×
Serbia 🇷🇸

backpacking Europe Serbia 🇷🇸Eat grilled meat, then hike river canyons and visit monasteries.

Explore San MarinoExplore Slovakia

Backpacking Serbia in 2027

A complete guide including when and where to go, costs, transport, itineraries, and practical travel advice.
The big picture before you go

Backpacking Serbia
By Johan Kruseman 🇳🇱 | Updated November 8, 2026

Serbia runs on the dinar, not the euro, and changing money at the airport is the first way to overpay. The licensed menjačnica exchange booths found on almost every town-center street usually beat airport and hotel rates and charge no commission. Plenty of bakeries and old-school kafanas also take cash only, so carry some dinars.

Fix that, and Serbia hands you a lot. There are grilled ćevapi with a slab of kajmak at midnight in Belgrade, the river meanders of Uvac Canyon seen from a ridge with vultures circling at eye level, and medieval monasteries where frescoes outnumber visitors. The friction is real too. Trains outside the fast Belgrade to Novi Sad line crawl, indoor smoking is still common in bars, and some village signs are in Cyrillic only.

Compared with Croatia, you trade the coastline for lower prices and far thinner crowds. The food and coffee rituals are close to Bosnia’s, but the cities are bigger and the nights run later. It suits night owls, meat eaters and anyone curious about the Balkans, less so beach seekers or travelers who need everything in English.

👉 Get the 📖 Travel Guide of Serbia

Belgrade (Kalemegdan, Zemun, Savamala)

Most trips to Serbia start in Belgrade, a capital that treats sleep as a rumor. Afternoons go to Kalemegdan Fortress, where the Sava runs into the Danube, and to the fish restaurants on the Zemun quay. Nights go to the splavovi, moored river barges that play turbo-folk until breakfast. Buses from the airport take 30 to 40 minutes, and the center is walkable if you forgive the hills. Night owls get a sunset over two rivers with a cold Jelen beer.

Vojvodina (Novi Sad, Subotica, Fruška Gora)

North of the capital the land goes flat as a table and the pace drops a gear. Novi Sad is a relaxed university city under Petrovaradin Fortress, Sremski Karlovci pours sweet Bermet wine, and Subotica’s Art Nouveau city hall looks like a Hungarian wedding cake. The Soko high-speed train reaches Novi Sad from Belgrade in about 40 minutes. Cyclists and slow wine drinkers end up at a long monastery-village lunch on Fruška Gora that nobody rushes.

Western Serbia (Zlatibor, Mokra Gora, Tara National Park)

This is where the buses start climbing and your ears pop on schedule. Zlatibor, a pine-heavy resort town 3.5 to 4 hours from Belgrade, is the base. From there, Mokra Gora’s Šargan Eight narrow-gauge railway loops through the hills in a figure eight, and Tara’s trails end at cliff-edge viewpoints. Connections thin out fast and the paths are steep. Hikers get Banjska Stena, a rock ledge hanging hundreds of meters above the green Drina canyon.

Niš and the Southeast (Niš, Pirot, Stara Planina)

Niš sits about 3 hours south of Belgrade on frequent buses and takes its grilled meat more seriously than its traffic rules. Walk the Ottoman fortress, then visit the Skull Tower, built from Serbian rebels’ skulls after an 1809 battle. Pirot, an hour east, is known for woven kilims and pressed sausage, and Stara Planina’s ridges sit beyond it. Suits travelers who like gritty, unpolished cities and are rewarded with a pljeskavica the size of a hubcap.

Eastern Serbia and the Danube (Golubac Fortress, Đerdap National Park, Lepenski Vir)

The Danube squeezes through the Iron Gates here, narrowing to roughly 150 meters at the Kazan gorge. Golubac Fortress climbs a cliff at the gorge entrance, and Lepenski Vir preserves a Mesolithic settlement with fish-faced stone sculptures. Buses are rare, so a car (2.5 to 3 hours from Belgrade) saves a day of waiting at village stops. Road trippers get Golubac’s towers glowing over the water at dusk.
example page 0 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 1 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 2 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 3 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 4 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 5 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 6 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 7 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
Map of Serbia
Loading the map 🌍
CLICK TO FILTER
cities
towns
villages
landmarks
national parks
hikes
beaches
attractions
festivals
regions
SHOW COUNTRY’S BESTSHOW ALL
© Google Images

Why go?Reasons people choose to visit

Uniqueness

Serbia sits in the strange spot of being central Europe’s geographic neighbor and its travel afterthought. That works in your favor. At Lepenski Vir on … read more 👉
Serbia sits in the strange spot of being central Europe’s geographic neighbor and its travel afterthought. That works in your favor. At Lepenski Vir on the Danube, you can stand among the remains of a Mesolithic settlement around 9,000 years old, often with only a bored attendant for company. In mountain villages, a stranger walking through still counts as news, and news gets offered coffee. For the most unfiltered version of the country, skip the big resort towns and book a family-run etno guesthouse in the hills, where dinner is whatever the garden produced that day.

Low cost

Backpacking Serbia costs noticeably less than its EU neighbors. A typical day of dorm bed, three hearty meals, a few drinks and local transport averages … read more 👉
Backpacking Serbia costs noticeably less than its EU neighbors. A typical day of dorm bed, three hearty meals, a few drinks and local transport averages roughly US$35 to 50, or about 3,500 to 5,500 dinars. Portions are sized for farmers, so lunch often doubles as dinner whether you planned it or not. Start the morning at a pekara bakery with burek and drinkable yogurt, the cheapest way to stay full until mid-afternoon. Then look for the daily set menu, called dnevni meni, at workers’ canteens and kafanas.

Backpackers

Belgrade carries Serbia’s backpacker scene, with dense clusters of hostels around Dorćol and Savamala and a nightlife that treats 2 a.m. as early evening. … read more 👉
Belgrade carries Serbia’s backpacker scene, with dense clusters of hostels around Dorćol and Savamala and a nightlife that treats 2 a.m. as early evening. The floating river clubs, the splavovi, are the signature experience, and hostel staff will happily point you to whichever one suits your taste in music that week. Most hostels run free walking tours or pub crawls, which are the fastest way to turn solo travel into a dinner group. In August, the Guča Trumpet Festival pulls a young crowd to western Serbia, and many of them camp in the fields around the village.

⭐ HighlightsUnmissable destinations

  • Belgrade Fortress (Kalemegdan): Old men play chess under chestnut trees while couples claim the ramparts at dusk. The walls overlook the point where the Sava pours into the Danube, and the park holds the Military Museum, Roman well and Ružica church.
  • Uvac Special Nature Reserve: The river folds back on itself in tight green loops far below the Molitva viewpoint. Griffon vultures, brought back from near-extinction here by protection and feeding sites, often glide past at eye level. The hike up is short but steep, so bring water.
  • Đavolja Varoš (Devil’s Town): More than 200 earth pillars topped with balanced stone caps rise from a reddish hillside in the south. Local legend calls them a cursed wedding party. The two springs nearby are highly acidic and mineral-heavy, and the rust-orange stain they leave on the rocks makes the whole place look slightly scorched.
  • Studenica Monastery: This UNESCO-listed 12th-century church in white marble was founded by Stefan Nemanja and sits in a quiet wooded
… read more 👉
  • Belgrade Fortress (Kalemegdan): Old men play chess under chestnut trees while couples claim the ramparts at dusk. The walls overlook the point where the Sava pours into the Danube, and the park holds the Military Museum, Roman well and Ružica church.
  • Uvac Special Nature Reserve: The river folds back on itself in tight green loops far below the Molitva viewpoint. Griffon vultures, brought back from near-extinction here by protection and feeding sites, often glide past at eye level. The hike up is short but steep, so bring water.
  • Đavolja Varoš (Devil’s Town): More than 200 earth pillars topped with balanced stone caps rise from a reddish hillside in the south. Local legend calls them a cursed wedding party. The two springs nearby are highly acidic and mineral-heavy, and the rust-orange stain they leave on the rocks makes the whole place look slightly scorched.
  • Studenica Monastery: This UNESCO-listed 12th-century church in white marble was founded by Stefan Nemanja and sits in a quiet wooded valley. Inside, the 13th-century Crucifixion fresco glows in deep blue under the dim light.
  • Golubac Fortress: Ten towers climb a cliff at the mouth of the Đerdap Gorge, where the Danube widens and Romania sits right across the water. Restored walkways let you scramble upward with the wind whipping off the river, past barges sliding by below.
For quieter detours, look up the Roman palace of Felix Romuliana near Zaječar, the stone wine cellars of Rajačke Pimnice, and the cliffs of Lazar’s Canyon.
Spotted a mistake or missing a highlight? Contact us.
example page 0 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 1 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 2 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 3 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 4 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 5 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 6 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 7 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
Stop researching. Start exploring.
Discover all 80 highlights,ranked
and organized into practical routes.

Get instant access

But Serbia offers more...

Discover and compare all of its highlights per category

🧭 RoutesLogical itineraries covering the highlights

The 5-Day Danube Cities Route


Two river cities and the wine hills between them, linked by a 40-minute train. Expect fortress walls, Habsburg baroque and long evenings by the water, with almost no time lost on transport.
  • Sunset on the walls of Belgrade Fortress
  • Tesla’s original inventions in the capital
  • The tunnels of Petrovaradin Fortress
  • Bermet wine in Sremski Karlovci

👉 explore this 5-day route

The 10-Day Western Mountains Route


Highland plateaus, log villages and a steam-era railway, with a dose of Yugoslav history to set the scene. The trip ends among spa promenades and one of the Balkans’ great medieval monasteries.
  • Tito’s tomb at the House of Flowers
  • The Šargan Eight railway at Mokra Gora
  • Cliff-edge viewpoints in Tara National Park
  • Marble and frescoes at Studenica Monastery

👉 explore this 10-day route

The 15-Day Grand Serbia Loop


A full circuit from the Hungarian borderlands to the Danube gorges and the Ottoman-era south. It mixes Art Nouveau towns, a pyramid-shaped summit and some of the country’s … read more 👉

The 5-Day Danube Cities Route


Two river cities and the wine hills between them, linked by a 40-minute train. Expect fortress walls, Habsburg baroque and long evenings by the water, with almost no time lost on transport.
  • Sunset on the walls of Belgrade Fortress
  • Tesla’s original inventions in the capital
  • The tunnels of Petrovaradin Fortress
  • Bermet wine in Sremski Karlovci

👉 explore this 5-day route

The 10-Day Western Mountains Route


Highland plateaus, log villages and a steam-era railway, with a dose of Yugoslav history to set the scene. The trip ends among spa promenades and one of the Balkans’ great medieval monasteries.
  • Tito’s tomb at the House of Flowers
  • The Šargan Eight railway at Mokra Gora
  • Cliff-edge viewpoints in Tara National Park
  • Marble and frescoes at Studenica Monastery

👉 explore this 10-day route

The 15-Day Grand Serbia Loop


A full circuit from the Hungarian borderlands to the Danube gorges and the Ottoman-era south. It mixes Art Nouveau towns, a pyramid-shaped summit and some of the country’s most haunting history.
  • Art Nouveau Subotica
  • The Iron Gates gorge in Đerdap
  • Summiting Rtanj mountain
  • The Skull Tower in Niš

👉 explore this 15-day route

🌤️ When to go?Weather, seasons, and timing

The best time for backpacking Serbia is late May to June and September to early October, when daytime highs sit around 20 to 27°C, hostels charge normal rates and the summer festival crowds either haven’t arrived or have gone home. The north, around Belgrade and Novi Sad on the flat Pannonian plain, runs hotter in summer and grayer in winter. The southwestern mountains (Zlatibor, Tara, Kopaonik) stay several degrees cooler all year and hold reliable snow from December.
  • Spring (April to May): Mild days of 15 to 24°C, passing showers and green hills across Šumadija. Few foreign visitors and regular prices. Hiking picks up in May, though higher trails can still be muddy.
  • Summer (June to August): Peak season. Belgrade regularly hits 30°C and heatwaves push past 35°C. Festival weeks such as the Guča trumpet festival in August send bed prices sharply up, yet the river clubs, lake beaches and mountain parks are at their liveliest.
  • Autumn (September to October): Settled, warm weather, grape harvests in Fruška Gora and Župa, and room rates back to normal. The most comfortable stretch for mixing cities with hikes.
  • Winter (November to March): Cold, often foggy, with nights below freezing. Cities are cheap and quiet, while Kopaonik ski resort fills up and charges its highest rates.
Book beds around Guča at least a month ahead for festival week, and pack a warm layer even in June for evenings up on Tara.

source: climatestotravel.comJANJanuary: fair for travelingFEBFebruary: fair for travelingMARMarch: good for travelingAPRApril: good for travelingMAYMay: highly recommended for travelingJUNJune: excellent for travelingJULJuly: good for travelingAUGAugust: good for travelingSEPSeptember: excellent for travelingOCTOctober: highly recommended for travelingNOVNovember: good for travelingDECDecember: fair for traveling
pixabay - serbia - erdap-2129567

💰 Costs (as of 2026)Prices, expenses, and money tips

A budget traveler in Serbia spends about €30 to 45 a day on a dorm bed, street food and the odd kafana meal, intercity buses and one paid sight.
Serbia costs roughly a third less than Croatia and noticeably less than Hungary. It sits close to Bosnia and Herzegovina, while North Macedonia stays a little cheaper. You pay in Serbian dinars, and cards work almost everywhere in Belgrade and Novi Sad. Bakeries, markets and small-town kafanas still want cash.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodation€9 to 20 per nightA Belgrade dorm near Savamala or Dorćol costs €13 to 20, and summer weekends sit at the top of that range. In Novi Sad, expect €10 to 15. In Niš you pay €9 to 12. Weekday stays and booking direct often cost €1 to 3 less. Private apartment rooms outside the capital run €20 to 30, which makes sense split between two people.
Meals€8 to 18 per dayA burek with a cup of yogurt for breakfast costs €1.50 to 2.50. A pljeskavica from a grill stand is €3 to 5. Ten ćevapi with onions and lepinja bread cost €6 to 9 at a sit-down grill. A full kafana lunch runs €8 to 12. At Maxi or Lidl, bread, ajvar, cheese and fruit for a day come to €5 to 7.
Local transport€0 to 20 per dayBuses and
… read more 👉
A budget traveler in Serbia spends about €30 to 45 a day on a dorm bed, street food and the odd kafana meal, intercity buses and one paid sight.
Serbia costs roughly a third less than Croatia and noticeably less than Hungary. It sits close to Bosnia and Herzegovina, while North Macedonia stays a little cheaper. You pay in Serbian dinars, and cards work almost everywhere in Belgrade and Novi Sad. Bakeries, markets and small-town kafanas still want cash.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodation€9 to 20 per nightA Belgrade dorm near Savamala or Dorćol costs €13 to 20, and summer weekends sit at the top of that range. In Novi Sad, expect €10 to 15. In Niš you pay €9 to 12. Weekday stays and booking direct often cost €1 to 3 less. Private apartment rooms outside the capital run €20 to 30, which makes sense split between two people.
Meals€8 to 18 per dayA burek with a cup of yogurt for breakfast costs €1.50 to 2.50. A pljeskavica from a grill stand is €3 to 5. Ten ćevapi with onions and lepinja bread cost €6 to 9 at a sit-down grill. A full kafana lunch runs €8 to 12. At Maxi or Lidl, bread, ajvar, cheese and fruit for a day come to €5 to 7.
Local transport€0 to 20 per dayBuses and trams inside Belgrade are free. Belgrade to Novi Sad costs €6 to 8 on the Soko fast train or the bus. Belgrade to Niš by bus is €15 to 20. Belgrade’s main bus station also charges a platform token of about €2. Many lines add €1 per bag for the luggage hold.
Activities€0 to 25 per dayKalemegdan fortress and walking around Petrovaradin cost nothing. The Nikola Tesla Museum is about €8 and the Museum of Yugoslavia €5 to 7. Your biggest spends will be day trips: a boat ride on Uvac canyon costs €15 to 25, and a guided tour from Belgrade costs €30 to 60.
Miscellaneous€3 to 8 per dayA domestic beer costs €2 to 3.50 in a bar and under €1 from a shop. An espresso at a café is €1.50 to 2.50. A tourist SIM from Yettel or A1 with plenty of data is €10 to 15 for one to two weeks. Many ATMs charge €3 to 5 per withdrawal, so take out larger amounts at a time.
Total Daily Budget€30 to 45With a €15 dorm, €12 of food, one bus ride and a museum, a Belgrade day costs about €40. In Niš or small towns, with a cheaper bed and kafana prices, you can live well on €30 to 35. In Zagreb, the same day costs €55 or more.
If your budget is tight, base yourself in Novi Sad or Niš and visit Belgrade on short trips. Eat your main meal at lunch, when kafanas serve set dishes at lower prices. Also look at the bill before you pay: some places in the capital add the cover charge (couvert) on top.
⚠️ Prices can change and everyone travels differently, so take this as a rough guide. Hope it helps you plan your adventure!

✈️ The backpacker research shortcutSerbia Travel Guide

An offline-friendly backpacking guide with optimized travel routes, ranked highlights, transport advice, and the best areas to stay.
example page 0 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 1 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 2 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 3 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 4 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 5 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 6 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
example page 7 from our offline Travel Guide for Serbia
The digital guide (255 pages) contains:
✅ 80 highlights, ranked by travel appeal
✅ Optimized 5, 10 & 15-day travel routes
✅ Cities, national parks, landmarks, beaches
✅ How to get around
✅ Offline-friendly for travel without Wi-Fi
👉 Click to see all 30+ guide features

📅 Plan smarter in minutes, not weeks
✅ Month by month travel advice
✅ Festivals & national holidays
✅ Budget expectations

🗺️ Go to the right places, skip the overrated ones
✅ Honest pros & cons of destinations
✅ Top hikes, parks & viewpoints
✅ Lesser-known places most travelers miss
✅ Clear “worth it vs skip it” guidance

🛏️ Travel smoothly without rookie mistakes
✅ Best areas to stay
✅ Transport systems explained simply
✅ Common scams & safety advice
✅ SIM cards, money & practical tips

🌍 Understand the country, not just visit it
✅ Culture & traditions
✅ 52 Essential phrases & customs
✅ Festivals worth planning around
✅ Traveler-friendly historical context
✅ Insights that make places more meaningful

📱 Built for real travel conditions
✅ Fully downloadable PDF
✅ Works completely offline
✅ Optimized for phone use
✅ Useful in remote areas & buses
✅ Everything in one place
Stop searching, start planning
Get instant access to your full guide. 30‑day money-back guarantee.
+ Add another guide for just

By proceeding you agree to our terms.
Sent to your inbox immediately after payment • 100% Secure Checkout
Best Backpacking Travel Advisor 2025 tourism awardBest Backpacking
Travel Advisor
2025
What others say about Take Your Backpack Guides:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fantastic, amazing amount of information!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My goodness this is amazing, it's what I've been looking for hats off too you!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I think this is absolutely BRILLIANT
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Very complete and informative. It's still missing places, but I gotta to commend you
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is truly amazing, thank you, can't wait to explore it with my kids!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Awesome resource, thank you!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is amazing! Can't wait to explore the ones I haven't seen
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love this! Well done, great idea.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks for taking the time to make this gem!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This might be the best website I've ever seen.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Congratulations, and thank you so much for your work; it's incredibly valuable.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
In all seriousness I think you did a great job pointing out the important spots
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
10/10 very good
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
As someone who's only just starting to visit regularly this is awesome, thank you.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you very much! I'm going to visit my dad, it's going to be very useful!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is really cool! We'll be travelling for the first time and this definitely come in handy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
You are now our minister of culture, congratulations 👨‍💼
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Just wanted to tell you that this is a pearl! Going to follow your recommendations.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is so cool. I'll definitely be using the resource for my travels soon.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is very impressive! Good work.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is an amazing and informative site. Very well done!

🛏️ Where to stay?Where to stay in Serbia

Serbia has plenty of hostels and budget guesthouses, with dorm beds typically running €10 to €18 a night and private rooms in family-run guesthouses from about €25. In Belgrade, Stari Grad and Dorćol put you within walking distance of Kalemegdan and Knez Mihailova, with lively bars and late-night noise to match, while Savamala sits closer to the riverfront clubs and the Sava waterfront but feels rougher around the edges after dark, and Vračar is quieter and leafier yet still a 20-minute walk from the old town. In Novi Sad the pedestrian Old Town around Zmaj Jovina is the easy pick for cafés and … read more 👉
Serbia has plenty of hostels and budget guesthouses, with dorm beds typically running €10 to €18 a night and private rooms in family-run guesthouses from about €25. In Belgrade, Stari Grad and Dorćol put you within walking distance of Kalemegdan and Knez Mihailova, with lively bars and late-night noise to match, while Savamala sits closer to the riverfront clubs and the Sava waterfront but feels rougher around the edges after dark, and Vračar is quieter and leafier yet still a 20-minute walk from the old town. In Novi Sad the pedestrian Old Town around Zmaj Jovina is the easy pick for cafés and safe evening strolls, and in Niš the streets around the fortress and Kopitareva are compact, cheap and close to the nightlife.

If you enjoy meeting fellow travelers, consider choosing hostels with high ratings for atmosphere. On the other hand, if you prefer having your own space, a hotel might be a better option.

Best hostels in Serbia


Best quality hotels in Serbia

🚌 Getting aroundPublic transport and other ways to get around

Getting around Serbia is mostly a choice between the bus network, which reaches nearly every town but rarely hurries, and the new high-speed train, which is fast but only runs on the Belgrade to Novi Sad corridor. For almost everything south of the capital, you’re riding a bus, so pack patience and a snack.
  • Intercity buses: Expect 700 to 900 RSD (about US$7 to 9) for Belgrade to Novi Sad (about 1.5 hours), 1,800 to 2,400 RSD (US$18 to 24) for Belgrade to Niš (about 3 hours), and similar money for
… read more 👉
Getting around Serbia is mostly a choice between the bus network, which reaches nearly every town but rarely hurries, and the new high-speed train, which is fast but only runs on the Belgrade to Novi Sad corridor. For almost everything south of the capital, you’re riding a bus, so pack patience and a snack.
  • Intercity buses: Expect 700 to 900 RSD (about US$7 to 9) for Belgrade to Novi Sad (about 1.5 hours), 1,800 to 2,400 RSD (US$18 to 24) for Belgrade to Niš (about 3 hours), and similar money for Zlatibor (3.5 to 4 hours). Buy at the station counter or online through the station or bus-company websites. Comfort ranges from modern coaches to older ones whose air-conditioning is a rumor. Keep 100 to 150 RSD in cash for each bag that goes underneath, and hang onto your platform token at bigger stations. You get the countryside rolling past and a smoke-break stop with surprisingly good burek.
  • Soko high-speed train: Belgrade Centar to Novi Sad takes about 36 minutes and costs roughly 700 to 1,200 RSD (US$7 to 12) depending on class. Book on the Srbijavoz website or app, because Friday and Sunday trains fill up. It’s clean, quiet and has working Wi-Fi. You arrive in Novi Sad before your coffee gets cold.
  • Belgrade to Bar train: This overnight line runs about 11 to 12 hours into Montenegro. A seat costs roughly 2,500 to 3,500 RSD (US$25 to 35), with couchettes extra. Book at the station well ahead in summer. The carriages are old and delays are normal, but you get gorges, tunnels and bridges after sunrise.
  • Belgrade city transport: Buses, trams and trolleybuses run by the city have been free since January 2025. They get packed at rush hour, so watch your pockets. You can cross from Zemun to Dorćol for zero dinars.
  • Rental car or hitchhiking: A small rental runs roughly 3,500 to 5,500 RSD (US$35 to 55) a day, which makes sense for monasteries and the Tara or Đerdap national parks that buses barely reach. Hitchhiking works reasonably well on secondary roads. Either way, you get to stop at roadside stands for kajmak and plums.
Plan a route that runs north to south (Subotica, Novi Sad, Belgrade, then Niš or Zlatibor) so each leg is three hours or less, and take morning buses, which are more reliable than the last evening departures.
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG) lies about 18 km (11 miles) west of the center of the Serbian capital, and the cheapest reliable way in is city bus 72, which is free because Belgrade’s public transport no longer charges fares.
  • Bus 72 (40 to 50 minutes, free) leaves from the stop outside the arrivals level and ends at Zeleni Venac near Knez Mihailova, running roughly from 5 a.m. to midnight.
  • A1 minibus (30 to 40 minutes, about 400 RSD / €3.50) departs from in front of arrivals and stops at Belgrade Centre railway station before ending at Slavija Square, and you pay the driver in cash dinars.
  • Bus 600 (40 to 50 minutes, free) runs from the airport to New Belgrade and Belgrade Centre railway station, handy if you are staying across the river or catching a train.
  • Taxi (25 to 35 minutes, about 1,800 to 2,800 RSD / €15 to €24 depending on zone) is best booked at the official taxi counter in the arrivals hall, which gives you a printed voucher with a fixed price for your zone.
  • Ride-hailing with CarGo or Yandex Go (25 to 35 minutes, about 1,500 to 2,500 RSD / €13 to €21) works around the clock, with pickups at the marked area outside arrivals and payment by card in the app.
If you land after midnight when the buses have stopped, skip the drivers who approach you inside the terminal and go straight to the taxi voucher counter or book a ride in the app.
⚠️ Prices and routes can change, so take this as a rough guide and ask for local advice when you arrive.
🚀 Don’t waste time on the road.
We’ll generate a route that minimizes unnecessary travel and fits your available days.

Generate my itinerary

🔒 Safety (risk Level: low)Is Serbia safe to visit?

Safety for solo travelers, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals
Serbia is generally safe for solo travelers, with low violent crime and busy, well-lit streets in Belgrade and Novi Sad late into the night. Women traveling alone rarely report problems beyond the occasional stare or comment, though the usual caution with drinks and late-night taxis applies. Society is conservative toward LGBTQ+ people: Belgrade hosts an annual Pride march under heavy police protection and has a small gay scene, but public displays of affection between same-sex couples can draw hostility, especially outside the capital. Steer clear of football derby crowds and ultra-nationalist gatherings, and use app-based taxis to avoid inflated fares.


Full official government travel advisory (live updates)
View details 👉

✈️ VisaUnderstanding entry rules

Citizens of the EU, US, UK, Canada, Australia and many other countries can visit Serbia visa-free for up to 90 days within any 180-day period, with a passport valid for the length of the stay. Nationals who need a visa apply in person at a Serbian embassy or consulate, or through the government e-visa portal for eligible nationalities, with proof of accommodation, funds and travel insurance. All foreigners must register their address with the police within 24 hours of arrival, and hotels and hostels do this automatically.

source: mfa.gov.rs
⚠️ Visa requirements can change over time, so always check the latest visa requirements with the official embassy or government website before you travel.

🎒 What to pack?What to wear and bring

Backpacking Serbia means packing for real extremes: summers in Belgrade and Vojvodina regularly reach 35°C (95°F), while winters drop below freezing and the Kopaonik and Zlatibor mountains get proper snow. Bring layers even in summer if you’re heading to Tara or other highlands, where evenings turn cool fast, plus sturdy shoes for cobbled old towns and forest trails. Belgrade’s nightlife is surprisingly dressy, so one smart-casual outfit will get you into the river clubs more easily than hiking gear. Plan for covered shoulders and knees at Orthodox monasteries, and women will want a scarf for the stricter ones.

Apart from this country specific advice, I have also crafted a general packing list that should help on any trip. authorOver the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.

View the full list 👉

🙋 FAQThings travelers often ask

Trip Planning

Planning a backpacking route through Serbia can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized Serbia itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.



Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.


Travel Essentials

There are no required vaccinations for visiting Serbia, but you should be up to date on routine vaccines such as measles-mumps-rubella, tetanus-diphtheria and polio. Hepatitis A and hepatitis B are commonly recommended for travelers. If you plan to spend extended time hiking in forests in spring or summer, consider the tick-borne encephalitis vaccine. Rabies vaccination is worth considering for long stays or work with animals, because stray dogs are common in Serbia.


vaccination requirements
When I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.

These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in Serbia, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.

There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.


HolaFly eSim

Culture & Customs

Hospitality in Serbia is serious business, so if you’re invited home, bring a small gift such as chocolate, flowers (an odd number) or a bottle, and expect to be fed far more than you can eat. Make eye contact when clinking glasses of rakija, and accept at least a small taste when it’s offered, since refusing outright can come across as cold. Remove your shoes in homes if your hosts do. Dress modestly in churches and monasteries and don’t photograph services without permission. Avoid bringing up Kosovo, the 1990s wars or the 1999 NATO bombing unless your hosts raise the topic, and listen more than you argue if they do. Smoking indoors is still common in cafés and kafanas, so don’t expect a smoke-free table. Same-sex couples are safest keeping affection discreet in public, and women may find men more traditionally gallant (paying, holding doors) than at home.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for Serbia.
  1. Ćevapi: Small grilled minced-meat sausages served in somun flatbread with raw onion and kajmak. Ćevapi are the national fast food, eaten everywhere from roadside grills to proper kafanas.
  2. Pljeskavica: A wide, thin, spiced patty of grilled beef and pork, sometimes stuffed with cheese. Leskovac in the south is famous for it, and it’s the default late-night meal in Serbia.
  3. Sarma: Fermented cabbage leaves rolled around minced meat and rice, then slow-cooked with smoked pork. It’s a winter and holiday staple, and every family claims the best recipe.
  4. Karađorđeva šnicla: A rolled pork or veal schnitzel stuffed with kajmak, breaded, fried and served with tartar sauce. It was created in Belgrade in the 20th century and named after the leader of the First Serbian Uprising.
  5. Gibanica: A layered filo pie with cheese and eggs, eaten for breakfast and served at nearly every celebration.
  6. Pasulj: A thick bean stew with smoked meat or sausage. It’s cheap, filling and a traditional Thursday or Friday dish in many canteens and kafanas.
  7. Ajvar and kajmak: Ajvar is a roasted red pepper relish made each autumn, and kajmak is a salty clotted-cream spread. You’ll find both on almost every Serbian table.
Tap water in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and most Serbian cities is treated and safe to drink, and most locals drink it without a second thought. Some towns in Vojvodina, notably Zrenjanin, have had long-running problems with arsenic in the supply, so drink bottled or filtered water there and ask locally in small villages. Bottled water costs around 50 to 100 RSD per 1.5-liter bottle in supermarkets if you prefer it.
The main language in Serbia is Serbian. Backpacking is way more rewarding if you know a bit of the local language, so I'd suggest brushing up on the basics just in case your Serbian skills have become a bit rusty.

Want to understand locals better?
The complete Travel Guide for Serbia includes 52 essential words and phrases — greetings, thank-yous, ordering food, transport, numbers, and common local expressions you'll actually hear.

Get your local basic phrases 👉

Get the Travel Guide -


In Serbia, English is widely spoken by people under about 40, so in Belgrade, Novi Sad and hostels you’ll rarely struggle. In rural areas and among older people English drops off sharply, and German or some Russian often helps more. Signs mix Cyrillic and Latin script, so learn the Cyrillic alphabet (it takes an afternoon) and keep Google Translate’s camera mode ready for menus and bus timetables. Hvala (thank you) and izvinite (excuse me) earn real goodwill.

Money & Payments

The local currency of Serbia is RSD (дин).
ATMs are easy to find across Serbia, in every city and most small towns, and they dispense Serbian dinars (RSD), with roughly 100 RSD equal to US$1. Many local banks charge foreign cards around 300 to 500 RSD per withdrawal, so take out larger amounts and skip standalone Euronet machines, which add higher fees and push poor conversion rates. Visa and Mastercard work in most restaurants, supermarkets and hotels in Belgrade and Novi Sad, but you’ll need cash for bus station luggage fees, markets, bakeries, village guesthouses and many small kafanas. Euros are by far the most useful foreign currency to carry and are easy to change, while US dollars are accepted at exchange offices at slightly worse rates. Licensed exchange offices (menjačnica) are everywhere, are legal and safe, and usually beat bank rates with no commission. Always decline dynamic currency conversion and pay in dinars when a card machine asks.
Tipping in Serbia is appreciated but not mandatory: rounding up the bill is standard in cafés and bars, and about 10 percent is normal in sit-down restaurants when service is good. Leave the tip in cash on the table or tell the server the total you want to pay, since card terminals rarely have a tip option. Taxi drivers generally expect you to round up to the nearest 100 RSD.

🧩 Nearby countriesOther countries to combine with Serbia

We 💚 feedbackIs Serbia worth visiting?

Serbia stands out less for its sights than for how readily people pull you into their table, their argument and their round of rakija. The downside is that cigarette smoke still drifts through many bars and cafés, so a terrace seat is your friend. My advice is to spend twenty minutes learning the Cyrillic alphabet before you arrive. It is fully phonetic, and suddenly bus boards, menus and village signs stop being puzzles. The whole country opens up when you can read it.

✍️ Help improve this page!
The information on this page is based on in-depth research, insights shared by experienced travelers, and feedback from the local travel community in Serbia. While every effort is made to keep the information accurate and current, conditions can change — so if you spot anything incorrect or outdated, please get in touch.



🙋‍♂️ Give feedback

👋 Meet the founderWho’s Behind Take Your Backpack?

Johan, backpacker and founder of TakeYourBackpackHi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.

This site is built on a combination of firsthand travel experience and carefully curated insights from other backpackers. Many guides are based on places I’ve personally visited, while others bring together tips, observations, and practical advice shared by trusted travelers I’ve met along the way.

The goal is to provide realistic, experience-driven guidance — not generic itineraries — so you can explore destinations with better context, clearer expectations, and more confidence.

Read the full story