Croatian Rhapsody: Self-Launched Zagreb to Dubrovnik

Fly or bus into Zagreb and check into a hostel in the Donji Grad grid (10-15 min walk to the main square, Ban Jelačić). Skip the paid airport transfer: the Croatia Airlines/Plesoprijevoz shuttle bus runs from the terminal to the main bus station for about £7, or city bus 290 to Kvaternikov trg then tram. Spend the late afternoon wandering the Upper Town on your own — St Mark's Church with its tiled roof, the Croatian Parliament and government buildings, and the Stone Gate — then walk down to Tkalčićeva street for a cheap dinner of štrukli (baked cheese pastry) and a local beer. Free Zagreb walking tours also run daily from the main square if you want a guide on day one (tip-based, ~£5).

🚌Airport shuttle bus ~£7; trams and walking in the city

🛏Hostel in Donji Grad / near Ban Jelačić (dorm bed or budget private room)

• →Self-guided Upper Town walk (St Mark's Church, Stone Gate, Parliament)
• →Tkalčićeva street food and bar street
• →Optional tip-based free walking tour

Take the morning intercity bus from Zagreb to Rijeka or straight to Opatija (roughly 3-3.5 hours, ~£15-18 with Arriva or FlixBus; book on the Arriva or GetByBus apps). Opatija is a Habsburg-era seaside resort on the Kvarner Gulf — check into a guesthouse or soba (private room) up the hill above the seafront, which is far cheaper than the waterfront hotels. Spend the afternoon on the Lungomare coastal promenade, a 12 km walkway linking Opatija to Lovran, and visit the Maiden with the Seagull statue. Dinner at a konoba (tavern) in nearby Volosko, a fishing village 20 minutes' walk away, where seafood is noticeably cheaper than on the Opatija front.

🚌Intercity bus Zagreb–Opatija ~£15-18

🛏Guesthouse / soba (private room) in Opatija or Volosko

• →Lungomare coastal promenade walk
• →Opatija old town and Maiden with the Seagull
• →Dinner in Volosko konoba

A DIY Istria circuit by public bus. Start early with the bus from Opatija/Rijeka to Pula (~1h45, ~£9) and buy the cheap ticket into the Pula Arena, one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres anywhere (~£9). Then take the bus up the coast to Rovinj (~45 min, ~£5) for lunch and a wander through the Venetian old town and up to St Euphemia's church. Finish by bus to Motovun in the truffle hills (~1h via Pazin, ~£7) for a truffle tasting — several family producers and shops in the village do tasting plates or pasta with fresh truffle for £10-15; book a small tasting directly or just walk into one of the truffle shops. Return to Opatija in the evening by bus via Rijeka (~£12). This is a long day — alternatively drop Motovun and do a truffle pasta dinner back in Opatija.

🚌Public buses Opatija–Pula–Rovinj–Motovun–Opatija ~£30 total

🛏Guesthouse / soba (private room) in Opatija

• →Pula Roman amphitheatre entry ~£9
• →Rovinj old town and St Euphemia
• →Truffle tasting in Motovun ~£12

The logistics day. Take the early bus from Opatija/Rijeka towards Plitvice (there are direct services in season, otherwise change at Karlovac or take the bus to Zagreb's main station and connect — total 3.5-4.5h, ~£20). Leave your bag in the left luggage at Plitvice Entrance 1 and buy your park ticket in advance online (~£32 in high season, includes the boat across Lake Kozjak and the panoramic train) to avoid the queue. Walk the Lower Lakes loop (B-K route, 4-5 hours) with the boat crossing, then catch a late afternoon/early evening bus on to Zadar (~2h, ~£12). Check into a hostel or soba inside the Zadar peninsula so everything is walkable.

🚌Buses Opatija–Plitvice–Zadar ~£32 total; park boat and train included in ticket

🛏Hostel or soba in Zadar old town peninsula

• →Plitvice Lakes National Park entry ~£32 (book online)
• →Boat ride across Lake Kozjak
• →Lower Lakes walking route

Slow morning in Zadar's old town on the peninsula: the Roman forum, the pre-Romanesque Church of St Donatus (£3), and the Sea Organ and Greeting to the Sun at the tip of the point — free and best at sunset, but worth seeing in daylight too. Have a late lunch of pašticada or grilled fish at a konoba in the backstreets away from the waterfront. In the afternoon, book a small-group or self-arranged wine tasting — the Zadar hinterland (Benkovac, Nadin) and nearby Pag island make well-regarded Dalmatian reds, and several wineries near Zadar run tastings with Croatian tapas for £20-25; book direct by email or via GetYourGuide. Alternatively take a local bus to a winery in Petrčane or Ljubač. Evening free for the sunset at the Sea Organ.

🚌Walking in town; local bus to winery ~£4-6 return

🛏Hostel or soba in Zadar old town peninsula

• →Roman Forum and Church of St Donatus ~£3
• →Sea Organ and Greeting to the Sun (free)
• →Dalmatian wine tasting with tapas ~£22

Morning bus down the Dalmatian coast to Split (~2.5h, ~£12; the coastal route via Šibenik is prettier than the motorway). Drop bags at a hostel in the old town or just outside the palace walls. Spend the afternoon in Diocletian's Palace — the cellars are £8, the cathedral and baptistery combo ticket is ~£10, and simply walking the Roman streets and the Riva seafront is free. Join a pay-what-you-want or small-group walking tour of the palace booked through GetYourGuide (from ~£12) to get the history, or do it yourself with a free audio guide. Dinner at a konoba in the Varos neighbourhood, away from the Riva, for grilled fish and local wine.

🚌Intercity bus Zadar–Split ~£12

🛏Hostel near Diocletian's Palace / old town Split

• →Diocletian's Palace cellars ~£8
• →Cathedral of St Domnius ticket ~£10
• →Optional small-group palace walking tour ~£12
• →Riva promenade and Varos

Take local bus 37 or the frequent intercity bus from Split to Trogir (30-40 min, ~£2). Trogir's UNESCO-listed old town is on a tiny island — climb the bell tower of St Lawrence Cathedral (~£4) for the best view on the coast, and wander the Kamerlengo fortress (£4). Have a proper Dalmatian lunch at a konoba in the backstreets (peka or buzara, £12-15 — skip the tourist-strip restaurants on the waterfront). If you have energy left, come back via Salona, the Roman ruins just outside Split, reachable by local bus (£2). Alternatively spend the afternoon swimming at Bačvice beach in Split, which costs nothing.

🚌Local bus Split–Trogir ~£2 each way; optional Salona detour ~£2

🛏Hostel near Diocletian's Palace / old town Split

• →Trogir old town, St Lawrence Cathedral and bell tower ~£4
• →Kamerlengo fortress ~£4
• →Dalmatian konoba lunch
• →Bačvice beach or Salona ruins

Take the morning bus from Split to Ston (~2h, ~£10) — you can either buy a Split–Dubrovnik ticket and hop off in Ston, or book a Split–Ston and Ston–Dubrovnik pair; services run roughly hourly in summer. Ston has the longest fortified wall in Europe (a 5.5 km stretch of the Walls of Ston, entry ~£8) and is the centre of Croatia's oyster and mussel farming — stop at a shellfish farm or konoba for oysters and a glass of local wine for £15. Then a short bus to the Pelješac wine road: several family wineries in Ponikve and Potomje do walk-in Plavac Mali tastings for £10-15, showing you the grape that makes Croatia's best reds. Continue by bus to Dubrovnik in the late afternoon (~1.5h, ~£8) and check into a hostel outside the old town walls (Lapad or Gruž are cheaper than inside the walls).

🚌Buses Split–Ston–Dubrovnik ~£18-20 total; local bus to Pelješac wineries ~£4

🛏Hostel in Gruž or Lapad, Dubrovnik

• →Walls of Ston ~£8
• →Oyster tasting at a Ston shellfish farm ~£15
• →Plavac Mali wine tasting in Pelješac ~£12

Get to the old town early to walk the Stradun before the cruise crowds arrive. Walk the full city walls loop (1.9 km, ~£30 — the priciest single ticket in Croatia, but worth doing once; go at opening time at 8am to beat the heat and crowds). Visit the Church of St Blaise and Onofrio's Fountain in the old town, then escape the crowds by taking the cheap public ferry from Gruž harbour to Lokrum island (£5 return in season) for a swim and a look at the Benedictine monastery gardens. Alternatively, ride the local bus 4 to the viewpoint above the old town. Airport bus from Gruž to Dubrovnik Airport runs to meet flights (~£8), or take the local bus 11 to the airport road. If you have an extra day, Mostar and Kotor are easy day trips by bus (~£20 and ~£15 return respectively).

🚌Dubrovnik airport bus ~£8; local bus or ferry to Lokrum ~£5

🛏Departure day (or a final night in a Gruž/Lapad hostel if flying out next morning)

• →Dubrovnik city walls walk ~£30
• →St Blaise Church and Stradun
• →Optional Lokrum island ferry ~£5
• →Optional Mostar or Kotor day trip on a spare day