Drvengrad Serbia - Guide On Visiting The Movie Set

Drvengrad is a renowned filming location for the popular Eastern European movie 'Life is a Miracle'. Though I initially associated it with the famous USA film 'It's A Wonderful Life', the Serbian drama film directed by Emir Kusturica in 2004 is quite different from a cozy Christmas movie. It follows the story of a train engineer building a rail line connecting a small Bosnian town to Serbia amidst the backdrop of the Balkan conflict. His wife leaves him for the cymbal player, his son becomes a prisoner of war, and he falls in love with a Muslim woman whom he is supposed to trade for his son. This chaotic yet comedic tale is set in the purpose-built town of Drvengrad, which has now become a popular destination for Serbian tourists. If you plan to visit this outdoor adventure mountain town, here is your comprehensive guide to making the most of your stay.

Is Visiting Drvengrad Worth It? 

Most of the articles about Drvengrad rave about the idyllic nature of this town, and while I do agree the exterior is quite charming nestled in the high mountains of Serbia - my personal experience was less than ideal. 

Travel is highly subjective, so please note that if you choose to visit your experience could be different - but it isn't a place I would recommend my friends to stay if I'm honest (especially American Friends). 

The Pros

• It allows you to see a part of Serbia that is off the beaten path, in a beautiful mountain setting that I would concede is idyllic. 
• The houses are based on the architecture of the Dinaric people, or the ethnic groups of the mid-20th century people that lived in southeastern Europe. 
• There are a lot of things to do here like swimming, spa, salt room, hiking, rafting, festivals, camping, and places like Zip lining across Tara Canyon, visiting Stopic Cave, and of course the film festivals that happen here. 
• Heated tile floors in the bathrooms, quiet rooms

The Cons

• The food is terrible and so are the adult beverages (that we experienced while only staying there one day)
• The Breakfast was ok, but you just get these really weird vibes from staff and other visitors that they are either overly curious and just have stoic expressions, or they really really want you to leave.
• There are no ramps, only large awkwardly spaced stairs that you have to carry your suitcases up and down to the rooms. 

It is one of the few places I have traveled to that I felt genuinely uncomfortable visiting - BUT again, it can be different for everyone. If you don’t go to eat at the restaurants, or get breakfast - I think my experience would have been vastly different. 

Little Homages Throughout The Town

There are little homages to the movie all throughout the town like music plays from the movie. You have alleyways dedicated to movie stars and cleverly labeled names. They even have George Bush (the former American President) displayed behind bars via a painting in one of the buildings. 

There is an Ivo Andric Library named after a famous writer that the director of the film, Emir Kusturica loved. Milorad Cavic, the Serbian swimmer in the 2008 Olympics, he has a pool named after him here. The director even lives in the town still. There is a street dedicated to Nikola Tesla, and another to Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Diego Maradona, and Novak Djokovic. 

I don't speak or read Cyrillic, so to be honest it was a bit of a tough one to navigate the town, but that also sparks joy in me - figuring out the puzzle of travel. 

There is also the Stanley Cubric Theatre where the first screening of ‘Life is a Miracle’ was played. They also have tennis courts, a ski area across the valley, a childrens playground, and the red and white limousine that was used in the film as well. 

Accommodation Review

Drvengrad means timber town, and you can stay in these fully functioning timber houses. They also have newly built and renovated accommodations with more head room and modern comforts as well. 

The aesthetic in the remodeled areas are ones of neutrals and cozy comforts to reflect the calm peaceful setting outside. The hallways could do with a bit of cleaning, and there are no elevators to get to your rooms in any of the buildings. The rooms are clearly labeled and utilizes a traditional key. 

The rooms are spacious, with cozy blankets, firm mattresses and even some herbally infused soaps that are left in the room for you with a book in syrillic that explains different medicinal properties of plants for you to read. 

The bathrooms are spacious, with modern toilets, roomy shower with a rainfall shower head, heated tile floors, and a towel warmer. 

Don’t make the mistake I did, let in some fresh air, then leave and forget to turn the light off. There are no bug screens and I had a whole family of flying critters in my room that I spent a good hour swatting with a towel in order to sleep and not be creeped out one would fly into my mouth or ear (#mouthbreather). 

The Wi-Fi is strong, and you can control the temps of the room easily. I really felt cozy and calm in my room and really did enjoy that part of the stay. 

Restaurant Review At Drvengrad

Drvengrad means timber town, and you can stay in these fully functioning timber houses. They also have newly built and renovated accommodations with more headroom and modern comforts as well. 

The aesthetic in the remodeled areas are ones of neutrals and cozy comforts to reflect the calm peaceful setting outside. The hallways could do with a bit of cleaning, and there are no elevators to get to your rooms in any of the buildings. The rooms are clearly labeled and utilize a traditional key. 

The rooms are spacious, with cozy blankets, firm mattresses, and even some herbally infused soaps that are left in the room for you with a book in Cyrillic that explains different medicinal properties of plants for you to read. 

The bathrooms are spacious, with modern toilets, a roomy shower with a rainfall shower head, heated tile floors, and a towel warmer. 

Don’t make the mistake I did, let in some fresh air, then leave and forget to turn the light off. There are no bug screens and I had a whole family of flying critters in my room that I spent a good hour swatting with a towel in order to sleep and not be creeped out one would fly into my mouth or ear (#mouthbreather). 

The Wi-Fi is strong, and you can control the temps of the room easily. I really felt cozy and calm in my room and really did enjoy that part of the stay.

When we arrived in Drvengrad it was evening, but the sun hadn’t set yet - it was the beginning of October so the sun was setting a bit earlier each day. We got our stuff into our rooms and immediately headed to dinner. We chose Viscounts Restaurant and I was really excited, despite the cool welcome we got from the receptionist staff (maybe they had a bad day, who knows). 

Dinner was horrible - I got the pasta carbonara (how do you mess that up) - it tasted like they put a 1/4 cup of salt into my dish folks. I am pretty forgiving when it comes to food I don’t have to cook, but this…..(shivers)…..I took a few bites and had to stop - it was bad. 

I did notice that food throughout the Balkans is REALLY salty. I don’t know if that is because the majority of people smoke, and you have the ability to taste your food adequately, so they just add a ton of salt to make it work - or what was happening. This was by far the saltiest food I’ve had though. 

My friends I was traveling with also had the same experience with their dishes and food choices. One of them ended up getting pretty sick that night and was worshiping the toilet, without even indulging on the brandy (that legit tasted like gasoline smells). 

The Visconti also has options for Pizza, Fish, pork and sausage dishes, soups and chowders, salads, desserts, vegetables, fries, potatoes, and spinach. 

Beware of the stray dogs, they can get pretty aggressive when you feed them even a morsel apparently. It made me really miss my dogs at home, and it was really really difficult to not scoop them up, give them a bath, and feed them meat. Although with how salty the food was, it probably wouldn’t have been good for them anyway. 

The breakfast had plenty of options, salt optional, and lots of varieties of juices, tea, and coffee there. The other bars and restaurants there - we didn’t try though. If you end up visiting and want to give it a try you also have Kapor Bar, Ćorkan’s Cake Shop (Ćorkan), Konak Pizzeria and Cafe, and Lotika Restaurant. 

Spa And Pool At Drvengrad

I’m a sucker for the spa and a modestly chlorinated indoor swimming pool. They also have a salt room here, a sauna, and several areas with comfy seating outside to really take in the views. This is where I really felt like if I just had avoided the eating areas, I really would have enjoyed my trip here as there is enough space to relax, unwind and enjoy the surroundings without having to overtly interact with people. 

The Salt Room is open from 8-10 pm and has to be booked in advance and requires that 5 people book it at once in order for them to set it up. The cost is around 400 Serbian Dinars ($3.78) for 20 min. 

There is also a small area overlooking the valley with a rowing machine, vibration plate, and treadmill. 

Other Activities Near Drvengrad

Tara Canyon is stunning, located in Montenegro, it is a great spot to stop while you are in the area as it is the deepest canyon in Europe. There are a few bars lining the busy roadways, and even a zip line that can take you across the canyon! 

It does require that you bring cash, and apologies that I can’t remember quite what it cost, but I believe 30 Euros would be plenty but bring small bills. The bars also require cash, and you cannot use ANYONE’S restroom unless you buy something from their shop - they do guard it and the shops are so small you can’t sneak in. Not that I know anything about trying to sneak into a questionable bathroom in the middle of no where (ahem). 

Stopic Cave is a bit of a drive from Drvengrad but just look up pictures and go. It is a giant limestone cave, with colorfully lit lights, and is the most visited cave in Serbia. I personally didn’t get to visit, and was completely gutted, but at this point in the trip - after all the driving from Dubrovnik we had done - jet lag and exhaustion was starting to hit hard so we opted to just relax. If you end up going, let me know what you thought in the comments below. 

Smestaj"Iver" - Mećavnik is a ski resort that is across the valley from Drvengrad. The mountains look fairly decent with a few runs. The slopes are steep and you can stay at Hotel Iver located right on the mountainside. They have a pool, sauna, fireplace, Turkish bath, salt room, and gym and the hotel only houses 50 guests so you really have a chance to unwind and enjoy some serene solitude skiing here. They do have ski equipment you can rent here. 

At the bottom of the valley you have Nature Park "Sargan-Mokra Gora". This is where you will find the eight-train railway, with vintage trains you can ride in. You can book through Serbia Railways via email (reserve it that way) and then pay 1000 red or 8.5 Euros to ride the train. It lasts about 2.5 hours and has 5 stops that are about 5-15 min each depending on the stop. Make sure to arrive early as is a very popular thing to do for locals in the summer (arrive at least 40 min early). 

How To Get To Drvengrad

From Mostar, if you are driving like we were, it is about a 4-hour drive to get to Drvengrad. The border crossing isn’t bad, but you CANNOT have a stamp from Kosovo in your passport, or they will legit rip out that page. You need to have a green insurance card from your rental car company stating they authorized you to take the car into that country. There is a problem with human trafficking, so any vans or SUVs ended up getting stopped. 

From Belgrade, it is a 3-hour drive, and often can be included in a tour (see options below) that roundtrip will take you 12 hours. 

If you want to try and get here without a car, it will require you to use a bus, then a train, then a taxi - without a sure guarantee about actually being able to get back. If you want to try your luck, check out the Serbian Railway website. 

Things To Know Before Visiting Drvengrad

Most of the places in and surrounding Drvengrad deal only in cash. They do take cards at the reception desk and the restaurants - everything else is in cash. They prefer Serbian Dinar because they aren’t exactly friends with the European Union (because of the Yugoslavian Wars). 

America bombed Belgrade in the 1990s over the Bosnian wars, and people still aren’t huge fans of Americans here and you can certainly feel it. Understandable, but when we visited, the war in Ukraine was also still going on and sanctions against Russia were escalating. There are a lot of Russians that visit this area as well, due to many of the signs being in Cyrillic. 

Google Translate is going to be your best friend here, as there are very few signs in English (again, understandable - just providing the information). Use the picture feature and it will help you navigate around the area. It will also help with ordering food and getting checked in. I don’t think people there want to admit they speak English - or at least the ones that we encountered anyway. 

It gets COLD here in the mountains of Serbia - so make sure you have at least a fleece jacket and some warm pants and gloves. The showers get toasty warm, and you can put your clothes and PJs on the towel warmer to warm them up before bed (#lifehack). 

There is plenty of parking here, but if you are driving please please be fully alert on the roads - they are NOT the best, full of potholes, and people are a bit crazy with the driving. If you speed and get pulled over, you basically will need to bribe the cop, so don’t speed. 

Google Maps isn’t super reliable in the Balkans, it will take you on the shortest route, but that doesn’t always mean the safest route. A good rule of thumb is to only go on the roads that have actual names to them - if you turn onto any dirt road or a rural area road just try to find a different route. There were a few times when a large truck nearly slid back into me and the 4 cars behind me on a steep incline that said it was a road. Another time Google Maps took us over a partially collapsed bridge and an abandoned road that only hikers used and nearly left us stranded in a giant mud puddle in the middle of the mountains with no cell signal. It can get narly out there folks, so again, only go on roads that have names and after we started following that rule we didn’t have any issues whatsoever.

Final Thoughts On Drvengrad 

While I wouldn’t rave to my friends about visiting Drvengrad, nor would I recommend going there for anything to eat in particular - I do see the appeal of a quiet moment in the mountains away from the city. The adventure of driving there is something I will never forget, and it was a taste of Serbia, and realize that it doesn’t represent the country as a whole. 

Travel is subjective, and maybe the people I encountered had a bad day, maybe someone died, or maybe they had relatives killed in the bombing of their capital - you just never know. So while my visit felt like a train wreck of heebie-jeebies of cold stares, salt licks, and the insect apocalypse in my room (my own fault on this last one) - I do think if I avoided the restaurants, got food elsewhere, and then just enjoyed the stars, friends, and cozy rooms it would have been a relaxing and enjoyable stay enjoying this quirky little town. 

That being said, let me know in the comments below if you would visit Drvengrad. Have you been there before? I would genuinely love to hear about others' experiences. 

No matter what I hope you have a grand adventure on your next trip!

Guided Tours of Drvengrad

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Where to stay Near Drvengrad

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