Splendours of Balkans & Transylvania — Self-Launched

Fly into Henri Coandă Airport (OTP) and take the 783 express bus or the direct train to Gara de Nord (~£1-2). Check into a central hostel in the Lipscani old town area. Wander the crumbling-grand streets, see Stavropoleos Monastery and the Palace of Parliament exterior at golden hour, then eat a cheap Romanian dinner (ciorbă + mici) in the old town. Tonight is your orientation evening — the equivalent of the group welcome meeting, minus the lobby.

🚌OTP Airport → city: express bus 783 or train to Gara de Nord, ~£1-2

🛏Central hostel in Lipscani, Bucharest (dorm or private twin)

• →Arrival transfer by express bus/train
• →Evening walk in Lipscani old town
• →Stavropoleos Monastery (free)
• →Palace of Parliament exterior

Free walking tour of Bucharest (tip-based, departs daily from University Square) covers Revolution Square, the Athenaeum, the Opera House and the arc of Communist-era architecture. Book a Palace of Parliament interior tour online in advance (about £10 with ID required) — the group tour only sees it from outside. Optional paid entry to the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum (~£5). Afternoon coffee culture on Calea Victoriei.

🚌Metro/walking, ~£3

🛏Central hostel in Lipscani, Bucharest

• →Tip-based free walking tour (Revolution Square, Athenaeum, Opera House)
• →Palace of Parliament interior tour (pre-book online, ~£10)
• →Dimitrie Gusti Village Museum (~£5)
• →Calea Victoriei cafés

Take an early train from Gara de Nord to Sinaia (~£5, 1.5h) and walk 20 minutes uphill to Peles Castle. Book the Peles interior ticket on arrival (~£9; closed Mondays). Then bus or train on to Bran (~£2) for Bran Castle (~£9 entry — busy but worthwhile), and continue by bus to Brașov (~£2, 45m). Stay in a guesthouse inside the old town walls, minutes from Piata Sfatului and the Black Church.

🚌Train Bucharest–Sinaia ~£5; local bus/train Sinaia–Bran–Brașov ~£4

🛏Old-town guesthouse/pension, Brașov

• →Peles Castle, Sinaia (~£9)
• →Bran Castle (~£9)
• →Brasov Council Square & Black Church
• →Evening on Republicii street

Morning climb to the Brașov 'Hollywood' sign or Tâmpa hill for views, then train to Sighișoara (~£4, 2h). Climb the Clock Tower (~£4), roam the citadel, the Church on the Hill and the yellow 'Dracula's House'. Late afternoon, take the train or a minibus onward to Cluj-Napoca (~£10-12, 3.5h). Check into a hostel near Piata Unirii and grab a cheap dinner — Cluj is a student town, so food and beer are reasonable.

🚌Train Brașov–Sighisoara ~£4; minibus/train Sighisoara–Cluj ~£11

🛏Hostel near Piata Unirii, Cluj-Napoca

• →Tâmpa hill viewpoint, Brașov
• →Sighisoara Clock Tower (~£4)
• →Sighisoara Citadel & Church on the Hill
• →Evening in Cluj old town

Day trip to Salina Turda salt mine — bus or a taxi-share from Cluj (~£3 each way, 45m), entry ~£8, including the surreal underground lake and Ferris wheel. If you want Corvin Castle as well, take an afternoon train/minibus to Hunedoara via Deva (~£8 each way) — it's a long day; alternatively hire a local guide with a car through GetYourGuide for ~£60-70 split between two. Return to Cluj for the night.

🚌Bus to Turda ~£6 return; optional Deva/Hunedoara trains ~£16 or shared private transfer

🛏Hostel near Piata Unirii, Cluj-Napoca

• →Salina Turda salt mine (~£8)
• →Corvin (Hunyadi) Castle, Hunedoara (~£5)
• →Evening in Cluj's Piata Muzeului bar scene

Morning bus or train to Sibiu (~£8-10, 2.5-3h). Do a tip-based free walking tour of the old town — Piata Mare, the Brukenthal Palace, the Lutheran Cathedral and the 'Bridge of Lies'. Walk the Liar's Bridge and the lowered Upper Town walls. Sibiu has excellent cheap canteens — try a local 'Crama' for a Romanian platter. Evening train or an early night before tomorrow's long haul into Bulgaria.

🚌Bus/train Cluj–Sibiu ~£9

🛏Old-town hostel/pension, Sibiu

• →Free walking tour of Sibiu old town
• →Brukenthal Palace (~£4)
• →Lutheran Cathedral tower climb (~£2)
• →Piata Mare & Lower Town walk

Big travel day: train Sibiu–Bucharest (4-5h, ~£10), then cross the Danube. The easiest independent route is a Bucharest–Ruse train (~£10) then bus Ruse–Veliko Tarnovo (~£5), or a direct Bucharest–Veliko Tarnovo minibus booked via a local operator (~£18, ~4h). Arrive in Tarnovo and stay in a guesthouse in the Varosha quarter overlooking the Yantra gorge. Dinner of shopska salad and grilled meat for under £8.

🚌Train Sibiu–Bucharest ~£10; Ruse crossing + bus/minibus ~£10-18

🛏Guesthouse in Varosha, Veliko Tarnovo

• →Scenic Romanian countryside by rail
• →Danube crossing at Ruse
• →Evening walk in Veliko Tarnovo old quarter

Morning at Tsarevets Fortress (~£3, the Patriarchal Cathedral and the Holy Forty Martyrs Church in the Asen quarter), then a midday bus to Plovdiv (~£6, 3h). Plovdiv's Roman amphitheatre hosts occasional evening concerts — check the schedule. Stay in a hostel in the Kapana creative quarter, which is packed with cheap wine bars.

🚌Bus Veliko Tarnovo–Plovdiv ~£6

🛏Hostel in Kapana, Plovdiv

• →Tsarevets Fortress (~£3)
• →Holy Forty Martyrs Church
• →Kapana district evening
• →Roman Stadium street view (free)

Free walking tour of Plovdiv covers Old Plovdiv on Nebet Hill, the Balabanov and Georgi Mavridi houses, St Konstantin and Elena churches, the Roman amphitheatre and the citadel door. Afternoon bus to Sofia (~£5, 2h) and a wander past the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Sofia has a growing hostel scene around the city centre — dorms from £10.

🚌Bus Plovdiv–Sofia ~£5

🛏Central hostel, Sofia

• →Free walking tour of Plovdiv old town
• →Roman Amphitheatre of Philippopolis
• →Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia (free)
• →Vitosha Boulevard evening walk

Cross into Serbia on a direct minibus or bus from Sofia (~£20-25, 6-7h with border stop) — book via a local Balkan transport company the day before. Arrive Belgrade and check into a hostel in the Skadarlija/Studentski Trg area. Do the evening free walking tour or a self-guided stroll down Knez Mihailova to the Kalemegdan Fortress for sunset over the Sava/Danube confluence.

🚌Bus/minibus Sofia–Belgrade ~£22

🛏Hostel near Studentski Trg, Belgrade

• →Knez Mihailova pedestrian street
• →Kalemegdan/Belgrade Fortress at sunset (free)
• →Skadarlija bohemian quarter dinner

Direct bus Belgrade–Sarajevo (~£20, 7-8h, departs early morning). Arrive in the afternoon and take a free walking tour of Baščarjan old town — the Sebilj fountain, the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and the old bazaar. Sarajevo is the cheapest capital on this route: Ćevapi dinner for under £5.

🚌Bus Belgrade–Sarajevo ~£20

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Baščaršija, Sarajevo

• →Free walking tour of Sarajevo old town
• →Baščaršija bazaar
• →Sebilj fountain & Latin Bridge
• →Ćevapi dinner

Early train or bus Sarajevo–Mostar (~£6, 2h; the train ride along the Neretva gorge is spectacular). Walk Mostar's Old Town and the Stari Most, and browse the čaršija. If time allows, a local bus/taxi to Kravice Waterfalls (~£25-30 including entry) in summer. Late afternoon bus Mostar–Trebinje (~£8, 2h). Trebinje is a quiet Herzegovinian wine town — sleep in a guesthouse near the old plane tree square.

🚌Train/bus Sarajevo–Mostar ~£6; bus Mostar–Trebinje ~£8

🛏Guesthouse in Trebinje old town

• →Neretva gorge train ride
• →Stari Most & Mostar old town
• →Kravice Waterfalls (optional, ~£25-30)
• →Trebinje old town evening

Bus Trebinje–Dubrovnik (~£3-4, 45m). Pre-book the Dubrovnik City Walls ticket online (~£30 in season) and walk the full circuit before 10am to avoid crowds and cruise-ship crush. Then do a free walking tour of the old town (tip-based) and, if you have legs left, a local boat to Lokrum island (~£15 ferry). Return to Trebinje in the evening — sleeping in Bosnia rather than Dubrovnik saves £40-60 a night.

🚌Bus Trebinje–Dubrovnik return ~£7

🛏Guesthouse in Trebinje old town

• →Dubrovnik City Walls walk (~£30)
• →Dubrovnik Old Town free walking tour
• →Optional Lokrum island ferry ~£15
• →Return bus to Trebinje

Bus Trebinje–Kotor (~£7, 2h with border), then a walking wander through Kotor's walled old town (cathedral, squares). The fortifications climb is free if you enter from the back lanes instead of the paid gate, or pay ~£8 for the official climb. Mid-afternoon bus Kotor–Shkodër via Ulcinj/Hani i Hotit (~£12-15, 3-4h with border). Shkodër guesthouses are cheap (~£15) and central; dinner on Rruga Kolë Idromeno.

🚌Bus Trebinje–Kotor ~£7; Kotor–Shkoder ~£13

🛏Guesthouse in Shkoder centre

• →Kotor old town walk
• →Optional Kotor fortress climb (~£8)
• →Shkoder orientation wander
• →Albanian dinner in Shkoder

Morning bus Shkodër–Tirana (~£4, 2h), a quick walk around Skanderbeg Square and the colourful Blloku district, then an afternoon bus Tirana–Ohrid via Struga (~£12-15, 4-5h). Arrive into an Ohrid guesthouse in the old town by the lake. Book a spot on the evening boat or just eat grilled Lake Ohrid trout at a lakeside konoba.

🚌Bus Shkoder–Tirana ~£4; bus Tirana–Ohrid ~£13

🛏Guesthouse in Ohrid old town

• →Skanderbeg Square, Tirana (free)
• →Blloku street art & coffee
• →Lake Ohrid sunset
• →Ohrid trout dinner

Morning self-guided walk of Old Ohrid: the Church of St Sophia, the amphitheatre, Kaneo church on the cliff and the Samuel's Fortress walls (free). A boat or minibus to St Naum monastery at the Albanian border costs ~£10-15 and is worth it if you skip an afternoon. Bus Ohrid–Skopje in the late afternoon (~£8, 3h). Evening in Skopje's Macedonia Square and the bazaar.

🚌Bus Ohrid–Skopje ~£8

🛏Hostel near the Skopje old bazaar

• →Old Ohrid churches & amphitheatre (free)
• →Kaneo church viewpoint
• →Optional St Naum monastery boat ~£12
• →Skopje Macedonia Square & Old Bazaar

Early bus Skopje–Sofia (~£10, 3.5-4h with the border). If you're flying out of Sofia, book an evening flight (4pm onwards per Travel Talk's advice). If you've got the day, do a final free walking tour of Sofia's centre — the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the National Theatre, the Parliament and the Roman ruins under the Sheraton. Total spend note: buses in the Balkans rarely sell online, so budget an extra £5-10 for last-minute purchases at the station.

🚌Bus Skopje–Sofia ~£10; local metro to airport ~£1

🛏Optional final night in a Sofia hostel (~£12) if flying next day

• →Bus Skopje–Sofia
• →Free walking tour of Sofia centre
• →Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (free)
• →Sofia Roman ruins & Vitosha Boulevard