Zagreb to Santorini: Independent Balkans & Greek Islands Adventure

Arrive into Zagreb Airport and take the Pleso Prijevoz shuttle bus (£6, ~30 min) to the main bus station, then tram or walk to your hostel in Donji Grad. Do a free walking tour of the Upper Town (Gornji Grad) at 5pm — St Mark's Church, the Stone Gate, Tkalčićeva street — then self-guide a bar crawl through Tkalčićeva and the Bogovićeva area. Croatia's capital is far cheaper than the coast, so use tonight to acclimatise.

🚌Airport shuttle bus £6; walking/tram in city

🛏Hostel in central Zagreb (dorm, ~£16)

• →Free walking tour of Upper Town
• →Tkalčićeva street bar hop
• →Museum of Broken Relationships (£4)

Book a direct bus from Zagreb bus station to Plitvice (Entrance 1) — roughly 2 hrs, £10-12 each way with Flixbus or Arriva. Buy the park ticket online in advance (£32 in high season including boat and train inside the park) and walk the Lower Lakes → Upper Lakes route (Route B/C, 4-6 hrs). Head back to Zagreb on a late-afternoon bus rather than paying inflated park-area accommodation. Pack food — the park kiosks are expensive.

🚌Return bus Zagreb–Plitvice ~£22

🛏Hostel in central Zagreb (dorm, ~£16)

• →Plitvice Lakes National Park entry with boat & shuttle (£32)
• →Lower & Upper Lakes hiking loop

Take a morning Flixbus or Arriva bus Zagreb → Split (~5 hrs, £18-22). Check into a hostel in the old town/Varoš area, then do the free Split walking tour (tip-based, 10am or 6pm in summer) covering Diocletian's Palace and the Riva. Evening on the Riva promenade with a cheap pizza-and-beer dinner, then see where the night takes you — Bacvice beach clubs are a 15-minute walk.

🚌Bus Zagreb–Split ~£20

🛏Hostel in Split old town (dorm, ~£22)

• →Free walking tour of Diocletian's Palace
• →Riva promenade evening

Do the palace properly in the morning — the substructures (cellars) ticket is £6-8, and Marjan Hill viewpoint is free with a 20-minute climb. In the afternoon pick one: bus 37 to Trogir (30 min, £2, gorgeous UNESCO old town), or a catamaran from Split to Bol on Brač for Zlatni Rat beach (Jadrolinija/Krilo, £6-8 each way, 1 hr). Eat at a konoba off the Riva for grilled fish and blitva.

🚌Local bus to Trogir £2 return ~£4, or ferry to Bol ~£14

🛏Hostel in Split old town (dorm, ~£22)

• →Diocletian's Palace substructures (£8)
• →Marjan Hill sunset viewpoint (free)
• →Trogir day trip or Zlatni Rat beach

Take the morning fast catamaran Split → Hvar Town (1 hr, £8-10 one way with Krilo or Jadrolinija — book a few days ahead in July/August). Walk up to Hvar Fortress (£10) for the view, then join a self-bookable Pakleni Islands boat cruise from Hvar harbour via GetYourGuide or a kiosk on the riva (£30-40 for a half-day with swim stops). Return to Split on the evening catamaran, or stay overnight if you'd rather have a slower pace (add ~£25).

🚌Return catamaran Split–Hvar ~£18

🛏Hostel in Split old town (dorm, ~£22)

• →Hvar Fortress (£10)
• →Pakleni Islands half-day boat cruise (£35)
• →Hvar old town and St Stephen's Square

Catch the morning bus Split → Dubrovnik (~4.5 hrs, £16-20; the route cuts through a short stretch of Bosnia — bring your passport). Arrive, check into a hostel in the Old Town or Lapad, and do the free Old Town orientation walk in the late afternoon. Dinner in Lapad is markedly cheaper than inside the walls. Sunset from Buža bar (the hole-in-the-wall cliff bar) is the move.

🚌Bus Split–Dubrovnik ~£18

🛏Hostel in Dubrovnik Old Town/Lapad (dorm, ~£25)

• →Old Town evening walk
• →Sunset at Buža cliff bar

Walk the city walls early (8am opening, £30 — pricier than you'd like but unmissable) before the cruise crowds hit, then cool off with a half-day sea kayaking tour around the walls via GetYourGuide or a local operator on Banje beach (£30-35). Optional Lokrum island ferry (£5 return) for swimming and peacocks, or a bus to Cavtat for a cheaper beach afternoon. Save the cable car (£27) unless you're desperate for the panorama — the Srđ hill hike is free.

🚌Local buses ~£4; optional ferry to Lokrum ~£5

🛏Hostel in Dubrovnik Old Town/Lapad (dorm, ~£25)

• →Dubrovnik city walls walk (£30)
• →Sea kayaking half-day (£33)
• →Optional Lokrum island ferry

Take the bus Dubrovnik → Kotor via Herceg Novi (~3 hrs including border, £15-18 with Royal Travel or Arriva). Check into a hostel inside the old town walls, then explore the car-free marble streets and climb the free section of the San Giovanni fortress path for a sunset view over the Bay of Kotor. Alternatively, a full day on Lake Skadar can be arranged from Kotor or Virpazar via local operators (£25-30).

🚌Bus Dubrovnik–Kotor ~£16

🛏Hostel inside Kotor old town (dorm, ~£18)

• →Kotor old town wander
• →Free Bay of Kotor sunset viewpoint

Do the Ladder of Kotor / San Giovanni fortress hike early (free, 1.5-2 hrs up, bring water) before the heat. In the afternoon take a local Blue Line bus to Perast (£3 return) to see the islets and Our Lady of the Rocks, or push on to Herceg Novi's beaches. Kayak rental on the bay is about £15 for two hours. Eat cheaply at a bakery (burek) plus a pekara-and-market dinner.

🚌Local bus to Perast/Herceg Novi ~£5

🛏Hostel inside Kotor old town (dorm, ~£18)

• →Ladder of Kotor fortress hike (free)
• →Perast & Our Lady of the Rocks (£5 boat)

Take a direct bus Kotor → Tirana (via Podgorica or the border crossing; ~5-6 hrs, £15-18) or a shared minivan. Albania is dramatically cheaper than Croatia and Montenegro, so treat yourself to a private room. Do a free walking tour of Tirana (10am/6pm, tip-based) covering Skanderbeg Square, the Pyramid and Bunk'Art, then explore Blloku's café-bars in the evening.

🚌Bus Kotor–Tirana ~£16

🛏Guesthouse/hostel private room in Tirana (~£20)

• →Free walking tour of Tirana
• →Piramida and Skanderbeg Square
• →Blloku bar district

Take a furgon (minibus) or bus Tirana → Gjirokastër (~4 hrs, £7), spend a couple of hours in the UNESCO-listed stone town and the fortress (£3, optional), then continue by furgon to Saranda (~1 hr, £3). Arrive with time for a swim at Saranda's promenade beach or a local bus to Ksamil's white-sand beaches (£1). Evening seafood dinner on the seafront — expect £8-10 a head.

🚌Tirana–Gjirokastër £7; Gjirokastër–Saranda £3

🛏Guesthouse in Saranda (~£18)

• →Gjirokastër old town and fortress (£3)
• →Swim at Ksamil or Saranda promenade

Morning optional trip to the Butrint archaeological site and Mirror Beach (£5 return bus, £12 entry). Take the afternoon hydrofoil/fast ferry Saranda → Corfu (30-45 min, £18-22 one way with Ionian Seaways or Joy Lines — check timetables and buy in advance in summer). Walk the old town of Kerkyra (a UNESCO site) — the Liston, the two fortresses — then hit the beach or the bars in the evening.

🚌Ferry Saranda–Corfu ~£20

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Corfu Town (~£22)

• →Butrint archaeological site (£12)
• →Corfu old town orientation walk

Take a local bus to Paleokastritsa or Glyfada (£3 each way) for a proper beach and swim day, or stay in town and see Palaio Frourio and the Archaeological Museum (£2.50). If you're beach-ed out, the Achilleion Palace is £8. Buy your onward flight/euro to Athens tonight: a cheap Ryanair/Aegean hop Corfu → Athens (~£30-50 booked ahead) is vastly quicker than the 9-hour bus-plus-ferry route.

🚌Local bus to beaches ~£6

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Corfu Town (~£22)

• →Paleokastritsa beach day
• →Optional Achilleion Palace (£8)

Fly Corfu → Athens (~1 hr, budget £30-45). Take the metro (Line 3, £8 from the airport) or the X95 bus (£5) into Monastiraki. Check in, then do a free walking tour of Plaka and Anafiotika, and buy a combo Acropolis ticket (£25, covers Acropolis plus six sites, valid several days). Climb to the Areopagus for the free sunset view. Cheap souvlaki dinner in Monastiraki (£5).

🚌Flight Corfu–Athens ~£38; airport bus/metro £5-8

🛏Hostel in Monastiraki/Plaka (dorm, ~£22)

• →Free walking tour of Plaka
• →Areopagus sunset viewpoint (free)
• →Buy Acropolis combo ticket (£25)

Be at the Acropolis gate for opening (8am) to beat the heat and crowds with your £25 combo ticket already in hand. Then the Acropolis Museum (£12, or half-price on the first Sunday). Afternoon: the Ancient Agora and Roman Agora on the same combo ticket, the Panathenaic Stadium, and a wander through Exarchia's street art. Evening rooftop bar or a gyros-and-beer night in Psiri.

🚌Walking + metro day ticket ~£4

🛏Hostel in Monastiraki/Plaka (dorm, ~£22)

• →Acropolis & Parthenon (combo £25)
• →Acropolis Museum (£12)
• →Ancient Agora & Roman Agora (included)

Take the morning Blue Star or Seajets ferry from Piraeus to Ios (~5 hrs conventional ferry, £35-45; ~3.5 hrs fast, £50-60). Buy tickets online a few weeks ahead. Check into a hostel in Chora or near Mylopotas beach. Afternoon swim at Mylopotas, sunset at the Chora windmills, then see why Ios has the loudest nightlife in the Cyclades — Slammers bar is a rite of passage.

🚌Ferry Piraeus–Ios ~£40

🛏Hostel in Ios Chora/Mylopotas (dorm, ~£20)

• →Mylopotas beach swim
• →Chora windmills sunset
• →Ios nightlife

Self-guided 'best of beaches' day: bus to Manganari (£3, 30 min) for the quiet southern coves, or walk the 30-minute path from Chora down to Mylopotas. Homer's Tomb viewpoint is a free 45-minute walk from Chora. Late afternoon hire a kayak or snorkel gear (£10-15) and eat at a taverna in the hills behind Chora rather than on the beachfront, which halves the bill.

🚌Local buses ~£6

🛏Hostel in Ios Chora/Mylopotas (dorm, ~£20)

• →Manganari or Mylopotas beach
• →Homer's Tomb walk (free)
• →Optional kayak hire (£12)

Take the short ferry Ios → Paros (Paros is the Cyclades hub; ~1-3 hrs, £15-20). Check into a guesthouse in Parikia, then explore the old town and the Panagia Ekatontapyliani church (free). Afternoon: bus to Naoussa fishing village (£2) for a wander around the little port. Evening ouzo and meze in Parikia's back-lane tavernas.

🚌Ferry Ios–Paros ~£18; local buses ~£4

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Parikia, Paros (~£22)

• →Parikia old town & Ekatontapyliani church
• →Naoussa village

Hire a bicycle or scooter (£12-20 a day) or take local buses to do a self-made beaches circuit — Kolymbithres' rock formations, Santa Maria, and Golden Beach for windsurfing. Alternatively, the 10-minute ferry from Pounta to Antiparos (£2) opens up quieter beaches and the cave. Book a small-boat half-day to the uninhabited islets if you fancy a swim-stop day via GetYourGuide (£35-45).

🚌Bike/scooter hire £15 or buses + Antiparos ferry £6

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Parikia, Paros (~£22)

• →Kolymbithres and Golden Beach
• →Antiparos day trip (£2 ferry)
• →Optional boat trip to islets (£40)

Morning ferry Paros → Santorini (Thira, ~1-2 hrs, £20-25). Stay in Fira or Karterados rather than Oia — same caldera access, half the price. Do the Fira-to-Oia caldera rim walk in the late afternoon (10 km, 3-4 hrs, free, start no later than 4pm in summer and bring water) finishing in Oia for the sunset, or take the local bus and skip straight to Oia. Book a cheap hostel dorm or Karterados guesthouse well ahead; Santorini is the one place on this route where accommodation bites.

🚌Ferry Paros–Santorini ~£22; local buses ~£4

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Fira or Karterados (~£30)

• →Fira–Oia caldera rim walk (free)
• →Oia sunset

Swim at Perissa or Kamari black-sand beach (£3 bus), or visit Akrotiri's Minoan excavations (£12) if archaeology wins. Red Beach at Akrotiri is a 20-minute walk from the site. Grab a final freddo espresso overlooking the caldera, then take the airport bus (£2) or a shared transfer (£15) for your flight home. Ferries to Athens (Piraeus, ~5-8 hrs, £40-55) are the budget route if you're in no hurry.

🚌Local bus to beach/airport ~£4

🛏None (departure day)

• →Perissa or Kamari black-sand beach
• →Optional Akrotiri excavations (£12)