Car Hire Serbia
Mini guide to Serbia
Until recently known as Yugoslavia, the country is emerging from half a century of brutal dictactorship. The southern half of Serbia is mountainous and thickly forested, whilst the north is dominated by flat, fertile farmland. Serbia offers a wide range of nightlife in all the main cities and resorts, including bars, nightclubs, cinemas and theatres.
Destroyed 40 times in its 2300 year history, Belgrade is the capital of Yugoslavia and sits on the Danube river. The capital’s bustling centre is the Kneza Mihaila, a cafe-lined pedestrian boulevard that runs north-west through the old town. Historical places of interest are the Palace of Princess Ljubica (1831), with a good collection of period funiture, and the Skadarlija, a vibrant 19th-century Bohemian quarter with cafes, street dancers, singers and open-air theatres.
Montenegro at the southern end of the coast is graced with spectacular mountain ranges and time-less villages perched like eagles’s nests on high peaks. The port, Kotor, features a bustling, picturesque old city quarter with its many family run inns offering national dishes such as pihtije (jellied pork or duck) and raznjici (skewered meat).
Durmitor National Park located near Montenegro's border with Bosnia, attracts hordes of visitors who come discover the dramatic Tara Canyon. Touted as the second biggest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon, the Tara Rive cascades through the canyon, providing world-class thrills and spills for rafters.
Durmitor's 18 mountain lakes make this a hiker’s heaven. Crno jezero, the largest of the lakes, lies at the base of Mount Meded, which makes a good day's climb. To the east of the park, Zabljak is one of Yugoslavia's best ski resorts.
Air services to Yugoslavia are still getting off the ground since the lifting of UN sanctions. Trains from western Europe go via Budapest to Novi Sad, or you can get a train from Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece or Turkey to Belgrade. Ferries run between Bari in Italy and Bar in Montenegro.
