Serbia: Belgrade, Novi Sad, the Danube, monasteries, best time to visit and costs 2026

Serbia suits you if you want to see fortresses on the Danube and Sava, a Roman imperial palace and medieval monasteries on one trip. UNESCO lists five World Heritage Sites under Serbia. Belgrade has been the capital since 1841. In winter there is also Kopaonik, according to the operator the largest ski resort in the country (as of September 2026).

Since 1 January 2026 the car toll has been somewhat higher, and since 15 July domestic train tickets have cost around 10% more on average. New ranges apply to the tourist tax from 15 October 2026.

Serbia is less suitable if clean city air is important to you: for 2024 the country's environmental agency classified the air in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš as category III. It gets hot in July and August, and away from hotels and big supermarkets you often need cash.

Getting there from Germany

In 2025, 646,061 passengers whose last known destination was in Serbia boarded at the 22 main German airports. That gives rank 32 among 211 destination countries; transfer passengers abroad are not counted. 599,437 passengers flew from Germany to Belgrade (rank 42 of the most-flown foreign destinations) and 46,622 to Niš.

Most departed from Frankfurt (157,331), Memmingen (98,500), Munich (89,478) and Berlin Brandenburg (69,001). From January to July 2026 the figure was 10.6% above the same period of the previous year, according to provisional values. The source is the Federal Statistical Office; totals, ranks and breakdowns are our own analysis.

Belgrade (BEG): buses 72 and 600 free

Since 1 January 2025 public transport in Belgrade has been free for everyone (as of September 2026). The 72 goes to Zeleni Venac in the centre, leaving the airport from 4:50 to 23:30 about every 25 minutes. The 600 stops at the intercity bus station and ends at Beograd Centar station; from the airport it runs between 4:30 and 23:55, every half hour during the day. According to the airport, both take about 30 to 40 minutes (timetables valid from 1 September 2025 and 1 June 2025 respectively).

For a taxi, four e-kiosks in baggage reclaim and the arrivals hall issue you a receipt with the fixed price for your zone. Up to four passengers with luggage can ride on it, and the driver must stick to the amount (as of July 2025).

Niš (INI): free city bus

From Niš airport, the circular lines 34A to the bus station, main station and centre and 34B to the upper district start. On weekdays a bus runs every 15 minutes, on Saturdays and Sundays every 30 minutes. For the city buses there you have not needed a ticket since 1 July 2025 (as of September 2026). In the summer schedule 2026, Niš has flights to Memmingen, Cologne, Dortmund and Frankfurt-Hahn, among others.

Regions and destinations at a glance

As of September 2026; climate 1981 to 2010; air 2024.

Together with Kalemegdan park, Belgrade Fortress covers more than 60 hectares. Individual buildings charge admission, for example the Nebojša Tower 270 RSD. You can only enter the Nikola Tesla Museum with a guided tour, in English for 800 RSD, and you can only pay in cash in dinars (as of September 2026).

Novi Sad, capital of Vojvodina, was European Capital of Culture in 2022. On Petrovaradin Fortress there are about a hundred studios, museums and venues. In 2026 the EXIT festival did not take place there for the first time in 25 years. In the far north, Subotica has Art Nouveau buildings such as the town hall and synagogue, and nearby lies Lake Palić with beaches and a thermal spa.

Around Užice are the gondola on Zlatibor, Tara National Park on the Drina Canyon and the narrow-gauge railway Šarganska osmica. Its museum train “Nostalgija” runs from Mokra Gora through 22 tunnels, daily at 10:30 and 13:30 until 31 October 2026. The round trip costs adults 1,500 RSD with a diesel locomotive and 2,200 RSD with a steam locomotive (tariff since 1 February 2026).

In the Kopaonik ski area, pistes and ski routes total more than 64 km according to the operator, 97% of them snowmakable (as of September 2026). The day pass cost adults 5,600 to 6,500 RSD in winter 2025/26.

Golubac Fortress was built in the 14th century, and its towers climb a steep rock from the Danube bank. Adults pay 950 RSD including parking (price list from 17 July 2026). It is closed on Mondays. It is open from 10:00, until 18:00 in July and August, until 16:00 in April and October, and from November to February only until 14:00. For the climb to the top tower you register beforehand (as of September 2026).

Also on the Danube, the Lepenski Vir museum near Donji Milanovac shows finds from the period 7000 to 6500 BC.

In Studenica Monastery (World Heritage since 1986), wall paintings from the 13th and 14th centuries survive, and the main churches are built of white marble. Sopoćani near Stari Ras (since 1979) is known for its frescoes, above all the “Dormition of the Mother of God”. To these come the Roman imperial palace Felix Romuliana near Gamzigrad (2007) and the medieval tombstones Stećci (2016).

Best time to visit

Official averages from the weather service RHMZ for 1981 to 2010: Belgrade-Vračar is at 132 m, Zlatibor in western Serbia at 1,028 m. Temperatures in °C, precipitation in mm.

In Belgrade, July and August are the warmest, with an average of 12 days above 30 °C each. May and September bring 23.5 and 23.9 °C by day, but only 2 and 3 such hot days. June brings the most precipitation at both stations. Snow lies on Zlatibor on 114 days a year and on Kopaonik (1,710 m) on 162 days.

Getting around the country

Train and bus

The double-decker train SOKO reaches about 200 km/h. For Belgrade–Petrovaradin (Novi Sad) it needs 34 minutes, and since 8 October 2025 it continues to Subotica (79 minutes). A reserved seat is compulsory (as of September 2026).

On 15 July 2026 fares rose by around 10% on average; since then the SOKO to Subotica costs 1,210 RSD in 2nd class plus reservation. The Interregio charges 1,412 RSD to Niš (271 km). To Užice (206 km) you pay 1,148 RSD and are on the way for just under three hours (timetable from 14 June 2026). Until 31 December 2026 the trains stop at Tošin bunar instead of Novi Beograd.

Buses run to all neighbouring countries, and there are bus stations in most larger towns. Belgrade's intercity bus station is on the free line 600 (as of September 2026).

Car and roads

You do not need a vignette, but motorways and expressways charge tolls. According to ADAC, the motorways around Belgrade are free. At the entrance you take a ticket, and at the exit you pay in cash or by card. If you pay in euros, the toll booth gives change in dinars (as of September 2026).

Since 1 January 2026 you pay 1,180 RSD or €10.50 by car from Belgrade to Niš jug. From Belgrade (Stara Pazova) to Subotica it is 850 RSD or €7.50.

According to ADAC, the limits for cars are 130 km/h on motorways, 100 on expressways, 80 outside built-up areas and 50 in towns. 0.2 per mille is permitted, and 0.0 per mille for novice drivers. Dipped headlights or daytime running lights are compulsory all year round. If there is snow or ice, you need winter tyres between 1 November and 1 April (as of September 2026).

A German driving licence is enough. Many hire companies do not allow you to drive a hire car to Kosovo or Albania. ADAC calls some country roads poor, and in the border area with Kosovo, landmines may still lie away from the main roads.

Money and costs

The currency is the Serbian dinar (RSD), which according to the national bank is the legal tender. According to ADAC, you pay by card or phone mainly in hotels and big supermarkets. For small shops, restaurants and trips into the countryside you are better off withdrawing dinars at a machine beforehand (as of September 2026).

In hotels the tourist tax is charged per day of stay. From 15 October 2026 it is 190 to 240 RSD in tourist places of the first category and 90 to 140 RSD in the fourth. The municipality sets the amount; the regulation does not name the categories of the places.

Practical information

Serbia has the same time as Germany all year round. The official language is Serbian, and the constitution specifies Cyrillic as the official script. You reach the police on 192 and the ambulance on 194. The mains supply is 230 V, and according to ADAC you do not need an adapter (as of September 2026).

Serbia is not part of the EU roaming zone; on 25 February 2026 the European Commission proposed negotiations on it. Prepaid SIM cards are available at filling stations, kiosks and the post office.

Non-working state holidays are 1 and 2 January, 15 and 16 February, 1 and 2 May and 11 November. Days off for religious reasons are Orthodox Christmas on 7 January and Easter by the Orthodox calendar from Good Friday to Easter Monday (as of September 2026).

The current rules on entry, safety and health are given by the German Foreign Office.

Who Serbia is not for

• If clean city air matters to you: For 2024 the environmental agency classified the air in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, Užice and Subotica as excessively polluted (category III). In the heating season the particulate levels are significantly higher.
• If you only want to pay by card: The Tesla Museum accepts only cash in dinars, and in small shops and in the countryside you often pay in cash.
• If you cope badly with heat and travel in high summer: Belgrade has an average of 12 days above 30 °C each in July and August, Niš 15 and 17 days.
• If you want to cross the whole country quickly by train: The Interregio needs 2 hours 56 minutes for the 206 km from Užice to Belgrade. That is an average of about 70 km/h (our own calculation, timetable from 14 June 2026).
• If you surf a lot on your phone while travelling: Serbia is not in the EU roaming zone; whether data costs extra depends on your provider's tariff (as of September 2026).