Hotels in Šabac

Šabac: Mačva's River City on the Sava

Šabac sits on the southern bank of the Sava River in western Serbia, roughly 80 km west of Belgrade. Founded as a medieval fortress town, it served as a key Ottoman stronghold — the original Fetislam fortress dates to the 15th century. Today the city of around 55,000 is the administrative centre of Mačva District, surrounded by fertile lowland farmland and forested floodplains along the Sava.

Visitors arrive for the Šabac Summer Festival, one of Serbia's longer-running open-air cultural events, and for the city's accessible position as a base for the Zasavica Special Nature Reserve, a wetland 20 km to the southeast home to the rare Mangulica pig and Hutsul horse. The compact old town pedestrian zone along Gospodarska Street holds 19th-century merchant architecture and a cluster of cafés.

Practical Tips

• Getting there: Buses from Belgrade's Lasta terminal run roughly every hour; journey time is approximately 1.5 hours.
• Best season: May through September for outdoor events and Sava riverbank activity.
• Currency: Serbian dinar (RSD); most hotels accept cards but carry cash for smaller venues.
• Day trips: Zasavica Nature Reserve and the Cer mountain range are both under 30 km from the city centre.