I visited Sopocani as part of a road trip through Serbia, starting and ending in Belgrade. The site is a bit off the beaten path and certainly not in a tourist region. Novi Pazar is one of these towns that make you doubt you are in a developed part of the world. The sites within the city however are easy to find. St Peter’s church and the cemetery were open for visit without entry fee. We spent the night in Stari Ras, which is actually just a hotel and some ruins.

From the hotel (RAS Pazatiste) there is a small footpath leading to the fortress ruin on the top of the hill. It’s a nice little hike and chances are you won’t meet anybody and have the ruins all for yourself. From the hotel you can follow the road to the Sopocani monastery (around 7mins by car). You will find a smaller version of the Studenica monastery, but still enjoyable enough to be worth the effort.