Serbia in 10 Days – Private Tour

Your local Authentic Treks guide will be there to greet you as soon as you arrive at the airport, bus/train station, or at your hotel if you are already in the country and your ultimate adventure through Serbia will begin. The town of Topola in the Šumadija region will be the first stop and your guide will explain how the renewal of the modern Serbian state began here in 1804. You’ll then be taken to the beautiful Oplenac Mausoleum found on the top of Oplenac Hill which is where 27 members of the royal family are buried making it a very significant spot in regard to Serbian history.

From one of Serbia’s historical highlights to one of its epicurean ones, the rest of the day will be dedicated to acquainting you with Šumadija and its highly acclaimed wine culture with visits and tastings at three different wineries. Your first sampling of Šumadijan wine will be at Royal wine cellar which was established in the 1930s by Serbian king followed by the well-known Aleksandrović winery. Lastly, we’ll take you to a young family-owned winery that not many tourists visit and therefore it’s somewhat of a local secret. You’ll be served a delightful lunch with perfectly paired wines by the winery’s owners and you’ll have an opportunity to purchase some unique bottles which can’t be found in stores.

Once we’ve sipped the best of Šumadija, we’ll head to House of Čolović, the guesthouse where you will sleep for the night, and introduce you to its warm hosts who will show you firsthand what life is like for the local people living in Serbian villages these days.

After a good night’s sleep at House of Čolović, you’ll be treated to a rich and tasty homemade breakfast that you won’t soon forget, and you’ll bid farewell to your lovely hosts. Heading west, we’ll start our journey to iconic Zlatibor Mountain for an afternoon spent enjoying nature and some of the area’s cultural highlights such as Stopića Cave, the fantastic ethnological open-air museum Old Village, and Gostilje waterfall.

Lunch and the final part of the day will once again be spent in a quaint village again at the guesthouse Pećinar which has been managed by the Pećinar family for six generations and where you will stay overnight.

On the third morning, you will wake up to the soothing sounds of nature and the divine smell of your homemade Zlatibor breakfast. Once you’ve fueled up for the day, we’ll drive to Mokra Gora. It’s in this town you will board the historic Šargan Eight, an antique train that travels along a narrow-track railway through the mountains of Western Serbia and is considered one of the most beautiful train journeys in Europe.

Once the ride comes to an end, we’ll take a short drive west to the border of Bosnia & Herzegovina in order to cross and pay a quick visit to the town of Višegrad where the famed “bridge over river Drina” is located. Dating from the XVI century, this bridge was memorialized in the novel Bridge Over the Drina by Yugoslavian writer Ivo Andrić and earned him a Nobel Prize in 1962. We’ll enjoy a boat ride on Drina River with a local captain and then a traditional lunch along the riverbank before returning to Mokra Gora and Küstendorf, an eclectic wooden village built by the famous director Emir Kusturica for his film Life is a Miracle and then converted into a charming tourist complex. You’ll have the rest of the day to explore the village on your own and will overnight at Hotel Mećavnik****.

This day will include a variety of activities and experiences starting with a drive to the heart of Tara National Park. After a short walk through a primeval forest, we’ll reach the Banjska Stena observation deck where you will be able to take in stunning views of Perućac Lake and the Drina from above. From Tara Mountain, we’ll continue onwards to the village of Perućac which is located beside the Drina River and where you’ll find (and walk along) Godina, the shortest river in Europe that is 365m long and named after the Serbian word for “year.” From Perućac we’ll head to Bajina Bašta which is a town mostly known for its peculiar attraction, the Drina River House, a vacant, wooden house that sits in the middle of Drina River. We’ll enjoy views of the house along with a delicious lunch from the terrace of a nearby restaurant before heading towards your accommodation for the night, Radočelo Guesthouse.

On the way to the guesthouse, we’ll stop off in another mountain village called Zlakusa which is celebrated for the skillful pottery masters who live and produce pottery there. You’ll have the option to practice your handicraft skills with a pottery-making workshop led by one of these masters or simply purchase some gorgeous pieces to take home as a memory of your time in Serbia.

We’ll continue from Zlakusa with a scenic drive over picturesque Golija Mountain before reaching Radočelo Guesthouse and our final destination for the day. Located around 700m above sea level, here you’ll try more tasty local food and enjoy the fresh mountain air along with a peaceful night’s sleep before the next day’s activities.

The next morning will be dedicated to exploring the 17th-century Studenica Monastery, a UNESCO world heritage site that is also considered one of the most beautiful monasteries in Serbia. The architecturally stunning churches found within the monastery grounds and their frescoes in combination with spirituality and cultural heritage are the cornerstones of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

From Studenica, we will travel down to the Ibar River Valley, also referred to as “The Valley of Kings” due to the numerous endowments built by medieval rulers of Serbia, and stop for lunch at a special place: a local tavern run by the same family for over 200 years. After lunch, we’ll drive to our next stop which is the 18th-century Žiča Monastery. Visually unlike any other Serbian monastery, we’ll explain its unconventional appearance once we arrive.

The next stop on the itinerary is the famous Serbian spa town of Vrnjačka Banja. While Serbia has an abundance of mineral and thermal springs, Vrnjačka Banja is the oldest and most popular one. Here we’ll treat you to an unusual experience of “water tasting” while walking through its majestic parks and you can determine which of the waters you sample tastes the best to you.

After spending time in Vrnjačka Banja, we will drive to Niš, our final stop of the day and the third largest city in Serbia which is considered the economic and cultural center of the south. You’ll have the rest of the day to wander through Niš on your own – your local guide will be more than happy to share tips and recommendations around the city beforehand – and you’ll overnight in Hotel Sole***.

The next morning will be spent visiting some of Niš more poignant and emotional sights such as Red Cross, the infamous concentration camp where Germans held Jews and imprisoned communists during WWII, and Skull Tower, a unique memorial dating back to the 19th century which was constructed by the Ottomans using skulls of Serbian revolutionaries. We’ll take a break in between these two sights for a more cheerful and relaxing exploration of the city center and Niš Fortress followed by lunch in Coppersmith’s Alley which will give you an opportunity to feel the local vibe and soak in Niš’ more relaxed atmosphere.

We’ll continue toward Eastern Serbia from Niš and stop at another fantastic winery on the way that has a unique process for aging wine which is the same process Romans used when they inhabited these areas. You’ll learn more about this tradition during the winery tour and then enjoy lunch which will also include a wine pairing. Following lunch, we’ll immerse you in more Roman history with a visit to Felix Romuliana, a UNESCO Roman palace from the 9th century built by Emperor Galerius and our second stop en route to the east. Here in this unique archeological site, you will be able to freely wander around the Roman remains without many other tourists.

Our final stop on the sixth day of this Serbian adventure will be at the foot of the pyramid-shaped Rtanj Mountain and where you will overnight, Hotel Ramonda****. After a busy day of sightseeing, you’ll have the rest of the day free to stroll around the area or relax in the hotel’s pool.

From Rtanj Mountain, the journey will continue the following morning with a drive further east towards the border with Romania to Iron Gate Gorge, the largest gorge in Europe. We’ll meet up with a local captain as soon as we arrive and you’ll take off on a scenic boat ride through the most beautiful part of the gorge and to Tabula Traiana, a Roman memorial plaque from the 1st century. After a private cruise through the gorge, we’ll hit the road again and head to Captain Misa’s Hill, a local guesthouse surrounded by beautiful scenery where you will be served a traditional lunch from this region.

After lunch, we’ll start making our way back to Belgrade with a stop off at Lepenski Vir, an archeological site which dates back to 8000 BC and is sometimes referred to as “the first city in Europe,” and Golubac Fortress which is a medieval fortification located at the very entrance to the gorge and the widest point of the Danube (7km from side to side).

We’ll reach Belgrade sometime in the evening and take you to the hotel you will stay for the next two nights, Hotel City Savoy****.

The eighth day will be spent exploring Belgrade and its most famous sights. We’ll start at the capital city’s most iconic landmark, Belgrade Fortress, before moving on to the posh neighborhood of Dedinje located in another part of town. Dedinje is where the House of Flowers is found which is a mausoleum and the eternal resting spot of the former president of Yugoslavia and controversial historical figure, Josip Broz Tito. Your local guide will be sure to explain how Tito’s cult was nurtured during his life and how it managed to continue long after he was gone.

From the Yugoslavian dictator’s tomb, we’ll move on to a holy place and one of Belgrade’s most sacred sites, St. Sava Church. In addition to being the largest Orthodox church in the Balkans, it is one of the largest Orthodox structures in the world and is dedicated to Saint Sava, an important religious figure praised for his role in bringing autonomy to the Serbian Orthodox Church in the 18th century. After a full morning exploring a few of Belgrade’s popular attractions, we’ll take you for lunch at a nearby restaurant where traditional Serbian food is prepared with a modern twist before making our way to Zemun on the other side of the river.

Zemun is the oldest part of Belgrade known for being the last outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and remained a separate town until 1934. This is one of the best places to experience Belgrade’s authentic side and feel like a local, so we’ll make sure you have plenty of time to stroll along the Danube promenade, walk up to Gardoš Hill and climb the curiously-shaped Gardoš Tower, and/or have a drink in one of Zemun’s cozy cafes.

You’ll have the rest of the day free to explore Belgrade on your own with plenty of tips and recommendations provided beforehand by your local guide.

On the final full day of this tour, you will travel straight to the Vojvodina region after breakfast to visit its only mountain and oldest national park, Fruška Gora. Other highlights you can expect to see on this day is the 16th-century Krušedol Monastery, the historically significant town of Sremski Karlovci, Petrovaradin Fortress, and Novi Sad. A special lunch will be scheduled at a small local wine cellar far off the main tourist route. The genial winemaker here also happens to be an excellent cook and will serve his homemade specialties perfectly paired with his fine wines.

From the winery, we’ll head to Novi Sad and your hotel for the final evening, Hotel Centar****. The rest of the day is all yours and can be spent enjoying Novi Sad however you’d like and on your own with tips/recommendations provided by your guide beforehand.

Depending on your travel arrangements, you can spend some time on the final day of the tour exploring more of Novi Sad on your own before we take you to the airport or the bus/train station in Belgrade or Novi Sad. At your point of departure, we’ll say farewell and hope your adventure through Serbia with us was one of the most memorable yet. Don’t forget, we will be waiting to host you again should you decide to return!