Tourism in Serbia

Serbia is situated in 2 geographic and cultural parts of Europe: Central Europe- Pannonian plain, and Southeastern Europe- Balkan peninsula. This boundary splits Serbia roughly in ratio 1:3 alongside Danube and Sava rivers. The northern part of the Republic are Central-European lowlands while the southern parts are hilly and mountainous. There are more than 15 mountain peaks rising to over 2,000 metres above sea level. The navigable rivers are the Danube, Sava and Tisa. A moderate continental climate predominates, with more Mediterranean climate in the south.

The great variety of beautiful scenery and cultural and historical monuments, curative spas, hunting grounds and fishing areas give the basis for Serbia's tourism. International roads and railway lines link Western/Central Europe with Greece, Turkey, the Near East, Asia and Africa. The main air transport routes between West and East and North and South cross this country, too.

The Serbian lands were the crossroads of various civilizations in the past, with different spiritual, architectural, artistic and cultural influences. Serbian culture and its historical heritage is diverse because of mixture of various influences. Numerous prehistoric and classical monuments represent some unique examples of the changing times (Vinca culture, Starcevo culture, Lepenski Vir, etc). Serbia is a land of natural, historic, cultural and ethnic contrasts. Northern lowlands, or Vojvodina province, is the Central European part of the country and differs from the south by its sophisticated style, pure European culture and different mentality of its people. Fruska Gora hills are the only mountains in that part of Central Europe. The Central Serbia is rolling region hills with fields, hedges, orchards and meadows. Southern Serbia has big mountain ranges with wide river valleys and hollows. The altitude of some of the mountains is over 2,500 m, highest peak being in Kosovo province- Djeravica with 2,656 m above sea level.

Eastern Serbia is covered with mountains which belong to the Carpathian mountains but also to the Balkan mountain system. Here the Danube river cuts the Kazan, the longest and narrowest part of the Djerdap Gorge. Western Serbia is another mountainous region, with many picturesque canyons, forests and great natural and climatic advantages. Waters in Serbia - rivers, lakes, artificial lakes and mineral springs, represent an important natural resource for tourism. The Danube, the largest and the most important waterway in Europe flows through Serbia, covering some 591 km inside its borders. River Sava used to be the largest national river of Yugoslavia, connecting Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia in length of about 900 km; the river's mouth are located north of Ljubljana and the river's end is in Belgrade, where it flows into the Danube under a spectacular ancient fortress of Kalemegdan.

Flora and fauna are especially attractive. Throughout Serbia there are numerous animal species and game stock, which is a very favourable precondition for the hunting tourism. Many tourist resorts have sprung up with accommodation facilities, ideal for rest and recreation, situated in this diverse combination of natural and human mightiness. As a tourist area, Serbia has a very long tradition. For more than 150 years, guests have been coming to Serbian spas- Palic and Vrnjacka Banja being the best-known among tourists. The current receptive basis of tourism and catering industry consists of 125,000 beds in basic and supplementary accommodation facilities. There are nearly 40,000 hotel beds in various classes.

Cities

Belgrade, the capital and the "soul" of modern Serbia, is situated at the confluence of the Sava and the Danube. In the course of its long history it has been captured 60 times, and razed to the ground at least 38 times; however every time it got leveled to the ground the city had arisen from its ashes, like a phoenix- which is a legend connected to the city. Today, it is a modern city of about 2 million inhabitants. To visitors Belgrade offers its rich programme of cultural, artistic and sports events, many museums, cultural and historic monuments. With the Sava Congress Centre and numerous hotels, Belgrade has become one of the major congress and convention centres in Europe.

The convention facilities offer the other large towns: Novi Sad (the "Serbian Athens"), Priština, Niš, Subotica, Kragujevac, Kruševac, Uzice, Valjevo, Vršac, Sombor, Sremska Mitrovica as well as the mountain centres: Kopaonik, Tara, Zlatibor, Divcibare, Brezovica, and the spas: Vrnjacka Banja, Niska Banja, Bukovicka Banja, Soko Banja and many others tourists resorts.

Danube

Serbia belongs to the Danubian countries. The surviving monuments testify about its rich history (Lepenski Vir, the oldest archaeological site, Trajan's bridge and Tablet dating from the period when the Danube was the northern boundary of the Roman Empire). Roman rule has left many monuments of culture: Romuliana/Gamzigrad with its famous mosaics and an imperial palace; Viminacium or (Kostolac) offering the remnants of an ancient city; Sirmium- one of the imperial capitals of Roman Empire- largest Roman ruin in the region; Naissus and Mediana- birthplace to the Constantine the Great, father of Byzantium, Constantinople and first Christian emperor of Rome. Medieval times have blessed Serbia with medieval fortresses at Smederevo, former Serbian capital; Golubac; Ram; Fetislam and many others. The Djerdap Dam, built jointly in 1964-72 by Yugoslavia and Romania, is one of the most impressive pieces of civil engineering in Europe. The waters of the Danube represent the largest fishing grounds, where fishing and other water sports are practiced.

National parks

There are two national parks including the Danube gravitational area: Đerdap and Fruška Gora. From Golubac to Tekija, on a stretch 100 km long and covering an area of about 620 square kilometres lies the Đerdap National Park. In this section the Danube is the deepest, widest and narrowest. Two lakes, the Đerdap and the Srebreno are the pearls of the Serbian Danube. Fruška Gora, situated between the Sava and Danube rivers, represents the wooded hill in lowland province Vojvodina. The total area exceeds 220 km². Fruška Gora is also attractive due to numerous old Serbian monasteries. This region has a long tradition in the production of excellent wines and is known for its hunting facilities.

Mineral spas

Many mineral spring and a large number of well-appointed spas with a long tradition of use going as far back as Roman times, are an important feature of Serbia's tourism. In terms of the number of springs and the quality of the waters these spas are famous in Europe. The combination of natural factors and medical methods in Serbia's modern and specialized centres yields remarkable results in treatment and rehabilitation. Almost all of the spas are situated at the foot of mountains surrounded by wooded hills, and have a mild climate.

According to indications for treatment, rest, excursions and the leisure time activities offered. The most famous are Vrnjačka Banja, with two millennia of tradition and more than 120 years of organized tourism and health care. The spa has three mineral water springs, of which one is warm and two are cold. In the immediate vicinity of this spa there are many important monuments dating back to the 14th century. Soko Banja is a well known balneological center from the Roman times, whose development began almost a century ago. The curative waters come from several spring, the temperatures from 20 to 45 °C. Banja Koviljača has also been known for centuries. It now ranks among the well-appointed and modernly equipped natural health resorts. The spa has several spring of thermo-mineral waters. Mataruška Banja has highly curative thermo-mineral water, with a temperature from 28 to 50 °C. The sulphur-content of the waters is one of the highest in the world.

Niška Banja has a number of thermal and radioactive springs, the temperature from 19 to 30 C. There are also the remains of Roman and Turkish baths, speaking about its history. Bukovička Banja, Selters Banja, Ovčar Banja, Banja Junaković, Sijarinska Banja, Kuršumlijska Banja, Gornja Trepča, Bujanovačka Banja and others offer a lot of curative, recreative and relaxative facilities.

Monuments

Serbia has a rich cultural heritage ranging from the remains of the oldest human settlement Lepenski Vir, 7000 years old, through the Neolithic site at Vinca, Roman and Byzantine edifices, Tabula Trajana, Gamzigrad, the Belgrade Fortress, Petrovaradin Fortress, to medieval monasteries with their unique architecture and fresco paintings of outstanding beauty from golden age of Serbia in the 12th and 13th centuries. Djurdjevi Stupovi, Zica, the Patriarchate of Pec, Gracanica, Decani, Ljubostinja, Mileseva, Sopocani are some of them.

*Patriarchate of Peć, Gracanica and Our Lady of Ljevis- medieval spiritual heartlands of Serbian orthodoxy, protected by UNESCO

*Studenica Monastery and the medieval town of Ras, with the Sopocani Monastery are included in the list of the world most valuable monuments, protected by UNESCO.

*Visoki Dečani monastery- UNESCO protected cathedral near Pec; one of the biggest medieval churches in the Balkans

*Djurdjevi Stupovi monastery- 12th century temple of Nemanjic dynasty

*Mileseva monastery- royal family's shrine (Nemanjic dynasty)

*Banjska monastery in Kosovo province

*Zica monastery of Stefan Prvovencani, first king of Serbia, 13th century

*Kalenic monastery in Central Serbia

*Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade

Mountains and Winter tourism

Serbia's mountains are its wealth and its beauty. The joint characteristics of most of its mountains are the vast areas under coniferous and deciduous forests, pastures and meadows, a moderate altitude and very agreeable climate for both summer and winter vacations, sports activities and rehabilitation. Kopaonik, Tara, Šar Mountain and Fruška Gora have been proclaimed national parks, thanks to their exceptional beauty. The most developed mountain tourist centre is Kopaonik, 2,017 m above sea level, a well known winter sport resort. Kopaonik is a mountain giant, about 120 km long and 50 km wide. With a ten year long tradition its ski centre has become established in Europe. It is convenient to all categories of skiers. Kopaonik is not only attractive in the winter, but also a summer tourist centre. In the surroundings of Kopaonik there are many interesting monasteries such as Sopoćani, Studenica, Žiča, Visoki Dečani, Patriarchate of Peć, Župa vine-growing region, night spas, the Ibar and other rivers.
Zlatibor is a traditional health, recreational and vocation resort. The Zlatibor plateau is a climatic resort, and thanks to the modern recreative and preventative programme it has become popular among the all categories of tourists.

The Brezovica on the mountain Šara has a lot of similarities with the Alps. Even this fact is sufficient for the development of modern tourism in the summer and the winter and especially for the development of winter tourism. Mt Para is about 80 km long with numerous peaks over 2,500 m. covered by snow all the year around. The whole area has an exceptional environment: changing scenery, beautiful valleys and mountains, picturesque villages and historical monuments. Divčibare, Tara Mountain, Vlasina Lake, Goč, Zlatar, Stara Planina, Golija offer the favourable climatic and tourist conditions. But, there are the other mountains resorts offering the facilities for tourism.

Hunting & Fishing

Serbia abounds in hunting grounds rich in big and small game. Hunting is possible all year round depending on the type of game and the grounds. Big game includes bears, deer, wild boars and mouflons.

Small game species such as hares, pheasant, rabbits,mink and others are abundant throughout Serbia and especially in Vojvodina.

Game bird hunting grounds are also rich.

Transit tourism

A trip through Serbia takes the shortest and the most picturesque travel path from Europe to the Middle East and to Eastern Europe. Serbia has many projects for the extension and the renovation roads and for catering facilities along its motorways.

Nightlife

Nightlife in Serbia (particularly Belgrade) is very vivid and rich.Nighlife in Serbia is something that every tourist is fond of. You can find a wide spectar of clubs and bars that work every night. Serbians are friendly and very social so you don't have to wait for weekends to go out!

Recently, according to several local, regional and international news magazines, papers and news agencies, notably The New York Times and CNN , Belgrade has become quite the regional night life hub, boasting cheap drinks and accommodation in comparison to the rest of Europe and the regional capitals like Zagreb, Budapest, and even Athens. Weekend fun-seeking visitors from Europe and most notably from Croatia and Slovenia revere Belgrade as "the-place-to-be", citing friendly atmosphere, great clubs and bars, cheap drinks, language they can understand and lack of restrictive night life regulation.

Ada Ciganlija is a former island on the Sava river, and Belgrade's biggest sports and recreational complex. Today it is connected with the shore, creating an artificial lake on the river. It is the most popular destination for Belgraders during the city's hot summers. There are 7 kilometres of long beaches and sports facilities for various sports including golf, football, basketball, volleyball, rugby union, baseball, and tennis. [cite web|url=http://www.adaciganlija.co.yu/sport_tereni.htm|title=Sportski tereni|publisher=Public utility "Ada Ciganlija"|accessdate=2007-05-19|language=Serbian] During summer there are between 200000 and 300000 bathers daily. Clubs work 24 hours a day,organising live music and overnight beach parties.Extreme sports are available, like bungee jumping, water skiing and paintballing. [cite web|url=http://www.tob.co.yu/english/zasto_bg/zeleni_bg/ada/index.html|publisher=Tourism Organisation of Belgrade|title=Ada Ciganlija|accessdate=2007-05-19] There are numerous tracks on the island, where it is possible to ride a bike, go for a walk or go jogging. [cite web|url=http://www.adaciganlija.co.yu/o_adi.htm|title=O Adi|publisher=Public utility "Ada Ciganlija"|language=Serbian|accessdate=2007-05-19]

New Belgrade

Novi Beograd offers rich night life along the banks of Sava and Danube, right up to the point where the two rivers meet. What started mostly as raft-like social clubs for river fishermen in 1980s expanded into large floats offering food and drink with live turbo folk performances during the 1990s.

Today, it is unlikely that one would walk a 100 meter stretch along the rivers without encountering a float. Some of them grew into entire entertainment complexes rivaling clubs in Belgrade's downtown core. While most of the floats used to be sinonimous with turbo folk in what was essentially a stereotypical kafana setting, a recent trend saw many turned into full fledged clubs on water with elaborate events involving world famous DJs spinning live music.

ee also

*Agrotourism in Serbia

References

External links

* [http://www.serbia.travel/ National Tourist Organization of Serbia]
* [http://www.visitserbia.org Travel guide and online reservation service for hotels in Serbia]
*wikitravel|Serbia