Southern Serbia: Full Day Private Trip to Niš from Belgrade
Description
Serbia is a relatively small country, but for sure it offers a lot of diversity. One of the best examples of that diversity is Niš, third biggest city in Serbia, with an exciting mixture of Ottoman heritage, laid-back charm, captivating history, great food, cheerful locals and music that will make you dance. Escorted by the professional, English-speaking guide, in an air-conditioned vehicle, get to know everything about this charming city on this 10-hours exciting journey.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your trip will begin with pick up from your hotel/accommodation in Belgrade, and we head toward Southern Serbia. After slightly more than two hours of driving (highway only), we will reach Niš.
The day is reserved for the born city of the famous Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. In the next three hours, you will see the most important sights in Serbia's third-biggest city, and our guide will share the stories about the city's turbulent history dating back to pre-Roman times
First of all, we are going to pay a visit to Red Cross Nazi Concentration Camp, today a museum. The German Gestapo operated the camp and held captured around 30.000Jews, Serbians, and Romas during the Second World War. Red Cross was a transit camp, so few were killed on the premises – they were taken mainly to Bubanj Hill (in Niš) to be executed there, or on to Auschwitz, Dachau, or other concentration camps. The fact that differs the camp from other Nazi camps is that on February 12, 1942. the inmates organized the first mass escape of prisoners in occupied Europe – a total of 105 managed to flee from the camp that day.
To conclude our story about WWII, we'll visit Bubanj Hill. Located 3km from the city center, it is the place where we'll find one of Serbia's most recognizable Yugoslav-era memorials. Three gigantic fists rising from the ground are the work of Croatian sculptor Ivan Sabolić, and they symbolize the resistance and suffering of men, women, and children (or, according to other interpretations, Serbs, Jews, and Roma) during WWII. This hill was the site of mass executions conducted by the Nazis, where they executed close to 10.000 prisoners from the concentration camp.
Our next stop will be the infamous Skull Tower - the monument unique in the world, erected by the Ottomans as an example to others of the folly of opposition to their rule. Originally there were 952 skulls built into the tower, today there are 59 remaining, but they still illustrate all the horror of the original tower. Destroying the tower was never a question. It was imperative to keep it standing as a reminder to future generations of the sacrifices made by their ancestors towards the liberation of Serbia; thus it still stands as a silent monument to struggle.
Following, we will visit the Niš Fortress, lying on the bank of Nišava River. It assumed its final shape in 1723, when the Turks built it, facing the end of their reign in this area. Its construction required that over 40 stonecutters from Constantinople and around 400 bricklayers from Niš to be hired. Though the Turks built its current incarnation, there have been forts on this site since ancient Roman times. Today, the fortress is a cultural property of great importance and a venue for frequent cultural and artistic events.
We will continue our sightseeing passing by the main sights in the city, including Banovina Building, Niš Liberators Monument at King Milan Square, and the monument of a well-known Serbian writer Stevan Sremac, considered to be one of the greatest Serbian comedy writers in history. Concluding our tour, we'll visit the Archaeological Hall of Nis National Museum, with its numerous exhibits telling a vivid story of Nis history and culture from Neolithic Age and Roman period to the Middle Ages. After that, you will have free time for individual activities in Niš and to try some of the traditional delicacies for which Niš is widely famous. At the scheduled time, we will hop back into our vehicle, and after about two hours, you will be back in your hotel.
Your tour concludes with transportation back to your hotel/accommodation in Belgrade, where we'll arrive in the afternoon. End of services.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
If you have booked the shared tour option, pick-up will be 15-30 minutes before the departure time. One day before the trip, not before 6 PM, we’ll send you an e-mail with all the pick-up details. If you have booked the private tour option, the default departure time is 08:00. If you want a different departure time, you should contact us and let us know at what time you would like to start. Pick up from any hotel, Airbnb, a pension that is up to 5 km from Republic Square, or from Belgrade port is free of charge. Additionally, we can pick you up from any address in Belgrade, but if the pick-up location is further than 5km but less than 10 km from the city center, we will apply a supplement of 10EUR. For locations further than 10km from the Republic Square, please contact us directly. If you want to start your tour at Belgrade airport, you could do that with a supplement of 15 EUR.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- We never cancel our tours, however, if you are the only person on a shared tour, a supplement of 50% will be applied. At latest 24 hours before the trip, you will be informed in the case that you are the only guest on the tour, and we will offer a choice between canceling the tour with no fees applied, or paying the supplement of 50% of the price.
Reviews(9)
The South has a different vibe than the North or Center where I have been. Definitely worth your time to visit. My guide let me ask all the questions I wanted and it was nice having a private tour because we went at my pace. He is knowledgable about all things Balkan, as he has professional experience inside and outside of Serbia. As someone who is very interested in the Ottoman occupation of Southeastern Europe, this tour offers you some info you won't find in other tours. Also, if you want to leave Belgrade for a day I enthusiastically recommend this tour.
We had a relaxed but full day immersed in the sights, history and culture around Nis. The experience ranged - from the harrowing atmosphere of the concentration camp; the confronting yet intriguing story behind Skull tower; the peaceful tranquility of the parklands and fortress - to the character filled flavours in the streets of Nis. The absolute highlight for us however, was our guide Marco - who, with his sense of humour, wide ranging knowledge, gentle openness and authenticity gifted us with a day of human connectedness. Thankyou, Marco.
Guide was very informative, cared about the history of Serbia. Guide also was extremely helpful.....
I really appreciated Alexander’s well versed history he offered during our trip. He really took his time answering ALL of our questions and showing various lovely parts of the area. It was truly a unique experience with an awesome tour guide. I definitely tour with Alexander anywhere!
We had a wonderful time Alexander. Our tour of Nis was beautiful. Alexander offered us his own, unique perspective on the history while keeping to the facts. He took his time answering our questions and showing us special parts of the area. We truly had such an awesome time.
As the son of an American WWII former Prisoner of War, the idea of this tour really appealed to my husband. We were thoroughly impressed by the locations and especially the knowledge shared by our guide, Alexander. We were able to ask questions and get in-depth answers. This tour showed us the incredible resilience of the Serbian people and touched on many aspects of their road to freedom. We had lunch on a quaint street just off the main plaza in Nis. It was a fantastic day! PS I was thrilled that Alexander had taken three great photos of my husband and me at different stops. This was extra special as we have very few pictures together! Thank you!!!
My first visit to Serbia and was pleasantly surprised with my day with Alexander. Because of his extensive education and his innate interest in history, the amount of knowledge provided during our day was amazing. Alexander is personable and presents all information with a smile and in way that kept my the entire day. Lunch (not included) in Novi Sad was a real treat enjoying local wine and food. He was helpful and a pleasure to spend the day with.
This was our second tour with this great company. Aleksander is a very cool guy and we loved speaking to him. He is extremely knowledgeable and worldly, and we learnt so much! He gave us a fascinating insight into Serbian history and politics, past and present, and his explanations were very engaging and interesting. We had a wonderful time in Nis, we especially enjoyed seeing the skull tower. I cannot recommenced this tour enough!
Where I come from, 250 EUR is a lot of money, so I had high expectations from this tour, and I am glad that they were completely fulfilled and even exceeded. The guide showed up in a very clean and newer sedan vehicle. The driving was smooth and careful. Two hours of driving were used for introduction to Serbia. History, geography, economy, politics, sports and many other interesting facts. I am really satisfied with that, and I will say that now I have a much better understanding of this complicated area. We started our tour in Nis by visiting a museum- former Nazi camp. It was a sobering experience and a must-see. We continued through the Fortress and the city center. I learned a lot about the Roman period and the famous Constantin The Great. We ended our tour by seeing one more dramatic sight - the Scull Tower. A unique witness of the cruelty of the Ottoman invaders, it is unbelievable that it's still in pretty good shape, although it's more than 200 years old. We ended our tour with lunch in a charming street full of traditional restaurants. I must say that I am happy after all that I did this tour since Nis has an entirely different atmosphere and vibe than Belgrade.
