By Liam Serbia is having a moment. The best basketball player in the world, Nikola Jokic, is from the Balkan nation of 6.6 million people. So too is Novak Djokovic, who has the most grand slams of any male tennis player all-time. Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, has been called one of the best party cities in the world and visitors should take in its tavern (kafana) culture. In any case, there are plenty of reasons to spend one week in Serbia.
With excellent food and drinks, ornate orthodox churches and synagogues, unique architecture and a blend of cultures consider heading to Serbia for your next trip to Eastern Europe. Without further ado, here is our one week in Serbia guide and itinerary for first time visitors:
Belgrade: At Least Three Days
Arriving/Lodging
The best place to kick off our one week in Serbia itinerary is in the capital, Belgrade. It’s the most well-connected city in the country, with direct flights from New York and Chicago and every major European city. Once you arrive at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport, make sure to take out some Serbian Dinar with a zero foreign ATM fee card. As of February 2025, the conversion rate is ~113 Dinar to 1 USD.
Belgrade recently made public transportation free, so you can take the line 72 bus from the airport to the city without spending a dime dinar. The best area for tourists to stay is in the Stari Grad (Old Town) and even staying in the center won’t break the bank. There are entire apartments on Airbnb and Booking.com in Stari Grad for as low as $30 per night. A bed in a hostel will run you around $12 per night.
Things to Do
I highly recommend heading to Kalemegdan, a massive city park with a famous fortress and views of the Danube and Sava rivers. You could easily spend a half day here. Plus, the fortress and fortress church are completely free to enter. Afterward, it’s worth heading to the viewing platform to see the confluence of the rivers and the massive “Victor” statue.
Leading to and from Kalemegdan is the Kneza Mihaila pedestrian street, with plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants. Continue on to Belgrade’s central square, Republic Square, for people watching and the National Museum of Serbia.
Further east, you’ll find Skadarlija, Belgrade’s bohemian quarter which preserves its traditional architecture and has plenty of nice restaurants. Belgrade’s oldest neighborhood, Dorcol, is further north and is sometimes described as the most beautiful district of the city.
One other must-do in Belgrade is heading out of the city center to the Temple of Saint Sava. It is the largest Orthodox Church in Serbia and it’s incredibly ornate. This gilded church with an almost comically large chandelier is a 30 minute walk south from Republic Square.
In the Summer, don’t miss Zemunski Kej. It’s an area on the Danube with plenty of floating clubs and restaurants. If you have more time, check out the Nikola Tesla Museum and the Jevremovac Botanical Garden.
Eat and Drink
For traditional Serbian food like Pljeskavica (minced meat patty), Sarma (stuffed cabbage), Cevapi (minced meat sausages) and Kajmak (spreadable cheese/cream) head to Zavicaj just outside the city center.
They also serve domestic rakija, a fruit brandy that is the national drink of Serbia. One week in Serbia wouldn’t be complete without trying it.
Head to Tri Sesira in Skadarlija to experience a Serbian kafana. They serve food and drinks aplenty here and live musicians head from table to table playing traditional Serbian music.
On the way back from the Temple of Saint Sava, head to Pekara Trpkovic for delicious Serbian baked goods. Try the burek, a savory pastry that is filled with cheese and spinach, meat or potatoes.
Among the crowd of riverside clubs, Shake’n’Shake stands out. The atmosphere and cocktails make it a winner.
Kafana Pavle Korchagin is another top rated kafana in Belgrade. They’re known for their coffee, food rakija, communist-themed decor and an atmosphere that feels like home. Just be aware that many restaurants in Belgrade allow smoking and this is one of them.
Novi Sad: Two Days
Arriving/Lodging
The second stop on our one week in Serbia itinerary is Novi Sad, Serbia’s third-largest city. The best way to travel from Belgrade to Novi Sad is by high speed train.
The first-ever high speed train in Serbia, this trip only takes 36 minutes and costs under $6. From the train station, it’s about a 20 minute walk to Old Town. The line 61 bus to Old Town takes around five minutes.
In Novi Sad, Airbnb might be your best bet for cheap lodging. There are highly rated apartments for $25 per night total in Old Town, which is a great area to stay in. A bed in a hostel will run you $10-15 per night.
Things to Do
If you’re staying in Old Town, head to the Trg Slobode, or Liberty Square. Novi Sad is full of charming buildings and the main square is quite photogenic. Life seems to move at a slow pace in the biggest city of Serbia’s Vojvodina region. Wander around the center and check out the Bishop’s Palace to get a feel for the city and take a stroll through the laid back Dunavski Park.
One of the best activities in Novi Sad is taking a 20 minute walk across the Danube to the Petrovaradin Fortress. Like Kalemegdan in Belgrade, it is free to visit. There’s an excellent panoramic view of the city and the Danube from the Fortress and you can also tour the catacombs for a fee. In July, Petrovaradin Fortress hosts the EXIT Music Festival, which is one of the top rated festivals in Europe.
Novi Sad is a city of just under 200,000 and most of the things to do are clustered together. Once you’re back in Old Town you can head to the Museum of Vojvodina and Matica Srpska Gallery. Vojvodina is a multicultural autonomous region with sizeable Hungarian, Romani, Slovak and Croat minority populations and Novi Sad is the capital.
The former Novi Sad Synagogue is just outside of Old Town and worth checking out. The Art Nouveau building is now a concert and event venue. In the Summer, be sure to take a walk down to the Strand, which is Novi Sad’s beach on the Danube.
Eat and Drink
Head to Veliki Cafe Restaurant for big portions and traditional dishes from Vojvodina. You’ll find a fusion of Serbian, Hungarian and Slovak dishes on the menu and the Goulash soup, Slovak sausages and pork ribs are highly recommended.
Project 72 is loved by locals and tourists alike and this fine dining establishment puts a twist on traditional Serbian cuisine. They also have local wine available.
Fish and Zelenis is owned by the same chef as Project 72 and serves delicious seafood dishes.
For massive sandwiches at an affordable price, head to Index Mirjana.
Gradska Pivnica has Serbian craft beer, traditional pub food and live music.
Subotica: Two Days
Arriving/Lodging
Keep heading north into the heart of Vojvodina from Novi Sad into the wonderfully weird city of Subotica to finish off your one week in Serbia excursion. Subotica is the northernmost city in Serbia and has almost as many ethnic Hungarians as Serbians.
From Novi Sad, the train to Subotica takes 50 minutes and is usually under $10. The bus is typically about 50 minutes slower than the train and around the same price.
Subotica is quite a compact city so it doesn’t matter much where you stay, as long as you’re within walking distance of the center. Apartments here are even cheaper than in Belgrade and Novi Sad as you’ll be able to find a place on Booking.com for just $21 per night.
As a small city, Subotica doesn’t have many hostels and it looks like the top rated option, Hostel Put Svile, only offers small private rooms.
Things to Do
The symbol of Subotica is its City Hall, one of many Hungarian Art Nouveau buildings in the city. It is rare for a European city to not be centered around a religious landmark but Subotica is a city that bucks trends. Tours of the interior are available in English daily and are under $4. On the tour, you’ll be able to go insider the City Hall Tower for an excellent view of the city.
After checking out City Hall, take the Korzo pedestrian street east. There are plenty of colorful and wacky buildings on this stretch. At the end of the street, make a left on Dure Dakovica until you reach the Raichle Palace.
The Raichle Palace is another Art Nouveau masterpiece and the Serbian Architect who designed it, Ferenc Raichle, went bankrupt constructing his dream home. Visitors can enter the Raichle Palace, as it is now an art gallery.
To round out the Art Nouveau tour, head to the Subotica Synagogue, perhaps the most beautiful synagogue in Europe. It’s the only surviving Hungarian Art Nouveau style synagogue and it’s one of the most impressive buildings I have ever seen in person. It’s around $2.25 to enter and 100 percent worth it.
About a mile and a half from the city center, you’ll find the Balkans’ biggest flea market, Buvljak. You can find almost anything at this massive indoor/outdoor bazaar.
The best place to take a stroll in Subotica is along the Radijalac promenade. At the northern terminus, you’ll arrive at the Dudova Forest. This park is the best place to go for a run in the city if you’re looking to keep up your exercise routine during one week in Serbia.
Eat and Drink
Gurinovic has big portions of traditional food from the Vojvodina region at reasonable prices. The goulash is a standout dish but you really can’t go wrong here.
If you want a local experience, with all that entails, head to Konoba Tinel. Clouds of smoke will engulf you as you eat a delicious meal, but that’s just par for the course during one week in Serbia. Regardless, the trout here was delicious.
If you prefer a place where smoking is prohibited, check out Klein House. They have local beer, wine and cheese and double as an art gallery.
For excellent burek near Dudova Forest, head to Merak. They were out of my go-to spinach burek when I went but the cheese burek was a great alternative.
Beer & Caffe bar has live jazz music, good coffee and plenty of different kinds of beer.
Onward and Upward
After spending one week in Serbia, consider heading north into Hungary. The bus from Subotica to Budapest is four hours. Budapest is one of my favorite cities in the world but I’d recommend making a stop in Szeged, Hungary first if you have the time. It’s about a 90 minute train trip from Subotica to Szeged. Szeged is a university city with plenty of green space and allegedly the home of paprika.
If you want to extend one week in Serbia to multiple weeks in the Balkans, consider starting this itinerary in Subotica and doing it in reverse. After Belgrade, head to Sarajevo and Mostar in Bosnia.