Serbia Travel Guide

Serbia OVERVIEW

Politics aside, there's indeed a bad aftertaste of Milošević's rule and try as they might, a considerable lot of people find it hard to look at Serbia without certain prejudice involved. While the facts can hardly be disputed, the gloomy times are over and as the country is rolling out some of Europe's best tourist services, it starts to emerge as an attractive destination due to its undeniably impressive natural background and resplendent man-made heritage.

Navigable rivers, dramatic gorges, enigmatic caves and light blue lakes rub shoulders with UNESCO-protected monasteries, grave war memorials, noteworthy architecture and numerous health resorts. The countryside attracts with rolling valleys, gentle hills and more challenging rocky protrusions whose bucolic ambiance makes for splendid trekking opportunities, whereas the major cities keep you busy day and night with whatever you conceive of doing.

Where the Sava and Danube rivers meet, Belgrade holds sway, overlooked by Kalemegdan fortress, and as befits a European capital, it is a jewel box in the truest sense. Study the details of its old tenements, discover the artistic riches, make yourself at home in cozy vintage pubs and ease your belts a notch in Skadarlija, Belgrade's Bohemian quarter and a first-class destination for dining. Gluttony can be later atoned for in the Kopaonik massive or the Petrovaradin Fortress of Novi Sad when the EXIT Music Festival breaks out. Be prepared for strong emotions in Niš, where the Skull Tower commemorates the tragic deaths of Serbian insurrectionists. Get a breath of fresh air in Fruška Gora or Tara national parks just to have it taken away in Kosovo province, where the damned Prokletije range presides over the disputed territory and the spiritual heart of Serbia rests in the Byzantine Patriarchate of Peć.

Yes, it really is so exciting! Just open your mind and enjoy the trip.