Serbia & Montenegro
The information below is provided by Lonely Planet readers and is not verified by Lonely Planet. For the official lowdown, contact your nearest embassy or check out our Travel Links.
Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
On the way from Dubrovnik to Albania. Take a bus in Dubrovnik to Ulcinj, Montenegro (5-6 hours). In Ulcinj you can get a taxi for €10-15 (2 hours) to Skhodra. The taxi station is not at the train station. Be aware that taxi drivers at the train station try to drive you to Skhodra for €40.
Philippe Boss, Switzerland (Sep 05)
An incident at Zvornik on the Bosnian border: I was asked to open my daypack by customs and - what a miracle - there was a camera in there. "What is that, what is that" shouted the customs officer waving the camera as if I had tried to smuggle a gun. "A camera" I said and this was the end of a direct conversation as the customs officer did not speak any English. A bilingual passenger translated that apparently it had been forgotten to put the number of the camera in my passport when entering Serbia ( I felt like in any good third world country and maybe I was). So for a while it looked like I had to go back to the point of entry into Serbia which was ridiculously far up North on the border with Croatia, then it looked like I had to go back over the bridge to ask for a stamp there, in the end I had to get out of the bus, receive a big yelling into my face and then boaded the bus again. What the whole thing was good for I don´t know as the customs officer was not even corrupt....
Matthias Kalwitzki, Germany (Sep 05)
Moving About
For people moving around in the Balkan, here's a golden tip. For only €48 (for people 25+ it is just a little more expensive) one can buy a Balkan Flexipass which allows you to travel for 5 days within 1 month through the following countries: Serbia and Montenegro, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria Macedonia and Turkey. If your tired of thumbing your way around then this the second best option..
Maarten Stam, The Netherlands (May 05)
The bus from Sarajevo to Novi Sad is something of an ordeal. 8-9 hours long, and an absolute sauna if travelled in summer, its stops twice if you're lucky on the whole route, so you need to stock up on everything before you leave, and be prepared to ignore your need to use the bathroom. Both stops involve squat-toilets and require Serbian currency, which can be something of a trap for novice travellers.
Janey Draper, Australia (Feb 05)
Scams & Warnings
The only mention you made of the zoo in Belgrade in your guide to Eastern Europe was to say that the animals might suffer insomnia due to the close proximity of a nightclub. I have to report sadly that this is the least of the zoo occupants' problems. They are in overcrowded confines with absolutely no stimulation , nor has there been an attempt to emulate the natural surroundings of the animals kept there. Some new-borns have not been sited and seem to have completely "disappeared". I could go on, but choose not to, just to advise visitors to Belgrade to boycott the zoo until the situation for so many of it's inmates is improved.
Anonymous (Jul 05)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
Montenegro really is a hidden gem. Along its dramatic coastline are the old towns of Budva and Kotor as well as charming resorts such as Petrovac. But travelling inland away from the coast, the country really does live upto its reputation as a place of 'wild beauty', with its pine-clad mountains and deep valleys. Zabljak in the Durmitor National Park is an excellent base for skiing in the winter and in the summer mountain biking, hiking, jeep safari and white water rafting in the Tara Canyon ( the biggest in Europe and second only to the Grand Canyon in the world!). Also nearby is the Biogradska Gora National Park. This mystical place is one of 3 remaining primeval virgin forests left in Europe. Unchanged for over 10,000 years it provides a rare chance to experience how Europe looked before the arrival of man. Other places worth mentioning are Skadar Lake (an ornithologists dream !) and the cliff face Ostrog Monastry. All this and you are less than 2 hours from the coast! As Lord Byron wrote, 'At the birth of our planet, the most beautiful encounter between the land and the sea must have happened at the coast of Montenegro. When the pearls of nature were sown, handfuls of them were cast on this soil.'
Stephen Passant, UK (Mar 06)
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