Safety in Serbia

Overall: Serbia is an exceptionally calm and safe country. Walking through central Belgrade at night is genuinely nothing to worry about.

Taxi scams: Be wary of unlicensed drivers touting at the railway station and the airport. Order through an official app and the problem disappears entirely.

Pickpockets: Keep an eye on your wallet on crowded city buses. That is realistically the only street-level threat you will encounter.

Attitude to visitors: Serbians are warm and curious towards foreigners, and hospitality is taken seriously here. Trouble aimed at travellers is very rare.

Kosovo: If you plan to visit, enter through Serbian territory, otherwise you can face problems at Serbian borders later on. Read your own government's travel advisory on this specifically.

Wildlife: There are wild bears in the forests of Tara National Park. Stick to marked trails and make noise as you walk.

Serbia is a calm country with low street crime. Belgrade is safe at night, the centre and riverfronts included. There are few schemes and they are mundane.

Taxis at Belgrade airport. A historic problem now largely solved: an official desk in arrivals issues a voucher with a fixed price by zone. Take the voucher and do not go with anyone offering a ride at the door.

Splav bills. The floating clubs on the Sava and Danube are Belgrade's signature, and they are also where inflated bills and undisclosed table minimums appear. Confirm the terms when reserving a table.

Currency exchange. The menjačnica offices in central Belgrade give good rates and deception is rare. Changing money privately in the street is categorically unwise.

Restaurant bills. In the tourist restaurants of Skadarlija, check the bill: added items occur, though not often.

Apartment rentals. As everywhere — photograph the condition and do not pay a cash deposit without documentation.

Registration (the "white card"). Foreigners must register with the police within 24 hours of arrival. Hotels do this automatically. If you stay with friends or in an unregistered flat, you must go yourself — the procedure is free and quick. On departure, missing registration can mean a fine or border difficulties, and it is compulsory for extending your stay.

Kosovo is a separate matter you need to understand. Serbia does not recognise Kosovo's independence, and entering it via the Albanian or North Macedonian border constitutes, for the Serbian authorities, illegal entry into Serbia. If you then try to enter Serbia from Kosovo, you can be turned back. One approach works: enter Kosovo from Serbia and return the same way.

Drugs. The law is strict, with no leniency.

Drones require registration, and flights over military installations and central Belgrade are prohibited.

Photography. Military installations and ministry buildings should not be photographed.

Politics. Kosovo, the wars of the 1990s and relations with the neighbours are emotionally charged. Keep your views to yourself.

Driving. A Green Card is required. The alcohol limit is zero for drivers with under a year's experience and low for everyone else.

Vaccinations. None.

Water. Tap water in Belgrade and most cities is drinkable. In rural areas, ask.

Smoking. Serbia is one of Europe's heaviest-smoking countries and the indoor ban is unevenly enforced. For a non-smoker this is a noticeable daily problem: cafes and bars, especially in winter, are smoky. Look for venues that advertise a ban, or sit on the terrace.

Winter air. The heating season in Belgrade, Valjevo and Niš produces high pollution readings — on some days the city appears in global worst-air rankings. Anyone with asthma should watch the index.

Ticks. Woodland areas and Fruška Gora carry risk. Check yourself after walks.

Healthcare. The public system functions at middling standards, with equipment that is not uniformly modern. Belgrade has good private clinics at reasonable prices, dentistry included — people travel here for it. Emergency care is given to everyone, but foreigners are billed. Insurance is needed.

Pharmacies. Open late, with duty pharmacies around the clock. Many medicines are available without prescription.

Serbia sits mid-table in Europe on corruption. Police behave correctly with tourists and extortion is essentially absent.

Traffic police. The main scenario. There are many speed traps, fines are issued on the spot with a receipt, and the amounts are moderate. Drink-driving is punished severely.

Reporting theft. Reports are taken and certificates for insurers issued. The procedure is clear and not drawn out.

Registration. The police keep the register of foreigners, and the "white card" is obtained from them. Going in for this is routine and nothing to worry about.

Languages. Russian is widely understood in Serbia, particularly by older people and in the service sector. English is spoken in Belgrade and Novi Sad.

Attitudes to Russian speakers are generally warm, which noticeably eases any everyday situation.

Emergency numbers: 192 police, 194 ambulance, 193 fire. The European 112 also works.