The Republic of Serbia, a landlocked country at the crossroads of Southeast and Central Europe, is a fascinating place to visit, if perhaps a slightly intimidating one if (like Millennial me) your impression beforehand is largely shaped by modern headlines and the wars of the 1990s.

It needn’t be. Besides being home to majestic mountains, stunning rivers and lakes – making it an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise – it boasts bustling cities with lovely architecture, vibrant art scenes, and great food. (Did you know it is the second largest exporter of raspberries in the world?)

Lovely Novi Sad in daytime and Subotica in the evening (Photos by Julie Strickland)

But the real gem of this country is its people. Serbian hospitality is famous, with several international polls ranking it among the most hospitable nations in the world. This tradition goes back to the ancient Slavic belief that the gods will not favor a host who is ungracious to a guest. Serbs are likewise a friendly and chatty bunch, quick with a self-deprecating joke and a sharp, direct sense of humor. They also tend to speak English exceptionally well, so unless you’re wildly off the beaten path you can generally ask questions and obtain assistance without much linguistic difficulty. 

All to say, Serbia is a surprisingly gentle place to navigate for even the most novice traveler. Before you book your bus to Belgrade, I’ve compiled a few observations and tidbits of advice to smooth the journey further:

Bus is best. Outside the Novi Sad to Belgrade route, Serbian train service is patchy. More ubiquitous and reliable is the bus – Niš Ekspress is the national carrier – which you can book online at http://www.nis-ekspres.rs or purchase in person. Upon arrival you’ll need to obtain a boarding ticket from the ticket seller window for a small fee – this document functions like a boarding pass on an airplane and will be necessary to exit the station and get on the bus. Seats are not assigned, and if you have larger luggage (bigger than a backpack or handbag), the bus driver will place it under the bus and get it out for you when you arrive at your destination.

L to R: Bus station in Subotica, limited legroom between Subotica and Novi Sad, Novi Sad train station (the bus station in Novi Sad is to the left, not pictured). (Photos by Julie Strickland)

A note on Serbian trains: Routes are rapidly expanding, with Chinese investment in Serbian railroads very visibly apparent in the country. In June 2024, I saw workers laying new track between Subotica and Belgrade, and shiny new Chinese railway equipment was everywhere. But so far, the priority appears to be commercial rather than passenger rail. The “station” in Subotica, the end of the newly opened link between the Serbian city and Szeged, Hungary consisted of fresh concrete beneath a flimsy metal barrier and a wooden plank on cinder blocks.

Rail line construction in Serbia (Images via Railway PRO & Global Times) and the “station” in Subotica (my photo).

Use Yandex Go. Intercity bus transport is excellent in Serbia, as is local transportation – particularly in larger cities like Novi Sad and Belgrade. But if you fancy a carshare, as we did with temperatures climbing into the low 90s/30s, you’ll need Yandex Go. Essentially a Russian Uber (Uber and Bolt are not available in Serbia), you can use the app to order a car and/or food delivery.

The case for cash. The Serbian dinar is a closed currency, making it not widely available on international foreign exchange markets. In practice, this means that when you walk into a Bank of America back home hoping to exchange the equivalent of $200 or so you’ll likely be out of luck. I’d advise being judicious about the amount of cash you take out (via ATM). The main thing I was grateful to have it for was public toilets in places like bus stations, which you need a small amount to be able to use.

Prepare for smoke. Serbs love their cigs. According to the Tobacco Atlas, a partnership between Vital Strategies and Tobacconomics at Johns Hopkins University, nearly 40% of adult Serbs smoke. The days of smoking indoors may be largely behind us in the US and most of Western Europe, but Novi Sad took me back to memories of stepping off the plane in Marseille in 2004 and into a cloud of cigarette smoke. (La Republique banned smoking in workplaces, shopping centres, airports, train stations, hospitals, and schools in 2007.)

There have been efforts in Serbia to expand and enforce smoking bans in public spaces, but adoption is halfhearted as businesses are so far unconvinced such prohibitions won’t put off their clientele. In practice, this means nonsmoking sections aren’t really a thing in coffee shops or restaurants. Do the best you can to find a table far from the crowds, and/or outside.