Serbia: The Bradt Travel Guide

Laurence Mitchell
Globe Pequot Press (2005)
ISBN 1841621188
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (2/07)

Serbia is one of those European countries that most people would have real trouble locating on a map. More often than not I hear people saying that it is somewhere in Russia or next to one of those “-stan” countries. Those who are somewhat more interested in recent history seem to have a vague recollection of it being involved in the Balkan war; and they might even remember the war crimes, horrors in Bosnia, Slobodan Milosevic and several similar topics. Fortunately there is much, much more to Serbia and Laurence Mitchell did a wonderful job putting together this first edition of the only guide to Serbia in English, a least at the time of its publication in 2005.

The guidebook follows the usual useful format of other Bradt Guides – starting with an Introduction, followed by Part I (General Information) and Part II (The Guide). If you are planning to visit Serbia, make sure to read the excellent information gathered in Part I.  It will help you make your stay much safer and enjoyable. Pay particular attention to what should truly be discussed as little as possible (politics and football…), how to behave in a restaurant (the host pays the entire bill, regardless of their financial situation – and as a tourist you are automatically a guest), why you should never turn down an offer of a drink or something to eat (to refuse that you’ll come across as haughty), and what is in store for you if you are a non-smoker (grin and bear it)…

Part II, The Guide, will surprise you with the wealth of sights that Serbia has to offer. While this part of the world has not been a major tourist destination even before the war, it certainly is well worth a visit. The people are surprisingly hospitable (and here I am speaking from personal experience), food and drink plentiful and tasty, countryside inviting, museums and lots of monasteries intriguing and the national parks truly beautiful. If urban style is more your thing, Belgrade is one of the most vibrant, lively capitals of Europe; and - according to both Laurence Mitchell and my own experiences – a city that truly never sleeps. Mr. Mitchell has done his research thoroughly and in his guidebook he provides all of the necessary addresses and details to make your visit to Serbia an unforgettable one.

Two very useful features in this book are the good two dozen detailed maps as well as the parallel Latin/Cyrillic spelling of place names. Since most of the signs in Serbia (as well as newspapers and everything else) are written in Cyrillic, this could be quite an important feature.

I read this insightful guide, “Serbia,” with great pleasure and I would gladly recommend it to those adventurous travelers who are willing to go to a relatively unknown, yet beautiful and surprisingly affordable Serbia. If you are not ready for a trip yet, but would like to learn more about that part of the Balkans, by all means get this wonderful guide and if it leaves you thirsty for more, the author put together a great additional reading list, which could be found in the Appendix on page 300.

Make comment on weblog