Balkan Extended, Self-Launched: Belgrade to Dubrovnik

Fly into Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG). Take the cheap public bus 72 (about €1.50, ~50 minutes) from the airport to Zeleni Venac in the city centre. Check into a hostel in the Skadarlija or Dorćol area. Spend the evening soaking up Skadarlija's cobbled bohemian quarter – live folk music, kafanas, and a plate of ćevapi. If your hostel is in the centre, walk the Knez Mihailova pedestrian street and watch the sun set from Kalemegdan Park over the Sava–Danube confluence.

🚌Bus 72 from the airport to Zeleni Venac, ~€1.50 (~£1.30)

🛏Hostel in Skadarlija/Dorćol (dorms from ~£12/night)

• →Walk Skadarlija and its kafanas
• →Sunset at Kalemegdan Park
• →Ćevapi dinner in the old town

Join the free walking tour of Belgrade (tip-based, typically £5–10 tip) starting near Republic Square – it covers Knez Mihailova, Kalemegdan, and Belgrade Fortress's Roman and Austro-Hungarian layers. Walk or take trolleybus 22 to the spectacular Temple of Saint Sava in Vračar. In the afternoon, ride the free/cheap bus across Branko's Bridge to New Belgrade to see the brutalist architecture of the Yugoslav-era Palace of Serbia. End the day with a short rakija (Serbian rakija/fruit brandy) tasting at a local kafana.

🚌Public tram/bus ~£1.30 per ride; walkable centre

🛏Hostel in Belgrade

• →Free walking tour (Kalemegdans, Republic Square, Knez Mihailova)
• →Temple of Saint Sava
• →Novi Beograd architecture stroll
• →Rakija tasting at a kafana

Take the morning FlixBus/Arriva bus or the direct train from Belgrade to Zagreb (~5h, £18–25 by bus; the Belgrade–Zagreb train is ~7h and slower). Drop bags at a hostel near the main station, then explore Zagreb on the tip-based free walking tour: Kaptol, the Franciscan monastery and Church of Saint Francis, the Dolac farmers' market, Church of Saint Mary, and Ban Jelačić Square. In late afternoon, take a FlixBus or train to Ljubljana (~2.5h, £10–15). Otočec Castle on the Krka river is a short detour from Novo Mesto if you have time – but most backpackers skip it for Ljubljana's extra evening.

🚌Belgrade–Zagreb FlixBus ~£22; Zagreb–Ljubljana FlixBus ~£12

🛏Hostel in Ljubljana centre (dorms from ~£18/night)

• →Zagreb free walking tour (Fuliranje tip-based)
• →Dolac market and Kaptol
• →Ban Jelačić Square
• →Optional Otočec Castle stop en route

Morning free walking tour of Ljubljana (Ljubljana Free Tour, tip-based £5–8), covering the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, Mestni Trg, Robba's Fountain, the triple bridges and the riverside central open-air market. Midday, take the regular Ljubljana–Bled bus (~1h15, ~£6) and row/ride a pletna boat across to Bled Island and the Church of Saint Mary (pletna ~£14 return; independent rowboat rental ~£10/hr). Hike up to Bled Castle for the viewpoint (entry ~£13) and try the kremšnita cream cake at Park Hotel. Take a late bus back to Ljubljana.

🚌Ljubljana–Bled bus ~£6 each way

🛏Hostel in Ljubljana

• →Ljubljana free walking tour
• →Pletna boat to Bled Island & Church of Saint Mary
• →Bled Castle viewpoint
• →Original Bled kremšnita

Take the early bus or train to Postojna (Ljubljana–Postojna ~1h, ~£5) and join the electric train tour of Postojna Cave – book online directly with Postojna Cave (~~£30 for the cave tour) to skip the queue. Then take the bus towards Nova Gorica/Šmartno in the Goriška Brda wine hills (a UNESCO-like medieval village nestled in vineyards). Book a small local winery tasting (Brda wine cellars, £12–20) – many offer drop-in tastings. Stay overnight in a guesthouse/sobe in Šmartno or Nova Gorica, then bus down to Portorož on day 6.

🚌Ljubljana–Postojna bus ~£5; Postojna–Nova Gorica bus ~£9

🛏Guesthouse/sobe in Šmartno or Nova Gorica (~£25/night)

• →Postojna Cave electric train tour
• →Šmartno medieval village
• →Goriška Brda wine tasting

Bus down to the coast at Portorož/Koper (~£4), then cross into Croatia and head to Grožnjan (Istria's artists' colony, full of galleries and workshops). Buses along the Istrian coast are infrequent, so use the Arriva or Brioni bus network or a shared taxi/Bolt from Grožnjan to Motovun (~£10). Explore Motovun's medieval walls (entry to the walls ~£3) and the Church of St. Stephen, then take a late bus to Poreč (~£5). Bunk down in a hostel or sobe (private room) in Poreč, a cheerful seaside town.

🚌Istrian coastal bus + Bolt between Grožnjan and Motovun ~£20 total

🛏Sobe/guesthouse or hostel in Poreč (~£22/night)

• →Grožnjan galleries
• →Motovun medieval walls & Church of St. Stephen
• →Optional truffle-hunting tour from Motovun (£35, book locally)

Take the local bus or Bolt from Poreč to Rovinj (~£5) and wander the Old Town's Grisia Street, the Church of St. Euphemia and harbour. Get the local bus down to Lim Bay (Limski kanal) – the fjord-like inlet where you can eat oysters and mussels at a seaside konoba for around £15–20. Then continue to Pula by bus (~£5) to see the vast Roman Amphitheatre (entry ~£8), Temple of Augustus and the Triumphal Arch of the Sergii. Return to Poreč on the evening bus.

🚌Istrian local buses Poreč–Rovinj–Lim–Pula ~£15 total

🛏Sobe/guesthouse in Poreč

• →Rovinj Old Town & Grisia Street
• →Lim Bay seafood lunch
• →Pula Roman Amphitheatre & forum

Bus along the coast to Opatija (~£7) and walk the 12km Lungomare seaside promenade before continuing by bus/train to the Plitvice area via Rijeka or Karlovac (long travel day, ~6–7h, ~£20 in total). Stay in a sobe or guesthouse in the villages near Entrance 1 or 2. Buy the Plitvice Lakes entrance ticket in advance on the official np-plitvicka-jezera.hr site (~£32 in high season, ~£26 in low) – this includes the shuttle boat and panoramic train, and covers both the upper and lower lakes.

🚌Istria–Plitvice regional buses ~£24 total

🛏Sobe/guesthouse near Plitvice (Entrance 1), ~£28/night

• →Opatija Lungomare walk
• →Evening near Plitvice Lakes

Start early (before 8am) to beat the crowds at Plitvice – the boardwalks and Veliki Slap falls are magical in the morning light. Afterwards, take the bus to Split (or the bus to Zadar and then the train/bus to Split, ~4–5h, ~£20). Stop in Trogir en route (easy bus stop) to see the Cathedral of Saint Lawrence, the Loggia, the Land Gate and Kamerlengo Castle. Arrive in Split in the evening and check into a hostel near the Old Town. Walk the Riva promenade with an ice cream.

🚌Plitvice–Split regional bus ~£20; short hop to Trogir ~£2

🛏Hostel near Split Old Town (dorms from ~£20)

• →Plitvice Lakes self-guided boardwalk loop
• →Trogir UNESCO old town
• →Split Riva evening stroll

Morning free walking tour of Split (tip-based, ~£6 tip) through Diocletian's Palace, the Golden Gate, Temple of Jupiter and Cathedral of Saint Domnius (tower entry ~£6 if you climb). Then take the Jadrolinija/Krilo high-speed catamaran from Split to Hvar Town (~£10 each way, ~1hr) – book at the port or online. Wander the harbour, the Renaissance Cathedral of Saint Stephen, the Benedictine Convent (famous for its agave lace), and the Franciscan Monastery. If time allows, take the local boat to the Pakleni Islands for a swim (~£8). Return to Split on the evening catamaran.

🚌Split–Hvar catamaran ~£20 return

🛏Hostel in Split

• →Split free walking tour & Diocletian's Palace
• →Hvar Town walking loop
• →Optional Pakleni Islands swim

Take the early bus from Split to Ston on the Pelješac Peninsula (~2.5h, ~£10). Ston is famous for its salt pans and its oyster farms – grab a dozen fresh oysters at a bay-side shack for around £12. From Ston, take the local bus or Bolt to a Pelješac winery for a Plavac Mali tasting (~£15–20; many cellars accept drop-ins). Take the Pelješac Bridge and continue by bus to Dubrovnik (~2h, ~£12), arriving in time for sunset. Stay in a hostel/sobe in the Old Town or Lapad.

🚌Split–Ston–Dubrovnik buses ~£22 total

🛏Hostel or sobe in Dubrovnik (dorms from ~£25 in season)

• →Ston salt pans & oyster tasting
• →Pelješac Plavac Mali wine tasting
• →Pelješac Bridge crossing

Book the Dubrovnik city walls ticket early (~£30 high season) and walk the 2km circuit first thing at 8am – go early to avoid the midday mob. On the way see Stradun, Placa, Pile Gate and the Rector's Palace; the Old Town's other museums and churches are covered by the Dubrovnik Pass (which includes the walls at a combined price). In the afternoon, jump on the cable car up to Srđ Hill for panoramic views (~£16), or swim off Buža cliff bar. Then watch the sunset from a spot outside the walls while the galleon-style Karaka boat drifts by (sunset cruise ~£25 if you want it).

🚌Walk or local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel or sobe in Dubrovnik

• →Dubrovnik city walls walk
• →Old Town & Rector's Palace
• →Srđ Hill cable car
• →Sunset at Buža cliff

Slow breakfast in the Old Town, last walk on Stradun, then get to the airport. The Atlas or Platanus shuttle bus from the main bus station/Ploče runs hourly to the airport (~£8), or share a taxi (~£30–35 total). If you're flying out later, do it yourself on the official Dubrovnik airport shuttle (not the £55 operator transfer).

🚌Airport shuttle ~£8

🛏None (departure day)

• →Old Town farewell walk
• →Optional last swim at Banje Beach