Regardless of the season, Serbia is one of the best tourist destinations to visit in Europe on a budget. Serbia should be on your must-see travel list, starting from the legendary nightlife in the capital Belgrade, music festivals, to breathtaking landscapes in the north and dramatic mountains and gorges of the national parks once you head south.
This country is really beautiful with an amazing capital city! It has abundant cafe houses spread across! The cafe culture is amazing here! This country is a lot cheaper too compare with its European neighbors! But its a lot rich in history, culture and is a gem of the Balkans! Serbia remains underrated considering the options for nature, events such as the Guca Festival, and Belgrade is more vibrant than you imagine.
Aside from the stunning areas, what amazes every tourist is how friendly and hospitable people are. Therefore, if you'd like to see a country of majestic beauty with a blend of cultures, here are the best places to visit in Serbia. This country has well-preserved its beauty, despite many challenges during the centuries. Today, it represents a place where East meets West, with all the medieval cities, fortresses, and charming monasteries.
So, if Serbia sounds like an appealing place to visit, be sure to take notes. After that, you'll just need to make your travel arrangements and book your accommodation. However, we feel obliged to warn you that you might fall in love with the place and people. Therefore, it would be wise to look up smart ways to fold clothes when packing and make sure you have enough outfits for your stay, which might end up being longer than expected.
So, without further ado, here are the best places to visit in Serbia:
1. Belgrade
Travelers keep flocking to Belgrade due to numerous reasons. However, nobody fails to mention the courteous and supportive locals. The capital of Serbia is awake 24/7 and undoubtedly has something for everyone. In addition, it has a vibrant coffee culture, and you can find many coffee shops in Dorćol, one of the most attractive neighborhoods.
Furthermore, the nightlife in the floating nightclubs on Danube and Sava rivers and the buzzing nightspots at Savamala is something everyone has to experience. Make sure to visit Skadarlija, too, for the ultimate traditional music and Serbian experience.
Skadarlija is good, but only if you're specifically going to a restaurant, and you want to expirence old Belgrade food and music. But if you think you're gonna explore some kind of Montmartre you're soo wrong. Only the upper part of the street is somewhat interesting, because it contains old kafana's and houses.
But the lower part is utterly boring- it's just the wall of a brewery and a middle school. Not to mention that you've got 80% chance to fall because of the bad cobblestone, which is actually called Kaldrma (Shaky stones).
The Belgrade Fortress is the most famous historic site of the city. Kalemegdan fortress as one of the best places to visit in Serbia. Additionally, the sites everyone should visit are the Belgrade fortress nested on the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, Knez Mihailova pedestrian street, National Museum, Nikola Tesla Museum and Saint Sava Temple (located a bit further but worth seeing).
If any of these attractions seem interesting, you should definitely opt for a custom Belgrade tour that would be made to fulfill all of your expectations.
2. Novi Sad
You also have Vojvodina - in the northern part of the country. You can easily visit cities such as Novi Sad (the biggest city), Subotica, Sombor, Sremska Mitrovica, Apatin, Senta, Vršac etc. Novi Sad is another city to visit. Novi Sad is a city that has Austro-Hungarian charm and where everything is more calm and slow compared to the capital city rush.
You can start your tour at Miletić square and appreciate the breathtaking Cathedral. From that point, you can enjoy having lunch at two main pedestrian streets - Zmaj Jovina and Dunavska streets. After that, you can take an idyllic stroll at Dunavski park and indulge in the tranquility.
Finally, don't forget to visit Petrovaradin Fortress and get a magnificent view of the city. Also, we need to mention the two nearby places worth seeing: the city of Subotica and Fruška Gora National Park.
Kablar Mountain is located 13 km in the air route (23 km via) from Čačak, and 155 km from Belgrade via the road and exactly 100 km in the air line.
If you thought of the place as a city, the advantage of Šumadija lies not in the cities but in nature, green forests and mountains.
In the summer, you can go to the city of Bela Crkva (near the border with Romania) and visit the lakes which are located near it. They are usually full during the summer since they are clean and fit for swimming.
3. Zlatibor
One of the favorite winter vacation destinations in Serbia is definitely Zlatibor. It has numerous facilities for skiing, hiking, and swimming. Therefore, it's no wonder this destination is famous throughout the year, so be sure to follow the traveling during pandemic tips.
The region itself is very scenic with historic villages and huge meadows. After you explore the wonderful nature, be sure to try the traditional Zlatiborian prosciutto and rakija šljivovica, a plum brandy.
4. Tara National Park
Again in western Serbia, you have the Tara mountain and the Tara river. You can go for a rafting on the river (there are camps there in which you can stay) and they have a website for the rafting - but you can also go for a safari, canyoning and hiking besides the rafting.
The Tara national park offers truly dramatic wilderness where the scenic views of the Drina river represent a natural border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. This national park is home to 53 species of mammals and 153 bird species. Additionally, its unspoiled landscape consists of nature's most beautiful tree families like pine, juniper, and birch forests.
Nearby attractions are the unique Drvengrad and Mokra Gora. Drvengrad is a small wooden village created by Serbia's most famous film director Emir Kusturica. Drvengrad is one of the best places to visit in Serbia as it has as little as possible to do with the modern world.
Drvengrad is an ethnic village with a small wooden church, a square paved with wooden cubes and surrounded by wooden houses. The wooden houses are authentic, and were brought from various parts of Serbia and Bosnia. There is also a gallery of paintings, a library, a cinema called "Underground", a bakery with homemade biscuits, a national restaurant and a local craft shop.
Finally, Mokra Gora offers a unique 16km train ride of the slopes of Šargan with views of several most breathtaking destinations in Serbia.
5. Studenica Monastery
Serbian tourism greatly consists of its most important religious and cultural heritage sites, churches, and monasteries. Therefore, if you are here for only a short time, make sure you visit the Studenica monastery, the very soul of Serbia. This Monastery is on the list of UNESCO's world heritage sites.
Also, if you do some research and reading beforehand, or your tour guide describes the history to you, you will enjoy your visit even more. The Eastern area is one of the best places to visit in Serbia.
The Eastern part of the country has several gems you should see if you visit this area. Those are Krupajsko vrelo - hidden deep in the woods, with turquoise water and mysterious caves. Gornjak gorge is located in the magical Homolje region, where you can explore the silent water spot of river Mlava, visit the Monastery, and relax in the Terme Ždrelo facility, which has multiple types of medicinal waters;
In Manasija monastery, find out its beauty and rich history as it's one of the most significant monuments in Serbia. Lisine waterfall is a well-known pitstop destination. The Resava cave is known to be the portal to the ice age. It's one of the oldest and most beautiful caves in Serbia.
Another area that's abundant in religious and historical sites is the city of Prizren and the medieval monuments located in Kosovo. Monasteries Patriarchate of Peć, Visoki Dečani, and Gračanica are also on the UNESCO's World Heritage list.
The Patriarchate of Peć is one of the medieval and most respected monasteries in Serbia, dating back to the XII century. The Monastery of Gračanica was built on the ruins of an XVIII century church and a VI century church site. Visoki Dečani was built in a romantic gothic style and is decorated with more than 1000 frescos.
6. Devil's Town
One of the most majestic rock transformations is Devil's Town in Serbia. It's located in the south of the country, and it's a unique geological phenomenon. Legend has it that the rocks were actually the members of a wedding petrified by the Devil with highly acidic water, also known as Devil's water. This area is nominated to become one of the Wonders of the World.
7. Djerdap National Park
One of the best places to visit in Serbia is the Đerdap National Park, with four gorges stretching 115km. Interestingly, one gorge has one of the deepest rivers in the world. Đerdap National Park in eastern Serbia is located on the border with Romania, on the Danube river. It is beautiful in the spring and summer with the colours that appear and the nature is absolutely marvellous.
You have a lot of activities you can spend your time on - but the most famous choices are either hiking or going for a cruise on the Danube. Depending on your abilities, you can hike for 3 to 6 hours (and less). The view when you get to the top is very well worth the effort and time - you can see the whole park and its surroundings.
8. Lepenski Vir
You can also visit the Lepenski Vir - if you are into archaeology.
9. Golubac Fortress
The cities of Golubac and Donji Milanovac are not too far from the park. In that part of the country you have the Silver lake. It has a beach (if you can call it like that) and you can swim in it (however, it’s not very clean) or you can just visit it on your way to the Đerdap NP.
The Golubac Fortress is one of the most visited sites in Serbia. The park is located near the famous and glorious Golubac Fortress. Once you are in the area, it would be a great experience to visit the Tumane Monastery and dine in their tavern.
10. Uvac
Uvac Canyon in western Serbia is one of the most beautiful places in the country. While getting there might be a bit complicated due to the horrendous condition of roads, the trip is worth it. Spring/summer are the best options since that is when the colours show themselves in the fullest and when you’ll be able to enjoy the nature.
Finally, lake Uvac is one of the most popular destinations in Serbia due to its breathtaking environment. In addition, there are fantastic boat tours you can go on and explore the area from up close. Also, this region is the Special Nature Reserve which protects magnificent birds of prey.
From there you can visit the cities which are nearby or continue to the Golija Nature Park, located to the east from Uvac.
Stara Planina in eastern Serbia, located near the city of Pirot is also not a touristy place. If you go there doing the winter, you can pick any winter sport that suits you, and if you visit it during the spring/summer, you have the options to hike or just have very long walks during the day.
And the Zavoj lake is located just as you get down from the mountain. It is one of the least contaminated lakes in Serbia, and you can easily swim in it (during the summer) or just camp there/visit to see how it looks. If you stay around the south and go to the west, near the city of Kuršumlija you have the Đavolja Varoš.
The Zagaj Hills are a region on the northeast rim of the Deliblato Sands. They cover just over 250 ha. The Zagajicka Brda represent the highest region of the Deliblato Peščara. The Zagaj hills are ancient sand dunes, partly forested and partly covered with steppe vegetation. The highest peak is 256 m above sea level.
The highest point of the Zagajicka Brda is marked by an obelisk built during the Austro-Hungarian period. A tall meteorological pole was also placed next to the obelisk to measure the wind speed.
Finally, if you want to explore Europe, you should include Serbia on your must-see list. Make sure you keep our list of the best places to visit in Serbia nearby because it won't let you down. On the contrary, we are sure you'll be amazed by the eager hospitality, fantastic food, and breathtaking destinations.