Zlatibor
A base for a cave, a waterfall, a village museum and a railway — plus a gondola up Tornik
- When to go
- October 11° · 8 rainy days
- Per day
- €€price 2 of 5
- How many days
- 2–3days
- For you
- 6 questions →
- Nearest airport
- 72 km Kraljevo
- Right now
Zlatibor is a base for two or three days, and the decision is what to do outside the centre: a day by car for Stopića cave, the Gostilje waterfall and Sirogojno, a day for Mokra Gora and the Šargan Eight, and half a day for the gondola up Tornik. The centre itself, built around Ribnica lake, is a place to sleep and eat, not the reason to come.
The season changes the plan more than the weather does: from April to October Stopića cave is open until 6pm and the Gostilje waterfall until 7.30pm in summer; in winter the cave closes at 4.30pm and the waterfall at 5pm, so a winter day fits into a single afternoon. That's why winter belongs to Tornik and skiing, and summer and autumn to the surroundings.
Tornik is a small ski area: five runs between 1,110 and 1,490 metres, all covered by snowmaking, one six-seater chairlift and two T-bar lifts. Enough for a weekend or for beginners, thin for a week's skiing. In summer the same chairlift runs just for the view, and there's a rail toboggan beside the slopes.
Guides for Zlatibor
Shorter, practical pages for one concrete question each — how many days, how much money, where to sleep, where to escape the city.
Zlatibor in 2 days
→The first day loops Stopića cave and the Gostilje waterfall together by car, the second leaves the gondola up Tornik…
What to see in Zlatibor
The Gold Gondola to Tornik
Nine kilometres and a 25-minute ride: it leaves from the centre, stops at Ribnica lake and ends on Tornik, Zlatibor's highest peak, at 1,496 metres. Tickets are return only, €17. In summer it's the way to a viewpoint without a car or a climb; in winter, the way to the ski slopes.
€17 · booking: no, on-site or online
Stopića cave
Nineteen kilometres from the centre, with an entrance 18 metres high and thirty to forty wide, and a system 1,691 m long. The travertine basins are seen from metal walkways put in in 2015, so the visit is easy for children too; entry is €3.40.
€3.40
The Gostilje waterfall
The Gostilje river drops off a 22-metre limestone cliff just before it meets the Katušnica, 25 km from the centre. With laid-out paths and entry at €2.10, it goes into the same day as the cave.
€2.10
Sirogojno
An open-air museum of log houses brought in from the surrounding villages, and the home of the Sirogojno sweater. For anyone more interested in how people lived on Zlatibor than in how they holiday there now; half a day, with a page of its own.
€2.60
Mokra Gora's narrow-gauge loop
The Šargan Eight railway that climbs out of Mokra Gora in a figure of eight, and Kusturica's Drvengrad on Mećavnik hill above the village. A full day, and the one part of the plan that needs a ticket bought ahead in summer; times and fares are on the Mokra Gora page.
Šargan Eight €12.77; own page
Mačkat
The village between Užice and Zlatibor where Zlatibor beef pršuta is cured, protected by a geographical indication since 2014; it holds the Pršutijada fair every year. For buying at the source, or as a quieter base for anyone with a car — at the cost of having the gondola and the lake out of walking distance.
free
Stories from Zlatibor
How it actually was when we were there, and what was worth it.
Zlatibor in three days: Drvengrad, the Šargan Eight and a terrace with no plan
→Drvengrad ahead of the tour buses, the Šargan Eight without a phone in hand, and a third day on a cottage terrace — a two-day weekend that ran to three, and why it had to.
Two things you probably did not know
The Gold Gondola on Zlatibor is nine kilometres long and one of the longest panoramic cable cars in the world. The ride from Ribnicko lake to Tornik takes about twenty-five minutes.
Stopica cave holds the Great Basin, a travertine pool with a ten-metre waterfall dropping into it. Travertine is stone the water builds instead of carrying away, so the rims between the basins rise a fraction every year.
Ready for Zlatibor?
Within reach from here
Places sorted by straight-line distance from Zlatibor — day trips or weekends.
Serbia
→The north an hour away by train, the mountains three or four by car — Serbia divides by the time you have
Montenegro
→The Bay, the riviera or Ulcinj for the sea, Durmitor for July — choose the coast by its beaches and the north by the month
Greece
→The north by road, the Cyclades by ferry, Rhodes by air — pick the region first and the island second
All 277 places we write about sit on one page — narrow them down by continent, country, price or what you are travelling for.
Within reach from here: Sirogojno, Mokra Gora and Tara
See how much of that actually suits you — or pin Zlatibor if you have been.
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