Travel to Serbia

Flying to Serbia

The main carrier is Air Serbia (www.airserbia.com), whose routes include direct flights from the UK. There are plenty of indirect options via other European cities with airlines such as Air France (www.airfrance.com) or Swiss (www.swiss.com). There are no direct flights from the USA.

The major airport is: Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.

Airport Guides

Flight times

From London - 2 hours 40 minutes; New York - 10 hours 30 minutes (including stopover).

Departure tax

None.

Travelling to Serbia by Rail

Rail services to Belgrade run from Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Montenegro, Romania and Turkey. Trains from western Europe travel via Budapest and Zagreb. The route from Bar on the Montenegro coast, to Belgrade, is famously scenic. For more detailed information contact Voyages SNCF (www.voyages-sncf.com). International trains have couchette coaches as well as bar and dining cars.

Rail passes

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 29 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 15 days, 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Reductions are available for travellers under 26. Children under 12 are free when travelling with an adult using an Adult Pass. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Voyages-sncf.com (tel: +44 844 848 5848, in the UK; www.voyages-sncf.com).

Eurailpass: offers unlimited train travel in up to 28 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months, three months, five days in 10 days, 10 days in two months or 15 days in two months. The Global Pass allows travel across all participating countries. The Select Pass is valid in four bordering countries. The Regional Pass lets you travel in two bordering countries. The One Country Pass offers travel in one of 27 countries.

Adult passes are valid for first-class travel, while youth passes (under 26) are valid for second-class travel. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult using an Adult Pass. The passes cannot be sold to EU citizens or residents. Available from Eurail (www.eurail.com).

Driving to Serbia

Driving to Serbia from the UK takes around two days, involving travel across Belgium, Germany, Austria and much of the Balkans - it’s bordered by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Montenegro, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Romania.

The E-75 motorway takes you through Hungary before heading on towards Novi Sad. The E70 motorway comes from the west, via the border with Croatia. An alternative, although longer route is to drive overland through France, Switzerland and Italy, before taking a ferry from Italy to Montenegro, and continuing the journey from there.

Getting to Serbia by boat

Cruise ships

While Serbia is landlocked, Belgrade is a popular stop for Danube river cruises travelling down the river.

Ferry operators

If travelling to Serbia via Italy, several ferry companies make the crossing including Montenegro Lines (www.montenegrolines.com) which goes from Bari or Ancona to Bar, and Jadrolinija (www.jadrolinija.hr) which runs services from Bari to Dubrovnik, Ancona to Split, and Ancona to Zadar.