Zlatibor & Tara · Belgrade, Serbia
Zlatibor, Tara & Mokra Gora
Serbia’s favourite mountain, about 230 km south-west of Belgrade: rolling pine-scented plateaus, Lake Ribnica and the 9 km Gold Gondola up to the Tornik ski slopes, spa hotels, mountain walks and Zlatibor pršuta. Beyond lie the old village at Sirogojno, the Šargan Eight railway, Kusturica’s wooden town, the meanders of Uvac and Tara National Park above the Drina canyon.
Updated October 2026
Insiders' picks
Three of our favourites from this list, vetted by people who know and love Belgrade.
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Over Lake Ribnica to Tornik
Gold Gondola
A 9-kilometre panoramic gondola from the centre of Zlatibor to the Tornik ski centre, with a stop at Lake Ribnica. The ride takes about 25 minutes, climbs to 1,496 metres and runs in summer and winter; its operator bills it as the longest panoramic gondola in the world.
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Forests above the Drina
Tara National Park
A national park of dense forests and high meadows on a bend of the Drina, with the Drina canyon, Lake Perućac, the rare Serbian spruce, viewpoints and marked trails. About an hour from Zlatibor.
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The old Zlatibor village
Sirogojno Open-Air Museum
An open-air museum of the old Zlatibor village: log houses and farm buildings moved here and furnished as they were, craft workshops in summer, a village inn serving Zlatibor dishes, and the Church of Saints Peter and Paul with an iconostasis from 1764. Open daily, longer hours in summer.
The full list: Zlatibor & Tara, A–Z
Mountain escapeZlatibor & TaraSki centre & ski pass · Ski & snowboard rental · Ski wear · Hotels · Health spas · Walks · Restaurants · Cafés · Bars · Shopping · Around Zlatibor · Tara National ParkOpen the guide
Ski centre & ski pass 3
Tornik ski centre, ski pass prices and the Gold Gondola.
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Over Lake Ribnica to Tornik
Gold Gondola
A 9-kilometre panoramic gondola from the centre of Zlatibor to the Tornik ski centre, with a stop at Lake Ribnica. The ride takes about 25 minutes, climbs to 1,496 metres and runs in summer and winter; its operator bills it as the longest panoramic gondola in the world.
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Zlatibor’s ski slopes
Ski Centre Tornik
Zlatibor’s ski centre on Tornik, the mountain’s highest peak at 1,496 metres, 9 km from the town centre and run by the state operator Skijališta Srbije. A six-seat chairlift and two drag lifts serve five slopes, all covered by snowmaking, with a children’s playground and carousel. In summer the chairlift runs for panoramic rides, with mountain-bike trails, an alpine coaster, tubing, zip line and mini golf.
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Ski pass info
Tornik ski pass
Ski passes for Tornik are sold by Skijališta Srbije at the ski centre and in its web shop. In the 2025/26 season an adult day pass cost 3,450 to 3,750 RSD depending on the dates, a six-day pass 13,500 to 14,400 RSD and a half-day pass (four hours) from 2,400 RSD. Children aged 6 to 11 and seniors from 65 pay less, and children under 6 ski free with a parent on the beginner areas. Buying online saves 15% during a 15-day presale in October or November, and 5% for the rest of the season. Prices for the new season are published before it opens.
Ski & snowboard rental 2
Ski schools, servicing and equipment.
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Since 1983
Ski servis Gašo
A Zlatibor ski workshop founded in 1983 by Velibor Ćorbić Gašo, an authorised ski technician: ski and snowboard servicing and equipment for the slopes.
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Licensed schools on Tornik
Tornik ski schools
Skijališta Srbije publishes the list of licensed ski and snowboard schools working on Tornik, for private and group lessons for adults and children. Book directly with the school and ask about equipment hire when you do.
Ski wear 3
Where to buy ski clothing and kit before you go.
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Ski wear before you go
Intersport
The international sports retailer’s Serbian stores and web shop carry winter sports clothing and equipment. Pick up a jacket in Belgrade before driving to Zlatibor.
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Ski wear before you go
Sport Vision
Serbia’s biggest sports chain has a ski department with jackets, trousers, base layers, gloves, goggles and helmets, online and in its stores in Belgrade’s malls. Pick up a jacket in Belgrade before driving to Zlatibor.
Hotels 8
Where to stay on Zlatibor.
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With a revolving restaurant
Grand & Sky Hotel Tornik
A hotel in Zlatibor with the 360 revolving restaurant, giving all-round views over the plateau.
Alekse Popovića 31, ZlatiborExplore View on map
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On Ćaldov put
Hotel Iris
A hotel on Ćaldov put in Zlatibor.
Ćaldov put bb, ZlatiborExplore View on map
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In the centre
Hotel Mona Plaza Zlatibor
A hotel on Miladina Pećinara in the centre of Zlatibor, home to the Perun national restaurant.
Miladina Pećinara 26, ZlatiborExplore View on map
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At the start of the Gradina walk
Hotel Olimp
A four-star hotel on Miladina Pećinara; the pedestrian tunnel beside it is the start of the easy walk up to the Gradina viewpoint.
Miladina Pećinara 1, ZlatiborExplore View on map
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A symbol of Zlatibor
Hotel Palisad
Built in 1965 by the lake in the heart of Zlatibor and still one of its best-known hotels: 211 rooms, a relax centre with a hydromassage pool, gym, sauna and massage, two congress centres, sports pitches and a gallery of 19th and 20th-century Serbian painting.
Jezero bb, ZlatiborExplore View on map
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Spa hotel in the centre
Hotel Zlatibor Mountain Resort & Spa
A spa hotel in the very centre of Zlatibor, by the main square and the lake, home to the Kalem restaurant.
Miladina Pećinara 31a, ZlatiborExplore View on map
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Modern apartments
MONS Hotel & Apartments
A modern hotel with rooms and apartments on Ćaldov put.
Ćaldov put bb, ZlatiborExplore View on map
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Apartments with a spa
Queen of Zlatibor
An apart-hotel with a spa on Jovanke Jeftanović.
Jovanke Jeftanović 117, ZlatiborExplore View on map
Health spas 2
Wellness programmes and hotel spas.
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Healthy-living programmes
Čigota
Zlatibor’s long-established health institute, now the Centre for Healthy Living, best known for its supervised weight-loss and healthy-living programmes in the mountain air.
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Pool, sauna and massage
Palisad Relax Centre
The relax centre at Hotel Palisad, with a hydromassage pool, gym, Finnish sauna, massage, and beauty and hair salons.
Jezero bb, ZlatiborExplore View on map
Walks 5
Marked walks from the tourist board, from easy viewpoints to the top of Tornik.
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Big views from Čuker
Walk: centre to Čuker
A three-hour walk from the centre to the top of Čuker (1,359 m), with views over Tornik, Lake Ribnica, Tara and the Ovčar and Kablar gorge. Keen walkers can carry on along the ridge to Čigota, another 6 km each way.
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Free telescope at the top
Walk: centre to Gradina viewpoint
An easy walk from the centre through the pedestrian tunnel by Hotel Olimp to the Gradina viewpoint, with a wooden pavilion and a free telescope. Views take in Čajetina in the valley and, on clear days, the mountains of Montenegro and Bosnia.
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To Zlatibor’s highest point
Walk: centre to Tornik
The classic hike from the centre to the top of Tornik, about five hours at an easy pace. From the summit you can see Durmitor in Montenegro and, on exceptionally clear days, Avala near Belgrade; ride the Gold Gondola back down.
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Paragliders’ plateau
Walk: Tornik to Čigota
A hike of about three and a half hours from Vodice to Čigota (1,422 m). The summit itself is a closed military site, but the plateau just below is a superb viewpoint and a take-off spot for paragliders.
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Over the mountain to Mokra Gora
Walk: Trčinoga to Mokra Gora
A 23-kilometre, six-hour hike from Trčinoga over the Vijogor viewpoint and past old log cabins down to Mokra Gora, home of the Šargan Eight railway.
Restaurants 5
Modern Zlatibor cooking, a revolving restaurant and country kitchens.
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In the centre
Central Inn
A restaurant and gastro bar in the centre of Zlatibor, with rooms upstairs.
Tržni centar bb, ZlatiborExplore View on map
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Local produce, modern cooking
Kalem by Zak Mountain Concept
A restaurant at Hotel Zlatibor Mountain Resort in the centre, cooking the best local produce in a modern way, with wines and cocktails and a view over the centre of Zlatibor.
Miladina Pećinara 31a, ZlatiborExplore View on map
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In the village of Rujno
Miris Dunja
A restaurant in the village of Rujno outside Zlatibor, worth the drive for home cooking in the countryside.
Rujno 140, ZlatiborExplore View on map
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National restaurant
Perun
The national restaurant at Hotel Mona Plaza, for Zlatibor and Serbian specialities in the centre.
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360-degree views
Rotating Restaurant 360
The revolving restaurant at Grand & Sky Hotel Tornik, slowly turning for all-round views over the Zlatibor plateau.
Cafés 2
Cakes and gelato.
Bars 1
After the slopes.
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Pints after the slopes
Grand Irish Pub
Zlatibor’s Irish pub, for beer, drinks and a lively evening after a day on the mountain.
Shopping 2
Sirogojno knitwear and Zlatibor pršuta.
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The famous Sirogojno sweaters
Sirogojno Style
The knitwear label born from the hand-knitters of Sirogojno, whose patterned wool sweaters became famous across Yugoslavia and beyond. There is also a museum of the knitters in the village.
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Zlatibor pršuta
Zlatiborac
The Mačkat company behind the famous Zlatibor pršuta and dried meats, from a village known across Serbia for curing ham in the mountain air. Take some home.
Around Zlatibor 8
Caves, waterfalls, heritage railways, Uvac and organised day trips.
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Kusturica’s wooden town
Drvengrad (Mećavnik)
The wooden village film director Emir Kusturica built on Mećavnik hill above Mokra Gora, in the local style, with a cinema, restaurants, crafts and the Küstendorf film festival.
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One of Serbia’s highest
Gostilje Waterfall
A 22-metre waterfall over a limestone cliff, among the highest natural falls in Serbia, with smaller falls and cascades below, footpaths, benches and an ethno-style restaurant serving local trout.
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A railway in a figure of eight
Mokra Gora & the Šargan Eight
A narrow-gauge heritage railway at Mokra Gora, between Tara and Zlatibor, that climbs 300 metres up the mountainside in a perfect figure of eight, through tunnels and over bridges.
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Tara, Uvac, Mokra Gora
Organised day trips from Zlatibor
The Zlatibor tourist board lists organised day trips run by local agencies: Tara National Park and the Drina, Uvac, Mokra Gora and the Šargan Eight, Stopića Cave, Sirogojno and Gostilje, and further afield to Višegrad and Sarajevo.
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The old Zlatibor village
Sirogojno Open-Air Museum
An open-air museum of the old Zlatibor village: log houses and farm buildings moved here and furnished as they were, craft workshops in summer, a village inn serving Zlatibor dishes, and the Church of Saints Peter and Paul with an iconostasis from 1764. Open daily, longer hours in summer.
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Cave with stone pools
Stopića Cave
A show cave below Zlatibor visited by people from all over the world, open every day of the year: 09:30 to 16:30 from late October to early April and until 18:00 the rest of the year.
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Meanders and griffon vultures
Uvac Special Nature Reserve
The deep meanders of the Uvac canyon and its colony of griffon vultures. Boat trips leave from the Rastoke dam, with the Ice Cave and a viewpoint over the meanders, about four hours and 32 km there and back.
Tara National Park 6
Forests, viewpoints and the Drina canyon, about an hour from Zlatibor.
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The view over the Drina
Banjska Stena viewpoint
Tara’s most famous viewpoint, high above Lake Perućac and the Drina canyon, looking across into Bosnia. Below runs the Banjsko točilo, a scree where logs were once sent down to the river to be rafted to Belgrade.
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In the heart of Kaluđerske Bare
Garni Hotel Tara
A newer garni hotel in the centre of Kaluđerske Bare, well placed for exploring the mountain.
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At Kaluđerske Bare
Hotel Beli Bor
A mountain hotel at Kaluđerske Bare on Tara, sister to Hotel Omorika.
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At Kaluđerske Bare
Hotel Omorika
A mountain hotel at Kaluđerske Bare on Tara, run with Hotel Beli Bor and Hotel Breza.
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Forests above the Drina
Tara National Park
A national park of dense forests and high meadows on a bend of the Drina, with the Drina canyon, Lake Perućac, the rare Serbian spruce, viewpoints and marked trails. About an hour from Zlatibor.
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A house on a rock
The House on the Drina
The little wooden house on a rock in the middle of the Drina at Bajina Bašta, one of the most photographed sights in Serbia.
Prices: € budget, €€ moderate, €€€ expensive, €€€€ luxury. Ski pass prices are 2025/26 figures from Skijališta Srbije; check the new price list before you go. Hotels and restaurants are busiest in the ski season and in July and August, so book ahead.
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