Serbia
Two cities I explored, two routes that actually work, and the practical page. I wish someone had handed me that the first time.
Updated September 2026
What nobody tells you before you land
Serbia is a country most people skip on the way to somewhere else, and that is exactly why it still feels like yours to discover. Belgrade sits where the Sava pours into the Danube, a city rebuilt so many times it stopped apologizing for its scars, and the south — Niš — carries the older, slower Balkans that the capital left behind.
The routes below are short on purpose. Two cities, two ways of stringing them together — a long weekend in Belgrade, or a full week that drops down to Niš and leaves room for Novi Sad, the Fruška Gora monasteries or the strange stone towers of Đavolja Varoš. Serbia is cheap, easy to move around, and warmer to strangers than its reputation suggests.
Fact sheet
Everything practical, on one page
Itineraries
Two routes that actually work
Three days is a long weekend in Belgrade. Six is the country at a walking pace, with the south and a day trip or two thrown in.
Kalemegdan and the old town by day, Skadarlija and the river-barge clubs by night — the history and the nightlife in one tight weekend.
Belgrade first, then the bus down to Niš for the older Balkans. With a spare day, add Novi Sad, the Fruška Gora monasteries or the stone towers of Đavolja Varoš.
City guides
Two cities, walked one street at a time
Belgrade
Kalemegdan fortress, Skadarlija's cobbles, and the barge clubs that never really close.
3 days · Coming soonNiš
The fortress, the Tower of Skulls, and the slower southern Serbia the capital forgot.
2 days · Coming soonAsked every week
Questions I get about Serbia
How many days do I need?+
Three is a full long weekend in Belgrade. Six lets you add Niš in the south, with a spare day for Novi Sad, the Fruška Gora monasteries or Đavolja Varoš.
Is Belgrade's nightlife worth it?+
It's the reason a lot of people come. In summer the splavovi — floating clubs on the Sava and Danube — run till dawn; the rest of the year it moves to Savamala and Skadarlija.
Is it safe?+
Yes. Serbia is one of the safer countries in Europe for travelers, with low violent crime; use normal caution with your bag at night and stick to registered taxis or apps.
Do I need euros?+
No — Serbia uses the dinar (RSD), not the euro. Cards work in cities, but carry cash for bakeries, markets, buses and the south; exchange offices give better rates than the airport.
The podcast
I walked this before I wrote it
Every guide starts as an episode. Listen to the Serbia introduction — the context, the history and the honest bits — then come back for the routes.