Bus from NIKŠIĆ to SOKOBANJA

Nikšić is the second largest city of Montenegro, with a total population of 71,237, located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Mount Trebjesa.

It is the center of Nikšić Municipality (Population of 87,950), which is the largest municipality by area and second most inhabited after Podgorica. It is an important industrial, cultural, and educational center.

Nikšić has a humid subtropical climate, which is influenced by the Mediterranean climate drying trend during summer. Average temperature for January is 1.3°C, while average temperature in July is 21.1°C. Average humidity amounts to 68,57%. Nikšić receives 2.245 hours of sunshine per year, with warm and moderately wet summers, and cool and rainy winters. On average, there are 19 days per year with snowfall.

Although Nikšić area has seen human settlements since antiquity, most of the modern Nikšić is a planned city. Very little remains of the Ottoman architectural heritage, despite the long presence of Ottoman Empire in the area. The city layout visible today still follows the 1883 urban plan commissioned by King Nicholas and designed by Croatian architect Josip Slade.

According to this plan, the streets of Nikšić radiate to the north and east from the central city square (today a roundabout), locally known as Skver. The radial streets are intersected by circumferential streets and avenues, thus creating a half-spider web-like street layout.

Nikšić is, alongside Podgorica, one of the biggest industrial centres of Montenegro. A Steel mill (Nikšićka Željezara), bauxite mine, Trebjesa brewery (Nikšićka Pivara), and many more are concentrated in this city. These big industries had struggled to survive the collapse of the socialist economy, but have since recovered. The process of privatization is either finished or still in progress for some of these industries.

Today those industry giants cannot employ as many workers as they could back in the days of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the economy of Nikšić is slowly transforming into one that is more service-oriented. In 1981 Niksic's GDP per capita was 91% of the Yugoslav average.

Although mostly perceived as an industrial center, Nikšić is also a city of rich cultural heritage. The most significant cultural institution in the city is Centar Za Kulturu (Cultural Center), which incorporates the city's major public cultural establishments. Nikšić is known for its distinctive cultural atmosphere and bohemian art scene, with poet Vitomir Nikolić and singers/songwriters like Miladin Šobić or Marinko Pavićević as prominent representatives of the Nikšić bohemian spirit. Živko Nikolić, a native of Nikšić, is considered the most significant Montenegrin movie director.

Sokobanja is located in southeastern Serbia, at an altitude of 400 meters in the basin between the Rtanja Mountains (1560m) and Ozren (1174m).

Sokobanja (9000 inhabitants) is the economic, health, cultural and tourist center of the municipality that covers an area of ​​525 km2, in which 25 inhabited places live about 20,000 inhabitants.

The basic branch of the economy is tourism with agriculture and mining. Thanks to the good traffic connections in Sokobanja, it arrives asphalt, quickly and easily from every direction.

Since ancient times known as a tourist destination, Sokobanja has the basic elements for the formation of a diverse tourist offer: thermomineral waters, ideal altitude of 400m, favorable climate, unspoiled nature that surrounds, rich cultural heritage ....

Sokobanja to its visitors throughout the year and a variety of cultural and entertainment contents and events. The days spent in Sokobanja remain permanently in an unforgettable memory, so the tourists visit, revealing always new interesting details in it. Today Sokobanja is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Serbia.

Treatment in Sokobanja is carried out, based on the indicated indications, by bathing in warm, slightly radioactive water and inhalation, according to the instructions and under the supervision of a physician. Sokobanja air is itself a cure for asthma sufferers.

Thermal sources Sokobanja are among the most active in this part of Europe. In total, there are six major, whose water temperature ranges from 28-45 degrees Celsius. Since the outbreak of radioactive gases in the entire territory of Banja is large, each visitor is exposed to mild inhalation, which very usefully affects the respiratory organs and the whole organism.

The area of ​​Sokobanja is rich in valuable cultural and historical monuments, churches and monasteries: the medieval town of Sokograd, the remains of Vrmdanski grad, the Turkish Amam (XV century), the restaurant "Milošev konak", the building of the administration of the Principality of Serbia (XIX century) Church of the Mother of God in the center of Sokobanja, the Church of the Birth of the Virgin on Lepterija, the monastery Jermenčić (XIV century) at Ozren, the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in Jošanica (XI century), the church of the Fire of Mary in Gradašnica, the church of St. Eli in Istoces (XIX century ), the memorial fountains of Prince Miloš Obrenović, Hajduk Veljko Petrović and Ljube Didić.

Hunting grounds in the Sokobanja area are the right place for the most interesting adventure! In accordance with the prescribed law and according to the hunting calendar for game in the protection regime, that is, the pricelist brought by the Board of the Hunting Association of Serbia, you can try hunting in these terrains: rabbit, field partridge, wild boar, forest snail, pheasant, wild duck , fox, pigeon mug, quail, thistle, gututku, then roe deer and deer. No less attractive is hunting game outside the protection regime: wolf, wild cat, cancer and foxes.