Located some 16km from the city centre, though entirely within the municipality of Belgrade, at 511 metres Mount Avala earns its title by a scant eleven metres but owing to the surrounding lowlands it still provides beautiful panoramic views of the city and beyond. The mountain has been protected as a nature reserve since 1859 by the order of Prince Miloš Obrenović of Serbia, who originally intended to have it surrounded by a massive fence, and has served as a recreational area for the residents of Belgrade for even longer. Aside from an abundance of animal species the mountain is also known for its diverse plant life, which includes some 600 species of flowers, herbs and trees - many of which are also protected due to their rarity.

Man-made sights can also be found in abundance on the mountain, including the Monument to the Unknown Hero (completed in 1938 and dedicated to the unknown Serbian soldier from World War I), a Memorial Park (in honour of the victims of World War II), the Monument to Soviet War Vetrans (commemorating Red Army officers killed in a plane crash on Avala in 1964) and the Monument of Vasa Čarapić (one of the leaders of the First Serbian Uprising in 1804, which liberated Belgrade from the Turks). The mountain is well-connected to the city centre by public transport, and is most easily reached by bus from the Trošarina neighbourhood.