Vrnjačka Banja

Vrnjačka Banja has been a spa since the Romans used the springs here, and it was developed from the 1860s into the country's leading resort, with seven mineral sources of which the best known emerges at almost exactly human body temperature. The town is laid out around a large wooded park with the springs, pavilions, villas from the spa's grand period and a promenade that fills every evening in season. The Bridge of Love carries thousands of padlocks and a story about a schoolmistress and an officer that is claimed as the origin of the padlock custom, a claim that circulates widely and cannot really be verified. Modern hotels and treatment centres do the actual business. It is busy, social and unashamedly a resort town.

What you actually see

• The mineral springs - sources in the park, one at body temperature.
• The Bridge of Love - the padlock-covered footbridge and its story.
• The spa park - wooded grounds, pavilions and villas.
• Evening promenade - the crowded walking culture of the resort.

When to go

May to September, with July and August busiest and most crowded. Treatment centres run year round. Spring and autumn are quieter and pleasanter for the park.

Honest expectations

It is crowded in summer, with heavy development and a lot of new building that sits awkwardly against the old villas. Prices rise in season. The padlock-bridge origin story is folklore rather than established fact. Treatment facilities are aimed at longer courses, not casual visits.

Nearby

Žiča monastery lies north; Kraljevo is northwest.