Serbia

Serbia is a landlocked European country with rich architectural and cultural heritage...

By Nick Last updated Nov 7, 2022

Serbia

Serbia is a landlocked European country with rich architectural and cultural heritage, diversity of landscapes and climates, and well-preserved natural environment. In recent years the number of tourists has been increasing, especially foreign tourists, increasing roughly about hundred thousand arrivals more each year. Major destination of foreign tourists is Belgrade and, to a lesser degree, Novi Sad, while domestic tourists prefer spas and mountain resorts.

During the summer tourists love spending their time in Belgrade and enjoy the nature of many national parks throughout the country. In winter, they are warmly welcomed to mountain resorts (one of the most popular being Kopaonik, featured on BBC as one of the best ski destinations in Europe). There are also many spa resorts such as Sokobanja, Niška Banja and Vrnjačka Banja.

Serbia is on the crossroads of European history and as such, it is a mix of cultures, ethnicities and religions. Its people, contrary to a recent stigma, are one of the most hospitable and welcoming and recently, Belgrade was voted as one of the up and coming capitals of Europe.

There were seventeen Roman emperors born in the territory of today’s Serbia, and it is well-known that they all left monuments and built palaces in or close to their birthplaces. It may well be that the oldest ever found human settlements in Europe, if not in the world, can be found in country of Serbia. The giant hydroelectric dam of Djerdap has created a lake stretching for many miles out of the Canyon Djerdap with its famous Roman road to the East build by the Emperor Trajan.

Serbia is home to a great number of Medieval orthodox monasteries, many with excellent fresco masterpieces inside.

Destinations and Attractions

Belgrade – Famous for the main pedestrian street Skadarlija and Kalemegdan fortress at the confluence of Danube and Sava rivers, and the church of Saint Sava
Novi Sad – Featuring the Petrovaradin fortress as its main sight

Sremski Karlovci – Famous for its rich history, numerous monuments, museums, churches, galleries and famous wine cellars
Novi Pazar – Famous for its Ottoman heritage
Mokra Gora – Traditional reconstructed village
Sirogojno – Open air village
Drvengrad – A village built for the movie Life is a Miracle, accessed by a narrow-gauge railway Šargan Eight

Gamzigrad (Felix Romuliana) – An ancient Roman site with two temples, two palaces and a building with corridor including exceptionally fine mosaics depicting Greek Dionysus and Medusa
Subotica City Hall – The best-known example of Art Nouveau architecture in Serbia

River Uvac – Special Nature Reserve
Đavolja Varoš – 202 pointed formations described as earth pyramids or “towers”. The name means “Devil’s Town.”
Vratna Gates – Three massive natural stone bridges over the river

River Uvac Canyon, Special Nature Reserve

Monasteries

Studenica – A 12^th century UNESCO World Heritage Site with 13^th and 14^th century paintings
Visoki Dečani – A UNESCO World Heritage Site, also notable because of a collection of numerous exceptional wall frescoes
Žiča, also near Kraljevo, was founded around 1207
Sopoćani
Stari Ras
Manasija
Ravanica
Mileševa

Designated Areas

Fruška Gora NP – Dotted with ancient monasteries and wineries
Tara NP – The steep gorges of the Drina river and the high mountain peaks provide some stunning views
Kopaonik NP – Offers some great ski and snowboard opportunities as well as great views and a rich flora
Djerdap NP – The largest and perhaps most breathtaking national park, consist of the steep gorge thru which river Danube runs and its almost untouched nature and wildlife rich banks. It is also filled with many archaeological sites, most famous of them is Lepenski Vir, considered to be a first human habitat on European soil.

Thermal Spas

Vrnjačka Banja is the largest and most popular spa resort in Serbia and traditionally very attractive tourist resort
Soko Banja – Is another famous spa and tourist place in Serbia for its moderate continental climate and immense surfaces of woods, fresh air and a lot of thermo-mineral sources
Palić is a lovely city in the north. Its baroque parks, monuments of art nouveau architecture and a long tradition in catering made it a fashionable summer resort and spa for the 19th and 20th century elite