Two Nights on the Banks of the Danube – Between Swimming, the Ferry and Cold Beer. A sincere travel journal, with humor and practical tips for the road.
A Spontaneous Decision, with the Child’s Passport in My Pocket
I hadn’t written a travel journal in quite some time. In recent years, I got used to appreciating the beauty of the places I visited with a certain detachment, setting aside my “journalist’s eye”.
But this time I thought it wouldn’t hurt to make an exception. Maybe as a writing exercise too… Because, in the end, writing a report – even on vacation – still feels like pleasure. That is, if this hobby lives inside you.
The decision to spend a few days with our Serbian neighbors came overnight. There was no strict or detailed planning involved. Maybe we were also influenced by the fact that, after almost two years of… laziness, we finally managed to renew our child’s passport.
Destination: Silver Lake, also known as Serbia’s “Seaside”
The scorching heat that was expected during those days also played a decisive role. And since the distance to other “seasides” is a bit too long, we chose to revisit Silver Lake, the recreational area near Veliko Gradište.
We had been there a few times before (in fact, until now, our kid hasn’t known any other “beach” but this one…), so making this decision wasn’t difficult at all.
Accommodation: Booked via Booking, Confirmed on WhatsApp
We quickly found accommodation online. I already know the area pretty well and have a good idea of where the decent places are and where to avoid. Even though I could have just called “directly”, I decided to go through Booking. It somehow feels safer with their help.
The actual communication with the hosts ended up happening over WhatsApp, in English. It was a very prompt and clear conversation. I realized that, even though the area is frequently visited by many Romanians, we still seem to have a good reputation.
When I asked how I should pay, the reply was: “When you leave, just drop the key and the money in the safe box.” Now that’s what I call trust in people…
The Route: Short, Easy, but Mind the Speed Limits
The route isn’t too long (about 180 km) and it’s not particularly difficult either: Lugoj – Sacoșu Turcesc – Jebel – Stamora Moravița (border) – Vršac – Stara Palanka – Ram – Silver Lake.
You can drive it in a bit over 3 hours, with a few short stops. The road is fairly good, but in Serbia the roads are incredibly narrow. Be careful with your speed! Over there, it’s 40 km/h in towns and 80 km/h outside.
The Border Was Empty – A Minor Miracle
The first big surprise of the trip was right at the border crossing. Every single time I’ve crossed at Stamora Moravița before, there was always a line of cars. Maybe the number of cars wasn’t that big… maybe it was just the mood of the customs officers, I really couldn’t say. But we always waited at least 20–25 minutes to get through one of the checkpoints.
Now… deserted. On both the Romanian and Serbian sides!
We were the only car at both border checkpoints. I almost panicked — I didn’t even know which booth to head to in order to show our documents.
Even more surprising, every face — regardless of nationality — was smiling and full of goodwill.
God bless them all!
First stop: the DIS supermarket in Vršac. Stara Palanka – the ferry boarding point
Straight from the border (after a quick stop at a DIS supermarket in Vršac), we reached Stara Palanka, the place where you catch the ferry. It’s not far from Vršac, around 25–30 km. And since we breezed through customs like butter, we arrived about 40 minutes early. Just enough time for coffee and soft drinks in the area.
Right at the boarding point, on that branch of the Danube, there are two restaurants. If you arrive with time to spare, you can enjoy some great — and most importantly, fresh — fish.
Card is king
Payment is accepted almost everywhere in Serbia by card, so I didn’t bother exchanging Romanian lei into dinars in Vršac (which, by the way, is the only place you can do that — elsewhere, like Veliko Gradište or Silver Lake, they only take foreign currency!). Anyway, card payments usually offer the best exchange rates compared to their exchange offices.
The ferry won’t wait for you
The ferry schedule is quite strict. Those guys have no idea you’re planning to cross, so don’t expect them to wait… If it says on the schedule board that the ferry leaves at 11:30, you can bet that by 11:31 you’ll be waving at it from the shore (true story — it happened to me two years ago).
For those interested, the schedule can be found on the Dunav Trans website.
We paid for the crossing in lei (we could choose between 100 lei or 2,000 dinars for a small car). Compared to 2019, when I first crossed with the ferry, the price has increased significantly. Back then, it was around 35–40 lei.
Bikers and a Titanic moment
The ferry ride was cool, just like every other time. I always get that DiCaprio-on-the-Titanic feeling — the early part of the movie, when he’s still on the ship, not in the water…
This time, it was even better, since we shared the ride with about 30 bikers. Besides admiring some awesome motorcycles, we also enjoyed a great music mix: Bijelo Dugme, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and more.
Our kid — a rocker for some time now — was in seventh heaven! (Even caught my wife subtly nodding along to a couple of tracks…)
First impressions upon arriving at the resort
After disembarking near the Ram Fortress, it took us about 20 more minutes to get to Silver Lake.
I could tell you more about the resort, but it’s probably better if you check it out yourself on Wikipedia.
Every time I arrive, I’m amazed by how many new buildings have appeared. Back in 2018, when we first came, there were just a few guesthouses. Now there’s practically a whole neighborhood of apartment blocks.
I couldn’t tell you the exact lodging capacity in the area, but I’d estimate it easily exceeds 10,000 spots — more than half of them in buildings less than 5–6 years old.
Silver Dream 1 – a smart accommodation choice
We stayed in a 4-story building called Silver Dream 1, and the apartment was exactly as described on Booking: lakeside, free parking, elevator to the third floor, and a unit with open-space living room, bathroom, bedroom, and balcony.
Everything was almost brand-new inside. As I said, these are fresh constructions, so I wasn’t too worried.
Bonus: excellent wi-fi — a blessing for us smartphone addicts…
A Quick Recon Walk and the First Serbian Lunch
After unpacking, we took a short stroll along the lake promenade to refresh our memory of the place. And yes, all the shops, restaurants, and boutiques were right where we left them. Actually, there were even a few new ones.
So we dared to “attack” our first Serbian lunch.
Since I knew I’d be taking the kid for a swim later (I mean, that’s why we braved the heat all the way to the Danube, right?), I decided to go a bit easy with what would end up on my plate.
We chose a lakeside restaurant called Kod Brke. I had eaten there in previous years and knew they were great with fish dishes.
My wife and I both ordered catfish, and for the kid, just a meat soup.
Tasty Catfish, Cold Beer, and Classic Serbian-Sized Portions
The catfish — large portions and barely any bones — came with oven-baked potatoes. Two lemonades, one still water, and two draft beers helped us wrap up everything on our plates nicely.
I’ll admit, prices aren’t what they were 3–4 years ago, but still lower than back home.
The whole meal cost us about 180 RON (around €35).
Swimming – Between Gravel and Sand, with a Handball
There are plenty of places to swim in this area. Some are private, with cabanas or umbrellas, but you can also just throw a towel on the shore and walk into the Danube.
Most of the designated areas are nicely arranged and cleaned for beach use. The water entry is the same — small gravel at first, then sand.
That’s only in the maintained areas, though.
Otherwise, it’s muddy — which is perfectly normal. The water is shallow in the arranged zones. You can walk out about 20 meters into the lake and still not go deeper than 1.5 meters.
In unmarked areas, if you don’t know how to swim, better stay out. There are no lifeguards anywhere nearby…
We went for a swim right in front of our accommodation, in one of the arranged areas, and had a blast for over an hour.
I mean, we didn’t get out of the water for an hour — it was warm, clean, and we had a handball that we used to drive everyone around us a bit crazy…
An Alternative: The Aqua Park for Kids (and Grown-Ups)
If you don’t feel like swimming in the Danube (I confess, I didn’t the first two times either), there’s always the option of an Aqua Park.
For kids, it’s ideal — even if the price is on the higher side (but not more than what you’d pay in Romania).
There are two small slides. As I said, it’s great for kids.
Even adults won’t complain too much. Inside, there’s a bar where you can get draft beer…
Dinner: From a Suspicious Terrace to a Peaceful Evening Walk
We decided to have dinner at a terrace on the promenade, one where we’d seen lots of people around lunchtime. It was right next to our accommodation.
It didn’t really look like a proper restaurant — more like a small terrace — but we figured those people crowding in earlier must have known something we didn’t.
Well… we realized (too late, since we’d already ordered) that they didn’t.
We did eat, true — and it wasn’t expensive — but it wasn’t particularly good either.
Oh well, it happens…
And since there isn’t much else to do in the resort besides strolling around admiring all the newly built villas and apartment blocks, we headed back to the apartment.
The strong wi-fi and an enormous flat-screen TV made the evening more than pleasant.
In-Room Breakfast and a Morning Swim
In the morning, after coffee, tea, and some mini-croissants enjoyed in the room, we headed out for another swim.
We chose the same spot as the day before, but it was less crowded — Serbians aren’t exactly early risers. (By the way, if you want to have breakfast at a restaurant, don’t expect any to open before 9:00 AM. And even then, chances are they’re still closed, regardless of what the posted hours say…)
The water, just as clean and warm as the day before, made us feel great — and especially refreshing for those who had sampled the local brandy the night before…
Shopping in Veliko Gradište and a Lunch to Remember
You can’t really visit Serbia without doing some shopping — especially since I needed to exchange some euros to leave payment for our host.
So, around noon, we made a quick run to Veliko Gradište, the town twinned with Lugoj (bet most of you didn’t know that…).
It’s about, let’s say, “two streets away”… Just kidding — it’s probably no more than 3 km.
I won’t tell you more about the town here, but you can learn plenty from its Wikipedia page.
We found a supermarket (actually, I had looked it up beforehand) called Vivko, which had decent prices on a range of items.
For most Serbian-made products, prices are lower than for similar ones back home — though the gap isn’t quite as wide as it was 4–5 years ago.
Lunch at Casina Haiducilor
We had lunch at Casina Haiducilor, a lovely restaurant near the park, close to the Danube.
The night before we’d had a rather disappointing dinner, but this time we knew exactly what we were getting into.
It wasn’t our first time eating here.
Lunch with Authentic Pljeskavica
Aside from their outstanding hospitality, Casina Haiducilor has, hands down, the best pljeskavica I’ve ever tasted.
Yes, plenty of restaurants in Romania claim to serve “authentic” pljeskavica. But don’t be fooled. The real deal can only be found in Serbia. The rest are just poor attempts — kind of like pizza that isn’t made in Italy…
My son and I both had pljeskavica (he almost managed to finish a whole one himself!), while my wife went for grilled catfish.
Add to that two Pepsis, two large still waters, and a Serbian salad — and the total came to about 225 RON (around €45).
I stubbornly insisted on finishing everything on my plate (that’s how I was raised — “don’t waste food!”), but it wasn’t without great effort…
Afternoon Storm and a Well-Earned Nap
When we returned to the resort, we were planning another swim, but a short afternoon storm (more wind than rain) ruined that plan.
Still, we’d already done enough splashing around — and to be honest, after such a heavy lunch, a nap — even if “unhealthy,” as doctors would say — felt just right!
Evening Walk, the Port, and Little Boats
In the evening, we went on the usual walk along the promenade, with a short detour over the natural dike that separates the lake from the flowing Danube.
There’s a small port there, where you can admire a few anchored boats.
Those interested in taking a boat trip on the Danube (which includes the famous Danube Gorges) can hop on a small tour boat from here.
I believe the ride lasts a full day. I’ll admit — I didn’t do my homework on this part since we weren’t really interested.
Final Dinner: Back to Kod Brke and Half a Diet
For dinner, we went back to the same restaurant where we had our first meal — Kod Brke.
I decided to go for something light this time, since I’ve been struggling with a diet for about a month now, and it was clearly not going well.
So I ordered just a Viennese schnitzel, nothing else.
In solidarity, my wife and son ordered some chicken with oven-baked potatoes.
The waiter didn’t quite get that I didn’t want potatoes too, but that wasn’t the problem.
The problem was the schnitzel’s size. I practically had to guess there was a plate under it… It was enormous!
But hey — as I was taught from a young age not to leave anything on the plate (it’s impolite!), I managed once again not to offend our hosts…
For the three meals, one large still water, a soft drink, and a draft beer (yes, my diet only applies to food…), the bill came to about 125 RON (roughly €25).
We left a tip and all the dinars we could find in our pockets — I’m sure it brightened the waiter’s evening, especially since he looked a bit let down when we said we wanted to pay by card…
Heading Home
The next morning, around 9:15, we packed up and left.
We left the payment for the accommodation just as agreed with the host (by the way, I forgot to mention — we only paid €45 per night).
At 10:00 sharp (no joke!), the ferry was waiting at the Ram Fortress.
Less than an hour after disembarking (with a brief stop at the Roda supermarket in Vršac), we were already at the border.
We had just two cars ahead of us, and the customs officers (on both sides) were surprisingly efficient — we waited no more than 5 minutes, either with the Serbians or on our side.
No one even looked in our bags. As I said before: God bless them!
Back in Lugoj – With a Stormy Welcome!
The road back home was uneventful, so after about an hour and a half, we arrived in Lugoj.
And to welcome us back, the city greeted us with a full-on thunderstorm.
But no worries — we didn’t mind…
P.S. – What I Didn’t Include
(1) I didn’t include any photos (except the first one) because, as the title says, this is a travel journal, not a photo report.
Nowadays, anyone can create a photo essay — even with just a random smartphone.
But writing a travel journal? That’s a bit trickier…
(2) I hope this little journal — and the links I posted — come in handy in case you feel like making a quick escape to the Serbian “seaside”!
Hub media Lugoj 
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