Zlatibor Travel Guide Introduction
Zlatibor is a region and a village located in the western part of Serbia. For Serbian, it is a popular destination all year round. It is also the main hub for Serbian going to south to Montenegro.
It is most known for its health tourism, skiing, and hiking and the longest panoramic gondola lift in the world.
Its total population is around 3 000 inhabitants but that numbers really grow during holiday time. More and more people have holiday houses there.
Even Tito, the most famous president of Yugoslavia, had a villa there. And you can still see some of its remand next to a hotel under the same name.
For us Zlatibor is more than a travel place, it is the hometown of Tina, so we get to go there as much as we can to visit its family. It is also a small village where everyone knows everyone and where you can leave your car unlock!
Table of Contents
Mapping the day
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Getting there
The best way to reach Zlatibor is:
- By car: that’s the real best option to move around Serbia and reach Zlatibor. From Belgrade, half of the road is a highway (the other half in under construction). If you are coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zlatibor is really close to the border
- By Bus: You can take a direct bus from Belgrade bus station
Moving Around
Once in Zlatibor, you can do everything in town by foot. As mentioned, it is a village, and it is quite small. But if you want to visit some of the place around, you will need to get a car if you want to avoid the guided tour.
When to Visit
Zlatibor can be visited all year round. It has a mountain weather meaning lots of sun and bright day. It gets quite hot in summer and have lots of snow in winter.
What to Eat
There are lots of Serbian food that you can try. Most of it won’t have a plant-based diet option unless you cook it yourselves:
- Serma: Stuffed cabbage leaves. Ingredients can be minced meat, rice or bulgur, various herbs, seasonings, red pepper, paprika, ground sumac, or tomato sauce.
- Borek: round pie filled with either cheese, potatoes, meats…
- Rakija: the local spirit. The most common versions are made from plums (šljivovica), William’s pear (viljamovka), quinces (dunjevača), apricots (kajsijevača), apples (jabukovača), grapes (lozovača/komovica).
- Punjena Paprika: made of peppers, stuffed with a mix of meat and rice in tomato sauce, the ingredients consisting of green or red capsicums, eggs, spices, salt, tomato, minced meat and rice.
- Kajmak: creamy dairy food similar to clotted cream
- Zlatiborska pršuta: traditional Serbian smoked ham hailing from the mountainous region of Zlatibor
- Čvarci: pork rinds or cracklings made by thermally extracting fat from the lard. The lard is then cut into blocks and fried in its own fat until it melts away and tough and crispy pork rind remain in the pot.
- Komplet lepinja: flatbread (lepinja) that is cut in half, coated in thick cream (kajmak), and topped with an egg
- Turkish coffee
Things to do in Zlatibor
Jezero Zlatibor
The heart of Zlatibor is in its small lake. And where all attractions are happening. It is a nice place for a walk or to see some event. Next to it, is a recently created little shopping hut street where you can get some food to enjoy by the lake.
Црква Светог Преображења Господњег
Or the Church of the Holy Transfiguration is a Serbian Orthodox church. It is the main church in town and have a beautiful interior.
Monument to the Executed Partisans of Zlatibor
The perfect place to reach for a small hike with an amazing landscape. The monument was completed in 1967 on Šumatno Hill and commemorates the wounded soldiers murdered by German forces after the Partisan retreat from Užice.
A bit further, you can find Krcma Gaj, a nice restaurant with a view where you can try a Komplet lepinja.
Old Refugee camp
That’s not really a pure attraction, but during the Bosnian’ war, lost of refugee arrived to Zlatibor. They were given small houses in this part of town. You can still see the remand of the houses.
Pijaca Na Zlatiboru
The best place to buy some souvenir or any local product. The small hut like shopping area is a must to see. You can get there any souvenirs, foods, drinks…
Dino Park
If you are with kid, you can pay a visit to the Dino Park. Tina’s nephews love the place 😊
Titova vila Zlatibor
If you like history, you can pop by this newly constructed hotel that is sitting next to the old villa where the former President of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Tito had its villa.
Gold gondola Zlatibor
The longest gondola lift in the world with a route length of 9000m that connect Zlatibor to Tornik Ski Center via Lake Ribničko, where a stopover station will be located. The gondola itself is a nice attraction and offer beautiful view over the area
Tornik Ski Center
The small ski center offers 7 km of slopes available and 5 lifts during winter. It is a nice place to go for the landscape and enjoy a drink in one of its small mountain huts.
Stopić Cave
This is one impressing limestone cave near Sirogojno, on the slopes of Mount Zlatibor. You can walk in the complete 1.69km cave and enjoy the work of mother nature. It is a must to see and is such a unique experience.
Tara national park
Tara is a mountain part of the Dinaric Alps. The national park offers lots of hiking routes and you can spend anything from 1-day to many days in it. The park offers both option for hikers but also for family as you can drive to some of its viewpoints.
Uvac Special Nature Reserve
Special nature reserve of the category I known for the successful project of the preservation of the griffon vulture. But you can also organise t visit there on a boat to discover its amazing river and viewpoints.
Gostilje waterfalls
The 20m-high waterfall is located right next to Zlatibor and is a nice picnic area with a parking right next to it. There is even a café on site.
4-days Itinerary in Zlatibor
Day 1: Explore Zlatibor:
- Jezero Zlatibor
- Црква Светог Преображења Господњег
- Monument to the Executed Partisans of Zlatibor
- Old Refugee camp
- Pijaca Na Zlatiboru
- Titova vila Zlatibor
- Gold gondola Zlatibor
- Tornik Ski Center
Day 2:
- Stopić Cave
- Gostilje waterfalls
Day 3:
- Uvac Special Nature Reserve
- Dino Park
Day 4:
- Tara national park
Bog je prvo sebi bradu stvorio : God first created a beard for himself. (Meaning that everybody looks after themselves first)
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