Mary Mavier / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

Journey

EuroVelo 6 Self-Guided: Novi Sad to the Iron Gates

Eight days cycling the Danube on your own through Serbia: Novi Sad, Belgrade, Smederevo, a river ferry to Ram, Golubac and the Iron Gates gorge to Kladovo, with bikes, route notes and luggage transfers arranged

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Planned by our own team

Length: 8 days · 7 nights
Travel style: Self-guided
Pace: Active
Stays: Classic · Superior
Starts · ends: Novi Sad → Belgrade
Guiding: EnglishAll languages on request
Group: 1–8 guests
Price: On requestWritten offer first, no payment now

What you’ll see

Highlights along the way

Route & days

Day by day

Your route Arrival and departure Open a day to see its route.

Day 1 Arrive in Novi Sad
Transfer from Belgrade airport to Novi Sad. Fit your bike and go through the route notes with our local team, then ride over the bridge to Petrovaradin Fortress for the view over the Danube.
- Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG)
- Novi Sad
- Petrovaradin Fortress
- Driving:about 1 h 30
- Overnight:Classic stay
Included: Private arrival transfer; bike fitting and briefing.

Planning time for a minibus.
Day 2 Novi Sad to Belgrade
Ride south along the Danube to Sremski Karlovci, with its baroque centre, then over the gentle hills at the edge of Fruška Gora and across the plain to Zemun and Belgrade. About 85–90 km, the longest day; it can be shortened with a transfer for the last stretch.
- Novi Sad
- Sremski Karlovci
- Gardoš Tower
- Belgrade
- Meals:Breakfast
- Overnight:Superior stay
Included: Route notes and GPS tracks; luggage transfer.

Easier or optional: A transfer for the last 30–40 km into Belgrade.
Day 3 Belgrade to Smederevo
Leave Belgrade over the Danube towards Pančevo and follow the embankments of the Banat plain to Kovin, then cross the bridge to Smederevo for the night. About 70 km on the EuroVelo 6 route (the busier right-bank road via Grocka is shorter, about 50 km). Evening walk inside the walls of Smederevo fortress.
- Belgrade
- Smederevo Fortress
- Meals:Breakfast
- Overnight:Classic stay
Included: Route notes; luggage transfer.

Easier or optional: A short morning ride through Belgrade Fortress and the river parks before you leave.
Day 4 Smederevo to Ram and Silver Lake
Back over the bridge and east along the edge of the Deliblato Sands to Stara Palanka, where a small ferry crosses the Danube to Ram, with its restored Ottoman fortress on the rock. Ride on past Veliko Gradište to Silver Lake (Srebrno jezero), a former arm of the Danube, for the night. About 70 km.
- Smederevo Fortress
- Ram Fortress
- Meals:Breakfast
- Overnight:Classic stay
Included: Route notes; ferry ticket; luggage transfer.

Easier or optional: If the ferry is not running, a right-bank route via Kostolac and the Roman site of Viminacium (about the same distance).
Day 5 Silver Lake to Golubac
A short day along the Danube to Golubac, about 25 km, with time to visit Golubac Fortress, whose towers climb the cliff at the entrance to the gorge.
- Ram Fortress
- Golubac Fortress
- Meals:Breakfast
- Overnight:Classic stay
Included: Route notes; Golubac Fortress entrance; luggage transfer.

Easier or optional: A boat on the Danube from Golubac.
Day 6 Into the Iron Gates: Golubac to Donji Milanovac
The big day of the gorge: about 55 km on the road through Đerdap National Park, with climbs above the river and a series of short, unlit road tunnels (lights and reflective vests are provided and must be used). Stop at Lepenski Vir, a settlement of hunter-fishers from about 9500–5500 BC, known for its fish-faced sculptures, before Donji Milanovac.
- Golubac Fortress
- Đerdap National Park & the Iron Gates
- Lepenski Vir
- Donji Milanovac
- Meals:Breakfast
- Overnight:Classic stay
Included: Route notes; Lepenski Vir entrance; bike lights and vests; luggage transfer.
Day 7 The Kazan narrows to Kladovo
Ride through the Kazan narrows, the narrowest part of the gorge, about 60 km to Kladovo with more tunnels and a climb. Or take a boat from Donji Milanovac through the narrows to see Trajan's Tablet from the water, then collect your bike at Tekija (it travels there by van) and ride the last 26 km or so past the Đerdap I dam to Kladovo.
- Donji Milanovac
- Trajan’s Tablet (Tabula Traiana)
- Kladovo
- Meals:Breakfast
- Overnight:Classic stay
Included: Route notes; luggage transfer.

Easier or optional: Boat through the Kazan narrows (April–October, subject to weather and water level).
Day 8 Back to Belgrade
Hand back your bike. Transfer to Belgrade (about 5 hours), or to Belgrade airport.
- Kladovo
- Belgrade
- Driving:about 5 h
- Meals:Breakfast
Included: Private transfer to Belgrade or Belgrade airport.

Planning time for a minibus.

Driving times are approximate and don’t include stops. Every day can be adjusted: tell us what you’d change when you enquire.

What’s included

Included and not included

Included

7 nights in small hotels and guesthouses (Novi Sad, Belgrade, Smederevo, Silver Lake, Golubac, Donji Milanovac, Kladovo), breakfast daily
Hire of a touring bike with panniers, helmet, lock, repair kit, lights and a reflective vest; daily luggage transfers; arrival and final transfers
Route notes and GPS tracks in English, and a briefing on day 1
Stara Palanka–Ram ferry (when running), Golubac Fortress and Lepenski Vir entrances
Travel2Serbia phone support every day, and help with a vehicle if you need it

Guiding in all languages available on request, subject to availability.

Not included

Flights
Travel insurance (must cover cycling)
E-bike supplement
Lunches, dinners and drinks
Boat through the Kazan narrows
Tourist taxes paid locally
Tips

Why this journey

Why you’ll love it

Riding into Belgrade along the Danube from Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci
Smederevo, the lowland fortress of the last Serbian despots
A small river ferry across the Danube to Ram fortress (when running)
Golubac Fortress at the entrance to the Iron Gates gorge
The Iron Gates gorge by bike, with Lepenski Vir on the way
The Kazan narrows and Trajan's Tablet, by bike or by boat

Signature moments

A ferry to an Ottoman fort

At Stara Palanka the bikes go on a small ferry across the Danube, landing below the walls of Ram.

Where the river narrows

After Golubac the Danube leaves the plain and enters the gorge; the road climbs and drops beside it for two days.

Your pace, your stops

No group and no fixed timetable: each day your luggage is waiting at the next hotel.

What you’ll do

Everything is arranged privately for your group. Hosts, guides and routes are confirmed in your offer.

Hosted experience · Day 7

Boat trip in the Đerdap gorge (Iron Gates)

A boat trip through the narrowest part of the Danube gorge, past Trajan's Tablet.

Boat trip for your group on the agreed route.

Where you’ll stay

Your stays · 7 nights

7 nights in small hotels and guesthouses (Novi Sad, Belgrade, Smederevo, Silver Lake, Golubac, Donji Milanovac, Kladovo), breakfast daily

Night 1

Classic comfort, chosen for your dates

Classic comfort

Upgrade: Small hotel in Novi Sad

Night 2

Superior comfort, chosen for your dates

Superior comfort

Upgrade: Central Belgrade hotel

Night 3

Classic comfort, chosen for your dates

Classic comfort

Upgrade: Hotel in Smederevo

Night 4

Classic comfort, chosen for your dates

Classic comfort

Upgrade: Hotel or guesthouse at Silver Lake

Night 5

Classic comfort, chosen for your dates

Classic comfort

Upgrade: Guesthouse in Golubac

Night 6

Classic comfort, chosen for your dates

Classic comfort

Upgrade: Riverside hotel in Donji Milanovac

Night 7

Classic comfort, chosen for your dates

Classic comfort

Upgrade: Hotel in Kladovo

We name each stay, with its photos, in your written offer once availability is confirmed.

Before you choose

Is this journey for you?

A good fit if

Confident leisure cyclists who can ride 50–90 km a day on tarmac and some gravel, couples and friends who like to set their own pace, and EuroVelo 6 riders coming from Budapest or Vienna.

Maybe not if

First-time cycle tourers, families with young children, and anyone uneasy riding on roads with traffic or through unlit road tunnels (ask us for the guided version with a support vehicle).

Pace and effort

Active. Six riding days of about 25–90 km (planning figures), mostly flat along the Danube, with climbs and road tunnels in the Iron Gates gorge on days 6 and 7. No guide: you ride with route notes, GPS tracks and a phone number for help.

Tailor-made

Make it your own

The guided version with a cycling guide and support vehicle (same route, on request) · Continue to Negotin and Vidin in Bulgaria (two more days) · E-bikes · An extra night in Belgrade or Golubac · The boat through the Kazan narrows instead of riding.

Customise this journey

How booking and payment work

From enquiry to voucher

We never ask for card details by email or on this website. Bank details are only sent in your personal offer or invoice.

1 You send an enquiry Free, with no obligation.
2 We send a written offer Availability and your final price, confirmed.
3 You accept the offer
4 You pay securely Card payment link (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro) or bank transfer.
5 We confirm your payment
6 You receive your confirmation and voucher

Booking terms for this journey: Price on request. This is a private programme, arranged on request for your dates; there are no fixed departures. The final offer, price and availability depend on confirmation of the services (accommodation, guides, transport and activities) after your enquiry. Nothing is booked and no payment is taken until you accept the written offer.

Individual services

Need something else?

For travellers who don’t need the complete journey, Travel2Serbia can also arrange individual services.

Tell us what you need

Airport & private transfers
Hotels & accommodation
Private guides
Day trips & excursions
Chauffeur / car with driver
Activities & experiences

EuroVelo 6 Self-Guided: Novi Sad to the Iron Gates

Highlights along the way

Day by day