Travel through Serbia

Car

On a country offering hotels, as it could be seen, have been disseminated, and the tourist sites often situated at the peripheries, a car became inevitable. Two important axles have been connected by the highways Belgrade-Nis and Croatia-Belgrade and the national roads have been connecting all main points of the country. The national roads have been equivalent to the goods of the regions and, contrary to what one could believe, these roads have not been in a bad shape.

Another advantage of the road network has been the presence of the fuel stations along even the little mountain roads, so that you would not risk to come into the lack of fuel. These stations have often been opened 24 hours with the possibility of payment by cards. The fuel price has been oscillating about 75 Euro cents (or 50 Dinars) the leadless 95 and 68 Euro cents diesel. Finally, there are parking places in all towns, and at the same time the world agencies like Avis and Hertz, as well as the local agencies. One should better address the latter being less expensive and more elastic than the great firms. They have been giving the same guarantees as the others.

Within the framework of bad news, the problem has been in the signalisation. It has been often in the Latin letters, but between two villages the Cyrillic had the advantage. But still more serious has been the absence of any signalisations. How many tourist sites have been indicated for many kilometres or at the last bending. It is a pity because it makes impossible to see important things. In those cases it has been no difficulty to look at your map as the autochthones did not call attention. Rather give the confidence to the language of the signs and do repeat many a time pronouncing well your destination. If you insist, you could get accompanied, being a sign of the kindness of Serbo-Montenegrins.

Another great problem has been a dangerous enough driving. You would not miss the obstacle blocking the progress or decreasing your speed by tractors and gigs on the road. On the contrary, the car drivers generally use to drive slowly. Be wary, and a 80 km/hour would be largely sufficient even on a rods without obstacles. A good advice has been to avoid the night driving because the lighting has been weak frequently.

Auto-stop

On the great axels the auto-stop should not be practised in the first place for the reasons of security, but also because the buses are accessible and in the service of all towns and villages of Serbia-Montenegro. On the contrary there is another story on little roads. There where maybe even the bus has been passing only infrequently, the inhabitants use to take the advantage of the kindness of their compatriots. But take care, it would be of no use to stand beside the road and raise your finger, because it would not be understood what you wanted.

Train

To travel on train in Serbia-Montenegro has been for those who know to take their time is a true good luck. May it be as it is, the mountains of the West of the country, on the cost of the steep relief or in the planes, the landscape would always be better viewed from the train. In the first place because the train has been passing where a car could not pass, on should take the line Belgrade-Bar to appreciated indeed the beauty of the lake of Skadar and to watch the summits of Sar-Planina.

Then the old fashioned inside so typical for an epoch would admire the lovers of exotics and authenticity seated and the large seats, you could easily chat with the other passengers, the more so as the speed has not been like in trans-modern sophisticated of ours. Even the train had a reputation of a little exaggerated slowness, it is true that the lines would often be prolonged by the mechanical problems or because the train has to stop at the crossing a road. Finally, the price has been insignificant.

For sure the time could sometimes be prolonged without a reason because the very typical carriages at least once would collide. Some lines have been decorated by guided visits to the cultural (Sremski Karlovci, Smederevo) or natural (Mokra Gora) sites and have been performed by the old steam engines brought for the occasion.
The time tables and the tariffs have been indicated at the concerned lines for the tourists framed the signals in the Party “Danube”.

ZTP (the railways of Serbia): Phone: (011) 36 16 962. Web: www.yurail.co.yu. The regional tickets like Interrail or Eurodomino, but also the Intercapital of South Europe and at the reduced tariffs like City Star or Balkan Flexipass.

Bus

The bus network has been in service of all towns and of a great majority of villages of Serbia-Montenegro. On the great axels the buses have been comfortable and often have got the modern equipment: the bar, TV, the toilet. Otherwise it has been more of sports with the often crowded cars running through the winding roads. On any case demand always the line “Express” being not obliged to stop in every village.

The great interest of buses in Serbia-Montenegro has been the frequency of the lines high enough making to wait very short time at the station between two important towns: departure every 15 minutes between Belgrade and Novi Sad and half an hour between Belgrade and Nis.
A few advices for a good travel. One should buy the tickets at the window before the start, but one could enter the bus without a ticket in one’s pocket and to address the conductor for a ticket. For the baggage should additionally be paid (30 Dinars). At the bus stations in great towns don’t forget to buy a chip at the window allowing you to got to the platform through a rotation gate. Be aware to avoid a crowd made at the entrance.

Boat

Since the end of embargo the Danube has been offering the possibilities to travel on a boat along all the river flowing in the North of the country in the direction West-East there are the possibilities to spend a night or more on the banks as indicated in the party “Discovery”. Also a few short cruises around Belgrade, Novi Sad and Smederevo for the lovers of walking on the river could be seen at the party “Vojvodina and Danube”.

Aeroplane

Four airports and two national companies have been in the service of strangers. From Germany one could arrive in Tivat and Podgorica in Montenegro as well as in Belgrade in Serbia thanks to Montenegro Airlines and JAT. JAT had also in 2004 opened a direct line Paris-Nis. The two companies have also been offering, often coupled with an A/R ticket from France, the connection between Belgrade and Podgorica or Tivat in Montenegro.

JAT Airways, Bulevar Umetnosti 16,11 000 Belgrade. Phone: Agency: (011) 2139088.
Reservations: (011) 3112123. Web: www.jat-airlift.co.yu.

MONTENEGRO AIRLINES, Ulica Slobode 23, 81000 Podgorica. Phone: (081) 224 406.
Reservations: (081) 9804.