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The Essential Places to Visit in Serbia, by a Serbian
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From the many things to do in Belgrade to monasteries, fortresses, and stunning landscapes, Serbia is a diverse country and a great travel choice. As a native Serbian, I can tell you first-hand there are some great places to visit in my home country.
In this article, I’m going to help you discover the best destinations across Serbia. Let’s dive in!
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Best Places to Go in Serbia
Belgrade
Fall in love with Serbia’s capital city full of history and culture.
📍 Google Maps | Belgrade Website
The biggest and most vibrant city in Serbia is Belgrade, which is filled with many fun things to do. The city is nested on the confluence of two big rivers — the Danube and the Sava. This positioning often made it a target for conquerors throughout history, and there is a ton to discover.
In particular, I recommend opting for an underground tour of the Fortress Kalemegdan. It’s an awesome way to learn more about the history of Belgrade and they have tours in English.
Right across the street from the Kalemegdan fortress is the entrance to Knez Mihajlova street. It’s the main pedestrian zone in Belgrade with pop & pop shops and stores.
The street ends with a view of the iconic Hotel Moskva. It has that “olden days” charm and atmosphere, so pop in for coffee and cake. You won’t regret it.
Novi Sad
Explore the Austro-Hungarian charm in one of Serbia’s biggest cities.
Novi Sad is located in a part of Serbia is called Vojvodina. It has a unique Austro-Hungarian past that makes it different from the rest of the country. It’s among the biggest cities in Serbia and there are so many things to do in Novi Sad.
Start exploring Novi Sad in Miletic Square and admiring the great The Name of Mary Church (also called “The Cathedral”). From there, stroll down the two main pedestrian streets: Zmaj Jovina and Dunavska until you reach the idyllic Dunavski Park.
If you are up for a bit of cardio, you can cross the Danube bridge and climb the stairs to the Petrovaradin fortress. You can even stay at Garni Hotel Leopold I at the top of the fortress. You’ll get a magnificent view of Novi Sad – perfect for photos!
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Sremski Karlovci
Sample amazing wines in this small town along the banks of the Danube.
Sremski Karlovci is right next to Novi Sad and is perfect if you’re a wine lover. On the bank of Danube, this town is famous for its delicious wines.
Sremski Karlovci is a perfect day trip as it’s not huge and you can see most attractions on foot.
In particular, I recommend heading to the Beekeeping Museum of the Živanović family. Yes, it says beekeeping, but it is actually a place where you can taste some amazing wines, as well as the beekeeping products.
Niš
Home to the Skull Tower, one of the grimmest places to visit in all of Serbia.
Located in the South, Niš is one of the largest cities in Serbia. It has amazing food and incredibly hospitable people, but it’s also one of the most grim places in Serbia.
For a bit of backstory, the Serbian people organized the First Serbian Uprising aimed against the occupying Ottoman Empire. The Uprising failed and the Ottoman ruler of Niš ordered for all the heads of the Serbian soldiers who died at the battle to be severed and skinned.
Almost 1000 skulls were gathered and used to build the Skull Tower. Today, only around 60 skulls still remain and that is what you’ll see if you visit this monument.
The Skull Tower was meant to be a warning to Serbian people, but it turned into a symbol of defiance. You bet there was a Second Serbian Uprising.
Devil’s Town
Hear the legends and folktales about the famous natural formations that resemble people turned into stone.
📍 Google Maps | Devil’s Town Website
Your trip to visit Serbia won’t be complete without a visit to Devil’s Town. This mysterious destination is just near the town of Kuršumlija and is essentially a natural stone formation that resembles a group of people turned into stone.
Devil’s Town is so amazing that is was nominated to become one of the Wonders of the World.
I won’t drop any more spoilers here, but I recommend that you visit and hear all the folk tales and legends about the Devil’s Town on your day trip.
Golubac Fortress
Take a day trip down the Danube to visit this fortress dating back to the 14th century.
📍 Google Maps | Golubac Fortress Website
The Danube is one of the largest European rivers and it partially flows through Serbia. I highly recommend going on a Danube fortress tour while you’re in Serbia as you’ll see Zemun, Kalemegdan, Smederevo, and the lovely Golubac Fortress.
Make sure you visit it on a sunny day, as you will want to take a ton of photos. Golubac is the entrance to the magnificent Djerdap Gorge, but it is a glorious site on its own.
I also recommend heading a little further down the road (10 km to be exact) to the Tumane Monastery. The monks opened a tavern in which you can have a meal prepared by them.
The meals don’t have a price, but you pay what you think is appropriate. Everybody is welcome, you just need to respect the peace of the monks.
Studenica Monastery
Get a glimpse into the soul of Serbia at this cultural, spiritual and historical epicenter.
There are a lot of churches and monasteries in Serbia. But, if you need to prioritize just one monastery during your stay – pick Studenica Monastery. Of all of Serbia’s monasteries, this one represents the cultural, spiritual, and historical epicenter.
Studenica Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ask your guide or do some reading before your trip and go for a visit filled with knowledge. You will enjoy it so much more.
Fruška Gora
With as many as many as 18 monasteries and 16 lakes on this mountain and its surroundings, it’s well worth visiting!
Take a look at the map before you visit Serbia. See that green part at the top? That’s Vojvodina. It is green and flat because it used to be under the Pannonian Sea. Fruška Gora used to be an island, but today, it is a mountain.
There are three things to do on Fruška Gora: hike, see monasteries and lakes and eat. Not bad, right?
There are as many as 18 monasteries and 16 lakes on this mountain and its surroundings.
The top of Fruška Gora is called Venac. On Venac, there is an amazing restaurant Arena. Ask for their mushroom stew! It’s made out of handpicked mushrooms from the Fruška Gora forest. It’s just heavenly. They also serve amazing snail salad for those brave enough to try.
Tara National Park
An enchantingly beautiful area perfect for those who love to kayak, hike, fish, cycle, and more.
There is so much to see and do in Tara National Park that it deserves an article of its own. You can kayak, hike, fish, cycle… you name it!
If you are hiking, don’t miss out on the viewpoint Banjska Stena with its jaw-dropping view of Lake Perucac. After that, go searching for the best spot to see the quirky lake house on a rock. It’s probably the most photographed place in Serbia!
Drvengrad and Mokra Gora
Take a plunge back into history at these scenic destinations.
Nearby Tara National Park are three places you should check out when you visit Serbia.
First, Kaludjerske Bare and the local restaurant “Kod Kurte” that offers mouth-watering local specialties.
Second, Drvengrad is a village created by the prominent film director Emir Kusturica. It is created to resemble the old, Dinaric style log houses that use as little as possible of the modern world.
Third, Mokra Gora boasts the ride on a restored train. Enjoy the scenic route if you have the time.
This train will take you all the way to the Drina river. In this way, you will have the chance to see several amazing destinations.
Drina River
Get your adrenaline pumping by rafting on the Drina River.
Start by booking one of the amazing wood cabins right there by the Drina River. Get to know your group and guide the night before the ride at a group meet and greet.
Prepare for the adrenalin ride, first thing tomorrow morning. The Drina River is clean and amazing and rafting down this gem of nature is legendary.
This is where all the adventure seekers gather, since there is a lot more to do by the Drina than rafting. Explore everything the area has to offer!
Uvac
Take a boat tour along this winding lake to see the tall limestone sides up close.
Simply put, Lake Uvac is breathtaking. There are boat tours that will take you along the Uvac meaders while you try to spot the stunning griffon vultures flying or observing you from the banks.
Uvac is the Special Nature Reserve that helps the Birds of Prey Protection Fund that tries to keep these magnificent birds from extinction.
When deciding about the boat tour, make sure to pick one of the tours that allows you to see the Ice Cave. It is an unforgettable experience.
Why Travel to Serbia?
Serbian destinations have a lot to offer its visitors and Serbians themselves have a kind of eager hospitality that warms your heart and fills your stomach with amazing foods. Serbia is a country of tumultuous history, unbelievable sports achievements, beautiful people, jaw-dropping nature, and wondrous culture.
Enjoying Serbia is a matter of context. A lot of places around the country have a mystic, but understated, charm about them.
You may see a bunch of interesting rocks and think nothing much of it. You may snap a photo of it or not. Later on, you discover that you saw incredible stećci that are actually tombstones and a part of the necropolis dating from the 15th century.
Due to political reasons, it was really difficult for me to leave Serbia to travel abroad. So guess what I did? I traveled across my own country and learned to love it even more.
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I hope you enjoyed this list of the best places to visit in Serbia. And I really hope you enjoy visiting my country! There are so many places to explore in Serbia, even if you are traveling on a budget. If you are deciding where to go and whether to pick north or south, there are now cheap flights to both Belgrade and Niš.
Oh, and before you go, be sure to check out these articles to help you plan your trip to Europe:
Safe travels!
Dear Katarina,
Thank you for this thoughtful description of beautiful places to visit in Serbia. Your love and enthusiasm is inspiring! I will be visiting many of the places you highlighted on my next trip!
Best wishes,
Vesna
Hello Katarina,
Many thanks for your detailed listing of places and its beauty.
How good will be the time , I mean climate during the last 10days of coming 2022 October, we are planning to visit Serbia for 8-10days. It wont be much cold right?
Serbia is not the largest tourist destination in the world, but it has very beautiful places worth visiting. My suggestion is that you rent a car at the airport, there are a lot of car rental agencies – Hertz, Europcar, MMS car, etc and go on a tour of Serbia. Visit all these places listed in the text and you will certainly discover a lot more
This is very helpful. I need some more information related to buying a sim and data packag. Also some pointers about local transportation is helpful
Hi we are from India. We came to Serbia for a chess tournament and stayed for a month. We got a sim with company name A1 (service provider). It’s 300 RSD and we get a data of 10gb for a month. Here in Serbia you can get free wifi zones too.
Hey Katarina,
Thank you for such a detailed blog. We (my wife me) are planning to visit Serbia in Nov 2022. I would like to bounce off some ideas with you.
Let me know if I can reach out to you somewhere for the discussion.
Thank you!
Regards,
Dhaval Panchal