No matter if you are a religious person looking to experience spirituality of Orthodox Christianity or you are interested in medieval fresco painting and architecture, with this tour you’ll definitely reach your goals. These two monasteries are most iconic and most important monasteries we have today in Serbia. Studenica monastery from late XII century is UNESCO World Heritage site, while Žiča with its authentic red facade is the monastery where Serbian kings were crowned and where seat of Serbian Orthodox Church was for a long time.

#YourSerbiaHost will meet you at arranged point (your hotel or other place of your stay) and  we’ll start our travel towards Western Serbia through picturesque Šumadija region, on the way you’ll get chance to see and hear about authentic life in this part of Serbia.

Our first destination for the day is Žiča monastery, located only few kilometers from the town Kraljevo (Kingstown) and some two hour drive from Belgrade. Žiča had an important role in Serbian medieval life, from several reasons, in first place it was founded to be center of newly established Serbian Orthodox Church which got its autonomy in the early XIII century, second, it was a place where first Serbian king was crowned, Stefan Nemanjić, also known as Stefan the First-Crowned, and later during the history many of Serbian kings were crowned here, there was a belief that king was not a king unless he was crowned in Žiča. You’ll hear stories about the treasury which had very significant belongings such as right hand of St. John the Baptist, and how it ended up in Siena today…

From Žiča we’ll follow river Ibar through the gorge, along the way you’ll see medieval fortress Maglič, which guards the river and the road from a hill. The road through the gorge is quite picturesque and you’ll enjoy every kilometer of it. When we reach village Ušće we’ll set off from the main road and hit for the mountains, where after 14km Studenica monastery will welcome us in all its glory, beauty and greatness. No matter if you are a believer or not you won’t stay indifferent, you’ll be enchanted by it, it’s monumentality, calmness and appearance. The most significant part of the complex is the main church of Holy Virgin where you’ll be able to see some of the most beautiful frescoes from the XII century and from the later periods. The most famous Studenica fresco is Crucifixion of Christ, which will communicate to you in silence. If we are lucky we’ll be accompanied by local curator Đurađ who is so passionate about the monastery that he will be more than happy to share his passion with you.

After we finish with experiencing Studenica history, art and monastic life we’ll get back on the main road again where we’ll stop by to village Bogutovac at family owned restaurant “Kod Mira” which is there for over 200 years and in the possession of the same family, where traditional hospitality is nurtured and where #YourSerbiaHost feels like home. Local and homemade specialties are waiting for you to highlight the day.

After meal in “Kod Mira” we are driving straight to Belgrade.

Journey plan given in this tour description is not fixed, it’s just result of our perception of most interesting points on this route and result of our own experience. In any moment we can alter the route and adjust it to interests and wishes of travellers.