Information about Serbia

NAME OF STATE
Republic of Serbia

POPULATION
Belgrade: 1.958.750
Serbia: 7.320.340

TIME ZONE
Central European Time, GMT+1

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
Serbian

OFFICIAL SCRIPT
Cyrillic

NATIONAL INTERNET DOMAIN
.rs

NATIONAL VEHICLE CODE
SRB

TELEPHONE CALLS
Country code: +381
Belgrade: (0)11

CURRENCY
Serbia’s currency is “dinar” (RSD)
Exchange rates (as of May 2015):
EUR 1.00 = 123.1 RSD
USD 1.00 = 111.2 RSD
GBP 1.00 = 136.2 RSD

LONGEST RIVER
Danube, Serbian section, 588 km

FAITHS
85% Eastern Orthodox Christian
5.5% Roman Catholic Christian
3.2% Muslim

TAXES
20% Value Added Tax (VAT)

ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES
Voltage is 220V. Frequency is 50Hz. 110 volts appliances need a converter and adapter.

TIPPING
It is customary in restaurants and cafes to round up the gratuity fees to the nearest 10-15% of the bill depending on service.

CREDIT CARDS
Teller Machines (ATMs) accept all major credit cards and are located throughout the city. Major credit cards are accepted at almost all restaurants and stores in Belgrade.

SHOPS & BANKS
Shopping malls and stores are opened from 10h to 22h. Most banks and post offices are open up to 17h.

CLIMATE
Serbia climate is moderate continental, with four seasons. Autumn is from September to November and the daily temperature varies from 15°C to 24°C. The average temperature in September is 21°C. Light cloths will make stay in Belgrade pleasant. In the evening do not forget your jacket.
Area: 88,509 km2

WATER FROM PUBLIC MAINS
Safe to drink

TYPICALLY SERBIAN

It does not take long for foreign visitors to Serbia to discover the hospitality, kindness, openness and warmth of the country’s residents.

Shaking hands, done using the right hand, is customary when being introduced or meeting somebody of either gender. Kissing is not a necessity when meeting somebody for the first time, but every time you meet from then on, if you have developed affection for the person in question, kissing three times on the cheeks is the order of the day in Serbia. Of course, nobody will object if you only kiss once or twice while giving a long and sincere hug.

In Serbia, toasts are usually made with traditional rakija (brandy), often home-distilled. Toasts are made by clinking glasses, making direct eye contact and loudly proclaiming “Živeli!” A speech is usually only made on formal occasions, normally by the host, but a guest may give one, too.

Serbs enjoy rich and flavorsome food and normally have three meals a day, with lunch being the largest.

In contrast to the rest of Europe, there is no single day of the week in Serbia when you cannot have a night out and that holds true for all generations, for all lifestyles and musical tastes and for all available budgets. After a wild night out, somewhere around three or four o’clock in the morning, people continue onward in search of grilled meat or burek.