I took two day trips from Belgrade. The first was to eastern Serbia and the second to western Serbia, which in my opinion, featured better mountain views and scenery. On this day trip, you can ride the historic Sargan Eight Train, explore Drvengrad (a wooden village that was originally constructed as a film set), and be delighted by gorgeous scenery around nearly every turn.
It’s a long day trip, but of the two day trips I did, it’s the one that I’d recommend first to anyone visiting Belgrade.
Best of Western Serbia from Belgrade
I took a guided day trip to Western Serbia because it was much more convenient for me as a solo traveler. My day trip focused on four major things: the Sargan Eight Train, the Wooden Village at Drvengrad, the House one the Rock, and mountain views in Tara National Park. There are several day trip options, but I found this day trip to have a good variety.
Admittedly this was not my top choice of day trip, but since all of the day trips that heavily focused on Tara National Park were sold out, I went with this one and I think it worked out pretty well.
Here’s all you need to know about the big attractions in western Serbia.
Sargan Eight Train
While Serbia does have trains today, it doesn’t have quite the same rail network as it once did. In fact, there used to be a train that went all the way from Belgrade to Montenegro. The train was decommissioned, the tracks were torn up, and the service ended. Mostly. There’s a few kilometers of tracks that survived destruction and are now used as a tourist train. It was also used in the film Life is a Miracle by the popular Serbian director Emir Kusturica.
The Sargan Eight Train makes one big loop from Mokra Gora to Sargan-Vitasi and back. It starts from Mokra Gora, travels nearly 45 minutes without stops to Sargan-Vitasi, and then turns around and goes back in the same direction to Mokra Gora, making two stops along the way.
While most tourists will do the full loop by starting and ending their journeys at Mokra Gora, those on a guided day trip from Belgrade get to cheat a little bit. We got on when the train turned around in Sargan-Vitasi and only rode one way. I don’t think we missed anything by only riding one way.
As we departed from the station, we rode for about ten minutes through tunnels and the forests before arriving at our first stop. Here we took five minutes to get off the train and take a few photographs. It was just enough time. The second stop is another ten minutes down the train line through even more tunnels and more forests.
The second train stop is much more interesting and you’ll have at least twenty minutes here. Take a photo of the waterfall and walk the paths nearby the train for views of the villages below. There’s also a small shop for souvenirs and to pick up a treat. I rushed through this stop, but it turned out I didn’t have to because we had much longer than I anticipated. That isn’t to say that you have all the time in the world, but you don’t have to sprint down the trails. However, go to these trails early before everyone else does so you get some views to yourself.
The final leg of the train is another ten minutes and before you know it, you’ll be back at the main station in Mokra Gora. Everyone disembarks here and your journey is over.
I thought the train would just be a kitschy tourist trap, but I did enjoy it. The scenery was nice, but I also really enjoyed standing on the terrace between the train cars and feeling the wind on my face as we moved through the mountains of western Serbia. Aside from some of the views that came later in the day, this was my favorite experience on my western Serbia day trip.
Wooden Village (Drvengrad)
Remember when I spoke about the film Life is a Miracle? Well, this next stop is also related to that film. Director Emir Kusturica originally created his wooden village at Drvengrad as a film set, but now it’s both a tourist attraction and a hotel. The director himself lives in the village (after convincing the Serbian government to let him be in charge of the protecting the area) and has expanded. There’s over 100 beds for guests, restaurants, cafes, a cinema, and plenty of picturesque areas.
We were given 30 minutes of free time to explore the village, and really that’s all you need (unless you plan to stop at the cafe). It was nice to walk around the village, but what struck me most was the amount of visitors there. This area is very popular with Serbian tourists.
Though it’s not always just Serbian tourists. Every January, there is a small film festival that is held in this village and some big names have been known to make appearances, including Johnny Depp who is a good friend of Kusturica.
House on the Rock
In the 2010s, National Geographic put together a series of photographs of unusual homes. A photograph of a house on a rock on the Drina River in rural Serbia was not only included, but became the cover photograph. This house is now a tourist attraction in its own right.
While this stop is really just a photo stop, there’s also a great restaurant right nearby. In fact, you can see the House on the Rock right from its terrace. We stopped there on our group tour, but I’d recommend it regardless. The food is very reasonably priced, delicious, and comes with huge portions.
Mountain Views at Tara National Park
I can’t talk about this Belgrade day trip without talking about the mountain views throughout western Serbia. In general, this was the highlight for me. I always love a good scenic drive and getting out of the cities to see nature and this trip does fantastic with it. Don’t get me wrong. I saw some nice mountain views the day before on my day trip to eastern Serbia, but I’m going to agree with my tour guide to western Serbia and say “west is best”.
Throughout the entire day (except while leaving and entering Belgrade), there’s great mountain views. We didn’t stop often for the views, but saw them throughout the day, so we could take photos anytime we were at a stop. However as we started to make our way back to Belgrade (after leaving House on the Rock along the Drina River), we stopped at Tara Mountain for a great view. Plus our guide was kind enough to pull over on a hairpin turn (since there was no one behind us) so we could take a photo of Velika Stena Lake (which was nestled in the mountains).
Should You Rent a Car or Take a Guided Tour?
Obviously, there are some huge benefits to having your own vehicle in Serbia. You can travel at your own pace and stop at even more sights along the way. If you’re planning to visit more in Serbia beyond the big cities, I think a car rental can be a very good idea. Belgrade is nice, but it’s also so much more scenic in the Serbian countryside.
So why did I take a guided tour? I’m a solo traveler and for me, the guided tour was the simplest solution. I didn’t have to worry about driving (though the roads in eastern Serbia seemed more relaxed than what I experienced on a day trip to western Serbia) and I had a guide to give me just a little bit of context.
I think for solo travelers or those with limited time, it’s just more convenient to take a guided tour. If you’re a small group, it may make more financial sense to rent a car.
If you do take a guided tour, I recommend VictorTours. I booked two tours with them through GetYourGuide, but you can also find more information on their website.
One of the things I really appreciated about this tour company is that they keep their groups small. Rather than a huge tour bus, it’s a group that’s capped at eight people since that’s all they can fit in their van.
Final Thoughts
If you enjoy scenery and the rural countryside, a day trip to western Serbia from Belgrade is for you. The scenery is fantastic and enjoying the views on an historic railway is an excellent way to enjoy this area.
