NATIONAL TOURISM ORGANISATION HIKING AND of SERBIA CYCLING ACTIVE HOLIDAY IN SERBIA www.serbia.travel FREE COPY Contents Introduction 1 Eurovelo Cycle Routes 2 EUROVELo6 2 EUROVELO 13 Iron Curtain Trail 4 Belgrade and its Surroundings 6 Vojvodina 8 Pannonian Trails 8 Fruška Gora 10 Western and Central Serbia 12 The Mountains of Valjevo 12 Rajac 14 Tara 16 Zlatibor 20 Uvac 22 Ovčar-Kablar Gorge and Dragačevo 24 Kopaonik 28 Eastern and Southeastern Serbia 30 Radan Mountain 30 Eastern Serbia 32 Đerdap 34 Serbia – Hiking and Cycling Trails Map 36 Useful Information 38 Active Holiday in Serbia HIKING AND CYCLING Indulge in communion with nature and explore new landscapes. Meet the people. Spontaneous encounters on travels are the Move away from the tiny screen and let your eyes wander along the best way to experience life and traditional hospitality is equally wide horizon, feasting upon the play of light as it scatters across the fulfilling whether you are on the receiving or the giving end. landscape. Treat yourself to fresh experiences and new challenges. Welcome! Follow your inner rhythm and take in as much of the nature and Situated where vast plains meet forest-covered mountains, culture as you can, wondering in amazement how much of Serbia Serbia beckons you to discover it: from the wild wetland forests you have yet to explore. Relax, take your time, as you gaze into the along the Danube to the mild plains as wide as the sea, from blues and golds of the mediaeval frescoes. Faced the mysterious, the breath-taking canyons to the mineral spas and springs, fish-like statues of Lepenski Vir. Marvel at the rich, layered history from gentle hills to wind-beaten peaks, from hectic urban cen- of Serbia. tres to the tranquility of remote mountain villages. Ovčar Kablar gorge Hiking and Cycling • Active Holiday in Serbia 1 Eurovelo Cycle Routes eurovelo 6 This international cycle route connects the Atlantic and the neyards of Fruška Gora, to Novi Sad, designated as the European Black Sea and passes through Serbia along the Danube. At the Capital of Culture in 2021. From one urban area, the route then border between Hungary, Croatia and Serbia, the wide Danube leads to another – Belgrade, Serbia’s bustling capital. The last branches into a seemingly endless network of distributaries and stretch of the route combines nature and history to make an in- canals. The flooded wetland forests of the Bačko Podunavlje delible impression: as you pass through the National Park at the Biosphere Reserve, officially designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Iron Gates Gorge, the largest and longest gorge in Europe, you Reserve, are home to a rich animal and plant life awaiting to may see the local landmarks – the Lepenski Vir Museum, Trajan’s be explored. The route continues through the vast Pannonian tablet and the Golubac Fortress. fields, along the left bank of the Danube, past the undulating vi- 2 Hiking and Cycling • Active Holiday in Serbia Golubac fortress Museum Lepenski Vir euroVelo 6 1 Route: Bački breg-Apatin-Bačka Palanka- Novi Sad-Belgrade-Veliko Gradište-Donji Milanovac-Negotin Length: 665 km, with detours 1040 km Trail difficulty: moderate Trail regulation: signposted Trail surface: dirt road, asphalt, macadam No technically demanding sections. Note: Some sections of the route are public roads, caution is advised. Belgrade Attractions: Riding along this route is the best way to explore the natural diversity of Serbia: the Bačko Podunavlje Biosphere Reserve, the Fruška Gora and Đerdap National Parks. You will ride through the urban centres of Novi Sad and Belgrade and learn about history by visiting Lepenski Vir or some of the fortresses overlooking the Danube. Novi Sad Hiking and Cycling • Active Holiday in Serbia 3 Eurovelo Cycle Routes eurovelo 13 Iron Curtain Trail Eurovelo 13 is an international cycling route passing along the stunning viewpoints, to the captivating mountains. This route imaginary boundary between former socialist countries and links the country’s multicultural Pannonian north, the cities of Western Europe. Compared with other countries “behind the Iron Subotica and Kikinda – with their fascinating architecture and Curtain”, Serbia, then part of Yugoslavia, was in a unique positi- major festivals of theatre, the long-eared owl and earthenware on. As it passes through Serbia, the Eurovelo 13 route traverses – with the mysterious Eastern Serbia – the picturesque town of different landscapes: from the Pannonian plans, through hilly Knjaževac and the fiery Niš, the bustling and hospitable urban regions and the breath-taking Iron Gates Gorge, with its many centre of the South. National Park »Djerdap« 4 Hiking and Cycling • Active Holiday in Serbia Stara planina, Midžor peak euroVelo 13 iron Curtain TRAIL 2 Route: Kikinda-Vršac-Bela Crkva-Kladovo- Lake, Bela Crkva Subotica Knjaževac-Dimitrovgrad Length: 700 km Trail difficulty: moderate Trail regulation: signposted Trail surface: dirt roads and asphalt No technically demanding sections Note: Some sections of the route are public roads, caution is advised. Pirot Niš fortress Attractions: You will meet parts of Serbia that are slightly off the beaten track, but no less enticing in their warm hospitality you will experience and enjoy. Subotica – the city of secession, Kikinda – the city of pottery and owls, Bela Crkva with its lakes, the Iron Gates Gorge with the Golubac Fortress and the prehistoric archaeological site Lepenski Vir, the Stara Planina mountain with its Midžor peak, the highest in Serbia, and the towns of Knjaževac and Pirot. Stara planina Hiking and Cycling • Active Holiday in Serbia 5 Belgrade and Its Surroundings BELGRADE and Its Surroundings Few cities in the world have witnessed the long passage of the gastronomic offering of traditional and modern restaurants, the millennia the way Belgrade has: from the prehistoric Vinča cultu- colourful outdoor green markets, the exciting night life, top film re to the Celtic Singidunum, from a border fortress of the Roman and music festivals and numerous opportunities for sports and Empire to a Byzantine and then Hungarian city, from the Serbian recreation. When in Belgrade, be sure to visit its landmarks: the mediaeval capital to a busy market town in the Ottoman Empire, Belgrade Fortress, the Church of Saint Sava, the Museum of from revolts and liberation to the great battles of modern times Modern Art, the Nikola Tesla Museum, the Royal Compound... – Belgrade is all those things! Nestled at the confluence of the Sava and the Danube rivers, straddling the border between the Tourism Organisation of Belgrade East and the West, the Serbian capital is rich in historic layers, www.tob.co.rs each hiding a myriad of incredible stories. Modern Belgrade en- Tourism Organisation of Aranđelovac tices visitors with a wealth of amenities: the mouth-watering www.bukovickabanja.rs 6 Hiking and Cycling • Active Holiday in Serbia KOšUTNJAK BUKULJA 3 5 Length: 5 km Estimated time to complete: 1 h Length: 4 km Avala Tower Trail difficulty: easy Estimated time to complete: 1 h Trail regulation: partially signposted Trail type: round trip Total climb: - AVala Trail difficulty: moderate Total descent: 120 m Trail regulation: signposted 4 Start elevation: 200 m.a.s.l. Total climb: 500 m End elevation: 80 m.a.s.l. Start elevation: 270 m.a.s.l. Trail surface: dirt road, asphalt End elevation: 696 m.a.s.l. Trail surface: dirt road, asphalt Attractions: Length: 6,5 km This route will take you through one Estimated time to complete: 2.5 h of Belgrade’s most beautiful parks, Trail difficulty: easy the former royal hunting grounds in Trail regulation: signposted Košutnjak, to some of the city spectacular Total climb: 300 m viewpoints, looking onto Mt. Avala on the Start elevation: 240 m.a.s.l. one side or New Belgrade across the Ada End elevation: 260 m.a.s.l. Ciganlija river island on the other. Trail surface: dirt road, asphalt Bukulja Attractions: Attractions: The route begins at the urban heart of A walk along Avala’s paths will take Aranđelovac, near the water park, and you through beautiful forests, past takes you past the national Museum and the Monument to the Unknown Hero, the church, then past the villas which honouring the soldiers fallen in World War mark the starting point of the hiking trail I, to the Avala Tower, with an observation climbing up to the peak of Mt. Bukulja and its 19-metre high observation point, deck offering a splendid view of all four with a magnificent view of the central corners of Serbia. Two mountain huts on Serbian region of Šumadija. If you like, the Avala offer refreshments to help you you can take the western footpath and Avala tackle the rest of the hike. descend to the Garaš lake. Hiking and Cycling • Active Holiday in Serbia 7 Vojvodina PANNONIAN TRAILS Srem, Banat and Bačka – the “three brave hearts” as they are elevation, the Gudurica peak, looming above the city of Vršac. You known thanks to a traditional patriotic song, are the geographic can even take off and fly from the slopes of the Vršac Mountains, regions that make up Vojvodina. Adorning the north of Bačka is as there is a paragliding strip. No matter how far and how long you Subotica, surrounded by fertile chernozem and sandstone, suita- look across the fields, the vineyards and the forests, you can never ble for growing fruits and vine. This city is a melting pot of different take in all of the plains. For, nothing about these plains is “plain”: cultures with a rich cultural heritage. Subotica is also recognisable they are rich in colours and nuances, which are best reflected in the for its Secession architecture. In Srem, overlooking the Danube flavours of the fine wines and delicious dishes.