Christmas comes twice in Belgrade. The Western calendar has it on 25 December, the Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates on 7 January, and the Serbian New 12 months will get its personal fireworks on the evening of 13 January. For anybody raised on the Filipino Christmas season, the one which begins in September, a metropolis that stretches the vacations into mid-January ought to really feel unusually acquainted. The distinction is the chilly. December in Belgrade averages a excessive of 5°C and a low of 0°C.
This Belgrade winter journey information is written for Philippine passport holders and OFWs, not for vacationers who can cross the border with a passport and nothing else. It covers what the journey prices in pesos, tips on how to fly there from Manila, which visa you want (and the shortcut many OFWs already maintain), the Christmas market dates, and whether or not Kopaonik, Serbia’s greatest ski resort, is value a number of days in case you have by no means stood on snow. Costs have been checked on 18 October 2026, and each peso determine comes with the speed we used.
Some hyperlinks beneath are affiliate hyperlinks. For those who e-book by means of them we earn a small fee at no further value to you, which retains guides like this free. Rodi Options and Rodi Jobs, talked about close to the top, are run by this submit’s writer. The visa guidelines listed below are normal info, not immigration recommendation, so affirm your individual case with the Serbian authorities earlier than you e-book.
Belgrade in winter: the short reply
- Visa: a Philippine passport wants a Serbian Visa C, charge EUR 90 (about PHP 6,380), except you maintain a legitimate Schengen, UK, EU or US visa, or a residence allow from the Schengen space, the EU or the US.
- Flights: no direct flight from Manila. Anticipate one cease by way of Shanghai, Doha, Guangzhou or Istanbul, and roughly 17 to 23 hours of journey time.
- Fares: a method from PHP 34,454, and a 5 to 9 December spherical journey at PHP 56,601 on Journey.com’s Philippine website, checked 18 October 2026.
- Climate: December averages a excessive of 5°C and a low of 0°C, with about two hours of sunshine a day.
- Christmas market: Sava Park, Belgrade Waterfront, 4 December 2026 to 4 January 2027.
- Snowboarding: Kopaonik is scheduled to run from 3 December 2026 to 11 April 2027.
- 5 days in Belgrade: round PHP 80,300 per particular person together with flights, sharing a mid-range room. The breakdown is additional down.
Charges used all through: EUR 1 = PHP 70.86 (European Central Financial institution, 16 October 2026) and EUR 1 = RSD 117.4 (Nationwide Financial institution of Serbia center charge, similar date). That makes RSD 100 about PHP 60.
Getting there from the Philippines
Each route from the Philippines to Belgrade has at the very least one cease. The hubs exhibiting on Journey.com after we checked have been Shanghai Pudong (China Jap and Juneyao), Doha (Qatar Airways, and Philippine Airways connecting there), Guangzhou (China Southern and Air Serbia) and Istanbul (Turkish Airways). flydubai additionally flies the Dubai to Belgrade leg. The quickest connections, by way of Istanbul, took about 17 hours, and most sat between 19 and 23 hours.
On 18 October 2026, Journey.com’s Philippine website confirmed these fares:
- PHP 34,454 a method on China Jap by way of Shanghai, departing 1 November.
- PHP 36,620 a method on Philippine Airways by way of Doha, departing 21 November.
- PHP 46,281 a method on Turkish Airways by way of Istanbul, departing 12 December.
- PHP 56,601 spherical journey on China Southern by way of Guangzhou, 5 to 9 December.
The identical web page lists December as the most affordable month on common, round PHP 39,880 a method. That common covers the entire month, and most of December is quiet. The actual peak is compressed into roughly 18 December to 4 January, when OFWs and balikbayans are shifting in each instructions. In case your dates are versatile, early December or the times after 7 January are those to lock in first. Our information on when to e-book Christmas flights from the Philippines explains how the fare curve strikes by means of the season.
Verify Manila to Belgrade fares on Journey.com
From the airport into city. Belgrade made its public transport free on 1 January 2025, and metropolis bus 72 from Nikola Tesla Airport is a part of that. It takes 30 to 40 minutes relying on site visitors. The A1 airport minibus is somewhat sooner and prices RSD 400 (about PHP 240), paid in money to the motive force.
Visa and entry for Philippine passport holders
Serbia’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs lists the Philippines as visa required for each passport sort. For a winter vacation, the visa you need is the Visa C, the short-stay visa for as much as 90 days inside 180.
The brief model:
- Verify your case first with Serbia’s official discovery device. It asks 4 or 5 questions and provides a tailor-made reply.
- Apply on-line at welcometoserbia.gov.rs by means of an account on eid.gov.rs. There isn’t any Serbian embassy within the Philippines, so there is no such thing as a walk-in counter in Manila.
- Apply no sooner than three months earlier than you journey. For a mid-December journey, that window is already open.
- Pay the EUR 90 charge, which Serbia costs in dinars on the Nationwide Financial institution of Serbia center charge, in accordance with the federal government’s assist web page.
On the border, Serbia publishes its proof of funds as EUR 50 per day of keep, in money or on a financial institution assertion. A five-day journey means exhibiting EUR 250, roughly PHP 17,710. Officers can even ask for journey insurance coverage overlaying at the very least EUR 20,000. SafetyWing’s nomad insurance coverage is one possibility; verify that the protection quantity seems on the coverage doc you carry. Your keep additionally must be registered inside 24 hours of arrival. A resort or condominium host does that for you.
Our full Serbia visa information for Filipinos goes by means of the paperwork one after the other.
Already working in Europe? The OFW Christmas hop
Right here is the shortcut. For those who maintain a residence allow from a Schengen or EU nation, the Italian permesso di soggiorno, a Spanish TIE, a German Aufenthaltstitel, you possibly can enter Serbia with out making use of for a visa and keep as much as 90 days in 180, for so long as that allow stays legitimate. The identical goes for a legitimate Schengen, UK, EU member state or US visa, or a US residence allow. That rule, from a Serbian authorities choice of 30 October 2014, turns a Belgrade Christmas into a brief hop somewhat than a paperwork undertaking.
Belgrade is nicely related to the cities the place many Filipinos in Europe dwell and work. Present route listings for Nikola Tesla Airport present Air Serbia and Wizz Air fly to Belgrade from Rome, Milan, Madrid and Barcelona. Air Serbia and Lufthansa fly from Frankfurt, Air Serbia and Austrian Airways from Vienna, and Air Serbia, easyJet and Wizz Air from Paris.
The timing works in your favour too. Belgrade’s market runs to 4 January, Orthodox Christmas falls on 7 January, and the Serbian New 12 months on the evening of 13 January. In case your employer provides you days off after New 12 months somewhat than earlier than it, you continue to land in the course of the season.
Two cautions. The exemption solely names Schengen, EU and US residence permits, so a residence card from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong or Singapore does not qualify, and neither does a Japanese or Korean visa. And the allow must be legitimate in your complete keep, so verify the expiry date earlier than you e-book. If unsure, run your doc by means of the invention device above. For those who maintain a Schengen visa somewhat than a allow, our listing of nations Filipinos can enter with a European visa exhibits different journeys it opens up.
On the consular aspect, the Philippines opened an honorary consulate in Belgrade in 2018, and the Philippine Embassy in Budapest has held consular missions within the metropolis.
What Belgrade winter journey is de facto about: markets, two Christmases and two New Years
The primary Christmas marketplace for 2026 is in Sava Park at Belgrade Waterfront, listed by Final Christmas Markets as operating from 4 December 2026 to 4 January 2027, midday to 10pm day by day, closed on Christmas Day, with free entry. Anticipate kuvano vino (Serbian mulled crimson wine), sizzling rakija, ćevapi, and pljeskavica with kajmak. Customer evaluations on the identical itemizing be aware that costs are excessive by native requirements, so deal with it as a night out somewhat than your dinner plan.
The town centre attire up as nicely. Republic Sq. has hosted festive stalls in previous seasons, like those within the photograph above from December 2017. A guided stroll is a straightforward first afternoon after an extended flight: examine Belgrade strolling excursions on GetYourGuide. Our issues to do in Belgrade listing covers the year-round sights.
Christmas on 25 December. Serbia is usually Orthodox, however Belgrade has Catholic parishes, and two of them have revealed Sunday plenty in English: Christ the King at Krunska 23 (Sunday 11:30am) and St Peter at Makedonska 23 (Sunday 9:00am), in accordance with the Weekday Lots listing. Verify the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day occasions with the parish, since vacation schedules change.
Christmas on 7 January. On Badnji dan, Orthodox Christmas Eve on 6 January, a badnjak (a dried oak department) is historically lit in entrance of the Temple of Saint Sava, and Serbian media have reported massive crowds on the lighting in previous years. The Christmas liturgy follows contained in the church. For those who go, gown warmly and modestly.
New 12 months, twice. Belgrade celebrates on 31 December, and once more for the Serbian New 12 months on the evening of 13 to 14 January. In recent times, together with January 2025, the Serbian New 12 months has introduced fireworks at Belgrade Waterfront and a live performance on Republic Sq.. The town had not introduced its 2026 to 2027 programme as of mid-October, so verify native listings nearer to the date.
Kopaonik: a primary ski journey from Belgrade
Kopaonik is Serbia’s largest ski resort, within the mountains of central Serbia. In accordance with Skiresort.data, the 2026 to 2027 season is scheduled to run from 3 December 2026 to 11 April 2027. The resort has 55 km of slopes, 30 km of them rated straightforward, served by 26 lifts between 1,060 m and a pair of,017 m. Greater than half the terrain is beginner-friendly, which issues if the coldest place you’ve gotten been is Baguio in January.
What it value final season, 2025 to 2026, as reported by Kurir:
| Ski go, grownup | RSD | PHP |
|---|---|---|
| In the future | 5,600 to six,500 | 3,380 to three,920 |
| Six days | 24,900 to 27,100 | 15,030 to 16,360 |
The 2026 to 2027 worth listing had not been revealed after we checked. Final season opened from 4 to 7 December with a free first day and discounted passes on the times after. This season’s opening dates have been nonetheless unconfirmed in October.
Getting there. Omio lists a direct bus from Belgrade taking about 4 and a half to 5 and 1 / 4 hours, with fares from about USD 26 to 30 (PHP 1,640 to 1,890) a method. Its dwell timetable confirmed a single direct morning departure, so verify the schedule earlier than you repair your resort dates. In case you are travelling as a gaggle or with ski luggage, examine non-public switch quotes from Belgrade on GetTransfer.
Staying on the mountain. Vacation dates value extra on the mountain simply as they do within the metropolis, so if you’re on a peso finances, purpose for early or mid-December, or every week in January after the Serbian New 12 months. You’ll be able to examine Kopaonik accommodations and residences right here.
The place to remain in Belgrade, and what 5 days value
Three areas make sense for a winter journey:
- Stari Grad and Dorćol: strolling distance to Knez Mihailova, Republic Sq. and Kalemegdan. Finest for a primary go to.
- Vračar: quieter, residential, near the Temple of Saint Sava. Good for the Orthodox Christmas companies.
- Savamala and Belgrade Waterfront: closest to the Sava Park Christmas market and the New 12 months fireworks.
For a way of worth, Kayak confirmed accommodations in Vračar averaging USD 93 to 102 an evening (about PHP 5,860 to six,420) over the 2 weeks earlier than we checked. December weekends close to the vacations will run larger. Examine locations to remain in central Belgrade, or browse the map beneath for dwell costs.
5 days and 4 nights in Belgrade, per particular person, sharing a mid-range room:
| Merchandise | Native foreign money | PHP |
|---|---|---|
| Return flight, Manila to Belgrade, 5 to 9 December fare | 56,601 | |
| Lodge, 4 nights at about USD 95, half a shared room | USD 190 | 11,960 |
| Meals: two easy restaurant meals at EUR 11.85, plus EUR 8 for espresso and snacks, 5 days | EUR 158.50 | 11,230 |
| Metropolis buses and trams | free | 0 |
| A1 airport minibus, each methods | RSD 800 | 480 |
| Complete | about 80,300 | |
| Visa C, in case you want one | EUR 90 | 6,380 |
| Kopaonik add-on: return bus | about USD 52 to 60 | about 3,270 to three,780 |
| Kopaonik add-on: three one-day passes ultimately season’s costs | RSD 16,800 to 19,500 | 10,140 to 11,770 |
The meal worth is Numbeo’s determine for a reasonable restaurant in Belgrade, checked 9 October 2026. The resort line makes use of October costs from Kayak, and the flight is the most affordable early-December spherical journey we discovered, so deal with the whole as a flooring somewhat than a quote. Our value of dwelling in Serbia information has extra native costs.
Packing for the chilly, and different sensible suggestions
Belgrade in December wants a distinct suitcase from Baguio. Days hover round 5°C, nights drop to freezing, and rain or snow turns pavements slick.
- Layers beat one huge jacket. Thermal base layers you should purchase at dwelling, a fleece or sweater, and a windproof outer coat.
- Waterproof footwear with grip. Sneakers soak by means of on moist pavement and slush.
- Gloves, a beanie and a shawl. Your ears will thanks on the stroll throughout Kalemegdan.
- Purchase the heavy coat in Belgrade in case you plan to remain longer. Winter clothes in Serbia is commonly cheaper than packing cumbersome gadgets from dwelling.
Staying related. Airport and resort wifi will get you thru the primary hour. After that, an eSIM saves the hunt for a SIM store on a chilly first morning: see Airalo’s Serbia eSIM plans.
Cash. Serbia makes use of the dinar (RSD), not the euro, so preserve some dinars in money for market stalls, the A1 minibus and small cafes.
Pondering of staying longer than a vacation?
If a winter week turns into plans to remain, the order of steps issues. A Visa C can’t be was residence. You want a Visa D first, then non permanent residence, and if you’ll work for a Serbian employer, a single allow for residence and work, issued for as much as 36 months and filed on-line after the employer completes a labour market check. Our visa information explains every step, and the price of dwelling information exhibits what a Serbian wage truly covers.
That is additionally the work I do exterior the weblog. Rodi Options handles Serbian visas, residence and the Philippine doc path that goes with them, and I’ll inform you truthfully when one thing is easy sufficient to do your self.
In case you are inquisitive about working in Serbia, Rodi Jobs is a job board in English the place Serbian employers submit jobs and search for Filipino staff. A primary profile is free. It’s a job board, not a recruitment company: you take care of employers instantly, no employer could cost you a charge, and any job you settle for from the Philippines nonetheless goes by means of the DMW like another abroad job.
FAQ
Do Filipinos want a visa to go to Belgrade in winter?
Sure, a Visa C, except you maintain a legitimate Schengen, UK, EU or US visa, or a Schengen, EU or US residence allow. The charge is EUR 90, about PHP 6,380, and also you apply on-line no sooner than three months earlier than journey.
When is the Belgrade Christmas market in 2026?
Sava Park at Belgrade Waterfront, 4 December 2026 to 4 January 2027, midday to 10pm, closed on Christmas Day, in accordance with Final Christmas Markets.
Can I enter Serbia with my Italian or Spanish residence allow?
Sure. A sound residence allow from a Schengen or EU nation helps you to enter with no visa for as much as 90 days in 180, so long as it stays legitimate. A UAE or Saudi residence card doesn’t qualify.
Is Kopaonik good for newcomers?
Sure. About 30 of its 55 km of slopes are rated straightforward. A one-day grownup go value RSD 5,600 to six,500 (PHP 3,380 to three,920) final season.
How a lot do 5 days in Belgrade value from Manila?
Round PHP 80,300 per particular person together with an early-December return flight, sharing a mid-range room. Add PHP 6,380 in case you want a visa.
Earlier than you e-book
Belgrade in winter fits a Filipino traveler higher than most of Europe: the vacations final till mid-January, the meals is hearty and low cost by European requirements, and the chilly is actual however manageable with the fitting layers. Type the visa query first, as a result of it decides the whole lot else. Then lock in your flight earlier than the 18 December rush, decide a base close to the market or the outdated city, and go away a day or three for Kopaonik in case you have ever needed to see what snow looks like below a pair of skis. Ingat sa biyahe, and pack the gloves.
Concerning the Writer
Bianca Rei is a Filipino traveler, entrepreneur, and problem-solver who has referred to as Serbia dwelling for a few years. She has been following Two Monkeys Journey Group since 2014, again when she was merely a reader dreaming, touring, and gathering tales of her personal, so having the ability to contribute to the weblog now feels somewhat like coming full circle.
Bianca runs Rodi Options, the place she helps folks and companies navigate life and enterprise in Serbia, alongside web site design, improvement, and administration. When she will not be working, she is normally touring, boxing, chasing one other journey, or spending time together with her household.
Discover her work at rodi.consulting, or get to know her past work at biancarei.web.
