There is no sea in Serbia, but there are mountains and national parks, a mild climate and old health resorts. And also a fabulous village of Kusturitsa, exciting views from postcards, ancient fortresses and a hearty Serbian cuisine. We tell you what a trip to this Balkan country can be.
How to get
From Moscow to Belgrade there are direct flights Air Serbia from 38,000 rubles*, 3 hours travel time. Russians can be in a country without a visa up to 30 days, only a foreign passport will be needed. All covid restrictions have been lifted, granting a vaccination certificate and PCR tests is no longer required.
There is no internal air traffic in the country, between cities you can move by trains or buses. In Belgrade there are trolleybuses and trams, to use public transport in the capital is cheaper with travel Bus Plus. The cost of the card itself is 250 dinar (approximately 120 rubles), one trip is 89 dinar (about 42 rubles). You can replenish travel in kiosks at stops.
To get to some natural attractions, it is worth renting a car – from 520 rubles* per day.
In Serbia, Russian Mir cards, Visa and MasterCard do not work, so it is better to take cash, cards of foreign banks or use money transfers. Rables are not changing everywhere, so it is better to go with dollars or euros.
Where to stop
Start traveling from Belgrade. In the Serbian capital, a large selection of hotels for living. It is also easier to get to the main attractions.
We picked up hotels in Belgrade with good estimates of visitors for every taste and budget:
San Art Floating Hostel & Apartments is an unusual budget hotel in a quiet picturesque place on the river. At the same time, it is cozy and spacious inside. A double room with breakfast costs 2,400 rubles* per day, four -seater – 4,300 rubles*.
Mark Hotel is a small hotel near the Museum of Nikola Tesla. The room with the King-Sayz bed and breakfast will cost 6,800 rubles* per night.
Hotel Passpartù Home Garni-Apart-Hotel with a spa in the old city near the square of the republic. During the night in apartments with a large double bed and breakfast, pay 8,000 rubles*.
Mama Shelter Belgrade is a hotel with a view of the Kaleuegdan park, where each room is a work of art. On the territory there is a large open terrace with a bar and a restaurant, as well as a gym and a massage office. The standard room with a view of the city without breakfast costs 9,300 rubles* per night.
Fall in love with the capital
From parties in floating nightclubs to walking along the ruins of the Roman fortress – in the capital there will be something to do at any time of the day. It is better to allocate two to three days to visit the city.
Start acquaintance with the city from the Kaleydan fortress, which stands at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers. Then you can walk along the street of Prince Mikhailov – this is the main pedestrian zone of Belgrade with shops and restaurants. Take a look at the Nikola Tesla Museum, the Museum of Serbian Arts and the Moscow Hotel, the oldest Hotel of Belgrade. And then have lunch in the ancient Kafan “Sign of Piasa” – a traditional Serbian restaurant, built in 1823.
At sunset, look at the city from the water: an hour and a half walk on the ship along the Danube and Sava costs 2000 dinar (about 1050 rubles). In the evening, it’s nice to walk along the embankment, where there are more than 200 bars, clubs and restaurants working before dawn.
Try Serbian cuisine
Serbian cuisine is simple and satisfying, oriental, central European and Balkan culinary traditions mixed in it. The central place is occupied by meat: fried, dried, grill, stewed or baked. He is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are even special establishments – liver, where only meat dishes are served. You can taste the local cuisine in Belgrade in restaurants Gradska, Kafana Znak PitanjA and OraSAC.
It is worth trying the very itself (cabbage rolls from chopped meat), Chvartzi (fried pork lard), chevapchichi (fried sausages), hanger (chopped with spices) and mold (flat cutlet). Be careful if you order cookies – in Serbia it is a piglet on a spit. We are advised to drink a sour -milk kaymak, blackberry wine or Serbian moonshine – Rakia.
Do not limit your trip to Serbia only to Belgrade. Explore small cities, monasteries and national parks. Here are places that are ideal for your trip around the country – by car, buses or trains.
Hear the legends of the “City of the Devil”
The most mysterious place in Serbia is located near the city of Kurshumli on the slopes of Mount Radan. These are natural earthen formations with black boulders on tops that resemble people who have turned into stone. The place is so mystical that it is covered with legends and fairy tales. In addition to the rocks themselves in the Javol-Warosh Park, there are ancient mines, outlandish sculptures made of wood and a “dead stream”, on which nothing grows on the banks.
You can only get to the attraction by car. Public transport does not go here. The entrance ticket costs 350 dinar (about 185 rubles).
Visit the Golubatsky Fortress
The medieval fortress is a pair of hours by car from the capital and is the hallmark of Serbia. Built on the rocks on the banks of the Danube, it consists of several complexes with towers and bridges. From the fortress, an exciting view of the “Iron Gate” opens – a place at the entrance to the Jerdap gorge, where the Danube narrows from 6 km to 162 meters.
A bus goes from Belgrade to Golubats from the Central Bus Station. The ticket back and forth costs 1880 dinar. You can walk from Golubats to the attraction or take a taxi. The entrance to the territory of the fortress is paid and depends on the selected route: there are four of them, of different levels of complexity, the price is 600-1500 dinar (300-800 rubles).
Go to the cruise on the Danube
You can admire the beauties of the Golubat fortress during the cruise along the Danube. The route begins in Belgrade and passes along the Jerdap gorge to the city of Kladovo. This is one of the most picturesque places on the Danube: one bank of the river is also Serbia, and the other is already Romania. The cost of a four -day cruise starts from 400 euros.
Make a pilgrimage
There are more than two hundred churches and monasteries in Serbia, most of which are recognized as objects of cultural heritage. Each has its own peculiarity: Mileshev’s monastery is a white angel, in Ravanitsa – the relics of Prince Lazar, in Zhich they crowned the Serbian rulers, and impressive defensive fortifications were built around the Manasius monastery.
If you have time for only one place, visit the jacket, the largest Orthodox monastery in the country. It is located in a picturesque valley surrounded by mountains. On the territory there is an authentic refectory with a stove, stone tables and wooden shops. You can get by bus Belgrade – Ushche or with an excursion. The entrance to the territory of the monastery is free.
Go to Drewvengrad
The ethnodrhevni Mescavnik, or Drewvengrad, was built by director Emir Kusturitsa in the Mokra Gora National Park for the scenery for the film “Life is a Miracle”. And although the whole village is a large four -star hotel complex with restaurants, shops, an underground cinema and souvenir shops, a journey here will introduce the real life and way of life of the Serbian hinterland. Near the village they restored the ancient railway of Shagransk Osmitsa, who in the summer carries tourists on a circular route along the picturesque environs.
To visit the village, it is not necessary to stop here. You can come for a day or combine with a visit to the Tara National Park. The entrance ticket costs 100 dinar.
It is easiest to get to Driverad by car or with a tour. If you use public transport, you first need to take a bus from Belgrade to the Owl, and then transfer to the minibus to Mora Horus. The passage will cost 1000 dinar (520 rubles).
Spend a day in the forest
Tara National Park is the most wooded part of Serbia. It should be visited for three reasons. Firstly, these are the species observation platforms of Bansk a wall and a goat of the rock, from where panoramic views of the Drine Caanon open. Secondly, these are thick coniferous forests: only here is a luxurious Serbian spruce. Thirdly, these are almost three hundred kilometers of hiking paths, four bicycle routes and asphalt roads for cars. A detailed card with parking lots can be taken in tourist centers in the park, they also rent bicycles.
There are also several lakes in Tara, in the summer they bathe there and catch fish. And since most of the park consists of a forest, here is a rich fauna. The main character, for which special tours are even taken here, is a brown bear. To observe them in the park, special fodder platforms are arranged.
It is better to come to Tara for a few days in your car. Or combine a visit to the park with a trip to Drivegrad. You can spend the night in campsites or in guest houses in the villages of Baina Bashta and Mitrovats. There are cafes and shops there. The entrance ticket to the park costs 300 dinar.
Highlight
Serbia is not the most obvious country for spa tourism. Nevertheless, there are more than a thousand geothermal and mineral springs and about 40 sanatorium-mesh zones. The most popular are Vrnyatskaya bathhouse, Sokobanya and Zlatibor. The latter is also a ski resort.
Healing resorts is an ideal option for completing a rich trip in Serbia with constant crossings. We advise you to allocate a couple of days to go through a full -fledged medical program or just relax on thermal springs. In addition, most cities are located in the mountains and picturesque valleys, so spa treatments can be alternated with walks in the environs.
*Prices are relevant at the time of publication
Convenient site for hotel armor – Onetwotrip.
