Yugotours grew to be one of top 10 package holiday operators during the Eighties and Yugoslavia became a rival to Spain and Greece – cooler, cheaper, odder. Game of Thrones, no-frills flights and a herd mentality have turned Dubrovnik into a headlining hell-hole, and Split can be rammed in summer too. So, why not give Serbia a whirl?
In September 2023, Belgrade rejoined the roster of cities served directly by British Airways from Heathrow, ending a 13-year absence brought on by said no-frills airlines crowding the market. Then, a year later, the service was axed. Was it a case of rotten marketing? Ask any resident of any country in the former Yugoslavia to name their regional capital and they’ll reply, without hesitation, and with great enthusiasm, “Beograd”. It’s a major cultural and political capital with a deep history.
It has great food, from hearty kebabs (cevapi – served with sour cream and chopped onion) to haute cuisine. It has a massive Eastern Orthodox church, said to be the world’s largest. It has a fabled nightlife. It has two rivers. And the Belgrade-Bar line, connecting the Serbian capital to one of Montenegro’s biggest sea ports, which passes through swoon-worthy mountains and lakes while crossing one of the world’s highest viaducts. Vojvodina, the Tara National Park, the Manasija Monastery and Zlatibor make for great two-day escapes or parts of a highlights tour. There are still direct flights to Nikola Tesla international; Wizz from Luton, Air Serbia from Heathrow.
