From Wikitravel

Serbia (Србија Srbija) [1] is a country that was part of Yugoslavia. It is in the Balkans, in Southern Europe. It is surrounded by Montenegro to the south, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, Bulgaria to the southeast, Croatia to the northwest and southwest, Hungary to the north, Macedonia to the south, Romania to the northeast. It controls one of the major land routes from Central Europe to Turkey and the Near East.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 Climate 4.2 Terrain 4.3 History 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By car 5.4 By bus 5.5 By boat 6 Get around 6.1 By thumb 7 Talk 8 See 9 Do 10 Buy 11 Eat 12 Drink 13 Learn 14 Work 15 Stay safe 16 Stay healthy 16.1 Depleted uranium 17 Respect 18 Contact

Regions

• Serbia - republic (republika)
• Kosovo - autonomous province (autonomna pokrajina)
• Vojvodina - autonomous province (autonomna pokrajina)

Cities

• Belgrade - Capital
• Nis
• Novi Sad - Provincial Capital
• Pristina - Provincial Capital (under UN administration)

Other destinations

• Staro Selo 3 kilometers south of Velika Plana, it has an all wooden 19th century church, build by Vujica Vuličević, with then ruler of Serbia, Miloš Obrenović, in repentance for killing his godfather Karadjordje (Djordje Petrovic) in the near vicinity, the leader of the first Serbian uprising against the Ottoman rule. The reason for its wooden structure is so that in the oncoming attack of the Turks, it could be easily dismantled and moved to a safer location. Regarded as national Serbian treasure.

• Guča a village in Dragačevo district (about 20 km from Čačak) where a famous brass music festival (Trubaci-festival) is held annually. (http://guca.co.yu/)

• Zlatibor is a very famous mountainous tourist site in South-Western Serbia.
• Kopaonik, mountain and ski-resort in South Serbia.

Understand

Climate

In the north: continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well distributed rainfall); central portion: continental and Mediterranean climate; to the south: hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall.

Terrain

Extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and hills. Although the region around the town of Mionica has been known for some earthquakes in recent years, these were by no means destructive.

Highest point 

Đeravica 2,656 m

History

The first Serbian state was formed in the early 11th century, expanding to a Balkan empire until the mid of 14th century. In 1389, the Serbian empire finally fell to the dominance of the Turks. An uprising in the early 1800s led to Serbian independence in 1815.

The 1914 Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia following the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand by an ethnic Serbian precipitated the first World War. In its aftermath, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941 was resisted by various paramilitary bands that fought each other as well as the invaders. The group headed by Marshal Tito took full control upon German expulsion in 1945. Although Communist, his new government successfully steered its own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a half decades.

In the early 1990s, post-Tito Yugoslavia began to unravel along ethnic lines: Slovenia, Croatia, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia all declared their independence in 1991; Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" (FRY) in 1992 and, under President Slobodan Milosevic, led various military intervention efforts to unite Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia". All of these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.

In the late 1990s, the violent Albanian separatist movement in Kosovo let to NATO intervention, and the placement of Kosovo under UN administration. Federal elections in the fall of 2000 brought about the ouster of Milosevic, and led to the country's acceptance into UN organizations under the name of Yugoslavia. In 2002, the regions of Serbia and Montenegro began negotiations to forge a looser relationship, which led first to the name change to "Serbia and Montenegro", then culminated in Montenegro declaring independence in June 2006.

Independence 

4 February 2003 (when changed from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to State Union of Serbia and Montenegro)

National holidays 

15 February - Start of First Serbian Uprising 1804

Constitution 

4 February 2003

Get in

Getting into Serbia does not constitute a problem for most European nationals. You don't need to obtain a visa for entering. Check with your nearest Serbian embassy for current and detailed information.

By plane

• Belgrade The main airport of Serbia is Belgrade - Nikola Tesla Airport, just a few kilometers from downtown Belgrade. Major European airlines fly to Belgrade. Serbian national airline Jat Airways flies to all major cities in Europe, nothern Africa and the Middle East. After a break of nearly 15 years, Jat will re-introduce direct flights to New York and Toronto mid 2006.

TIP: If you want go by taxi to the city center of Belgrade, don't take one of the taxis that are offered by men in and around the airport. They are much too expensive. Just take one that arrives with new travellers. They will be happy if they don't have to go back on their own. The average trip is between 550 and 800 Dinars (January 2005: 1400 Dinars)

Make sure that the taximeter is switched on. Tarif 1 is the correct one Monday to Saturday from morning till 10 am. Or better take one of the several bus lines, check the Belgrade section.{br} You can change money at the airport. There is an ATM in the luggage collection area which accepts most major banking and credit cards.

• Nis - Serbia's second international airport is in Nis, Nis Constantine the Great International Airport. It's connected with Zurich as well as some other European cities during the winter months, serving as the airport for the near by ski resorts at Kopaonik.
• Pristina (Kosovo) - Several airlines fly to Pristina airport (PRN), including British Airways, Austrian Airlines and Alitalia. The airport is located about 20 km from the city itself, in the direction of Peć. The only way to get to the city is a taxi. The drivers may ask as much as 30 EUR for the ride, but the normal price is about 15 EUR.

By train

Several international trains from Belgrade to Budapest and Vienna and to Zagreb-Ljubljana-München/Zurich. Usually, they should not be too late (seldom more than 1 hour). The night train to Budapest was very regularly overcrowded in summer 2005 (only 1 sitting car). Furthermore, there are direct (day or night) trains from Belgrade to Skopje - Thessaloniki. Trains to Sofia and Bucarest however seem to be often very late (several hours). Trains to Macedonia (Greece), Bulgaria and Romania are allegedly reported to be unsure.

By car

Be sure your Green Card has an uncancelled "YU" or "SCG" box.

By bus

Pristina (Kosovo) - Bus terminal is located about 2 km from the city center. It serves several connections in Kosovo as well as international ones (Skopje, Belgrade). Buses are fairly cheap - for example, 80 km trip to Skopje, which takes 2-2.5 h is 5 Euro. Hungary: When you take an international bus from Belgrade towards Germany, be not surprised when a collection is held inside the bus for paying the Hungarian border guards a fee to let the bus go faster over the border. This is what you would call a bribe. On your way into Serbia it seems 'cheaper'.

By boat

Get around

By thumb

Sometimes difficult to hitchhike, sometimes easy. Novi Sad seemed hard to get out of. Numberplates have an indication of where the car is coming from (or going to), NS is Novi Sad, BG is Belgrade, etc.

Generally, it is easy to hitch-hike through Vojvodina and it's much more difficult to hitch a ride from Belgrade to south, both Macedonia and Montenegro directions.

Talk

Languages 

Serbian 95%, Albanian 5%, Hungarian (? %)

In Kosovo, the spoken language is almost entirely Albanian, although Serbian is usually understood. You should generally try to avoid using it though except in areas populated by Serbs, Roma or Bosniaks. Due to the high number foreign aid workers and NATO soldiers, English is also spoken quite well especially by younger people.

The Serbian language is almost identical with Croat, Bosnian or Bosniak (differences are mostly in vocabulary [bread = cro. kruh, sr. hleb, bo. hlijeb and similar], but almost all inhabitans understand all versions). Before the era of aggressive nationalist cultural and linguistical policies in former Yugoslavia, it was known as Serbo-Croatian, although today people in former Yugoslavia do not use any more this general expression for their common language.

See

There are two rivers which go through Belgrade: Sava and Danube. There are a lot of old buildings on all four banks, including a fortress from the Turkish period (Kalemegdan), variuos towers and ports, and two long walking/biking paths along both rivers.

Medieval orthodox monasteries – Studenica, Manasija, Žiča, Ravanica...Exellent opportunity to see part of Serbian history. If you are interested in art, there are excellent fresco masterpieces. Recommendaion – “Beli Anđeo” fresco in Manasija monastery.

Do

Belgrade night life – Belgrade is very famous for its whole-night-party clubs. It depends from musical taste, but if you are in search of place to feel local atmosphere and good vibes, visit bohemian street “Skadarlija”. If you are eager to feel even more of local atmosphere check “Black Panthers” (Crni Panteri) boat on Ada lake.

Favorite leisure activity in Belgrade is drinking coffee in numerous bars, bistros and cafés (especially in Strahinjića Bana street). It is very strange but most of places are occupied all they long. You should ckeck: Downtown café, Buka bar, Movie bar, Iron café, Biblioteka café, Monza café-boat, Bibis café-boat, and many more;

EXIT festival – Biggest music festival in SE Europe, that is happening in the beginning of July, in Novi Sad, on Petrovaradin fortress. www.exitfest.org

Buy

Eat

When ordering a burger ask for 'pljeskavica' (pronounced: pl-yee-eska-veetsa), and ask for cheese curd (like sour cream) (pronounced: kei-mahk) it tastes better than it sounds. Stepin Vajet at and Duff both at autokomanda are the best grill fastfood restaurants in town. Also try ćevape (pronounced: tye-vape), they are small parcels of minced meat, grilled with hot spices. It is considered a local fast food delicacy. Highly recommended to carnivores.

Burek (pronounced Boor-ek) is very delicious. It is made with either meat, cheese or sometimes apple. Not for dieters as it is quite oily. Morning is definitely the best time to eat this (sometimes sold-out by afternoon).

• Kiflice (kee-flee-tse)are lovely little crescent rolls.
• Paprikash (paprika-sh) - stew with paprika often with chicken
• Gulash - stew with paprika with beef
• Sarma - stuffed cabbage, similar to dolmes but made with sauerkraut instead of vine leaves
• Gibanica -(ghee-ban-eetsa) - phillo pie with spinach and cheese or just cheese (like spanakopita or tiropita in Greece)
• Punjene Paprike - stuffed peppers (Poony-eenay Pap-reekay)
• Pasulj - (pas-ool-y) - beans-a national specialty. Often cooked for a long time with onion and paprika. Delicious.
• Riblja čorba - (reebly-a chorba) hot stew with river fish chunks.

Drink

• Rakija (there are many flavours, like plum (pronounce like she-lyee-va), quince (dun-ya)...
• Loza (from grapes, a type of rakija)

On line reservation and a lot of usuful information for tourist about Serbia www.visitserbia.org.

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Serbia is a safe country, so don't be scared to visit Serbia.

Stay healthy

Depleted uranium

Zones where there is still depleted uranium from the 1999 war include places near Serbia's southern boundary with Kosovo, near the towns Presevo, Bujanovac, and Vranje.

Respect

When toasting in Serbia, as in many countries, you must look the person in the eye as you toast. It is rude not to. Also remember that being obviously drunk is a sign of bad taste and worse character, same as in Montenegro: You may be invited to drink gallons, but are expected to be able to hold your drink.

Always greet people with good morning (Dobro jutro) /afternoon (Dobar dan)/evening (Dobro vece) /night

In Serbia they say "molim" (pronounced: moleem) = please, which means a variety of things including: pardon me (please), excuse me,(please), forgive me (please), and can also be used for you're welcome. Do not say "šta" (pron. shta) which translates to "what" as is often used in English to get someone to repeat something. That would sound rude.

"Hvala" is "thank you".

Learn the polite version of "you" and use it, especially when addressing older people.

Contact

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