Serbia
Serbia is a landlocked country of about 6.5 million people at the crossroads of the Balkans, bordered by Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. Belgrade, the capital and largest city, stands where the Sava runs into the Danube; north of it lies the flat farmland of the Vojvodina plain, and the land rises into hills and forest the further south and west you go.
Two eras of railway run side by side here. Srbija Voz has opened a new high-speed corridor north from Belgrade, aimed eventually at Budapest, while much of the rest of the network is still the slow, inexpensive system inherited from Yugoslavia — and in the western highlands a narrow-gauge mountain line survives as a working relic of the age before either. The capital is also where the great railway over the mountains to the Adriatic begins, though its most dramatic scenery lies across the border in Montenegro.
Rail journeys in Serbia
The Šargan Eight — Serbia's Figure-of-Eight Mountain Railway
A restored narrow-gauge railway that loops back on itself in a giant figure of eight to climb a mountain pass — twenty-two tunnels and a steam whistle.
View journey →
The Soko — Belgrade to Novi Sad by High-Speed Train
Serbia's leap into the high-speed age — Swiss-built Falcon trains crossing the Vojvodina at 200 km/h, Belgrade to Subotica in 1 hour 19.
View journey →Good to know
What is the best train journey in Serbia?
For sheer character, the Šargan Eight — a restored narrow-gauge mountain railway that spirals up the Šargan pass in a giant figure of eight, behind a steam engine, in the beautiful highlands near Zlatibor. For something modern, ride the Soko high-speed train from Belgrade to Novi Sad. And the greatest scenic ride of all, the Belgrade–Bar line to the Adriatic, starts in Belgrade — we describe it under Montenegro.
Can you ride a steam train in Serbia?
Yes. The Šargan Eight at Mokra Gora runs restored 760 mm narrow-gauge trains up its famous figure-of-eight climb, and on selected days these are hauled by genuine steam locomotives (many other departures use a vintage diesel, so check when you book). It is the last living stretch of the old Yugoslav "Ćiro" narrow-gauge network.
How fast is the Belgrade to Novi Sad train?
The fast Soko ("Falcon") trains cover the 75 km between Belgrade and Novi Sad in about 36 minutes, running at up to 200 km/h on Serbia's first high-speed line, opened in 2022. Slower regional trains also run the route in 49–57 minutes. The line is being extended north through Subotica toward Budapest.
Can you take a train from Belgrade to the coast?
Yes — and it is spectacular. The Belgrade–Bar railway runs south from Belgrade over the mountains of Montenegro to the Adriatic port of Bar, crossing the record-breaking Mala Rijeka viaduct on the way. A daytime train runs in summer and an overnight sleeper, the Lovćen, runs all year. Because its finest scenery and its terminus are in Montenegro, we cover the ride in full on our Montenegro pages.