Unique romantic getaways in Serbia

If you’ve already checked Paris and Venice off the lists of your romantic getaways for Valentine's day, here is a list of three romantic places in Serbia that you almost certainly didn’t think of exploring. For those looking for some alternative places to explore and enjoy with their other half, Serbia can offer good options with just the right combination of the romantic scenery, tasty food, and good local wines.

Romantic Ride with Train “Nostalgia”

Who says it’s boring to ride the old trains? It’s adventurous. It’s scenic. It’s perfectly romantic and educative at the same time. A ride with the museum train “Nostalgia” is a quite unique experience that will make you feel like you were heading back in time to the early 20. century.

This train passes through the heritage railway that is one of a kind in the world, as it has the shape of a number “8” from the aerial perspective and therefore the name Shargan Eight. It runs from the village Mokra Gora in West Serbia towards Sargan Vitasi station. The length of the railroad is 15.5km and it passes through 22 tunnels and five bridges. Since the ride is not very long, it's a good chance to visit amazing traditional wooden town - Drvengrad and stop for a lunch.

With the wooden benches and seats inside the train, as well as a traditionally equipped old bar, ladies and gentlemen will wish to have worn lacy gowns from the 20th century, and suits, cylinder hats and those long black pipes from Poaro movies.

Dreamy Trip to Castle Fantast

Castle Fantast, situated in the north of Serbia, offers a great romantic escape and inspiring love story behind it. It is a legacy of the famed Dundjerski family, that at one point owned more than 1,500 hectares of land.

The biggest castle in this part of Serbia was made by Bojan Dundjerski for the love of his life and muse Mara. The castle is modeled to look like the famous French castles of the 20th century. The legend has it that Mara was married to another man, but the big love had won and she accompanied Bojan in the castle Fantast until the end of their lives.

The silent proofs of this love story can be found everywhere around the area; in the nearby church, even Holy Mary’s frescas have Mara’s face. The castle is turned into hotel nowadays and includes a big castle, a horse farm, a chapel, a small castle, and a park with a lake.

Bridge of Love in Vrnjacka Banja (Vrnjci Spa)

There's probably a bridge with padlocks and initials of people in love in every major city in this world, but The Bridge of Love in Vrnjacka Banja is quite unique with its shaking background story.

The legend says that this bridge was the favorite meeting point of two young people who were madly in love before the WWI. When the war struck, the young officer has left for Greece. The girl waited for him every day at the bridge for years, only to find out that he has married a Greek woman and stayed to live there. The girl became sick, and her sad love story became a legend as she still visited the bridge when she grew old.

Nowadays, couples use this bridge to “seal their love” by engraving their names on the padlocks, locking it on the metal construction of the bridge and then throwing keys into the river. The bridge itself is quite a sight, but the rest of Vrnjacka Banja (Vrnjci Spa) is also worth exploring, as it's often referred to as the best of all the Serbian spas.

There are nice restaurants, parks and resorts with healthy natural mineral water, massage therapy and just numerous opportunities for relaxation.

Even if these unusual escapes and stories didn't make you rearrange your travel plans, hopefully they gave you some inspiration for choosing a perfect romantic getaway..