If you wish to spend seven days exploring Serbia on your own, this East Serbia Experience Self-Guided Tour will answer all your requests. Tour combines different activities and sights in two attractive parts of Serbia. If you are looking for a shorter stay, try our three days in East Serbia tour.

What to expect from Full East Serbia Experience Self-Guided Tour?

Expect to experience true East Serbia and to explore some hidden gems of this area. The itinerary is planned to deliver the best from both natural and cultural goods, good wines, and a unique local experience.

We provide an itinerary, accommodation, lunches, recommendations, and full support during the tour.

Tour flow

1st Day – Monasteries Manasija and Ravanica, Resava cave and Veliki Buk Waterfall

Your East Serbia self-guided tour starts with a visit to a magnificent Monastery Manasija. This monastery from the XIV century tells a story about its founder Despot Stefan Lazarevic and his important role in Serbian history.

The next stop is Resava cave which attracts visitors from all over the world. Inside this beautiful cave, you will explore four halls with different layouts and discover a variety of cave jewels.

Usually, caves and waterfalls go together, and this time it is also a case, just a few kilometers from Resava cave you will find the charming waterfall Veliki Buk. Surrounded by intact nature, a local restaurant near the waterfall makes a great choice for a lunch break.

After enjoying nature, the tour continues with a visit to another special spiritual place. In Ravanica Monastery you will hear more about turbulent Serbian history and how the church played a key role in protecting Serbian culture and identity during the five centuries under Ottoman rule.

The last stop for today is a household Rtanjski dvori which will be your accommodation for the next two nights. Quiet village Ilino promises true rest, and warm hosts will make you feel at home.

2nd Day – Rtanj Mountain hike

This day is reserved for exploring mysterious Rtanj Mountain. In the morning a local guide will pick you up from your accommodation and help you during this adventure. The hike lasts between 5-6 hours (depending on your pace) with few stops and breaks. Rtanj is world-known for its pyramid shape and many legends are related to this mountain, your friendly guide will be happy to share some of these stories. At the peak, Šiljak (Spike, 1560m a.s.l.) you will take a break to enjoy the view and make some marvelous photos.

After exploring Rtanj you can drop by to hotel Ramonda and treat yourself with a relaxing SPA treatment. The rest of your day you can spend on your own, enjoying nature or napping at your accommodation.

3rd Day – Felix Romuliana and Rajac village

After breakfast, you will say goodbye to your hosts and continue your tour towards Negotinska krajina wine region. But before you start enjoying Serbian wine, you will visit the important Roman archeological site Felix Romuliana. This beautiful palace was build in the IV century by emperor Galerius and represents one of the best-preserved Roman palaces from that period. Because of its beauty and discovery of valuable mosaics and artifacts, Romuliana was listed as a UNESCO site in 2007.

From Romuliana you continue to village Rajac which is famous for their 270 special wine cellars – „Pivnice“. These wine cellar complexes were used for storing and wine aging and they are the specificity of this area. Most of Pivnicas were built in the XVIII century when this area was one of the biggest wine exporters in Europe.

Your hosts/guides in Rajac will be family Milenovic and from them, you will hear more about this interesting wine village. Here you will spend the next two nights in a household Milenovic.

4th Day – Rogljevo wine village and Negotin town

After a homemade breakfast in the Milenovic household, you continue to explore this famous wine region, and the first stop will be the village of Rogljevo. Although Rajac is a synonym for Pivnice, Rogljevo also preserves this wine tradition and hides many interesting wineries.

From Rogljevo, the road will take you to Negotin, the largest town in this area. You can take a stroll through this nice town or make a lunch break in some of the local restaurants in the center.

While you are in Negotin, you must visit the Monastery Bukovo which is just outside the town. Bukovo was built in the XIII century and has great historical importance, but it is also known for its long tradition of wine production. It is considered the custodian of the indigenous variety of wine – Black Tamjanika, which you will have a chance to try.

5th Day – Exploring Iron Gates gorge

From the wine region, your journey continues along the Danube and you will meet the biggest gorge in Europe- the Iron Gates. The first point in the gorge will be the famous viewpoints since it offers an unforgettable view of the Danube and its surroundings.

Further exploration, depending on your preferences, can be a walk through the forest to the lookout Ploče or hiking to the summit Veliki Strbac (768m a.s.l) which requires moderate physical condition but guarantees a great experience and more unreal views of the Danube and the gorge.

If you are not interested in hiking, we suggest you take the opportunity and experience the most exciting part of Iron Gates from the boat. During the 2 hour cruise through the Veliki and Mali Kazan, you will have a chance to see where the Danube is the narrowest and deepest in its course, you will hear the legend of the Decibel and see the famous Trajan’s board up close.

In the afternoon you will settle in town Donji Milanovac where you will spend the next two nights in apartment Popovic.

6th Day – Donji Milanovac and Kapetan Misin breg

This day in your East Serbia itinerary is planned as an easy-going and you can have a longer rest after previously intense activities. After breakfast, you can walk around the city and check out the Visitor’s Center, which contains an interactive exhibition related to the rich past and bio-geological diversity of this area.

Lunch is planned at charming rural household Kapetan Mišin breg, which combines delicious local food and an amazing view of the Danube.

After lunch, you can visit the Kovilovo viewpoint, which is easily accessible and is located near the household.

7th Day – Lepenski vir, Golubac fortress and Viminacium

The last day of your East Serbia self-guided tour is reserved for exploring cultural goods in this area. The first stop will be the prehistoric site – Lepenski vir which is considered to be one of the oldest organized settlements in Europe. The museum preserves traces of life from the Neolithic era and testifies that life on the banks of the Danube took place continuously from 7000 to 4500 BC.

The next stop is the most popular attraction in the Iron Gates gorge – Golubac fortress. This impressive medieval fortress was build in the XIV century and it had a very turbulent history because of its important strategic position. Today it is turned into a modern interactive museum with great exhibitions in several towers and amazing viewpoints for taking panoramic photos.

Finally, you will visit Viminacium, which is considered one of the most important Roman sites in Serbia. During a tour of the archeological complex, you will visit different sites including antic baths, necropolis, amphitheater, and museum where more items are displayed. In addition to the Roman heritage, near Vimacium was discovered a completely preserved mammoth skeleton, which is kept in a special part of the museum.

Here your East Serbia experience self–guided tour finishes and you can continue your journey on your own.

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