Who doesn’t Serbia know? The country borders Hungary, Romania, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia. However, strangely enough, Serbia is relatively undiscovered and thus not the popular kid in the Eastern European school. Serbia is also no stranger to meeting opposition and diversity, especially through its terrain. Step on in and you will find flat farmland along the Danube and Tisa Valleys. Head for the hills in Serbia and discover rocky gorges and Alpine valleys. Visit Belgrade and uncover not the prettiest of cities, but an interesting capital for the country. Serbia strives for popularity so saunter on in if you are looking for an instant friend.
The capital city of Serbia boasts museums, art galleries, restaurants and a pulsating nightlife. Belgrade’s Old Town teams with history, showing off Kalemegdan Park and the Belgrade Fortress. The Orthodox Cathedral and the Palace of Princess Ljubice make up some of the city’s proudest structures. The bohemian quarter of Skadarlija beats with even more art galleries and restaurants.
Serbia’s second largest city, Novi Sad, has been known to resemble the Greek life. Some even refer to it as the “Serbian Athens”. Set on the Danube River, Novi Sad doesn’t live up to its name. No sadness ensues here with a wealth of museums, libraries, theaters, churches, and galleries for exploring. Finding a café or bar in town is no hunt in vain. Novi Sad has the drinks and dishes covered. The city is also host to the annual Exit Festival.
Continuing the city tour of Serbia, Ottoman sights abound in the third largest city in the southeast of the country. The city of Nis holds a Turkish fortress and the famed Skull Tower. Getting outside of the city center by only 4 kilometers, the ruins of Mediana rest, just waiting for exploration. The ruins note the glory that lived here, being the palace of Emperor Constantine at one point.
Getting out of the city life, Serbia quiets down through its National Parks. Djerdap National Park holds 64,000 hectares of land. Its true highlight remains the Djerdap Forge. Carved from a river valley, four gorges formulated making for one of the country’s most remarkable national parks. In opposition, Serbia’s national parks even provide ample opportunities to ski. Kopaonik National Park serves as the country’s prime ski resort. Zlatibor is also worth gliding those skis to for its large upland area. In summertime, Zlatibor transforms for the season with walking and hiking through mountain scenery.
Despite not being the most popular, Serbia’s sights, sounds and sips represent reasons why the country should be. Right near Kraljevo, the Monastery of Zica stands. It was here that the kings of Serbia were officially crowned. The sounds of birds resound through Fruska Gora. South of Novi Sad, the woodland trails present ideal spots to bird watch and listen to their chirps. Completing the equation, Serbia’s sips can be found on the Palic Wine Route. Wine making in the country has been a tradition for around 2,000 years.
Most congregate around the popular countries in Europe and Eastern Europe, never leaving them alone and wanting to be accepted by their locals. Serbia is not the cool kid at school, but its cities, national parks, sights, sounds and sips are vying for attention. The country hopes its land won’t be the last place picked for travel, like the last kid selected for the team in gym class.
