Šargan Eight and Drvengrad

The Šargan Eight is a surviving stretch of narrow-gauge railway that solves a steep climb by looping the track over itself in a figure of eight, gaining height through tunnels and over viaducts in a way that means you pass the same valley several times at different levels. The original line closed in the 1970s and a section was restored for tourist trains, which run a slow circuit of a couple of hours from Mokra Gora. Beside it, on a hill, stands Drvengrad, a village of relocated traditional wooden houses built by the film director Emir Kusturica as a set and then kept as a working village with a cinema, restaurant and streets named after people he admires. The two together make an odd and enjoyable day.

What you actually see

• The Šargan Eight train - the looping narrow-gauge circuit through tunnels and viaducts.
• Drvengrad - the wooden village built as a film set, with cinema and workshops.
• Mokra Gora - the valley and its old station buildings.
• Tara National Park - forested gorges and the Drina nearby.

When to go

May to October, when trains run most frequently. Autumn colour along the line is superb. Winter services are reduced or suspended, and snow can close the line entirely.

Honest expectations

The train is slow, the carriages are basic and the circuit takes over two hours, most of it at walking pace; it is an experience rather than transport. Drvengrad is a constructed village rather than a historic one and charges admission, which some visitors resent once they realise. Both are busy on summer weekends.

Nearby

Tara National Park and the Drina canyon are close; Zlatibor's resort area lies east.