Serbia Full Experience — Self-Launched 10-Day Loop from Belgrade

Land at Nikola Tesla Airport and take bus 72 or the A1 minibus into the city centre (around £1.50–£3). Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in Stari Grad or Dorćol. In the afternoon do the classic free city walking tour (tip-based, ~£5–8 tip) or self-guide it: Kalemegdan Park and Belgrade Fortress, the Victor monument at the confluence of the Sava and Danube, the Cathedral Church of St. Michael the Archangel, then a stroll down Knez Mihailova to Republic Square. Dinner of grilled ćevapi in Skadarlija, the old bohemian quarter.

🚌Bus 72 or A1 shuttle from Nikola Tesla Airport to city centre (~£1.50–3); everything else on foot

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Stari Grad/Dorćol (dorm £12–16, private room £28–38)

• →Free walking tour of Belgrade (tip-based, or self-guided with a map)
• →Belgrade Fortress and Kalemegdan Park
• →Victor monument and Cathedral Church of St. Michael the Archangel
• →Knez Mihailova pedestrian street
• →Skadarlija evening meal

Catch an early bus from Belgrade's BAS station to Golubac (roughly 2.5 hours, ~£7–9). Explore Golubac Fortress at the head of the Đerdap Gorge — tickets around £4–5, allow 90 minutes. Continue by local bus toward Donji Milanovac and stop at the Lepenski Vir archaeological site (one of Europe's oldest planned settlements, ~£3). If you want the Captain Misha's Hill ethno complex for views over the gorge, it's a short taxi hop away. Overnight in Donji Milanovac or return to Golubac for the night; the gorge viewpoint road is best arranged as a shared taxi with other travellers.

🚌Belgrade BAS to Golubac bus (~£7–9, 2.5h); local bus or shared taxi along the gorge (~£3–6)

🛏Guesthouse or small hotel in Golubac or Donji Milanovac (private room £20–28)

• →Golubac Fortress (entry ~£4–5)
• →Lepenski Vir archaeological site (~£3)
• →Đerdap Gorge drive/views
• →Captain Misha's Hill ethno complex (optional)

Bus to Niš (from Golubac/Donji Milanovac change at Požarevac or take a morning connection via Belgrade; total 4–5 hours, ~£10–13). Drop bags at a hostel near the centre and walk to Niš Fortress, one of the best-preserved Ottoman fortifications in the Balkans and free to enter. Then head to the Skull Tower (Ćele Kula, ~£2.50), Memorial Park Bubanj and the Red Cross concentration camp museum (~£2), which together tell the story of this city's brutal 20th-century history. Evening on Kazandžijsko Sokače, the cobbled old craft street, for local grilled food.

🚌Bus Golubac/Donji Milanovac to Niš (~£10–13, 4–5h with one change)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in central Niš (dorm £10–14, private room £22–30)

• →Niš Fortress (free)
• →Skull Tower / Ćele Kula (~£2.50)
• →Memorial Park Bubanj (free)
• →Red Cross concentration camp museum (~£2)
• →Kazandžijsko Sokače old street

Take a morning bus from Niš to Kraljevo (2–2.5 hours, ~£5–7), then a local bus or taxi to Žiča Monastery, the coronation church of the old Serbian kings, painted deep red. Continue by bus or shared taxi through the Ibar Gorge toward Studenica Monastery, the UNESCO-listed white-marble masterpiece founded in 1186 — an easy 30–40 minute stop to see the frescoes. From there catch a bus or shared taxi down to Novi Pazar (buses link Studenica/USje area with Novi Pazar roughly hourly in season; ~£3). If buses are sparse, a local taxi for the monastery stretch should cost £20–30 split between travellers. Evening walking loop of Novi Pazar's bazaar and Altun-Alem Mosque, with a Bosnian-style dinner of burek and grilled meat.

🚌Bus Niš–Kraljevo (~£5–7); local bus/taxi to Žiča, Studenica and Novi Pazar (~£10–14 total)

🛏Guesthouse or small hotel in Novi Pazar (private room £20–28)

• →Žiča Monastery
• →Ibar Gorge scenic drive
• →Studenica Monastery (UNESCO)
• →Self-guided walk of Novi Pazar old town and bazaar

Bus from Novi Pazar to Nova Varoš (2–2.5 hours, ~£5), the gateway town for Uvac. Book a locally-run Uvac viewpoint and boat trip in advance (operators in Nova Varoš charge around £18–25 for the canyon boat trip with vulture-spotting, or £10–15 for a 4x4 drop to the Molitva observation platform). The hike to Molitva takes 30–45 minutes and the meanders payoff is the single best view in Serbia — bring binoculars for white griffon vultures. In the late afternoon take a bus or shared taxi down to Zlatibor (1–1.5 hours, ~£4) for a two-night stay on the mountain.

🚌Bus Novi Pazar–Nova Varoš (~£5); local transfer to Uvac (~£4–8); bus Nova Varoš–Zlatibor (~£4)

🛏Guesthouse or apartman in Zlatibor (private room £22–30)

• →Molitva viewpoint hike to Uvac meanders (30–45 min)
• →Uvac Canyon boat trip / viewpoint transfer (~£18–25 booked locally)
• →White griffon vulture spotting
• →Zlatibor evening stroll

A full day on the mountain using local buses and taxis between the scattered sights. Start at Stopića Cave (~£3 entry) to see its natural rock baths, then hop a local bus to the Sirogojno open-air museum of wooden cottages (~£2.50) and try Šumadija mountain-herb tea and rakija. In the afternoon ride the Gold Gondola from Zlatibor to Tornik peak (around £9–11 return) for panoramas, and stop by Gostilje waterfall (~£2) if you still have daylight. Finish with a wander through the green market for village cheese, kajmak and pršuta, and coffee by Zlatibor lake.

🚌Local buses and short taxis around Zlatibor (~£6–9 total)

🛏Guesthouse or apartman in Zlatibor (private room £22–30)

• →Stopića Cave (~£3)
• →Sirogojno open-air museum (~£2.50)
• →Gold Gondola to Tornik (~£9–11 return)
• →Gostilje waterfall (~£2, optional)
• →Zlatibor green market and lakeside

Take a bus or shared taxi from Zlatibor to Mokra Gora (about 1 hour, ~£4). Base yourself at a village guesthouse or in Drvengrad/Mećavnik, the wooden ethno village built by filmmaker Emir Kusturica — day-visitor entry is around £2. In the afternoon head into Tara National Park: hike to the Banjska Rock viewpoint over the Drina canyon (allow 2–3 hours return from the Mitrovac side; local taxi from Mokra Gora to the trailhead around £12–18 split), see Vrelo River and waterfall, and stop at the House on the Drina near Bajina Bašta if you have transport flexibility. A local driver for a half-day Tara loop runs around £30–40 shared.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Zlatibor–Mokra Gora (~£4); local taxi for Tara trailheads (~£12–18 shared)

🛏Village guesthouse or sobe in Mokra Gora / Drvengrad (private room £18–26)

• →Tara National Park
• →Banjska Rock viewpoint hike
• →Vrelo River and waterfall
• →House on the Drina (photo stop)
• →Drvengrad / Mećavnik ethno village

Ride the Šargan Eight narrow-gauge heritage railway from Mokra Gora to Šargan Vitasi aboard the historic 'Ćira' train — book directly with Serbian Railways (Serbian rail site or at the Mokra Gora station) a few weeks ahead in summer; around £8–10 return. In the early afternoon take a bus from Mokra Gora/Užice toward Novi Sad (5–6 hours with a change at Užice or Belgrade, ~£12–15), arriving in the evening. Check into a hostel in the centre and take a first wander along Dunavska Street with a glass of Fruška Gora wine.

🚌Šargan Eight heritage train (~£8–10 return); bus Mokra Gora/Užice to Novi Sad (~£12–15, 5–6h)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in central Novi Sad (dorm £11–15, private room £25–33)

• →Šargan Eight Railway aboard the Ćira historic train
• →Evening walk on Dunavska Street

Morning walking loop of Novi Sad: Freedom Square, the Cathedral Church, Archiepiscopal Palace, Laze Telečkog Street and Dunavska Street, then cross the Danube to Petrovaradin Fortress for the clock tower and the view back over the city. In the afternoon take a local bus to Sremski Karlovci (25 minutes, ~£1.50) — visit the Beekeeping Museum and a family winery for a tasting of Bermet dessert wine and honey (tastings £6–10 booked direct at the cellar door). Combine with a stop at Krušedol Monastery and a short walk in Fruška Gora National Park if time allows; a local taxi between the three is around £12–15 shared. Bus back to Belgrade in the evening (1.5–2 hours, ~£6–8) or stay the night in Novi Sad.

🚌Local bus to Sremski Karlovci (~£1.50); shared taxi around Fruška Gora (~£12–15); bus Novi Sad–Belgrade (~£6–8)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Belgrade (dorm £12–16, private room £28–38)

• →Novi Sad walking tour (Freedom Square, Danube Street, Cathedral, Laze Telečkog)
• →Petrovaradin Fortress
• →Sremski Karlovci Beekeeping Museum and winery tasting (~£6–10)
• →Bermet dessert wine tasting
• →Krušedol Monastery and Fruška Gora National Park (optional)

Use the morning for the parts of Belgrade you missed: the Saint Sava Temple (free, climb the dome for a small fee), Slavija Square, St. Mark's Church, the National Assembly, the Old and New Palaces and a walk past the ruined former Army Headquarters building. Grab a last burek and coffee, then take bus 72 or the A1 shuttle back to Nikola Tesla Airport (allow 45–60 minutes) for your flight home.

🚌Bus 72 or A1 shuttle to Nikola Tesla Airport (~£1.50–3)

🛏—

• →Saint Sava Temple
• →National Assembly, Old and New Palaces
• →Former Army Headquarters building
• →Slavija Square and St. Mark's Church