Serbia travel guide
Serbia is a landlocked Balkan country where the Danube and Sava meet, with a famously lively capital, medieval monasteries, Roman ruins and green mountains. It is good value and welcoming, with hearty food and strong coffee culture. It suits city-breakers, festival-goers and travellers who like history and the outdoors.
Places worth the trip
Belgrade
Kalemegdan Fortress overlooks the meeting of the Sava and Danube, the bohemian street of Skadarlija has old taverns (kafanas) with live music, and the vast Temple of Saint Sava dominates the skyline. Floating river clubs (splavovi) are part of the nightlife.
Novi Sad
Serbia's second city, on the Danube, has an elegant pedestrian centre and the Petrovaradin Fortress across the river, which hosts the EXIT music festival each summer.
Studenica and Sopoćani monasteries
Medieval Serbian Orthodox monasteries with remarkable frescoes. Studenica, founded in the late twelfth century, and Sopoćani are both UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Đerdap National Park and the Iron Gates
The Danube narrows into a dramatic gorge on the border with Romania. The Golubac fortress stands at its entrance, and Lepenski Vir, a Mesolithic settlement, is on its banks.
Tara National Park and Zlatibor
Forested mountains in western Serbia, with viewpoints over the Drina canyon and the famous little house on a rock in the Drina river at Bajina Bašta. The Šargan Eight heritage railway, near Mokra Gora, winds through the hills in a figure-of-eight.
Niš
One of the oldest cities in the Balkans and the birthplace of Constantine the Great, with an Ottoman-era fortress and the Skull Tower, a nineteenth-century monument to an uprising.
Felix Romuliana
The remains of a late Roman palace built by Emperor Galerius near Zaječar, with fine mosaics; it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Subotica and Fruška Gora
Subotica, near the Hungarian border, has striking Art Nouveau buildings, including its town hall and synagogue. Fruška Gora, south of Novi Sad, is a hill range with monasteries and wineries.
Interesting facts about Serbia
- Around eighteen Roman emperors were born in what is now Serbia, more than in any country other than Italy.
- Serbian uses both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets, and you will see both on signs and in newspapers.
- Nikola Tesla, of Serbian descent, has a museum in Belgrade that holds his ashes, and Belgrade's airport is named after him.
- Serbia is one of the world's largest producers of raspberries.
- The word 'vampire' entered English and other European languages in the eighteenth century, partly through reports of vampire cases in Serbia.
Best time to visit Serbia
Late spring (May and June) and early autumn (September and October) offer the most pleasant weather for both cities and mountains. July and August are hot in Belgrade and Novi Sad, but it is festival season, with EXIT in July and the Guča trumpet festival in summer. Winters are cold, with skiing at Kopaonik and Zlatibor and cosy kafana evenings.
Getting around
The high-speed railway between Belgrade and Novi Sad, extended towards Subotica, is fast and comfortable; other train services are slower. Buses are the main way to travel between towns and are frequent and good value. Belgrade has trams, trolleybuses and buses. Taxis are inexpensive but use licensed cabs or apps, as unofficial taxis may overcharge. Driving is straightforward, and motorways have tolls.
Practical details
- Capital
- Belgrade
- Currency
- Serbian dinar (RSD)
- Languages
- Serbian
- Plug types
- C, F
- Voltage
- 230 V, 50 Hz
- Emergency
- 192 police, 193 fire, 194 ambulance (112 also works)
- Driving side
- right
- Tipping
- Around 10% in restaurants for good service is common; round up taxi fares and in cafés.
Staying online in Serbia
Coverage is good in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and most towns, with fast 4G widely available. Signal can weaken in mountain areas, the Danube gorge and remote countryside. Wi-Fi is very common and usually free in cafés, restaurants and accommodation. Serbia is not in the EU, so EU roaming rules do not apply and home plans may charge heavily. Install an eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land.
Serbia eSIM plans
1 GB
1GB eSIM Data for 30 Days for Serbia
Unbegrenzt
Unlimited eSIM Data for 1 Day for Serbia
3 GB
3GB eSIM Data for 30 Days for Serbia
5 GB
5GB eSIM Data for 30 Days for Serbia
Useful apps
- CarGo: A Serbian ride-hailing app widely used in Belgrade and Novi Sad.
- Yandex Go: Also operates in Belgrade for booking taxis.
- Google Maps: Navigation and public transport routes in Belgrade.
- Google Translate: Serbian translation, including Cyrillic signs read with the camera.
Serbia travel FAQs
The currency is the dinar, and most places only accept dinars. Cards are widely accepted in cities; exchange offices (menjačnica) usually give good rates for cash.
A traditional Serbian tavern serving grilled meat, salads and rakija, often with live folk music in the evening. Skadarlija in Belgrade has some of the best-known ones.
Yes, coverage is good, but Serbia is outside the EU, so roaming on EU and other home plans can be expensive. A travel eSIM gives you local data while keeping your own number.
Try ćevapi and pljeskavica from the grill, sarma (stuffed cabbage), ajvar pepper relish, kajmak (a creamy dairy spread) and burek for breakfast.