Mountains & Ski

Stara Planina

The Old Mountain — Midžor’s 2,169 m summit, the Babin zub ski slopes and the waterfall country of the border ridge.

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COUNTRY: Serbia
REGION: Southern & Eastern Serbia
BEST TIME TO VISIT: December–March for the ski
DURATION: 2 days

ABOUT THE DESTINATION

Stara Planina — the Old Mountain — is the great ridge of the Bulgarian border: Midžor (2,169 m), Serbia’s second summit, rules a mountain of high meadows, glacial cirques and the country’s best waterfall-pocked streams. The ski centre at Babin zub runs the winter; the summers belong to the hikers (the Midžor climb from Topli Do or the Jabučko ravnište), the waterfall hunters (Kaluđerski skokovi) and the mountain-lodge evenings. It is Serbia’s eastern wilderness — less tamed than Kopaonik, colder, higher, emptier.

MAP & LOCATION

Stara Planina

THROUGH THE LENS

From the road

HISTORY & CULTURE

The Story Behind the Place

The Balkan range (the “Old Mountain” — the range that named the Balkans) ran the border’s history: the passes saw the Roman roads’ southern spurs, the medieval caravan routes and the hajduk refuges. The 20th century kept it remote — the shepherds’ villages (Topli Do, Dojkinci) and the mountain lodges. The ski centre (Babin zub, opened 2000s) brought the lift infrastructure; the national protection (the park of nature) guards the meadows and the streams.

TOP THINGS TO DO

Experiences Not to Miss

THINGS TO DO

The ski season at Babin zub

December–March skiing under the Babin zub crag — the gondola, the slopes and the east’s best snow.

TOP ATTRACTIONS

Sights & Highlights of Stara Planina

ATTRACTIONS

Midžor & the Babin zub

Midžor (2,169 m), Serbia’s second summit, on the border ridge — with the Babin zub ski centre and the gondola below.

ATTRACTIONS

The waterfall country — Topli Do & Dojkinci

The mountain’s streams leap in waterfalls above the villages of Topli Do and Dojkinci — the Kaluđerski skokovi and the Jabučko ravnište meadows.

FOOD & DRINK

WHERE TO EAT

The ski centre’s restaurants and the mountain lodges

The village tables of Topli Do and Dojkinci — the lamb and the kaymak

HOTELS & STAYS

WHERE TO STAY

The ski centre’s hotels (Babin zub); village lodges and rooms at Topli Do for the hikers

Rosehip Camp — the glamping terraces above the mountain (verified)

ITINERARIES

Keep Driving

2 days

The Old Mountain weekend — lifts and summits

View itinerary

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Practical Information

Getting There

From Belgrade 4 h (A1 to Niš, then Pirot and the mountain road); from Pirot 1.5 h; from Knjaževac 1 h (the north side). The ski centre is signed from both sides.

What to Wear & Bring

Real mountain layers (the ridge is cold in July), hiking boots for the summits, torches for the early starts, and cash (the lodges and the village shops).