Travel/Visa

 

Getting to the Republic of Serbia

You can easily get to the Republic of Serbia from Korea. The Korean Air and Asiana Airlines including major European air companies offer daily non-stop flights connecting Incheon to European capitals. The Republic of Serbia's air company JAT and many other European air carriers fly to Belgrade on a daily basis.

 

Visa and other information

Korean citizens, holders of valid Korean passports do not require visas for tourist visits to Serbia up to 3 months. Holders of passports of other countries can find information about the visa system through the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Serbia (http://www.mfa.gov.rs/).

 

Picture Gallery

Canyon of Uvac
The Canyon of Uvac
<strong>The Canyon of Uvac</strong>, <em>one of the nicest natural sites in Serbia</em> <strong>Golubac fortress</strong>, <em>view from Danube River</em> <strong>Rosomacko grlo</strong>, <em>Stara Planina Mountain</em> <strong>White Angel</strong>, <em>a detail from a fresco from the Mileseva Monastery circa 1230 AD</em> <strong>Subotica</strong>, <em>a city in northern Sebia in the Province of Vojvodina</em> <strong>Resavska Cave</strong>, <em>with the total length of 2,850m and the tourist path of 800m long</em> <strong>Ramonda Serbica</strong>, <em>one of the numerous relict and endemic plants of Serbia</em> <strong>The Patriarchate of Pec</strong>, <em>UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Province of Kosovo and Metohija</em> <strong>Lepenski vir</strong>, <em>a Mesolithic archaeological site from 7000 BC</em> <strong>Serbian old Village House</strong>, <em>Central Serbia</em> <strong>Stari Ras</strong>, <em>one of the first capitals of the medieval Serbian state; UNESCO World Heritage Site</em> <strong>Mosaic of Dionysus</strong>, <em>Gamzigrad (Felix Romulijana), archaeological site, spa and UNESCO Heritage Site </em> <strong>Serbian girl</strong> <em>in etnic clothes</em> <strong>Easter eggs</strong> <strong>Celebration of Badnyak</strong>, <em>burning the yule log</em>

 

Tourism in Serbia

Serbia is located at the crossroads between the Central and Southern Europe. It is located in the Balkan Peninsula and the Panonian Plain. The province of Vojvodina, the bread-basket of Serbia, covers the northern third of the country. The rest, almost two-thirds, is mountainous. The most important mountain chains that span the country’s territory are Dinaric, Carpathian-Balkan Mountain and the Rhodope. The highest peak is Djeravica at an altitude of 2656m, located in the Province of Kosovo and Metohija near the Albanian border.

Spanning over 588 kilometers across Serbia, the Danube River is the largest fresh-water source. Significant rivers include the Sava, the Morava, the Drina, the Ibar, the Tara and the Lim. Over 27 percent of Serbia is covered by woods. National parks take up 10 percent of the country's entire territory.

Serbia’s tourism is concentrated mainly on the mountains, spas and villages throughout the country. The most famous mountain resorts are Mt. Zlatibor, Kopaonik and Tara. Among spa resorts in Serbia the most famous are Vrnjacka Banja, Banja Palic, Banja Koviljaca, Niska Banja, Soko Banja, Banja Stari Slankamen and Mataruska banja.

Except for the spas rich in healing waters, Serbia is also proud of its air spas which are, thanks to the favorable climate conditions and geographic position of the country, declared to be open-air sanatoriums. Such sanatoriums are: Zlatibor, Zlatar, Divcibare, Ivanjica and Rudnik.

Even though Belgrade, Novi Sad and Nis attract a large number of tourists, rural areas also offer many places of interest - for example, a volcanic wonder of Djavolja varos, Christian monuments across the country, the Danube cruises and authentic peculiarities of rural tourism.

The monasteries of Serbia, built largely in the Middle Ages, represent one of the most valuable and visible traces of medieval Serbia's links with the Byzantine culture and the Orthodox World. It also demonstrates Serbia’s close ties with the Western Europe that dates back to the Middle Ages. All Serbian rulers were very religious and instead of building palaces, they built monasteries as their endowments and mausoleums. It was in the monasteries that important decisions were made and where the first books were copied which is how literacy was spread and Serbian authentic culture preserved. The walls were decorated with frescoes reflecting the artistic styles of the time. Some of these frescoes are extremely valuable art treasures.

There are remains of about thirty of the former two hundred medieval towns and fortresses in Serbia. Some of them were the forerunners of modern cities and they still adorn parts of their old walls and towers. Common to all those ancient buildings is that they are on the list of monuments of great or outstanding national importance, while some of them are highly placed on the list of the world cultural heritage. The most famous are: the Belgrade fortress, Bac, Nis fortress, Petrovaradin fortress, Smederevo fortress and the Golubac fortress.

Serbia was the homeland to no less than 17 Roman Emperors. The most impressive remains of glorious Roman Empire include:

  • Trajan’s Plaque (Tabula Traiana), Trajan’s Bridge and the Diana fortress near Kladovo;
  • the remains of Viminacium (1st-7th century), a former Roman town and military camp, near Smederevo;
  • the crown of Roman palatial architecture - the archaeological site Gamzigrad i.e. Felix Romuliana (3rd and 4th century);
  • Nis i.e. Naissus, the birth place of the great Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (280–337 A.D.) and Mediana (4th century), a suburb of the ancient town, which was built during his time;
  • Sremska Mitrovica i.e. Sirmium (1st–4th century), also known as “the City of Caesars and martyrs” and
  • Emperors’ town (6th and 7th century), near Leskovac, where emperor Justinian was born.

Probably the most attractive prehistoric sites in Serbia include a Mesolithic archaeological site Lepenski Vir, where the evidence suggests the first human presence in the locality around 7000 BC with the culture reaching its peak between 5300 BC and 4800 BC and Vinca, a site with early Neolithic culture between the 6th and the 3rd millennium BC traces of which can be found all around the Balkans, parts of Central Europe and Asia Minor.

Serbia has eight cultural sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list:

  • Stari Ras and Sopocani monastery added to the Heritage list in 1979;
  • Studenica Monastery added in 1986;
  • the Medieval Serbian Monastic Complex in Kosovo and Metohija, comprising: Decani Monastery, Our Lady of Ljevis, Gracanica and Patriarchate of Pec monasteries were added in 2004, and put on the list of endangered assets in 2006 and
  • Gamzigrad – Felix Romuliana, Palace of Galerius, added in 2007.

Likewise, there are 2 memorials added to UNESCO list as a part of the Memory of the World Programme – the Miroslav Gospels, a manuscript from the 12th century, added in 2005, and Nikola Tesla's archives added in 2003.

Nightlife in Serbia is something that tourists generally like about the country. It is very colorful and rich, particularly in Belgrade. There is a variety of clubs and bars open all night. According to several local, regional and international news magazines, papers and news agencies, notably The New York Times and CNN, Belgrade has become a regional night-life hub and many weekend fun-seeking visitors from all around the Europe revere Belgrade as "the-place-to-be", citing friendly atmosphere, great clubs and bars, cheap drinks, etc. In addition, Serbs speak foreign languages and there are no restrictions on night life.

There are several popular music festivals held in Serbia, such as the EXIT Festival, proclaimed to be the best European festival by UK Festival Awards 2007 and Yourope, the European Association of the 40 largest festivals in Europe and the Guca, a trumpet festival.

Serbs generally have a reputation for being big gourmands. Their cuisine is a unique mix of various traditions. It is basically of Slavic origin but it is strongly influenced by the Mediterranean, Oriental and Austro-Hungarian cuisine as well as modern gastronomic culture. Food preparation is a strong part of the Serbian family tradition. A number of typical traditional Serbian foods spread across the world and very famous include: rakija (fruit brandy), slatko (a thin fruit preserve), jelly, turšija (pickled vegetables) notably sauerkraut, ajvar (a special pepper relish); different kinds of porridges and many kinds of bread which is the basis of Serbian meals; a number of Serbian pies which are made with dough include burek, gibanica, savijaca; various dairy products especially kajmak, yoghurt, buttermilk, sour cream and sweet cream; different kinds of cheese made of goat, cow or sheep milk; as well as prebranac, podvarak, svadbarski kupus and many more dishes.

 

Useful links for traveling in the Republic of Serbia

http://www.serbia-tourism.org/

http://www.tob.co.rs/