Golubac fortress looks like something drawn by a child who loved castles: nine towers of different heights, tumbling down a rock to the water's edge, with a harbour wall and a great arched gate in front. It stands where the Danube, having crossed the wide Pannonian plain, narrows suddenly into the gorges of the Iron Gates, and for centuries whoever held it controlled river traffic. Hungarians, Serbs and Ottomans fought over it repeatedly in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and it changed hands more than once. After a long restoration it reopened to visitors in the 2010s, and you can now walk the ramparts and climb the towers.
The village itself is tiny, perhaps sixteen hundred people, and the nearest large town is across the river in Romania. On the Serbian side, Veliko Gradište is the sensible place for fuel and supplies, so fill the tank there before you start along the river road. A local legend explains the swarms of tiny black flies that sometimes plague this stretch in early summer: the Golubac fly is said to have been born from the blood of a dragon killed by Saint George in a nearby cave. Whatever the origin, the flies are real, so carry a visor wipe in late spring.
The ride along the Danube from here is one of the best in the Balkans. The road hugs the river, tunnelling through limestone in places, with the Romanian bank rising steeply on the other side and the water sliding past wide and green. Curves are gentle and fast, the surface is generally good, and the traffic is light outside the summer weekends. The Djerdap National Park protects the gorge, with its griffon vultures, lynx, and oak and beech forests, and the air feels cleaner here than in the plain.
Weather matters. In winter the river fog is thick and the road can be icy, and in summer the afternoon sun beats on the cliffs. Autumn is probably the best season, with golden light and few other visitors. The view of the fortress from the road, as you come round the bend with the river below, is worth stopping for, so pull over safely. Cafes near the entrance serve strong coffee, grilled fish from the Danube, and rakija, the plum brandy that Serbs drink with ceremony.