Regions

One of the first things any visitor traveling around Serbia is bound to notice is the diversity of its regions offering many startling contrasts. Furthest to the north we are encountered by the never-ending plains of Vojvodina, where villages are lost in the sea of wheat, corn and sunflower fields. The two centuries Vojvodina spent in the Habsburg Empire mean that its cities today display its central European influences. One of the more unique features of this fertile and wealthy region is its variety of cultures and nationalities that live here, more then 20 are from central and southeastern Europe, ranging from Slovaks and Ukrainians to Macedonians and Bulgarians.

In the place where Vojvodina and central Serbia meet lies Belgrade, the Serbian capital. Belgrade stretches across rivers Sava and Danube whose strategic importance shaped Belgrade's destiny many times in its history spanning over two millenniums. Belgrade is a metropolis inhabited by nearly two million people, and it faces all the good and the bad that a city of that size faces, from a constant flood of cultural events to the jammed motorways during rush hours. In Belgrade one can choose between the experiences of the upmarket bars drawing the wealthy and the famous, energetic nightlife, alternative exhibitions or the almost rural ambiance of its riverside kafanas and live music.

Continuing southwards we come across Šumadija and its pleasant hilly landscape hiding many fine monasteries of exceptional architecture and welcoming towns and villages.

West Serbia starts with the plain of Mačva in the north and rises steadily to the peaks over 1.500 m in the south. The woods and green fields as well as the steep wooden roofs of older houses bear witness to the stark climate of the Dinaric Alps. The main products here are the fruits, from plums (Sljiva) turned into delicious jams and slivovitz brandy to the raspberries of which Serbia is a leading producer in the world.

In East Serbia two great mountain ranges meet - the Carpathians, coming from the north and the Balkans chain from the south - resulting in several little known and far-flung locations. The east of Serbia is known for the Iron Gates gorge on its north edge, the wine-hamlets of Negotinska Krajna and a variety of prehistoric and Roman archeological sights.

Due to its warmer climate, the predominant colors of South Serbia are yellow and brownish and the region therefore has a somewhat Mediterranean feel to it. The warmth is further boosted by the local spicy dishes, the unbeatable Leskovac barbeque and the energetic dialect.

Kosovo and Metohija are two large plains separated by the hills of Drenica and surrounded with several high massifs such as the Sara in the south and Prokletije to the west including Djeravica (2656 m) and several other peaks. Ethnic Albanians, most of them Muslims, consistute the majority of population here giving the whole province an oriental flavor.

Raška is the name of the region bordering Montenegro. Here fast rivers make their way through the chains of Dinaric Alps that stretch one after another as far as one can see. The climate of this mountainous region is harsh, and one feels it’s chill already in the evenings of the warmest summer days. Many medieval monasteries bear witness to the region’s importance in the past, while the mixed orthodox and Muslim populations speak of the centuries long Ottoman dominance.