Border to Border Serbia

Carefree cycling through an unknown country

Serbia is a beautiful, relatively unknown, but very hospitable country.

We offer you the opportunity to enjoy it fully during this all-inclusive cycling-camping holiday. In almost three weeks, we cycle through the entire country from the Hungarian border in the north to Bulgaria in the south. On the way, we’ll pass through extraordinary landscapes, from the flat land of Vojvodina to the mountains in the south. We will follow the major rivers that have been the main communication routes since ancient times; the Danube and the Great Morava, which make the route relatively flat and manageable for bikes.

Serbia

Let’s witness the rich and unique history of this country, which has produced 17 Roman Emperors, many Orthodox churches and monasteries with magnificent murals, sturdy castles and an Ottoman-influenced food culture.

You will pass through dreamy provincial towns like Sombor, Sremski Karlovci, famous for the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699 and fruitcapital Grocka. And of course also the bigger cities like Novi Sad, in 2022 the Cultural Capital of Europe, Belgrade, in history often disputed, Kruševac, the cradle of the medieval Serbian Kingdom and Nis, the birthplace of Emperor Constantine the Great.

The route follows rural roads and paths that are mostly asphalted and pleasant to cycle. The tour is divided into sections of about 50 km to 60 km, leaving enough space to look around and enjoy.

Own bike or not
You can use your personal bicycle, which, well packed, can be taken on the plane and will be returned to the airport before departure. However, we can also provide local bikes, sturdy touring bikes with derailleurs and 24 gears.

Every participant is obliged to wear a helmet and a yellow vest. We can also provide these on location.

Camping
At the end of each ride, a ready-made camping place awaits you, equipped with individual 2-person tents with beds, a shower, and a dining area. You will be surprised by local dishes authentically prepared by the accompanying cook. Your extra luggage is waiting at the tent.

Harvest time
This event is held in autumn when the temperatures have become bearable again. Autumn generally offers stable and pleasant weather. We enjoy the abundance of the land during this season (grain, peppers, grapes, plums, mulberry, apricots, peaches, apples, and pears) and, visit local events associated with harvest time, witness local traditions such as making rakia (brandy) and ajvar (pepper sauce). Of course, a wine tasting fits into the programme.

Day 1. Meet in Belgrade and transfer to the starting point, Bački Breg, at the Hungarian border.

Day 2. Bački Breg – Apatin. (ca.58km)
The route leads through the flat land of Vojvodina, formerly Hungarian, along the nature reserves of the Duna-Drava Nemzeti Park, the Grand Bački Canal, which leads all the way to Novi Sad, and the beautiful Sombor.
Apatin is the beer capital of Serbia and home to the tasty Jelen beer. A visit to the brewery is on the agenda for those who like it.

Possible excursions:
• Visit the Jelen brewery
• Visit Bačko-Bodroška District office explanation about the famous large painting

Day 3. Apatin – Bač (approx. 54km).
The route continues through the pockmarked former marshland of the Danube to Bač, with its impressive fortress and faubourg. Bač Castle was the guard post of the Hungarian kings for a long time against the advancing Turks. It is the namesake of Bačka County, the surrounding region.
The border with Croatia is sometimes only a stone’s throw away. The flora and fauna-rich nature reserve “Gornje Podunavlje” in the Danube Delta separates the two countries. There is a lot of agriculture along the way, fish farms and fruit orchards, ponds, ditches, and forests.

Possible excursions:
– Visit a fish farm
– Boat visit Gornje Podunavlje

Day 4. Bač – Bačka Palanka (approx. 47km).
We cycle through the flat land of Vojvodina; in the distance, the hills of the Fruska Gora loom up, formerly an island in the Pannonian Sea, pushing the Danube out of its course. Its name reminds us that Charlemagne’s empire once extended to these parts. Hidden in the hills, 17 orthodox monasteries have been preserved, some of which we will visit later.

Possible Excursion:
Karadjordjevo

Day 5. Bačka Palanka – Novi Sad (approx.45-60km).
On the other side of the Danube lies the fortified town of Ilok, the easternmost city in Croatia, the first stop for the day, where we can enjoy the view of the plain we have left behind.
From Ilok, the route follows the Danube to Novi Sad. The bolder among us can do it on the ridge road of Fruska Gora, but this requires a climb, which is rewarded at the end with a long descent.
The Museum of Vojvodina will be pleased and proud to show you the three golden Roman helmets found in the area. The museum is free of charge for holders of the Sultans Trail Passport.

Possible excursions :
– Visit Stari Podrum Ilok
– Visit the museum of Vojvodina
– Visit Petrovaradin

Day 6. Novi Sad – Stari Slankamen. (approx.48km)
Via the Danube bridge, we leave Novi Sad in the direction of the mighty castle of Petrovaradin. Then the route takes us past Sremski Karlovci, where we visit the “Chapel of Our Lady of Peace”. Here, after the failed second siege of Vienna in 1683, the peace negotiations between the Ottoman and Habsburg Empires took place under the mediation of a Dutch and English diplomat, resulting in the “Peace of Karlowitz” (1699), which put an end to the Great Turkish War (1683-1699).
The route continues away from the Danube through the lovely vine-covered foothills of the Fruska Gora. Enthusiasts are encouraged to visit two or three beautiful Orthodox monasteries hidden in the hills. After this, the route continues through the flat land of Srem, on the high bank of the Danube. At the end of the ride, there is a view of the lower bank, and on a clear day, one can see as far as 60km across the Pannonian plain.

Possible excursions:
– “Kapela Gospe od Mira” in Karlovci
– Visit Monasteries of Veliki Remeta, Grgeteg and Krušedol
– Wine tasting in Vinarija Acumincum, Stari Slankamen

Day 7. Stari Slankamen – Belgrade (approx. 52km).
On the high bank of the Danube follows an utterly flat ride to Belgrade, ending with descent in Zemun to the waterfront, where we follow the cycle path on the quay, a popular strolling place for the inhabitants of Zemun and nearby New Belgrade.

Day 8. Day of rest in Belgrade.
From the fortified citadel Kalemegdan, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube, take a view over the Pannonian plain. The fortress was founded by the Celts, extended by the Romans, and rebuilt by the Ottomans, a historical bone of contention of empires and razed to the ground 36 times in the course of history.
Shop, enjoy one of the traditional restaurants and in the evening, relish the nightlife in Strahinjića bana at the Danube shore or Skadarlia, the Montmartre of Belgrade.
The Lonely Planet declared Belgrade the best nightlife city in Europe.

Sights to see:
– Underground city of Belgrade
– Nazi camp at the Belgrade Fairground