Central Serbia: Monasteries, Landscapes and Hiking Trails

Central Serbia offers a wide range of starting points for a trip: medieval monasteries, prehistoric and Late Antique remains, striking landscapes, and opportunities for hiking and rail travel. For your planning, it helps to decide on your focus first: should your stay be devoted mainly to cultural sites, nature, or a particular activity? The places you visit represent different periods and interests.

Landscapes, Hiking and Nature Destinations

The Đerdap Gorge is considered Europe’s longest and largest breakthrough gorge. The Mokra Gora area also has natural attractions: Hajdučka Cave and Skakavac Waterfall. The Mokra Gora valley and Šargan Pass form a natural connection between the Tara and Zlatibor mountains.

Mount Rudnik is a defining feature of Central Serbia and the Šumadija region. Dense beech, maple and oak forests are crossed by clear streams and green clearings. Hiking trails on the mountain lead to high peaks, including the 1,132-metre-high Cvijić Peak. Ostrvica is a steep-sided volcanic rock. At Goč, Lake Selište is the only lake and serves as a picnic area. On the slopes, locals pick blueberries and wild strawberries and turn them into traditional fruit preserves.

The Devil’s Town consists of 202 earth pillars formed by erosion beneath protective rock caps. A 900-metre-long footpath leads to a viewpoint there. Kopaonik, in turn, combines nature experiences with winter sports: the area is considered Serbia’s leading ski resort and one of the leading ski resorts in the wider region. During the summer season, the national park organises guided hikes to attractive destinations on the mountain.

At Ovčar Banja, you can choose from a range of activities: the thermomineral springs have temperatures between 35 and 38 degrees Celsius; catamaran trips on the river and hikes to the summit of Kablar are also offered. Check the specific dates for catamaran trips, as schedules may vary.

Train Rides and Views

The Šargan Eight runs between Mokra Gora and Šargan Vitasi, passing through 22 tunnels and over five bridges. During the journey, you can take in the scenery from five viewpoints. The “Nostalgija” tourist museum train operates on the route during the summer and winter seasons. As schedules may change, it is advisable to check the current departure dates before travelling.

Monasteries and Historic Buildings

The Sopoćani Monastery is part of UNESCO’s serial heritage listing. The frescoes in its church date from approximately 1270 to 1276. Studenica Monastery is considered Serbia’s largest and richest Orthodox monastery. Stefan Nemanja founded it in the late 12th century on the Studenica River. The Church of the Virgin and the King’s Church preserve valuable collections of Byzantine paintings from the 13th and 14th centuries.

Žiča also connects a building with a historic event: the monastery is part of the Council of Europe’s Transromanica cultural route. There, Saint Sava crowned his brother Stefan Nemanjić as the first Serbian king. At Manasija Monastery, the fortifications and the monastery’s history go hand in hand: the complex has eleven towers and a moat; it was also home to the famous Resava School of Orthography, whose members copied church books.

Gamzigrad-Romuliana, the Palace of Galerius, represents a different era. This fortified Late Antique palace and memorial complex was commissioned by Emperor Caius Valerius Galerius Maximianus in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries. It was known as Felix Romuliana and named after the emperor’s mother.

Archaeological Sites

Lepenski Vir preserves archaeological remains of a culture dating from between 6500 and 5500 BC. The site includes remains of up to 136 structures with stone hearths. The museum displays holographic reconstructions of prehistoric houses, as well as reconstructions of burial rites. Risovača Cave is an important archaeological and palaeontological site in Central Serbia. Together with the medieval monasteries and the Late Antique complex, Lepenski Vir illustrates the wide range of periods represented by the region’s cultural sites.

Decide which themes matter most to you, and check the dates for seasonal offerings.

Discover more destinations: Rasina District, Mačva District, Belgrade, Kopaonik, Toplica District, Pčinja District, Moravica District, Pomoravlje District, Jablanica District, Nišava District, Zaječar District, Raška District, Zlatibor District, Šumadija District, Pirot District.

Go to the main travel overview: Serbia.