Skip to Content

Exploring Historical Sites in Eastern Serbia

Sharing is caring!

These are the Historical Sites in Eastern Serbia that you cannot miss.

Historical Sites in Eastern Serbia

After two days in Belgrade, our group split in half and I headed to Eastern Serbia with Olivia and Rebecca. Eastern Serbia has plenty of historical sites to visit – including Roman ruins since Serbia was part of the Roman Empire for 600 years. Considering the fact I am a huge history geek – I studied art history and anthropology in college and took classes in archaeology – I loved exploring the historical sites in Eastern Serbia.

Historical Sites in Eastern Serbia:

Viminacium Archaeological Site

On the drive out to Eastern Serbia, we stopped to see one of the many sites of Roman Ruins at the Viminacium Archaeological Site. This is the site of Roman graves and baths.

More than 13,500 tombs have been found at the archaeological site, many of them were found in the military camp from the 1st century. Some of the tombs are painted with frescos.

They also have built a recreation of a Roman Villa at the Viminacium Archaeological Site. I had never seen such a detailed replica of a historical building before – it was beautiful. They have costumes at the villa, so obviously, we dressed up in togas and took photos.

Yes, I took off my Adidas to be more historically accurate.

Imperial Palace of Emperor Galerius

One theme of our time in Serbia was that Serbia was a site of some of the early civilizations. We also went to the Imperial Palace of Emperor Galerius, a UNESCO heritage site.

Historical Sites in Eastern Serbia

The palace was built between 297 and 311 AD, and had massive walls to protect from barbarian attacks. Today several columns from the palace still stand, as does a large amount of the wall that one surrounded the palace. The mosaics and other artifacts that were excavated from the site have been moved to a museum in Belgrade.

Skull Tower

While in Nis, we made a stop at Skull Tower. Skull Tower is a tower that was constructed with human skulls. It was built after the Serbian uprising in 1804 as a reminder not to rebel against the Ottoman Empire (which Serbia was a part of at the time). The tower originally included 952 skulls, but many have since been given proper burials or were looted.

Golubac Fortress

The Golubac Fortress is under restoration, but we made a quick stop to take a photo. The fortress has nine towers and sits beside the Danube. I would love to go back once it reopens.

Bukovo Monastery

A highlight of our time in Eastern Serbia was a visit to Bukovo Monastery. This area of Serbia is known for producing wine. Serbia doesn’t export as much wine as Italy or France, so it isn’t as known globally, but the wine is excellent.

We tried Chardonnay, Rose, and a Cabernet Sauvignon. After the tasting, we got to tour the vineyards.

It was a perfect summer day, and sipping wine in the sun was just the thing to do.

Before we left, I bought a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon. And I drank it before I even left Serbia. It was that good!

Rajac Wine Cellars

Next, we drove to Rajac Wine Cellars. A small village filled with wine cellars. The wine cellars are 200-year-old stone buildings, and the town has over 270 of them!  We had an incredible lunch at Rajacke Pimnice, one of the wine cellars that has been turned into a small hotel with 4 rooms. You can also arrange to have meals there and our lunch was one of the best meals of the week. After lunch, we walked to two nearby wine cellars to do wine tastings. Everyone was so friendly, and we genuinely loved the wine.

Exploring Eastern Serbia was such a treat. I loved how each day’s itinerary featured a mix of visits to historical sites and time spent in nature. I also felt like we only got a taste – I think I could have easily spent another week in Serbia.

If you want to learn more about Serbia, you can visit Serbia Tourism‘s website and read Olivia’s and Rebecca’s blog posts over on their site. They are two of the sweetest girls I have ever met and they were so kind about taking photos for me! Next week I will share one final post all about Serbian Food.

I partnered with Serbia Tourism for this series of blog posts.

Read More:

What to do in Belgrade

10 Foods to Try in Serbia

Where to Party in Belgrade

Natural Wonders in Easter Serbia

Clare Thomson

Sunday 18th of June 2017

Skull Tower sounds really gruesome but I think my kids would love it for that! Dressing up in togas sounds like a lot of fun. The perfect way to learn more about life in Roman times. Thanks for sharing on #FarawayFiles

Untold Morsels

Saturday 17th of June 2017

Wow Serbia really is an uncovered gem. Loving the look of those wines and the history nerd in me is fascinated by the Roman villa recreation.Thanks for joining #FarawayFiles Kit

thekittchen

Saturday 17th of June 2017

Yes! The wine and the villa were highlights of the trip!

annette @ a french collection

Friday 16th of June 2017

Oh my goss, skull tower! You never know what you'll find when you travel and explore - I reckon that's one of the best things about going on adventures. Annette

thekittchen

Saturday 17th of June 2017

Haha. You really never know what you will find when you travel. Skull Tower has such a powerful history.

California Globetrotter

Thursday 15th of June 2017

Just got back from a Balkan honeymoon road trip, but sadly we went everywhere but Serbia! Definitely need to go back and make time to explore here! Love the idea of a costume change! #FarawayFiles

thekittchen

Saturday 17th of June 2017

Now you have a reason to go back to the Balkans!

Spinach Artichoke Omelettes Story Breakfast Bread Boat Story Puff Pastry Breakfast Tarts Story Lemon Ricotta Raspberry Muffins Story New Mexico Style Huevos Rancheros Story