Western Balkans Self-Launched: Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo & Montenegro

Fly into Tirana International Airport (Nënë Tereza); bus 1 or the airport express gets you to Skanderbeg Square in ~30–40 min for about 300–400 lek (£2.50–3.50). Check into a hostel or guesthouse near the centre, then do the classic Tirana circuit on foot: Skanderbeg Square and the National History Museum (ticket ~500 lek/£4), Et'hem Bey Mosque (free, dress modestly), the Clock Tower, and the remains of Tirana Castle (now a dining lane). Walk to the Pyramid (Enver Hoxha's mausoleum) and Blloku, the once-forbidden communist elite quarter now full of cafés — Hoxha's former villa is nearby. Evening: byrek and qofte at a local tavë restaurant in Blloku (~£7–9).

🚌Airport bus to Skanderbeg Square ~£3; city is walkable

🛏Hostel or guesthouse near Skanderbeg Square (dorm £10–14, private £22–30)

• →National History Museum of Albania (self-entry ~£4)
• →Et'hem Bey Mosque & Clock Tower (free)
• →Tirana Castle remains & Pyramid
• →Blloku neighbourhood walk
• →Skanderbeg Square orientation walk

Catch the hourly bus or furgon from Tirana to Durrës (~1 hr, 150–200 lek/£1.50). Walk the seafront promenade, then visit the Roman amphitheatre (small entry fee ~300 lek) tucked between apartment blocks — the City Museum of Durrës is a cheap optional add-on. Lunch on seafood at one of the beachside restaurants (~£8–12). In the afternoon take a bus back toward Tirana and continue up to Kruja (~1.5 hr total) to see Skanderbeg's castle and museum (combined ticket ~500 lek) and wander the Ottoman-era Ethnographic Bazaar for carpets and copperware. Return to Tirana for the night (last buses run until early evening — check locally; a shared taxi back is ~£15–20 if you're late).

🚌Tirana–Durrës bus ~£1.50 each way; Durrës–Kruja/Tirana buses ~£2; optional shared taxi £15-20

🛏Return to Tirana hostel/guesthouse (dorm £10–14, private £22–30)

• →Durrës Roman amphitheatre & seafront walk
• →City Museum of Durrës (optional)
• →Kruja Castle of Skanderbeg & museum
• →Kruja Ethnographic Bazaar

Bus from Tirana's South & North Bus Terminal to Berat (~2.5 hr, ~400–500 lek/£3.50). Drop bags at a guesthouse in the Mangalem or Gorica quarter — many family-run houses in the old town cost £15–22 for a double. Climb to Berat Castle (free entry, allow 1.5–2 hr), explore the Byzantine churches and the Onufri Iconographic Museum (~300 lek), then walk down through the steep cobbled lanes of the old town. Sunset from the Gorica Bridge viewpoint is the postcard shot. Optional coffee or a long lunch in the centre (~£6–8).

🚌Tirana–Berat intercity bus ~£3.50

🛏Family guesthouse in Berat old town (£15–22 double, £10–13 dorm)

• →Berat Castle self-guided walk (free)
• →Onufri Museum (optional ~£2.50)
• →Mangalem & Gorica old-town lanes
• →Gorica Bridge sunset viewpoint

Travel day with a big payoff. Take an early bus Berat–Tirana, then Tirana–Struga or Tirana–Ohrid (via Qafë Thanë border crossing; total ~5–6 hr, roughly £12–16 combined — book the Tirana–Ohrid through-bus where possible). Check into a guesthouse in Ohrid's old town (£12–20). Spend the late afternoon on a self-guided walk: Church of Holy Mother of God Perivleptos (frescoes by Michael and Eutychius), the rebuilt St Clement at Plaošnik, the ruined Fortress of Tsar Samuel (small entry), and the Hellenistic-Roman amphitheatre. St Sophia's church (frescoes, ~150 denar) and the pearl shops of Ohrid are on the same loop. Evening: lake trout and a glass of Vranac (~£9–12).

🚌Berat–Tirana bus ~£3.50 + Tirana–Ohrid cross-border bus ~£10–13

🛏Old-town guesthouse in Ohrid (£12–20)

• →Ohrid old town self-guided church & fortress walk
• →Plaošnik / St Clement church
• →Antique amphitheatre
• →St Sophia Church frescoes (optional ~£2)
• →Ohrid pearl shops

Book a seat on one of the daily excursion boats from Ohrid harbour to St Naum (around 1,000–1,400 denar/£14–20 return, bookable at the harbour kiosks or via GetYourGuide the day before). The boat stops at the Bay of Bones, a reconstructed pile-dwelling settlement museum on the water (~150 denar entry, with curator displays you can read yourself). Continue to the Monastery of St Naum at the southern tip, where you can row out to the springs in a small boat (~£4) or just walk the springs boardwalk. Sail back to Ohrid in the afternoon. Optional: a folklore dinner show in the old town if you want the group-tour atmosphere (~£15).

🚌Excursion boat Ohrid–St Naum return ~£14–20

🛏Old-town guesthouse in Ohrid (£12–20)

• →Bay of Bones reconstructed lake village museum
• →Boat excursion Ohrid–St Naum
• →St Naum Monastery & lake springs boardwalk
• →Optional rowboat to the springs

Take an early bus from Ohrid to Skopje (~3.5 hr, ~600 denar/£8.50), then hop the local bus or a shared taxi to Tetovo (~45 min) to see the Painted Mosque (Šarena Džamija) — free entry, one of the Balkans' most beautiful. Return toward Skopje and break the trip at Matka Canyon, 15 km from the city: bus 60 or a taxi from Skopje, then a small boat into Vrelo Cave (~400–500 denar/£6–7, boats leave when full). Lunch on river trout at a Treska riverside restaurant (~£8). Continue to Skopje and check into a hostel or budget hotel in the centre (£15–25).

🚌Ohrid–Skopje bus ~£8.50; Skopje–Tetovo bus ~£1.50; Skopje–Matka bus/taxi ~£3–8

🛏Central Skopje hostel or budget hotel (£15–25)

• →Tetovo Painted Mosque (free)
• →Matka Canyon walk & viewpoint
• →Vrelo Cave boat trip ~£6–7
• →Treska river trout lunch (optional)

Free walking tours of Skopje leave from Macedonia Square most mornings (tip-based, ~£5–8 tip) — or do it yourself: start at Kale Fortress for city views, drop into the Old Turkish Bazaar for coffee and ćevapi, walk across the Stone Bridge, see the Alexander the Great fountain, and visit the Archaeological Museum of Macedonia (~300 denar) and the Memorial House of Mother Teresa (free). In the afternoon take the cable car (žičara) from Sredno Vodno up to the Millennium Cross (~100–120 denar each way, £2) for panoramic views over the Vardar valley. Evening drinks in Debar Maalo.

🚌City buses/walk; cable car ~£2 each way

🛏Central Skopje hostel or budget hotel (£15–25)

• →Kale Fortress
• →Old Turkish Bazaar
• →Archaeological Museum of Macedonia (~£2.50)
• →Memorial House of Mother Teresa (free)
• →Millennium Cross cable car ~£2

Bus Skopje–Prishtina takes about 2 hr (~£5–6). En route or by short local bus/taxi, stop at Gračanica Monastery, a UNESCO-listed Serbian Orthodox church with 14th-century frescoes (free/donation). In Prishtina, check into a central hostel (£12–18), then walk the sights: Emin Gjiku Ethnographic Museum (free), the striking National Library, the Newborn monument, the clock tower, and the Sultan Mehmet Fatih and Jashar Pasha mosques. Independent House of Kosovo (the Kosovo independence museum) is a small, sobering stop. Evening: rakia and flija in the Bazaar district (~£9–12).

🚌Skopje–Prishtina bus ~£5–6; local bus/taxi to Gračanica ~£3

🛏Central Prishtina hostel or guesthouse (£12–18)

• →Gračanica Monastery
• →Emin Gjiku Ethnographic Museum (free)
• →National Library of Kosovo
• →Sultan Mehmet Fatih & Jashar Pasha mosques
• →Newborn monument & city-centre walk

Morning bus Prishtina–Prizren (~1.5 hr, ~£3). Explore on foot: the Museum of the Prizren League, the Helveti Tekke, Sinan Pasha Mosque, and the Church of Our Lady of Ljeviš (UNESCO), with coffee on the cobbled Shadervan square. In the afternoon take the scenic bus Prizren–Podgorica via the Čakor/Deçan mountain road or via Peja–Rožaje (~4–5 hr, ~£12–15; check timetables the day before — there are usually 1–2 daily). Arrive Podgorica, check in (£15–22), and take the short 'Skyline' staircase walk up to the viewpoint, then Republic Square, the Millennium Bridge, St George's Church and the Sahat Kula clock tower.

🚌Prishtina–Prizren bus ~£3; Prizren–Podgorica bus ~£12–15

🛏Podgorica budget hotel or hostel (£15–22)

• →Prizren League Museum
• →Sinan Pasha Mosque & Helveti Tekke
• →Our Lady of Ljeviš church
• →Podgorica Skyline stairs & Republic Square walk
• →Millennium Bridge & Sahat Kula

Bus Podgorica–Budva (~1.5 hr, ~£6) and walk the walled old town: the Citadel fortress, the clock and bell towers of St John's Church, and the sea-facing ramparts. Continue by local bus to Kotor (~40 min, ~£2) — but base yourself in Kotor for the night (£15–25 guesthouse/hostel). Self-guided loop of Kotor old town: Square of Arms, the Byzantine, Beškuća and Pima palaces, St Tryphon's Cathedral (small entry), St Nicholas' and Blessed Ozana churches, the North Gate, and the Maritime Museum (~£3). Late afternoon bus to Perast (20 min) for the baroque waterfront; hire a local boat out to Our Lady of the Rocks island (~£5–8 per person return).

🚌Podgorica–Budva bus ~£6; Budva–Kotor bus ~£2; Kotor–Perast bus ~£1.50

🛏Kotor old-town guesthouse or hostel (£15–25)

• →Budva old town & Citadel
• →Kotor old town self-guided walk
• →St Tryphon's Cathedral & Maritime Museum
• →Perast waterfront & Our Lady of the Rocks boat ~£5–8

Take the coastal bus toward Budva and get off at the Sveti Stefan viewpoint for the classic photo stop — the islet hotel is viewable from the shore; grab a coffee at a coastal café (~£3). Continue to Cetinje (buses via Budva, ~1.5 hr, ~£4): visit the former royal residence of Prince Nikola's Palace (entry ~£3), the Vlaska Church, and the leafy historic streets of Montenegro's old royal capital. In the late afternoon take the direct Cetinje–Podgorica bus (~50 min, ~£2.50) and settle in Podgorica for your final night (£15–22).

🚌Local buses: Kotor–Sveti Stefan ~£2; Sveti Stefan–Cetinje ~£4; Cetinje–Podgorica ~£2.50

🛏Podgorica budget hotel or hostel (£15–22)

• →Sveti Stefan viewpoint & coastal café
• →Prince Nikola's Palace, Cetinje
• →Vlaska Church
• →Cetinje historic centre walk

Final morning: a slow breakfast, a wander through Podgorica's green streets or a last look at the Morača river, then the local bus or a taxi (£8–12) to Podgorica Airport for your flight out. If you're continuing onward, direct buses and trains run to Dubrovnik (though the historic Bar–Belgrade railway needs a change), Sarajevo, Shkodër and Tirana — easy onward legs for a longer Balkan loop.

🚌Local bus or taxi to Podgorica Airport ~£8–12

🛏—

• →Podgorica morning walk
• →Onward transport planning