VISIT SERBIA

I first set foot in Belgrade in 1986, travelling on the Acropolis Express between Athens and Munich, racing back to the UK before my month-long student Interrail pass expired. So my ‘visit’ amounted to a brief hop off the train to buy bread and water from platform sellers before the train trundled on towards Zagreb.

That long-distance service stopped running with the onset of the Balkan wars in the early 1990s, and even now, a comparable cross-country rail route linking Greece and Germany remains more aspiration than reality. While there has been progress, most notably the introduction of fast trains between Belgrade and Novi Sad, international rail connections beyond that are still a work in progress. I’ve written separately about continuing the journey by bus to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, for now, remains the more practical option.

Which brings me to the present. Serbia was one of the last Balkan countries I visited properly, and in hindsight, I’m not sure why I left it so long. Belgrade is a city full of character and contrasts sharply with Serbia’s second city, Novi Sad, which makes an easy day trip by high-speed train. My time in Serbia was all too brief, but these posts reflect what I’ve explored so far, and there’s no doubt I’ll be back to fill in the gaps.

St Sava Cathedral Belgrade Serbia External viiew. A highlight if you visit Serbia
Cathedral of St Sava

Serbia: Useful Information

Language

Serbian is the official language (written in both Cyrillic and Latin); English is widely understood in cities and among younger people.

Currency

Serbian Dinar (RSD). €1 ≈ 117 RSD; £1 ≈ 135 RSD. Cash is still useful, especially outside major cities..   Currency converter

Time Zone

Central European Time (CET; UTC+01:00). Daylight saving time (UTC+02:00) from late March to late October.

Dialling Code

+381

Visas

UK, EU, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand citizens do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days.

Electricity & adapters:

European plug types C/F, 230V. No adapter needed for most European devices.

Tourist Information

Serbia Travel

Transport Links

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport; extensive bus network; improving rail connections, including high-speed trains.

When to Go

Spring and autumn are ideal for city travel and walking. Summers can be hot (30°C+), especially in cities. Winters are cold, with snow possible, but cities remain lively.

There’s a regular high-speed service from Belgrade to Novi Sad, costing just RSD 120 (approx. €1) each way. That’s exceptional value for riding the modern Soko trains, which reach speeds of 200 km/h and are pretty similar in design to the Railjet services you’ll find in Austria and surrounding areas. So if you’re a train buff, it’s one for the list.

There is a ‘but’ with this option. The new Belgrade central train station (Prokop) is not central; it’s about 4km out of the centre, and if you walk as we did, you’ll need to keep an eye on the map to keep to the pedestrian route, taking you beyond the massive jungle of roads on the edge of the city. You’ll also find a station that looks distinctly unfinished.

Finding the pedestrian route to the new Belgrade rail station on the edge of the city through the maize of roads
Finding the pedestrian route to the new Belgrade rail station on the edge of the city

As for buying tickets, you can either use ticket machines at the station or book online. (in Serbian). We didn’t find any ticket office open, so we used the ticket machines with a card (cash not accepted). Once on the train, everything improved: plenty to see from the window, a buffet trolley, and our destination, Novi Sad station (also pretty new).

Explore Serbia

Recent posts from Serbua, more destination guides, and itineraries coming soon.