Hiking in Serbia, Vršac mountain with two kids

As a father of three, I can hardly wait for the weekend, which always seems to pass far too quickly. That’s the only time when we can (whenever the weather allows and we’re all healthy and in good spirits) organize a family trip or spend time together in nature. This week, we decided on an afternoon hike along the health trails of the Vršac Mountains.This time, the third child, Andrej, stayed at home with his grandfather.

Since we live on the opposite side of town, we drove along the road that passes through the Vršac vineyards. After about 20 minutes of driving, we parked on the plateau near the small church.
Our family expedition began through the forest, following one of the three health trails that eventually meet or cross before reaching Vršac Tower.

We made our first stop at the viewpoint—rocky cliffs offering a view that truly once adorned postcards 20–30 years ago with the words “Greetings from Vršac,” back in the days of the former SFR Yugoslavia.

We took some photos and then continued on, carrying the children on our backs. The forest path was quite rough and uneven, full of roots and, in some places, traces of ash left from a summer wildfire that had affected part of the trail.

After about 50 minutes of hiking, half tired but smiling, we finally reached our goal—the historic Vršac Tower, a protected cultural monument that was renovated a few years ago. Its interior has been adapted and is now part of the city museum exhibition, housing items of priceless value.

I’ll write about that another time, since on this visit we were greeted by closed museum doors. Of course, Aleksandar tried to “fire” the cannon placed in front of the tower at the viewpoint, drawing smiles from other walkers and tourists. For a moment, it reminded me of Serbian history—when Đurađ Branković gazed over the entire Banat plain, controlling the crossroads in defense against the Turks in the 14th century, and later in the 15th century when gunpowder began to be used and cannons truly thundered from this very spot.

After checking the trail map, we continued along the forest path toward the second viewpoint, Turska Glava. There was some climbing, some sliding through dust and grass over winding little paths, passing uphill and downhill stretches and squeezing past a fallen tree. All accompanied by children’s chatter and their careful search for the trail markers on the trees so we wouldn’t lose our way. Anja was hoping to see a deer and her fawn, but unfortunately that didn’t happen this time. We had to settle for the cheerful chirping of birds.

When we finally reached the viewpoint and the forest opened up, the sight left us breathless. The feeling was surreal—like something out of a movie. For a brief moment, I thought I could see a glimpse of the Danube near Banatska Palanka in the distance. Wind turbines could also be seen far away—Aleksandar would simply say, “Look, the thing that spins!” There’s a reason this place is called Turska Glava. Perhaps, long ago, Vršac heroes counted Turkish heads from this very spot. It was worth every drop of sweat to get there.

After a short rest and a snack break, we decided to finish our hike at the children’s playground near the tank monument at the Red Cross resort. We fed the ponies and other animals in the small zoo next to the playground. The kids love feeding and petting the little horses. There were also geese, ducks, and goats—big and small. We even took a photo with one for a keepsake. After dozens of slides down the playground slide, swings, see-saws, and climbing adventures, we headed back into the forest using a shortcut I remembered from my teenage years when we used to explore Vršac Hill.

Unfortunately, we had to end our journey earlier than planned because of the children—at least until they grow a little older. Tired, slightly cranky, and with growing appetites, they began to complain that everything hurt. Next time, I hope for an even longer stay in nature. One day, when they go their own way, all the time in the world will be ours—but I’m aware that moments like these will never come again. That’s why we will continue with new adventures.
Thanks for reading,and welcome to explore beautyfull Vrsac mountains.