14-Day Balkans Self-Launched Loop: Bucharest to Bucharest

Start early at Piata Universitatii and take the morning bus or minivan from Bucharest to Ruse (crossing the Danube, ~£9-12, 2hrs), then a connecting bus to Lovech (~£6, 2.5hrs). If you want the cave and waterfall stop, base yourself in Lovech and take a local taxi or shared minivan to Devetashka Cave and Krushuna Falls (~£15-20 return, split between travellers you meet at the hostel — or ask the guesthouse to arrange it). Devetashka is a huge cathedral-like cave with light shafts; Krushuna is a series of travertine cascades with a short swimming spot. Evening stroll across Lovech's covered bridge.

🚌Bucharest–Ruse bus ~£10 + Ruse–Lovech bus ~£6; taxi/minivan to Devetashka & Krushuna ~£18 shared

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Lovech old town (~£14 dorm / £22 twin)

• →Devetashka Cave (entry ~£2)
• →Krushuna Falls (entry ~£2)
• →Lovech covered bridge walk

Morning bus from Lovech to Sofia (~£7, 2.5hrs). Drop bags and do a free self-guided loop of the centre: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (free entry to the crypt museum ~£2), Sveta Sofia Church, Banya Bashi Mosque, the Sofia Synagogue, and the pedestrian Vitosha Boulevard. If you want a guide, Free Sofia Tour runs twice daily on a tips basis (usually £8-10 tip). Evening: eat in the student quarter around Graf Ignatiev for cheap banitsa and shopska salad.

🚌Lovech–Sofia bus ~£7

🛏Hostel in central Sofia (~£12 dorm / £22 twin)

• →Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
• →Sveta Sofia Church
• →Banya Bashi Mosque
• →Sofia Synagogue
• →Vitosha Boulevard

Take the 08:00 Rila Monastery shuttle from Ovcha Kupel bus station (~£10 return, 2hrs each way) — the UNESCO monastery with its striped frescoes is free to enter. Back in Sofia by mid-afternoon, then catch the evening bus to Skopje (~£12, 4.5hrs — check Matpu and Kaleia schedules). Note the border crossing can add time; don't book a tight onward connection.

🚌Rila shuttle ~£10 return; Sofia–Skopje bus ~£12

🛏Hostel near the Old Bazaar, Skopje (~£11 dorm / £20 twin)

• →Rila Monastery & church (free)
• →Museum of History optional (~£3)

Morning self-guided walk: Vardar quay, the Old Bazaar, Mother Teresa Memorial House, Kale Fortress and Macedonia Square. Then the 14:00-ish bus to Ohrid (~£9, 3.5hrs). Sunset walk through Ohrid's old town — Ancient Theatre, Sveti Sofia church, Tsar Samuil's Fortress (entry ~£2), and the pedestrian shopping street for dinner. Ohrid is the highlight of the Macedonian leg; if you can spare a day, stay two nights.

🚌Skopje–Ohrid bus ~£9

🛏Guesthouse in Ohrid old town (~£12 dorm / £22 twin)

• →Skopje Old Bazaar & Kale Fortress
• →Mother Teresa Memorial House
• →Ohrid Ancient Theatre
• →Tsar Samuil's Fortress (~£2)

Long travel day: bus from Ohrid to Tirana (~£12, 4hrs, via Struga/Qafë Thanë border), then onward to Shkodër (~£4, 2hrs). Squeeze in a quick Tirana loop from Skanderbeg Square — Et'hem Bey Mosque, the National History Museum exterior and Skanderbeg statue — then continue north. Shkodër's old town and Rozafa Castle (sunset views over Lake Shkodra) are worth the evening.

🚌Ohrid–Tirana bus ~£12; Tirana–Shkodër bus ~£4

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Shkodër (~£11 dorm / £20 twin)

• →Skanderbeg Square loop
• →Et'hem Bey Mosque
• →Rozafa Castle (~£2)

Cross into Montenegro by bus to Kotor (~£8, 2.5hrs via Hani i Hotit). Wander the walled Stari Grad, and if you're up for it climb the city walls trail for the bay view (~£13 entry, allow 1.5hrs). Late afternoon bus to Trebinje (~£8, 2hrs) — a quiet Herzegovinian town of plane trees and Orthodox churches, much cheaper than Dubrovnik and a good base for Mostar.

🚌Shkodër–Kotor bus ~£8; Kotor–Trebinje bus ~£8

🛏Guesthouse in Trebinje (~£13 dorm / £22 twin)

• →Kotor old town (free)
• →Kotor city walls hike (~£13)
• →Trebinje old town evening

Early bus to Mostar (~£5, 1.5hrs) — walk the Old Bridge, the bazaar lanes and the war-damaged streets; coffee on the Neretva is compulsory. Mid-afternoon train or bus to Sarajevo (train ~£5, 2hrs, scenic through the Neretva canyon — book ahead in summer). Evening in Sarajevo's Baščaršija: ćevapi, baklava and the Latin Bridge where Franz Ferdinand was shot.

🚌Trebinje–Mostar bus ~£5; Mostar–Sarajevo train ~£5

🛏Hostel in Baščaršija, Sarajevo (~£12 dorm / £22 twin)

• →Stari Most & Old Town Mostar
• →Neretva canyon train ride
• →Baščaršija bazaar & Latin Bridge

Morning in Sarajevo: Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian quarters, the markets and bazaars, and the Winter Olympics bob-sleigh track on Trebević if you have time (cable car ~£6). Then the afternoon bus to Belgrade (~£18, 7-8hrs — long, but the only direct option; alternatively there's a slower train combination). Arrive late and head straight for Skadarlija for a cheap kafana dinner.

🚌Sarajevo–Belgrade bus ~£18 (7-8hrs)

🛏Hostel in Belgrade centre (~£12 dorm / £22 twin)

• →Sarajevo Old Town & bazaars
• →Trebević cable car (~£6)
• →Skadarlija bohemian quarter

Morning walk in Belgrade: Republic Square, National Theatre and Museum, Kalemegdan Park, Belgrade Fortress and the Victor Monument. Then a fast train to Novi Sad (~£4, 40min) — stroll Zmaj Jovina and Dunavska streets, the Palace of the Orthodox Bishop and the Danube embankment, with Petrovaradin Fortress across the river. Evening train from Novi Sad to Budapest (~£14, 5hrs) or an overnight option if timings suit.

🚌Belgrade–Novi Sad train ~£4; Novi Sad–Budapest train ~£14

🛏Hostel in Budapest (District VII/VIII) (~£14 dorm / £26 twin)

• →Kalemegdan Fortress
• →Novi Sad old town
• →Petrovaradin Fortress viewpoint

Do it yourself on foot and metro: Heroes' Square and City Park, Andrássy Avenue, St Stephen's Basilica (dome climb ~£6), Dohány Street Synagogue (~£13 with guided tour), then cross the Chain Bridge into the Castle District for Fisherman's Bastion at sunset. A Széchenyi thermal bath ticket is ~£18-20 — a decent splurge after nine travel days. Eat at a ruin bar or a market hall for lángos and gulyás.

🚌Metro/tram day pass ~£5

🛏Hostel in Budapest (~£14 dorm / £26 twin)

• →Heroes' Square & City Park
• →St Stephen's Basilica dome (~£6)
• →Dohány Street Synagogue (~£13)
• →Castle District & Fisherman's Bastion
• →Optional Széchenyi Baths (~£19)

Long transfer day: bus or train from Budapest to Timișoara (~£15-20, 5-6hrs; the train route via Szeged is slower but comfortable). Wander Timișoara's Union Square and Victory Square in the evening — this is the city where the 1989 revolution began — and eat cheap Romanian ciorbă in a basement tavern.

🚌Budapest–Timișoara bus/train ~£18

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Timișoara (~£13 dorm / £22 twin)

• →Timișoara Union Square & Victory Square
• →Revolution Memorial

Bus to Hunedoara (~£7, 2.5hrs) to see the Gothic Corvin (Hunyadi) Castle (~£5 entry) — one of the best in Eastern Europe and far less crowded than Bran. Continue by bus to Sibiu (~£6, 2hrs). Evening walk: the Clock Tower, Brukenthal Museum exterior, Huet Square and the Evangelical Cathedral, plus the famous 'eyes of Sibiu' rooftops.

🚌Timișoara–Hunedoara bus ~£7; Hunedoara–Sibiu bus ~£6

🛏Hostel in Sibiu old town (~£13 dorm / £24 twin)

• →Corvin Castle (~£5)
• →Sibiu Clock Tower
• →Huet Square & Evangelical Cathedral

Morning bus to Sighișoara (~£6, 2hrs) — climb the Clock Tower (~£3), see Vlad the Impaler's birthhouse and wander the cobbled citadel. Afternoon bus/train to Brașov (~£5, 2hrs). In Brașov, walk the Council Square, the Black Church and the narrowest street in Europe (Strada Sforii), and take the cable car up Tâmpa for the view (~£5).

🚌Sibiu–Sighișoara bus ~£6; Sighișoara–Brașov bus ~£5

🛏Hostel in Brașov old town (~£12 dorm / £22 twin)

• →Sighișoara Clock Tower (~£3)
• →Vlad the Impaler birthhouse
• →Brașov Council Square & Black Church
• →Tâmpa cable car (~£5)

Bus from Brașov to Bran (~£3, 45min) for Bran Castle (~£8 entry). Then bus to Sinaia (~£4, 1hr) for Peleș Castle and its grounds (~£8 entry, closed Mondays — check). Finally the train from Sinaia to Bucharest (~£7, 1.5-2hrs). If time allows, do a quick panoramic walk past the Triumph Arch, the Athenaeum and Revolution Square before your onward flight or night in Bucharest.

🚌Brașov–Bran bus ~£3; Bran–Sinaia bus ~£4; Sinaia–Bucharest train ~£7

🛏Not included — night in Bucharest hostel if needed (~£14) or depart same evening

• →Bran Castle (~£8)
• →Peleș Castle (~£8)
• →Bucharest Atheneum & Revolution Square walk