Day 2: Belgrade
This morning you’ll go to Republic Square, a privileged meeting place for Belgraders and where the statue of King Mihajlo Obrenović, great liberator of Belgrade and other cities of Serbia from the Ottoman yoke, seats on a horse. You will go to the fortress of Kalemegdan, a place popular with tourists but also by Serbs who like to walk there and have a picnic or a drink on sunny days. You will take the time to appreciate the confluence of the Sava and the Danube, a sumptuous landscape with a long and tumultuous history. The, you’ll visit the surroundings of the fortress, the Saborna Crkva and the palace of the patriarch before reaching Kneza Mihajlova street, pedestrian and real artery of the city where you will find many shops, restaurants and street artists. Your guide will give you some time for yourself so you can enjoy lunch at one of the surrounding cafes or restaurants. As you move away from the city center, you will reach Terazije, another major artery of the city, dominated by the imposing building of the Moskva hotel that directly overlooks the St Save Church in Belgrade, the largest Orthodox church in the world. Your visit to Belgrade ends with a visit to the Tašmajdan district where you will find a wooded park next to St. Mark's Church recognizable by its decor imitating red stones and the building of Serbia’s National Assembly before continuing to the bohemian district of Skadarlija, a small Belgrader Montmartre, where your senses will be cheered between delicious foods and musicians playing traditional tunes. Later in the day have dinner at a local restaurant before heading back to the hotel for the night. [B/D]
Day 3: Belgrade, Novi Sad (Petrovaradin)
After breakfast at the hotel, depart for Novi Sad, the country's second largest city and capital of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. You’ll first go to the hotel located in the city center to drop off your luggage, before starting your visit of Novi Sad with the city's synagogue, a majestic brown-brick building located on the outskirts near the city center, before reaching Slobode Square, the focal point of Novi Sad, where the town hall and Župna Imena Marijana church are located, among others. Behind the church, you will be able to follow the street that runs along the latter to observe the building of the Patriarchate of the Bačka Eparchy and the town's Saborna Crkva. Many restaurants line the street where the Saborna Crkva is located, and offer according to taste, grilled meat dishes or traditional Hungarian cuisines, Vojvodina being strongly influenced by Magyar culture. Your guide will take you toa typical restaurant for. Lunch. In the afternoon, discover the city’s two great museums, the Vojvodina Museum and the Novi Sad Museum of Contemporary Art. Take full advantage of these establishments, which best retrace the history of the region and of Serbia in general since a large number of museums in Belgrade have been closed for more than a decade. You can then cross the Danube to visit the neighboring town of Petrovaradin and its fortress which offers a magnificent panorama over the city of Novi Sad and the Danube and the setting for one of the biggest music festivals in Europe: Exit. Cross the Danube again to return to Novi Sad and enjoy dinner at a typical restaurant before returning to the hotel for the night. [B/L/D]
Day 4: Novi Sad, Topola, Maglič, Brezova
Today, visit the royal mausoleum of Oplenac and its crypt, located near the hotel and a true symbol of the city where the Serbian kings, queens and dolphins of the Karađorđević dynasty. You’ll then go to the Topola’s city center to visit the Karađorđev Grad complex that includes a church and a konak (large house) which traces the life of Prince Karađorđe, leader of the liberation of Serbia after more than 5 centuries of Ottoman occupation. Stop at to one of the many traditional cuisine restaurants that the town has to offer to eat lunch before taking the road to Brezova where the UNESCO-listed Studenica Monastery is located. Along the way, stop at the small village of Maglič in order to explore the city's fortress. At the end of a short hike necessary to climb to the top of the rocky peak where the fortress is perched, you will be able to enjoy the well-preserved remains but also a breathtaking view of the Chumadia region located in the center of Serbia. You will then take the road to Brezova and check-in at your hotel, have dinner and spend the night. [B/L/D]
Day 5: Brezova, Doljani, Boturovina, Novi Pazar
You will start your day with a visit to the Studenica Monastery, the first of the three UNESCO listed monasteries planned for this fourth day of travel. You will appreciate the general calm only broken by the obligations of monastic life and the other tourists who come to discover a set of buildings with remarkably well-preserved original architecture but also a decoration of striking frescoes and remarkable beauty and colors. You will then take the road to Novi Pazar, stopping not far from the city, near the village of Boturovina to visit the second UNESCO listed monastery of the day, the Đurđevi Stupovi Monastery. The monastery of Đurđevi Stupovi, in addition to its architecture, its treasure and the many frescoes retracing in particular the life of Christ and Saint George also offers, thanks to its strategic position, a breathtaking panorama of the surroundings and in particular the nearby town of Novi Pazar. You will be able to have lunch on the road to Doljani, where you will visit the third UNESCO listed monastery of the day, the Sopoćani Monastery. If this monastery denotes an architecture that seems more simplistic and refined than the previous two, it is all the more interesting to visit because it is located near the ruins of the fortress of Old Ras which was the political center of medieval Serbia even before Serbia was known by that name. Dinner and overnight in Novi Pazar. [B/L/D]
Day 6: Novi Pazar, Aleksandrovac, Nis
After breakfast, take the road to Aleksandrovac, a small town in central Serbia, known for the many surrounding vineyards and continue to Nis, the third city of the country and ancient Naissus, which saw the birth of the Emperor Constantine, who converted the Roman Empire to Catholicism. You will start your visit to Niš with a visit to the Red Cross concentration camp, an interesting historical testimony of the darkest hours of European history, with well-preserved buildings and a whole series of testimonies and historical documents which allow you to immerse yourself in the horror of war. You will then go to the city fortress, a true symbol of the city and a privileged meeting point for the inhabitants of Niš, the interior offers several possibilities for restorations, but also the possibility of seeing a richly decorated mosque on its exterior facade. as well as a Roman lapidarium. You will reach the city center by taking the main artery of the city, the pedestrianized Obrenovića street to discover the various churches and the archaeological section of the National Museum of Niš which has many Roman artefacts unearthed mainly at the archaeological site of Medijana. Time for a rest and enjoy lunch. During the rest of your day in Niš you’ll continue with a visit to the Skull Tower, another testimony to the horrors of war. To free himself from the Turkish yoke, the Serbian army general blew up the hill by firing in the reserve of powder causing the death of several thousand Ottoman soldiers. The sultan at the time decreed the erection of a tower with the skulls of Serbian soldiers at the entrance to the city to show the cost of defying the Ottoman authority. You will end your visit of Niš with the archaeological site of Medijana, a Roman villa which was the birthplace of Emperor Constantine and nearly ten other Roman Emperors. Dinner and overnight in Nis. [B/L/D]
Day 7: Nis, Jazecar, Gamzigrad, Donji Milanovac
Early breakfast and a drive to Zaječar to start a visit in the city center, in particular with the national museum which houses the artefacts of the nearby Roman archaeological site of Felix Romuliana, classified UNESCO, but also the Heineken brewery which produces the local beer. Then, leave in the direction of Gamzigrad, in the suburbs of Zaječar, to visit the archaeological site of Felix Romuliana, classified UNESCO. The palace built by the Emperor Galerius, a native of the surroundings, in the site of Felix Romuliana retains a large part of its Roman architecture, in particular the peristyle courtyard with several columns still in elevation. You will be able to have lunch on your return to Zaječar or on the road that will take you to Donji Milanovac, a town where you will spend the night in a guesthouse. You will visit the archaeological site of Lepenski Vir, a few kilometers from Donji Milanovac, a site of settlements dating from the Neolithic era which corresponds to one of the oldest traces of human settlement in Serbia. You will then return to Donji Milanovac to enjoy the landscapes of Đerdap National Park as you stroll along the promenade that runs along the Danube. Dinner on the banks of the Danube before reaching your hotel for overnight. [B/L/D]
Day 8: Donji Milanovac, Golubac, Kisiljevo, Ram, Smederevo, Belgrade
After breakfast, follow the road along the Danube to discover three medieval fortresses, starting with the town of Golubac. Marking the entrance to Đerdap National Park, the city fortress, which has been recently, plunges into the Danube and offers breathtaking views and landscapes. After the visit take the road to Kisiljevo to stroll and swim in Lake Srebrno, the arm of the Danube closed by two dams which has experienced significant development in recent years, particularly in tourist facilities such as hotels, guest houses and other restaurants, using one of them for lunch. In the afternoon, continue your route along the Danube taking the direction of Ram where the second medieval fortress is located. After that, you will head to Smederevo for a visit beginning with the city fortress, one of the best preserved in this part of the Balkans and which marked the end of the autonomy of medieval Serbia when it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1459. Then visit the city museum which includes a rich medieval collection mainly from archaeological excavations of the fortress and which explains the fall of Serbian power and the shift towards five centuries of Turkish domination. Finally, you will visit St Georges Church, in the city center, one of the main monuments of the post-occupation city. Continue to Belgrade to have dinner in the capital before checking-in to the hotel for the night. [B/L/D]
Day 9: Belgrade, USA
Breakfast at the hotel. Depending on the time of your flight, you may take advantage of possible free time to wander one last time in the capital. At the appointed time you’ll be picked-up and driven to the airport to board your flight back home. [B]
- Petrovaradin Fortress
- Oplenac Mausoleum
- Studenica Monastery
- Đurđevi Stupovi Monastery
- Sopoćani Monastery
- Sightseeing of Nis
- Medijana archaeological site
- Felix Romuliana Roman ruins
- Donji Milanovac Neolithic site
Đerdap National Park
[B] = Breakfast | [D] = Dinner | [B/L] = Lunch and Dinner | [B/L/D] = Breakfast Lunch and Dinner
