Zlatibor centre
First-timersThe resort town around the lake: restaurants, the gondola station and most of the beds.
Zlatibor city guide
Things To Do In Zlatibor
A mountain plateau resort in western Serbia: a gondola nearly nine kilometres long, a narrow-gauge railway that loops in a figure eight, and a wooden village built by a film director.
~9 km
The Gold Gondola, one of the longest panoramic cable cars in the world
Figure 8
The loop of the Šargan Eight railway
~1,000 m
The altitude of the plateau
A green plateau in the mountains, busy in winter and summer
Zlatibor is a high, rolling plateau in western Serbia, around a thousand metres up, with pine forest, meadows and a resort town at its centre. Serbians have come here for the air since the nineteenth century, and it is busy in both the ski season and the summer.
The Gold Gondola is the headline — a cable car of close to nine kilometres, among the longest panoramic gondolas in the world, running from the centre out to the Tornik ski area.
Nearby at Mokra Gora is the Šargan Eight, a restored narrow-gauge railway that climbs the mountain in a figure-of-eight loop, through tunnels and over bridges, originally part of the line from Belgrade to Sarajevo.
Above it sits Drvengrad, a wooden village built by the film director Emir Kusturica for one of his films and kept as a small resort.
The region also holds Tara National Park, the Drina river and the Uvac canyon with its meanders and griffon vultures. Two or three days.
Where to stay
A resort town on a plateau, with villages spread across it.
Mokra Gora
The railway and quietIn the valley to the west: the Šargan Eight, Drvengrad and a much quieter base.
Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Zlatibor
Ride the Gold Gondola, around 1,500 to 2,000 RSD (€13–17) return, from the centre across the plateau to Tornik. It is close to nine kilometres long and the views over the forest and meadows are the point.
Take the Šargan Eight at Mokra Gora, around 1,800 to 2,200 RSD (€15–19). The restored narrow-gauge railway climbs the mountain in a figure-of-eight loop through tunnels and over viaducts. It runs mainly from spring to autumn and books up in summer.
Walk up to Drvengrad, the wooden village Emir Kusturica built for a film, now a small hotel and museum complex with streets named after film directors.
The Sirogojno open-air museum, a small entry fee, preserves traditional wooden houses of the region and is known for its hand-knitted woollens.
Beyond Zlatibor, Tara National Park has forest, canyons and the famous house on a rock in the Drina, and the Uvac canyon has sweeping meanders and a colony of griffon vultures.
Free things
Free things to do in Zlatibor
The plateau is free to walk. Marked trails run across the meadows and forest from the resort centre, and the air is the reason people come.
The lake in the centre and its promenade are free.
The viewpoints over the plateau — Čigota peak is the best known — are free to hike to.
Drvengrad is free to walk around from outside.
Tara National Park is free to enter for walking.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Zlatibor
Mountain food, and the region is famous for it. A main is 900 to 1,600 RSD (€8–14).
Zlatiborski pršut, air-dried ham, and kajmak, the rich dairy spread, are the region's best-known products and are sold everywhere.
Komplet lepinja — a flatbread filled with kajmak and egg and soaked in roasting juices — is the local breakfast and is extremely heavy.
Lamb and pork cooked under a metal bell, ispod sača, is the slow-cooked regional dish.
A beer is 250 to 400 RSD (€2–3.50), and rakija appears everywhere.
Nightlife
Going out in Zlatibor
Resort-style. The centre has a strip of bars and cafés around the lake that are busy in peak season.
A beer is 250 to 400 RSD (€2–3.50).
Winter après and summer holiday crowds bring some life, and weekends are busier with visitors from Belgrade.
It is a place for mountain air and big meals rather than nightlife.
Getting around
Getting around Zlatibor
Buses from Belgrade take about four hours to the resort centre, which is walkable.
To see the region — Mokra Gora, Drvengrad, Sirogojno, Tara and Uvac — you need a car or organised tours, as public transport between them is limited.
The gondola connects the centre to the Tornik ski area.
Mountain roads are winding and Serbia's roads generally need care. Winter conditions can be difficult, and chains may be required.
Costs
What Zlatibor costs
Cheap for a mountain resort. Beds are 1,500 to 3,500 RSD (€13–30), a main 900 to 1,600 RSD (€8–14), and a beer 250 to 400 RSD (€2–3.50).
A day is €30 to €55, before tours.
You pay in dinars. Carry cash for smaller places.
The gondola and the Šargan Eight are the main spends at €13 to €19 each, and a day tour to Tara or Uvac is €25 to €45.
Peak ski weeks and summer holiday weeks raise prices.
Safety
Staying safe in Zlatibor
Zlatibor is safe and crime against visitors is low.
Mountain weather changes quickly, and fog and storms can come in over the plateau. Take layers and check conditions before hiking.
Winter driving on mountain roads needs care and sometimes chains.
At Tara and Uvac, canyon edges and viewpoints are often unfenced, with steep drops. Stay back from the edge.
Brown bears live in Tara National Park. Do not approach or feed them, and make noise on trails.
Emergency numbers are 192 for police and 194 for ambulance, with 112 also working.
Day trips from Zlatibor
A figure-eight railway, a canyon of meanders and a national park.
Šargan Eight and Mokra Gora
A restored narrow-gauge railway climbing in a figure-of-eight loop, with Drvengrad above it.
Tara National Park
Forest, canyons and viewpoints over the Drina, including the famous house on a rock in the river.
Uvac canyon
A canyon of dramatic meanders with a colony of griffon vultures.
Višegrad, Bosnia
The Ottoman bridge on the Drina made famous by Ivo Andrić's novel, across the border.
What's on
What is on while you are there
A ski season and a summer season, and a railway in between.
December to March
Ski season
Tornik
Serbia's popular ski area, reached by the Gold Gondola.
Roughly April to October
Šargan Eight season
Mokra Gora
When the narrow-gauge railway runs its figure-eight loop.
January
Kustendorf
Drvengrad
A small film and music festival held by Emir Kusturica in his wooden village.
June to September
Summer season
Zlatibor
When the plateau fills with hikers and holidaymakers.
7 January
Orthodox Christmas
Region-wide
Serbian Christmas, following the Orthodox calendar.
When to go
June to September for hiking and the railway, December to March for skiing.
Jan
Ski season at Tornik
Feb
Good ski conditions
Mar
Ski season ending
Apr
Thaw. The railway reopening
May
Green and quiet
Jun
Excellent. Meadows in flower
Jul
Busy with summer visitors
Aug
Warm and busy
Sep
Superb. Clear air and fewer people
Oct
Autumn colour. The railway season ending
Nov
Grey, between seasons
Dec
Ski season opening
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs on the plateau, which runs much cooler than Belgrade. The Šargan Eight runs mainly from spring to autumn.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros — you will pay in dinars, at roughly 117 to the euro.
Shown in euros for comparison; you pay in dinars. Day tours to Tara or Uvac at €25 to €45 sit outside these figures.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Zlatibor travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
What is the Šargan Eight?
A restored narrow-gauge railway at Mokra Gora that climbs the mountain in a figure-of-eight loop through tunnels and over viaducts. It was part of the old line from Belgrade to Sarajevo and runs mainly from spring to autumn. Book ahead in summer.
How long is the Gold Gondola?
Close to nine kilometres, running from the resort centre across the plateau to the Tornik ski area. It is among the longest panoramic gondolas in the world.
What is Drvengrad?
A wooden village above Mokra Gora built by the film director Emir Kusturica for one of his films, now a small hotel and museum complex with streets named after film figures. It hosts a small film festival in January.
Do I need a car?
For the wider region, yes, or organised tours. The resort centre is walkable, but Mokra Gora, Tara, Uvac and Sirogojno are spread out and poorly connected by public transport.
What should I eat?
Zlatiborski pršut, the air-dried ham, and kajmak, both famous regional products. Komplet lepinja is the heavy local breakfast, and meat slow-cooked ispod sača is the regional speciality.
When should I go?
June to September for hiking and the railway, or December to March for skiing at Tornik.
Are there bears?
Yes, in Tara National Park. Do not approach or feed them, and make noise on the trails.
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