Top 10 places in Serbia and Belgrade you have to visit

In Serbia, it seems the tourist gems are just being discovered. For years now, Belgrade has been visited by large numbers of tourists exploring and enjoying everything Belgrade has to offer, but the rest of Serbia has always been left behind. But practice is slowly changing, and an increasing number of domestic tourists are discovering the peculiarities of their own country for the first time, and as we live in a digital age, their information is accessible to everyone. This is why foreign tourists are deciding to venture a little farther after landing at Nikola Tesla Airport and heading to the centre of Belgrade.

In certain places in Serbia, there is an extensive tourist offer, prepared for large numbers of different kinds of tourists, but there are many more places that are not well explored and presented to those who would like to see and experience something new. For this reason, we are introducing 10 places that every tourist should see when visiting Belgrade and Serbia. And yes, this time we are not talking only about the capital, but also about everything Serbia has to offer.

It is almost unthinkable to visit Belgrade without seeing the St. Sava Temple. Until recently, the crypt was the only part of the temple you could enjoy, and its beauty took the breath away from its visitors. Enthusiastic tourists from all over the world could usually be seen there trying to capture as many details and parts of the crypt as possible with their cameras. Both the exterior and interior of the temple appears almost finished and although its construction was compared to the construction of Skadar on the River Bojana, everything is now in place and close to completion.

St. Sava Temple is the largest Orthodox churches in the Balkans and indeed in the world. Its crypt is as holy a place as the Patriarchate of Peć itself, and tourists cannot help but be delighted by the magnificent mosaics, the arrangement of frescoes and the entire experience. This makes it one of the most popular places in Belgrade for tourists.

Modern Belgrade offers so much, a content so rich in entertainment and enjoyment that tourists find themselves short of time when staying in the Serbian capital. But a visit to Belgrade is not complete without a historical tour that shows how people lived during the period when Serbia was part of Yugoslavia, and when everything was completely different.

The Museum of Yugoslavia perfectly preserves the view of Serbia and Belgrade from the period of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Open-air concerts are often held here in the summer, with music reminiscent of that time, the time of the well-known EX-Yu rock. Next to the museum is the House of Flowers, the eternal residence of Josip Broz Tito and his wife, conceived as the residence of the president of that time. It is interesting to hear what life was like in Serbia while Tito was in power, and to see how different generations still come, even those born long after his death, to pay their respects to him, but also to hear the many conspiracy theories about his life and death.

Belgrade offers an exciting nightlife famous throughout Europe. Clubs, rafts, modern restaurants provide entertainment until the early morning hours with all possible genres of music. But, when it comes to fun, relaxation and merak (a traditional word for enjoyment in life), Skadarlija is a special place.

Skadarlija is a meeting place for the old and young, locals and foreigners. It is Belgrade's rive gauche, a Bohemian quarter at the very centre of the Serbian capital. The sounds of tambourines and poetry, the taste of gourmet dishes and strong local drinks in the Skadarlija restaurants preserve the best of centuries past, when ladies and gentlemen walked these streets. If you are a tourist and you do not pass through this street and do not stay in it for at least a day or evening, then you have not felt the charm of Belgrade and you must return again as soon as possible!

When you walk through the pedestrian zone along Knez Mihajlova Street, it is natural to continue towards Kalemegdan. Strolling down the city's most important street, shopping is unavoidable amongst the sounds of authentic voices of buskers, and you will have a chance to see how the city used to look, for there are several well preserved endowments and wonderful examples of facade reliefs in the street and its immediate vicinity.

At the far end of the street is the entrance to Kalemegdan Park, with a fortress at its heart that was the focus of so many historical events. There is also an unforgettable lookout point with a view of the confluence of the Sava and the Danube, a place to enjoy the sunset over Belgrade.

Not far from the city centre is Mount Avala, which can be the first thing you see when your Air Serbia aircraft approaches Belgrade airport.

There are two tourist attractions here - Avala Tower and the Monument to the Unknown Hero The monument was built according to the designs of the artist Ivan Meštrović at the request of King Alexander I, who wanted to pay tribute to all those who lost their lives fighting for their country between 1912 and 1918. The monument is a sight to see, it is visually impressive and is often an Instagram location. Sadly, this location used to be the site of the medieval town of Žrnov which was completely destroyed during preparation of the terrain for the construction of the monument.

Speaking of Avala, let's get a bit farther away from Belgrade to show what you should see when you travel through Serbia. Whether summer or winter, the mountains are a great decision when you visit our country. Even there, different content is offered and adapted to different needs, wishes and possibilities. Kopaonik and Zlatibor are for all those who like to be outdoors but still want the chance to have fun like in Belgrade. These mountains are popular and interesting, often combining contrasting things - skiing on the best trails and after-ski fun.

If you prefer unspoiled nature and enjoying the views without asphalt or the cllutter of buildings, then Tara, Zlatar, Golija, Goč, Stara planina, are the thing for you. That way you can fully enjoy nature wild enough to delight you but tame enough not to scare you.

If you head to the southwest of the country, the nature becomes more pristine and beautiful. Nature reserve Uvac is the proof of that. It is located in Sjenica and Nova Varoš municipalities and is best known for the beautiful meanders of the river Uvac. But the entire landscape is breathtaking, and nature here is almost completely unspoiled and preserved. This part of Serbia is also the habitat of the Griffon vulture, a beautiful bird with a wingspan of 3 metres which you can see up close.

We remain in the domain of natural beauty. Lake Meteška is located near the mountain Kopaonik and is known as a natural phenomenon. It is a lake with floating islands, the largest one of which is 15 meters long. When the wind blows, the islands move, so tourists can experience the ride. Another interesting thing about the lake is the underwater springs that fill it, which are so deep that no kind of measurement can reach their bottom, the depth of the lake remains unknown.

When you come to Serbia, you cannot ignore its history, tradition and many legends, since the people and the state have existed here for so many centuries. The best evidence of this are the monuments, religious buildings and monasteries. You should visit the monasteries not only for their historical and religious importance but also for their frescoes and architecture, and the general atmosphere of tranquillity and peaceful way of life.

Studenica, Žiča, Sopoćani, Đurđevi Stupovi are just a few of the many monasteries.

Below the mountain Radan, near the town Kuršumlija, there is an unusual natural monument that for years has aroused great interest everywhere in the world.

Đavolja Varoš (Devil's Town) is a natural phenomenon consisting of about 200 relief figures, created by centuries of erosive processes. But the legends surrounding this place are something else The figures can be found on two sides, the left and the right side of the cliff, forming two groups or, as the people say, two "mahalas", the Devil's and Hell's Gorges. Of all the legends about the origin of this place, a widely accepted one explains that the figures are actually wedding guests petrified on their way to marry a brother and a sister, and to prevent such a sinful event, God had them petrified forever. Believe it or not, foreknowledge of these legends actually does change the way visitors experience Đavolja Varoš.

The list of places that every tourist needs after landing in Belgrade can be much longer. There are so many natural phenomena, perfect natural scenes, historical places and monuments, even from the first few centuries A.D. which show who inhabited this area. This list is just a small selection of everything that should be seen or revisited.