Our introduction to Serbia could not have been kinder after the highs of Montenegro. The landscape blew us away, but the towns left a little to be desired on their western fringes. So imagine our surprise when we took a trip into Serbia’s most popular Spa Town; Vrnjačka Banja, so beautiful it was worth leaving the comfort of our motorhome for a crafty night of luxury.

Introduction to Vrnjačka Banja

Whilst the town itself spans 120 miles², the central town is far more compact – so much so that you can easily walk it in a day. Even better over two days. Which makes it perfect for a walking tour.

Nestled at the foot of Goč mountain, Vrnjačka Banja sits in the Raška region of Central Serbia. Just 100 miles south of Belgrade gives it a favourable location for city dwellers and visitors alike. It is Serbia’s most popular and therapeutic thermal spas and packs a mighty historical punch.

Its medicinal springs were first discovered by the Romans in the 2nd century, after which they created a wellness resort for the Roman troops. It wasn’t until the 1800’s that there was more significant interest in its thermal springs which triggered a series of studies by doctors who assessed and verified their mineral quality. Doctors started recommending treatments to their patients. 1860 was the first recorded treatment. Since then people seeking recovery from health conditions have made Vrnjačka Banja the most popular health resort in the country with a reputation spanning over 150 years.

Whether you are here for their annual July festival, curious to learn more about their 7 healing springs or specifically for a treatment, Vrnjačka Banja will be a veritable feast. Check out our video that takes you on a tour of this fabulous town over the course of two days.

Vrnjačka Banja Walking Tour – Serbia’s most popular Spa

Whether you are camping at top class campsite Camping Vrnjačka Vrelo or staying in a hotel in town, as we did for a night, a really good starting point is Hotel Fontana. This is where one of the inner city’s taxi ranks parks up so it makes your arrival and departure point pretty easy.

From here you already have your first Point of Interest.

Church of the Holy Mother of God

Hram Presvete Bogorodice as you will see it on Google Maps is a sight for sore eyes. It’s hard to miss with its bright yellow exterior. But if you think that’s impressive, then a quick visit inside the church gives you an additional wow when you see the floor to ceiling paintings that adorn the walls. It is said that this is the oldest surviving building in the town and was built after liberation from the Ottoman rule in 1834. It has since seen a few restorations and, when you see this massive building looming large in front of you, you will understand why there is such a devotion to keeping it in tip top condition. It is free to visit, just please be sure to be wearing respectful attire.

The First Love Bridge in the World – Most Ljubavi

Of Vrnjačka Banja’s 15 bridges that span the small stream that flows through Central Spa Park, the Love Bridge is the most famous – and its fame reaches far beyond Serbian borders.

It is said that at this bridge, some 120 years ago, local school teacher Nada, and her soldier lover Relja, bound their love in a padlock. Relja went off to war and fell in love with a Greek lady – and news of his disloyalty broke Nada’s heart. Young girls of Vrnjačka Banja started to write their lover’s names on the padlocks to secure their affections and legend suggests that the key should be tossed into the river so that it can never be unlocked. This Love Bridge is thought to be the ‘first’ of such bridges – a theme that has spread across many cities around the world. But it all started here with Nada and her love for her Serbian soldier.

Vrnjačka Banja’s Central Spa Park Promenade

With tree-lined avenues both sides of the Vrnjačka river it’s easy to get lost in the dreaminess of its promenades. But the Central Spa Park is filled with landscaped flower beds, an arboretum of trees and sculptures of every description to decorate the lawns. It has a very classy feel about it. People walking, sat talking or cycling along the paths give it a chilled vibe that is hard to ignore and that you must surely succumb to whilst you are there.

For over a mile you can simply walk to your heart’s content with the river as your guide or meander in between the park paths. If mobility is an issue for you, you can take the tourist train that covers the full extent of the gardens so you don’t have to miss out.

Sat in the heart of the Park is the Merkur Medicinal Spa and Hospital – the hub of diagnosis and healing. The special hospital has a modern medical service with 50 medical professionals, of which 44 specialists and subspecialists in various fields will treat patients using the healing spring waters. You’ll see this square, cream building sat alongside one of the first mineral springs and it seems fitting that they sit side by side.

Mineral Spring – Topla Voda

The design of the three main water sources (there are seven in total) are pretty special, each one with their own unique architecture. Topla Voda is your first port of call. Characterised by its tower, you will be transported into the warmth of the spring source, with the aroma of rotten eggs. The sulphur here is strong, evidenced in both smell and taste, but we must remind ourselves that it is this that gives the waters their medicinal qualities.

Buying yourself a small bottle for just 30RSD (that’s about 22p) you are allowed to fill up your bottle directly from the taps. The thing you will notice is how warm the waters are – as well as their pungent smell. Topla Voda is as warm as the body’s temperature and when you drink it, is slightly sparking. It’s an odd drinking experience, but I resigned myself with the knowledge that it was doing me good.

Each of the water sources have their own medicinal qualities and there is a board outside each one that gives you contraindications should you need to be mindful of what is going on inside your own body.

Roman Font

As you head out of Topla Voda you will see a series of steps leading down to a protected area. This is the foundation of Vrnjačka Banja and where the Romans first discovered the healing springs. From this ancient point, the town grew to the important stature we see today.

Belimarkovic Museum

Heading out of the Park grounds briefly, you walk up the hill in front of you and slightly to the left, where after a five minute walk, you find the Belimarkovic Castle.

After the Church of the Holy Mother of God, this is the next oldest building in the city. Built over a period of a couple of years between 1888 and 1894, this was modeled on the castles of Italy and Poland. It was lived in by the family of General Belimarkovic until the 1970s when the property was given to the town to become a cultural centre and is home to the Homeland Collection that has gathered historical, ethnographic and archeological findings relevant to the town and its surrounding area. It is free to enter and you can learn about the history of the town, but you will need Google Translate as everything is in Serbian.

Japanese Garden

As you bring yourself back into the Central Park Gardens, it is easy to loose yourself amongst the heady gardens and relaxing atmosphere. But the draw of the Japanese Garden might just motivate you onwards.

As I imagine Japanese gardens to be, this didn’t quite match up to my perceptions, but it was pleasant none the less. With a maze for the children large and small and Japanese lanterns to mark the way, it’s a nice place to sit for a while away from the heat of the midday sun. With a pagoda, acer trees and a waterfall, it just has a lovely feel to it. And all water related of course. It would be a travesty not to rest a while here.

Fancy Lunch? Try Here – Tri Golubice Restaurant

I did a quick search before we hit the town to see ‘where the locals eat’. Undoubtedly in a highly popular town, there would be ‘visitor prices and menus.’ I wanted something authentic and local that sat just off the beaten track. And I found it.

Tri Golubice is on the way to the second of the Mineral Springs on the left of the river having left the Japanese Gardens. It has a really homely feel and with home-cooked authentic Serbian food we fell on our feet. There were no tourists here, just locals. It was perfect. The pork ribs were delicious, the salad so fresh and my Karaðorðeva was sensational. Apparently this was a dish created in the 1957 by a Belgrade master chef, who when asked if he could prepare a Chicken Kiev for a Russian diplomat, didn’t have the right ingredients. So he made a pork version instead. And boy it is so good. The food was beautiful and the prices reasonable and cannot recommend this highly enough.

Snežnik Mineral Spring

Not more than five minutes on from the restaurant you can wash down your meal with the lovely taste of the Snežnik healing waters. In yet another amazingly designed building, this has very different properties to Topla Voda. And the taste is different too. Far less sulphur, cold and yet still sparkling. Being able to try all these waters really adds to the whole experience, so don’t forget to take your already purchased bottle.

Heading North to the Slatina Mineral Spring

Heading across the stream you need to look out for the ‘Wheel’. With all popular destinations there comes the inevitable tourist attractions that perversely do anything but attract us. But we are perhaps not your normal visitor. So if it is your thing, then I suspect the views on the ‘London Eye’ style wheel are pretty good. But this is not why we were heading this way. Just 10 minutes from the main promenade and Central Spa Park, you have two other famous springs. The Jezero and Slatina. We didn’t go to the lake as reports were unfavourable and, if I’m really honest, our feet in 30º of summer heat was more than enough to bear. However the Slatina fountains were our focus. Unfortunately our timing was out and the guys were just closing up. Despite my plea he would not let us in but he did concede to at least fill up my bottle. This was very similar to the Snežnik mineral waters and very palatable. The building looked strangely older than the other two, but the stained glass windows certainly set it apart from the others.

Do make sure you arrive before 1.00pm or after 5.00pm if you want to go to see the building and taste its waters.

Vrnjačka Banja Promenade and Arial View – Vidikovac

There’s no denying that the draw of the ‘other side’ of the Promenade has a very different feel to it. With classical hotels, almost colonial style architecture and the stalls of sellers, it’s hard not to see the commercialism that has unsurprisingly built up around this popular town. But it is classy not tacky. So enjoy the stroll down the leafy lane. Don’t though miss the Waterfall and panoramic view point up the stairs. Especially at sunset, there’s a fabulous view with orange skies that look over Vrnjačka Banja.

If you have a head for heights, the glass-floored viewing platform is worth a visit to savour the views of the town below you. Then you can head back down to the buzz of the Promenade. We were lucky enough to time our visit during their week-long festival mid July, which involved carnival processions, concerts and theatre, so there really was a fabulous atmosphere, but still not over-run with people.

The Main High Street, Market and Meet Gočko The Sparrow

Before our little tour of Vrnjačka Banja ends, there are just a couple more things to add. The first is to look out for Gočko the Sparrow. He is affectionately known as the town and sometimes Serbia’s mascot. After the famous 1970’s ‘It’s a Knockout’ series came to town, the Sparrow named after the mountain that keeps watch over Vrnjačka, became an icon. A life-size statue stands just by the Love Bridge – you can’t miss him.

If you turn left up through the main street, cafe bars will call you. We had a fabulous breakfast at Milky where the waitresses were so kind and fun. But don’t leave out the market. Just a short walk up the street you will find a plethora of stalls all offering the most sumptuous fruit and veg you will ever see. Blackberries the size of marbles, melons the size of the ones in Dirty Dancing and the freshest plums, apricots and blueberries. If you don’t buy something I’ll be surprised. This is one of the spots that the tourists won’t see, but you can’t miss it off your Vrnjačka tour.

And as I mentioned, if mobility is an issue for you – and I can understand your pain having recently broken my ankle for the first time in 58 years, then there are other options for getting around. There are electric bikes, a tourist train that goes up and down the promenade and tricycles. So there are plenty of options should you need it. Most of the spots I have listed are easy to reach with wheelchairs and mobility scooters, except perhaps for the Castle and Slatina – if only because of their steep approaches. Doable I imagine, but be mindful of the slopes. All the other locations have mobility access which is fabulous. Except perhaps for the arial viewing point which is reached by steps. I didn’t see a road route, but it may exist.

Where to Stay in Vrnjačka Banja

The options for accommodation in Vrnjačka Banja are plentiful depending on your budget. We stayed at the Camping Vrnjačka Vrelo just 3km out of town, which is attached to a hotel. A top end site with reasonable prices €27 inc EHU and with the security that enabled us to leave our van there for a couple of days in town.

On Booking.com I managed to find a late deal on a wonderful apartment next door to Hotel Fontana. VS Exclusive Apartments was ideal because it had a sauna and spa bath actually in our room, so this was a real treat. And for just £81 plus taxes, it was a steal. It was perfectly located and just what we needed to give us the chance to head in for some night life.

If you want to put a hidden gem on your Serbian list, then you will not be disappointed in Vrnjačka Banja and tell ’em we sent ya.

Kx