Self-Launched Balkans & Transylvania Loop: Sofia to Bucharest and Back

Start early at Sofia's central bus station. Take the direct Sofia–Skopje bus (roughly 5.5 hours, ~£18-22), arriving early afternoon. Join the free walking tour of Skopje (tip-based, ~£5) covering Macedonia Square, the Vardar quay, Old Bazaar, Kale Fortress and the Mother Teresa Memorial House. Then take an afternoon/evening bus to Ohrid (about 3.5 hours, ~£8-10). Check into a hostel or guesthouse in the old town and take an evening wander down to the lake.

🚌Sofia–Skopje bus ~£20; Skopje–Ohrid bus ~£9

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Ohrid old town (~£14/night)

• →Skopje free walking tour (tip-based)
• →Old Bazaar & Kale Fortress
• →Lake Ohrid evening stroll

Spend the morning exploring Ohrid's old town on foot: the Ancient Theatre, Sveti Sofia Church, Tsar Samuil's Fortress (entry ~£2) and the church of Sveti Jovan at Kaneo on the cliff above the lake. Afternoon: swim off Kaneo or rent a kayak, or take the small boat to the Bay of Bones. Evening on the pedestrian shopping street with a cheap local dinner of tavce gravce and a glass of Vranec.

🚌All on foot; optional boat ~£5

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Ohrid (~£14/night)

• →Tsar Samuil's Fortress
• →Sveti Sofia & Sveti Jovan at Kaneo
• →Lake swimming or boat to Bay of Bones

Morning bus from Ohrid to Tirana via Struga and the Albanian border (about 3.5-4 hours, ~£12-15, check the seasonal direct service or connect via Elbasan). Arrive Tirana early afternoon. Do the free walking tour of the centre (tip-based) covering Skanderbeg Square, Et'hem Bey Mosque, the Clock Tower and Skanderbeg's statue; the National History Museum costs ~£3 if you want the full sweep of Albanian history. Dinner in the Blloku district.

🚌Ohrid–Tirana bus ~£13

🛏Hostel in central Tirana (~£12/night)

• →Tirana free walking tour
• →Skanderbeg Square & Et'hem Bey Mosque
• →National History Museum (optional)

Take the morning bus to Shkoder (about 2 hours, ~£4) and spend a couple of hours in the compact centre — Rozafa Castle and the pedestrian Rruga Kole Idromeno. Then take the afternoon bus onward to Kotor in Montenegro (roughly 3 hours including the border, ~£10-12). Check into a hostel inside or just outside the walled old town and take an evening walk along the bay.

🚌Tirana–Shkoder ~£4; Shkoder–Kotor ~£11

🛏Hostel in Kotor old town (~£16/night)

• →Shkoder Rozafa Castle
• →Kotor old town evening walk

Morning free walking tour of Stari Grad (tip-based) then climb the city walls to San Giovanni Fortress for the bay views (entry ~£3-4, allow 90 minutes up and down — do it early to beat the heat). Afternoon: swim at Dobrota, or take the local bus to Perast (~£2) and a small boat out to Our Lady of the Rocks (~£4). Cheap seafood dinner by the water.

🚌Local bus to Perast ~£2 each way; boat ~£4

🛏Hostel in Kotor (~£16/night)

• →San Giovanni fortress climb
• →Perast & Our Lady of the Rocks
• →Bay of Kotor swim

Early bus to Trebinje (about 2 hours, ~£7) via the Montenegrin coast — a quick coffee in the quiet old town and the Plane Tree square, then a mid-afternoon bus onward to Mostar (roughly 2 hours, ~£7). Arrive Mostar in the evening, settle into a guesthouse in the old town and see the Stari Most lit up after dark.

🚌Kotor–Trebinje ~£7; Trebinje–Mostar ~£7

🛏Guesthouse near Mostar old town (~£14/night)

• →Trebinje old town
• →Stari Most at night

Morning free walking tour of Mostar (tip-based) covering the Old Bridge, the Old Bazaar and the war-scarred buildings. If you have time, the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque minaret gives the classic bridge photo for ~£2. Take the early afternoon train to Sarajevo — one of the most scenic rail rides in Europe (about 2 hours, ~£6, book on arrival at the station the day before if you want the good side). Arrive Sarajevo and join the evening free walking tour of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian quarters, Latin Bridge and the bazaars.

🚌Mostar–Sarajevo train ~£6

🛏Hostel in Sarajevo's Bascarsija (~£12/night)

• →Mostar free walking tour & Old Bridge
• →Scenic Neretva canyon train
• →Sarajevo old town walking tour

Morning in Sarajevo: the Tunnel of Hope (~£4), the Yellow Fortress viewpoint, or a cevapi breakfast in Bascarsija. Then take the long-distance bus to Belgrade (about 7-8 hours, ~£20-25; there's no direct train). Arrive Belgrade in the evening — do Republic Square, Knez Mihailova and a walk up to Kalemegdan Fortress at sunset, taking in the Victor monument and the Sava–Danube confluence.

🚌Sarajevo–Belgrade bus ~£22

🛏Hostel in central Belgrade (~£13/night)

• →Sarajevo Tunnel of Hope
• →Belgrade Republic Square & Knez Mihailova
• →Kalemegdan Fortress at sunset

Morning walking tour of Belgrade's Skadarlija bohemian quarter and the National Museum (~£3). Late morning train to Novi Sad (about 35 min on the fast line, ~£5): see Zmaj Jovina, Dunavska Street, the Orthodox Bishop's Palace and Petrovaradin Fortress exterior. Then take the afternoon/evening train onward to Budapest (about 3.5-4 hours, ~£12-15, book on the MÁV or Srbija Voz app). Arrive Budapest at night.

🚌Belgrade–Novi Sad train ~£5; Novi Sad–Budapest ~£14

🛏Hostel in Budapest's Jewish Quarter (~£14/night)

• →Skadarlija & National Museum
• →Novi Sad old town
• →Petrovaradin Fortress exterior

Full day in Budapest with no coach to wait for. Free walking tour in the morning (tip-based) covering Heroes' Square, Andrássy Avenue, St Stephen's Basilica and the riverside. Afternoon: Castle District in Buda, then the Dohány Street Synagogue (~£12 with the Hungarian Jewish Museum). Finish with a cheap thermal soak at Rudas or Lukacs baths (~£10-12) or ruin-bar dinner in the 7th district.

🚌Metro/tram day pass ~£5

🛏Hostel in Budapest (~£14/night)

• →Budapest free walking tour
• →Buda Castle District
• →Dohány Street Synagogue
• →Thermal baths (optional)

Long travel day. Take the early train or a Flixbus from Budapest to Timisoara (about 5-6 hours, ~£15-20). Arrive afternoon and explore Timisoara's gorgeous Habsburg and Secession architecture on foot — Piata Victoriei, the Orthodox Cathedral and the reconstructed 1989 Revolution sites. Cheap Romanian dinner in the Fabric district.

🚌Budapest–Timisoara bus/train ~£17

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Timisoara (~£14/night)

• →Piata Victoriei & Orthodox Cathedral
• →Revolution sites of 1989
• →Fabric district

Early bus/train to Hunedoara (about 2-2.5 hours, ~£6) for Corvin Castle, the Gothic fortress with the drawbridge (entry ~£7). Mid-afternoon continue to Sibiu (roughly 2 hours, ~£6). Evening in Sibiu's Big Square: the Council Tower, Brukenthal Museum exterior, Small Square and Huet Square, plus the Evangelical Cathedral (entry ~£2) with its famous frescoes.

🚌Timisoara–Hunedoara ~£6; Hunedoara–Sibiu ~£6

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Sibiu old town (~£15/night)

• →Corvin Castle entry
• →Sibiu Big & Small Squares
• →Evangelical Cathedral

Morning train to Sighisoara (about 2 hours, ~£5). Walk the walled citadel: the Clock Tower (~£4), the Covered Staircase and the house where Vlad the Impaler was born. Early afternoon train down to Brasov (about 2 hours, ~£5), then wander the old town — the Black Church (~£4), Council Square and the narrow Rope Street. Evening in the foothills of the Carpathians.

🚌Sibiu–Sighisoara ~£5; Sighisoara–Brasov ~£5

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Brasov (~£15/night)

• →Sighisoara Clock Tower & citadel
• →Vlad the Impaler's birthplace
• →Brasov Black Church & Council Square

Early bus from Brasov to Bran (about 45 min, ~£2) for Bran Castle (entry ~£9) before the tour buses arrive. Then local bus to Sinaia (~£3) for Peles Castle (entry ~£8; note it's closed Mondays and often Tuesdays). Afternoon train from Sinaia to Bucharest (about 1.5 hours, ~£6). Evening panoramic walk of Bucharest: Revolution Square, the Atheneum and the Triumph Arch, finishing with a drink in the old town.

🚌Brasov–Bran bus ~£2; Bran–Sinaia ~£3; Sinaia–Bucharest train ~£6

🛏Hostel in Bucharest old town (~£13/night)

• →Bran Castle
• →Peles Castle
• →Bucharest Revolution Square & Atheneum walk