arrange one. Break the journey in Gjirokastër's UNESCO-listed old town for lunch and the fortress (entry about £3). Arrive in Saranda in the late afternoon for a swim in the Ionian Sea and a cheap seafood dinner on the promenade.

🚌Local buses/furgon Tirana–Gjirokastër–Saranda ~£13

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Saranda (£15-20)

• →Gjirokastër old town and fortress
• →Saranda waterfront swim

Morning at the Butrint archaeological site just south of Saranda (~£15-20 entry including the local bus or a shared taxi out). Then take the late-afternoon passenger ferry from Saranda to Corfu (about 30-45 mins, roughly £15-20 with Sarris Cruises or Finikas — book online in summer). Wander Corfu Town's old town (a UNESCO site) and check into a hostel in the old town or near the port.

🚌Local bus to Butrint ~£3; Saranda–Corfu ferry ~£18

🛏Hostel in Corfu Town (£20-25)

• →Butrint archaeological site
• →Corfu Town old town walk

Use the cheap green KTEL buses from Corfu Town to reach Paleokastritsa, Glyfada or Sidari (~£2-4 each way). Alternatively stay local: the Old Fortress (Palaio Frourio, ~£5), the Archaeological Museum, and the Achilleion Palace (£10). In the evening the clubs and bars around the Liston and the Esplanade square are where the island's nightlife lives — free to wander, and you can pick your own crowd.

🚌Local KTEL bus to beaches ~£4 return

🛏Hostel in Corfu Town (£20-25)

• →Paleokastritsa or Glyfada beach
• →Old Fortress Corfu Town
• →Achilleion Palace (~£10)

Take a budget flight from Corfu to Athens (about 1 hr, roughly £40-60 with Ryanair, easyJet or Aegean if booked a few weeks ahead) or the very long ferry via Igoumenitsa if you're on a strict budget. Check into a hostel in Plaka, Monastiraki or Psirri. Spend the afternoon at the Acropolis (book a timed ticket online in advance, about £20-25 including the slopes) and the Acropolis Museum, then eat souvlaki in Monastiraki and watch the city from Areopagus Hill.

🚌Corfu–Athens flight ~£50; airport metro to centre ~£9

🛏Hostel in Plaka/Monastiraki, Athens (dorm, £20-25)

• →Acropolis and Parthenon (~£23, pre-booked)
• →Acropolis Museum (~£12)

Final morning for anything you missed: the Ancient Agora and Roman Agora (a few euros each), the National Archaeological Museum (£10), or the flea market at Monastiraki. Grab a last Greek coffee in Psirri, then head to the airport on the metro (about 40 mins) for your flight home. If you've got time, swap one of the museums for a day trip to Cape Sounion or a swim at Vouliagmeni.

🚌Metro to Athens airport ~£9

🛏—

• →National Archaeological Museum (~£10)
• →Monastiraki flea market