Serbia is a country that operates almost entirely outside the standard Western European tourist experiences. While there is no Eiffel Tower, or Rick Steves itineraries, or queues at the ticket booth, Serbia can promise lower prices, genuine hospitality, remarkable food, and a culture with a complexity and a sense of pride.
The Basics Americans Often Don't Know
- Visa: US citizens do not need a visa to enter Serbia for stays up to 90 days. No documentation is required beyond a valid passport.
- Language: Serbian (written in both Cyrillic and Latin script). Younger Serbians, especially in Belgrade, speak good English. Learning a few Cyrillic characters helps enormously for reading signs and menus.
- Safety: Serbia is safe for tourists. Belgrade regularly ranks among some of the safer major European capitals. Petty theft exists as in any large city, but violent crime against tourists is rare. Be alert in crowded areas (markets, clubs) against pickpockets, but there is no general threat level to worry about.
- Getting there: Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport receives direct flights from several European hubs; most Americans connect through London, Vienna, Amsterdam, or Istanbul. Flying into Vienna or Budapest and traveling overland to Belgrade by bus or train is also a popular and scenic option.
What Will Surprise You
The Food
Serbian food is almost completely unknown outside the region. The dishes every American needs to try:
- Ćevapi (or ćevapčići): small grilled minced-meat sausages, served in flatbread with fresh onion and kajmak (a rich clotted cream dairy product). This is the national street food.
- Pljeskavica: a large Serbian burger, seasoned and grilled, often stuffed with cheese or kajmak.
- Sarma: cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice, slow-cooked until tender.
- Gibanica: a layered filo pastry filled with cheese and egg. Eaten at any time of day, bought from bakeries across the country.
- Rakija: fruit brandy, typically 40 to 55 percent ABV. Plum (šljivovica) is the most famous variety, but quince, apricot, and grape are also widely made.
Belgrade's Nightlife
Belgrade has one of Europe's top nightlife scenes, and it is consistently ranked among the top five party destinations on the continent. The splavovi (floating river clubs moored on the Sava and Danube riverbanks) operate through summer. The city's club culture runs late, midnight is still early, and clubs operate until dawn or beyond. The cover charges are modest and the atmosphere is welcoming to foreigners.
History and Complexity
The 1990s Yugoslav wars, the NATO bombing of 1999, and the Kosovo question are all present in political memory and will come up in conversation if you engage with locals. Serbians are generally willing to discuss this history directly but have perspectives that differ significantly from dominant Western interpretations of events.
Where to Go
- Belgrade: the capital featuring the Kalemegdan fortress overlooking the river, the bohemian Skadarlija cobblestone street, the Yugoslav architecture of New Belgrade, and the street art of Savamala.
- Novi Sad: an Austro-Hungarian city on the Danube, home to the Petrovaradin Fortress and the Exit music festival (held annually in July).
- Zlatibor and Tara: mountain resort regions in western Serbia, with dramatic highland scenery, hiking, and the Šargan Eight mountain railway.
- Studenica, Žiča, Sopoćani: the medieval Serbian Orthodox monasteries, several of them UNESCO World Heritage sites, set in forested hills.
What It Costs
Serbia is one of the most affordable countries in Europe for Americans. A full restaurant meal with wine or beer in Belgrade costs around $10 to $20 per person at a mid-range establishment. A pint of domestic beer in a bar is under $3. The accommodation in a central Belgrade hotel runs $60 to $120 per night. The taxis and Bolt (the dominant rideshare app) are cheap.