Diverse, welcoming and a hell of a lot of fun – everything you never heard about Serbia is true. Best of all, this landlocked country in the heart of the Balkans is still delightfully off the tourist trail. While the feisty Serbian spirit is embodied in Belgrade’s world-class nightlife and Novi Sad’s epic EXIT Festival, look beyond these historic metropolises and you’ll discover a crucible of cultures and unsullied outdoors ripe for exploration.
The art nouveau town of Subotica revels in its Austro-Hungarian heritage, bohemian Niš echoes to the clip-clop of Roma horse carts, and minaret-studded Novi Pazar nudges the most sacred of Serbian Orthodox monasteries. Established wine regions and thermal spas cradled in rolling hills date back to Roman times. On the slopes of Kopaonik, Zlatibor and Stara Planina, ancient traditions coexist with après-ski bling, while super-scenic Tara and Đerdap National Parks brim with hiking, biking, rafting and kayaking opportunities.
Money
The monetary unit in Serbia is the Serbian Dinar (RSD). 1 Dinar = 100 Paras.
Tours stop for money exchange at the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. Please, bring EURO currency in cash, because there are no ATM machines on our way to Krusevac
Eating and Drinking
One of the great joys of Serbia is sampling the wide selection of different dishes available. Food offered in much of Serbia is delicious, hearty, and often meat orientated. You may well find smoked or salted fish, pickled cabbage stew, beef stroganoff, goulash, meat stews, game meat, and many varieties of dumplings.
Rakia is very common throughout Serbia but beer is the main alcoholic drink and Serbia is proud of its national beers. All drinks such as bottled water or soft drinks are fairly inexpensive. Alcoholic drinks vary in price, with beer generally being the cheapest option.
Tipping
Tipping is not obligatory in Serbian restaurants, but if you are satisfied with the service then leave a 10 to 15% tip. At bars and with taxis leave a tip by rounding off the amount.
Australian Government Travel Advice
The Australian Government provides up to date information on the safety of travelling to various countries, and all travellers should take note of this advice. Liberty Tours recommends that all travellers take out appropriate Travel Insurance to cover the entire duration of their absence from home. Liberty Tours can assist with obtaining Travel Insurance.
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/serbia
Follow this link for current official assessment:
Advice on health risks and vaccination recommendations can also be found using the same link.
Weather
In Serbia, the climate is moderately continental, with cold winters and hot summers. The country can be affected by cold air masses of Siberian origin as well as by warm air masses from the Mediterranean Sea or even from Africa, so the temperature can vary greatly depending on weather situation.
Winter, from December to February, is quite cold. Some periods are cloudy or foggy, with temperatures around freezing (0 °C or 32 °F). In other periods, there are cold winds of Arctic or Russian origin, which break out violently in the country, and are followed by intense frosts, when cold air settles on the ground. In these situations (which, however, used to be more frequent in the past), the night temperature can drop to -20 °C (-4 °F) or below.
On other occasions, mild air masses from the Mediterranean Sea can penetrate the country: in these cases, the daytime temperature can exceed 10 °C (50 °F), especially in the center and south, and more rarely in the north.
Spring is an unstable season, characterized by mild periods alternating with the return of cold weather, during which late snowfalls can occur, in March and sometimes even in April.
Summer, from June to August, is warm to hot and quite sunny, with a wide daily temperature range, and generally with cool nights. In fact, lows in July and August are often around 15/17 °C (59/62 °F) and highs a bit below 28/30 °C (82/86 °F). But at times, hot air masses from Africa can reach the country, and in this cases, owing to continentality (e.g. the distance from the sea and the lack of breezes), the heat becomes oppressive, with temperatures reaching or exceeding 40 °C (104 °F). However, usually these periods do not last long.
Autumn is not very rainy, in fact the bulk of the moisture carried by Atlantic frontal systems is deposited as precipitation on the western side, in the countries overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Only in the westernmost area, autumn is rainy, at least in November.
The best time to visit Serbia and Kosovo is from May to September. In May and June, afternoon thunderstorms are possible, and less frequently also in July and August, when in return there can be hot days. In general, nights are cool, except during the most intense heat waves. Those who don’t like the heat can avoid July and August. Therefore, the month of September, usually sunny and pleasantly warm, may be interesting.
What to pack
In winter: bring warm clothes, such as a sweater or fleece, a down jacket, a hat, gloves and a scarf, a raincoat or umbrella.
In summer: bring light clothes, T-shirts and shorts, but also long pants, a light jacket and a sweatshirt for the evening; a raincoat or umbrella.
Time Zone:
Serbia is 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Meant Time
Electricity:
220 volts / 50 Hz. European-style two-pin plugs are in use.
Language:
Serbian, and uses both Cyrillic and Latin script. Some Hungarian and Albanian also spoken in the north.
Religion:
Majority Eastern Orthodox Serbs, with a Muslim ethnic Albanian minority, a Muslim ethnic Slavic minority in the Raska region of the southwest, a Roman Catholic ethnic Serbian and Croatian minority, a Protestant ethnic Hungarian minority (in the province of Vojvodina) and a small Jewish community
Serbia National Tourism Organization
We are passionate about giving our customers the holiday of their dreams
© 2019 All rights reserved