Belgrade. Serbia. Ask any American or Western European over 40 what they know about Serbia, and the first thing that will come to their mind is the wars that raged here in what used to be Yugoslavia in the 90’s. Terrible wars that cost over 100,000 lives, split communities, neighbors, even families, and displaced millions. And not only was Serbia at war, it was at war…with us. That’s right. If you hail from the USA, Canada, UK, or most any Western European NATO member nation, it was your military forces that were bombing targets in this very city, only twenty years ago. This is not ancient history. You can easily visit multiple bombed out buildings still abandoned and crumbling right here in Belgrade.
So what would it be like visiting here as an American? What do people think about the wars of the recent past? Do they think about them? Does any of it matter anymore? Is it even acceptable to ask? These are the questions I came to Belgrade with, hoping to get answers.
First impressions of Belgrade are mixed. It is not an obviously beautiful city. You won’t mistake it for Prague or Budapest. There are lots of grey apartment buildings and graffiti. There are also beautiful Art Deco style buildings like the one above. There is a medieval fortress with a wide grassy park around it. A central square has the requisite “important man on a horse” sculpture. There is a single, protected cobblestoned street with traditional restaurants. But in general, Belgrade feels like a lived-in, businesslike city. Busy, bustling, growing, and hustling. It’s the kind of place that slowly grows on you, only after you acquire a favorite restaurant, a bar where they know your name, a spot in a park where you can read a book and listen to the birds chirp. Would I rank it in the top ten “must visit” European cities? Definitely not. Would I consider living here? Sure.
Serbia is not a rich country. It’s gross national income per person is $6390, about a tenth of the USA. But you wouldn’t necessarily pick up on that during a visit to Belgrade. Folks in the city are attractive and well dressed. The ladies seem to be working overtime to impress. I saw more collagen-filled lips in Belgrade than in the entire rest of my life. Permanent duck-face is at epidemic levels in the riverside nightclubs. The guys aren’t slacking either. I witnessed two Serb men street racing their Lamborghinis between stoplights downtown. The average Serb man is 6 feet tall, third tallest in the world behind their neighbor Montenegro, and the Netherlands. Suits and Italian shoes are their clubbing uniform. Visitors of both genders may feel a bit… overmatched here.
13 Awesome Things to Do in Belgrade Serbia:
Things to Do in Belgrade: #1 Start With a Walking Tour
I arrived in Belgrade with my friend Aaron, and we started our visit with the Small Group Walking Tour For $17 we got an informative walking tour of the old town area. Our guide was a human Wikipedia talking very quickly and spouting more dates than any person could possibly absorb. He even had props, postcards for us, and copies of a 500 Billion Dinar note from the early 2000’s era of inflation. We started in Republic Square, and got to see all the major sights like the National Assembly building, the New Palace where the President of Serbia lives, Nikola Pašić Square, the Hotel Moskva, the Nikola Tesla Museum, the shopping street of Knez Mihailova, and the Kalemegdan Fortress.
#2 Stroll on Knez Mihailova
This is the bustling pedestrian cafe-filled street of the old town, where the beautiful people come to see and be seen. It is packed all hours of the day and early evening. Certainly the best people watching spot in the city. If you are looking for the Adidas store, to buy matching Russian mafia tracksuits, or for Guess, Lacoste or Zara, this is the place. They even have a Starbucks. I didn’t spend a whole lot of time here, preferring to find the backstreet bars and restaurants with some character.
#3 Hit the beach at Ada Ciganlija
Not exactly a beach, Ada Ciganlija is an island in the Sava river that was turned into a peninsula and made into a pebbly beach for swimming and outdoor activities. It ain’t exactly Maui, but you can swim, kayak, boat, canoe, windsurf, waterski, rent a jet ski. If water isn’t your thing you can walk, bike, play volleyball, basketball, tennis, soccer, rock climb, even bungee jump. There are lots of bars and restaurants too. We came here nursing a terrible rakija hangover, and did not properly appreciate the place. Of course, it was mid September as well. I imagine on a scorching Saturday in July this place is a blast.
Things to Do in Belgrade: #4 Stuff your face in Skadarlija
Skadarska Street is home to a bunch of excellent traditional Serbian restaurants. We made this cute cobble stoned street our home, staying in a comfy Airbnb next door to the Red Bar. We had dinner at a different spot here every night, and didn’t have a single bad meal. And while this street is surely a tourist draw, they serve mostly Serbian families out for a celebration, so don’t worry about falling into a tourist trap. Evenings are packed here, and roving bands of fiddlers, trumpet players, and singers bounce from place to place serenading diners for some small bills.
Be forewarned, you will have to pass the street-side pop-up 100 Dinar Rakija Bar, and these cobblestones get awful slippery after your third shot.
#5 Have a Sundowner in Kalemegdan Park
The park is home to the Kalemegdan fortress and a stunning statue by Ivan Meštrović. This is the highest point in Belgrade, and it’s where locals gather with their sweetheart or a bunch of friends to sip a drink and look out over the city. There are no laws against drinking in public , so go ahead and bring a bottle of wine or a couple of beers. You have a lovely view of the confluence of the Sava and the Danube rivers. After drinks, you can let your inhibitions wild in a shopping spree on Knez Mihailova street just down the hill.
Things to Do in Belgrade: #6 Get Down on the River
If your trip to Belgrade includes a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday; I recommend hopping on the Belgrade River Cruise. For just $14, you get a 90 minute river tour with an English speaking guide. It usually meets at 6pm (though start times vary), so the tour doubles as a sunset booze cruise, as they keep plenty of cold beer onboard!
#7 Learn some Yugoslav History
On Day 2 you should do the Red Belgrade Communist Tour For $21 you get a 3 hour tour. It meets at noon Tuesday through Saturday. You’ll see the Serbian Parliament building where Slobodan Milošević was overthrown in 2000. Pass by the ruins of the Serbian General Staff Building (above) bombed by NATO in 1999. The guide takes everyone onto a trolley to visit the part of the city where the Communist Party bigwigs all lived. Possibly the best part, is visiting the Yugoslav History Museum. This museum is co-located with the mausoleum of Josip Broz Tito, who ruled Yugoslavia from 1944 to 1980.
Things to Do in Belgrade: #8 See the Other Side of the Sava
One way to explore the other side is the Walking Tour of Zemun. Zemun was its own city for hundreds of years. It marked the end of Austro-Hungarian Europe, while Belgrade was the northern reach of the Ottoman Empire. You can easily see that the architecture is totally different in Zemun then in old Belgrade. It looks like any historic small town from central Europe. It also survived many of the bombings that devastated Belgrade over the centuries. The walking tour takes you all over this quaint and picturesque town, which only became incorporated into Belgrade proper finally in 1955.
#9 Get Around the City on Two Wheels
The Belgrade Bike Tour was the most fun tour we did in our short visit. For just $21, our young guide took us all over the city, mostly spending time pedaling in New Belgrade and Zemun. I’ve been on bike tours that just cover a couple of miles, with lots of stopping and talking, and eating. Not this guy! We really covered some ground. Towards the end of our time, I looked at the Belgrade Fortress from miles away in Zemun, and thought, “Man, we still have to ride all the way back THERE?” We did this tour on our last day in the Belgrade, and it seemed like we covered every bit of the city. It was especially cool to find stuff like the Genex Tower, and the “I Love Serbia” sign. We felt like we could ask our guide anything, and we had some frank discussions about war, politics and corruption.
Stop at the Genex Tower, known as the “Western City Gate”. Built in 1977, it is a 36-story skyscraper and a phenomenal example of brutalist architecture. The building has two 384 foot tall towers connected by a 2 floor bridge, with a rotating restaurant on top at a height of 459 feet. Sadly, half of it is completely empty now, and the restaurant has long gone out of business. It sits incongruently in a large open space, with no commercial activity or other buildings around it. Just plain weird. And awesome.
Things to Do in Belgrade: #10 Drink Rakija…if you can handle it.
Hang around Serbia long enough, and someone will offer you a shot of this locally made brandy. Be sure to maintain eye contact with your host as you toast “Ziveli” (ZHEEE-VEH-LEE). Sip, don’t chug. You are meant to enjoy the various flavors of this homemade brandy. And don’t down too many in one go, as Rakija is very high in alcohol content.
I absolutely hated Rakija. I tried several types, but after three or so brave attempts, I gave up and refused any more for the rest of the trip. Now my friend Aaron on the other hand…liked it enough to buy an entire round for the bar on our visit to The Magic Garden. That’s 24 shots of Rakija, that we distributed to the patrons near closing time, and set Aaron back around $30. I preferred the stuff inside those brown bottles seen in the fridge behind the barman.
#11 Ride Tram #2 Around and Around
If you want a cheap and effortless tour of the city, just hop on Tram #2. It makes a loop of the city center. A ticket costs about a dollar, and you can get on right from Knez Mihailov street.
Things to Do in Belgrade: #12 Risk your Life at a Soccer Match: Red Star vs Partizan
The most fierce and violent football rivalry in Europe can be found in Belgrade. On the off chance that you happen to be in town when these two face each other, you have two choices: Pick a side and join the fun, or stay inside to avoid the tear gas, riot police, and flying fists and bottles. They weren’t playing each other when we were in town, but we got a dose of the frenzy anyway. On a peaceful early evening walk through the calm backstreets of Belgrade one night, we suddenly heard chanting. And then smelled smoke, then saw some fireworks. Eventually we turned a corner, and were face to face with a squad of fully body-armored Serbian riot police! They were calmly pulling on elbow pads, adjusting helmet straps, and arranging their clubs and walkie-talkies. They weren’t blocking our path, so being the idiots we are, we continued TOWARD the chanting. We discovered a couple of hundred men in a small park chanting slogans, lighting fireworks, and drinking thousands of beers. A bystander next to us was filming it with her phone, and we asked her what was up? “Partizan supporter meeting.” “What are they going to do?” we asked. Before she could answer, the chanting suddenly stopped and the whole group started walking in our direction. The girl stopped filming and took off in a quick stride away, saying “You should leave”. We did.
#13 Party til Sunrise on a Splav
Whoo boy, does Belgrade have nightlife. It was proclaimed best nightlife in the world by Lonely Planet in 2011. Start your night with a Pub Crawl We had a blast with these folks on our first night in town. The first bar had unlimited rakija shots (yechhh), the second bar got us a round of decent Serb beers, and then some more beers in another bar that seemed to be in a random apartment complex common area. Then finally a walk across the big bridge to Splav Shlep. It was well worth $17 to have someone lead us around, and have the chance to meet people from all over Europe who joined.
Belgrade doesn’t just have bars and clubs like other places, in the summer they have giant clubs on permanently anchored barges on the riverside called “splavovi”. These Splavs get going late, around midnight, and some last til 6am! There are different styles of Splavs, so it’s worth doing some research or asking a local about them to pick one that fits your preference. Some are like fancy Vegas clubs with go-go dancers, DJ’s, smoke machines, VIP velvet rope seating, bottle service, and snobby waiters. Some are like frat basement American dive bars, no seating, big dance floor, and you serve yourself at the bar.
Belgrade feels like a city where anything is possible. Where rules are only guidelines. Smoking in restaurants, Lamborghinis street racing in downtown traffic, river barges that blast techno til 6am, unlicensed rakija from grandpa’s shed sold everywhere. It’s kinda the opposite of Switzerland. And I like that.
Things to Do in Belgrade: Know Before you Go
Backpacker Daily Budget
$30 a day. Belgrade is cheap! You can get a bed at Play Hostel for just $7. Three budget meals should cost around $14. Two bus, trolley or tram rides add up to $1.50. Entry to Kalemegdan Fortress is free! Three big Jelen Pivo beers will set you back $6.
Cheap Beer Index
$1.14 On a side street in charming Zemun, you can find a draft Lav for only 120 Dinars. But I recommend upgrading to a Niksicko Tamno dark lager. I couldn’t get enough of these.
When to Visit Belgrade:
The best time to visit Belgrade is summertime; June through September. June and September have highs in the 70’s. July and August are in the low 80’s. Nightly lows are 50-60 in the summer. Winters are chilly, it rarely gets above 45 in December and January.
What languages are spoken in Belgrade?
Serbian is the common language, but English is a rapidly growing second (or third) language. English is a mandatory subject in all primary schools, and in most universities. It’s very likely any younger person you meet will speak English, often fluently. We had no problem getting around with just English.
Do you need a Serbian visa?
No. USA, UK, AUS and CAN passport holders all get 90 days to visit visa-free within a six month period.
Getting to Belgrade
The quickest way to arrive is via Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG). The biggest airport in Serbia, it has flights to all over Europe, a few to the Middle East, and Air Serbia even has one flight to New York-JFK. Be sure to search for Air Serbia’s flights, as they seem to beat most other airlines on many routes to Belgrade. BEG’s busiest airlines are:
- Air Serbia (Half of all traffic to BEG)
- Wizz Air 9%
- Lufthansa 6%
- Montenegro Airlines 6%
- Swiss Air 4%
Learn how to get to Belgrade for free on my page How to Fly For Free
To get into the city center from the airport:
By bus: Near the airport exit is a bus station for “Mini Bus A1”. This operates between the airport and Slavija Square, New Belgrade (Fontana, and near Belgrade train station. Tickets can be purchased on the bus for 300 dinars ($3). Mini Bus A1 operates 7 days a week from 05:00 till 21:30. Bus leaves every 60 minutes. During peak hours (8:00 am – 18:00pm) it operates more frequently. 30min drive. Of course, it’s unlikely yopu have chosen to stay in comparatively boring New Belgrade, so you’ll then have to figure out the city bus system to get to Old Town Belgrade.
CarGo is the Uber of Serbia. Download the app before your trip, plug in your credit card, get a local sim on arrival, and you are set. This is what I did, and it worked like a charm. I hailed a car on the app from the arrivals area, and he arrived within 10 minutes. The fare to Old Town was 1261 Dinar, 30% cheaper than using a fixed-fare airport taxi.
By taxi: Inside baggage claim, right after passport control, there is a yellow and black taxi information desk, where you can order a taxi with a fixed price. Anywhere in the Old Town is 1800 dinars ($17). You just say the address to the (English speaking) taxi information desk officer, and they will give you a voucher you will take to the first available taxi driver. You pay when you arrive. 20-30min drive.
Getting around Belgrade
Public transportation in Belgrade is a pain in the ass for foreigners. It’s the largest city in Europe that doesn’t have a Metro. The taxi drivers are to be avoided like a raccoon with rabies. They will happily charge you 8 times the correct fare. There is a bus and trolley system, but good luck figuring it out if you don’t speak Serbian. That leaves you with one good option; CarGo.
CarGo is the Uber of Serbia. Download the app, plug in your credit card, get a local sim, and you are set. We used this all over the city, at all hours of the day, and it worked great. We took short rides that ended of costing just $2-3, and long rides from the Splavs that cost $9. It’s very convenient.
Serbian Currency:
The Serbian Dinar (105RSD to $1USD) are available at ATMs. For more info on your cash-versus-credit card options when travelling, check out my post Should I Exchange Money Before I Travel?
Stay Connected in Serbia:
Be aware that Serbia is NOT part of the EU, nor the EEA, where international roaming rules are enforced. So roaming rates on European SIM cards are not capped, and can be very expensive. DO NOT rely on an EU sim card. Buy a local SIM card. Or, better yet, skip the hassle of getting a local SIM and check out my post Get The Best International Phone Plan
Mts – Telekom Serbia holds 45% of the market . Mts sells two 30 day prepaid tourist SIM cards in their own stores, Tabac Press, and Maxim. Their tourist SIMs are confusing and difficult to activate. Not recommended.
- Tourist SIM: This is good for a 3 day trip. 600 RSD ($5.70) including 3 x 24 hour internet sessions with unlimited 4G/LTE. The clock starts from your first data connection and lasts for 24 hrs no matter if you are online or not.
- Super Tourist SIM: This is good for a 4-30 day trip. 1,800 RSD ($17) including 10 GB data (up to 4G/LTE), 30 international voice minutes, and 120 intra-net minutes on mts.
Telenor is the #2 provider at 31% market share. Prepaid SIM cards are available in Telenor stores or from newsstands in Belgrade like Moj Kiosk or Corner shop . There are currently 2 prepaid plans. These are easy to use, and a great bargain.
- Telenor pripejd: Good for a 7 day trip. 300 RSD ($3) for a voice and data SIM card with 30 RSD credit valid for 7 days. As a promotion they give you 3 GB data and 900 RSD for domestic calls and SMS.
- Telenor pripejd plus: Good for an 8-15 day trip. 500 RSD ($5) for a voice and data SIM card with 30 RSD credit valid for 15 days. As a promotion they give you 5 GB data and 2500 RSD for domestic calls and SMS.
Where to Stay in Belgrade:
Cheapest Good Hostel – Hostel M has dorm beds for $8. It’s right by the central bus and train station, so easy to get to on arrival/departure, and not far from the old town.
Best Hostel – Balkan Soul Hostel has dorm beds for $12. Its got really plush furnishings, very clean, great staff, and perfect location.
Best Cheap Hotel/Apartment – L9 Top Central Rooms and Apartments 2 has rooms with bathroom for just $26. You get a TV, desk, A/C, mini fridge,
Most Historic Luxury Hotel – Hotel Moscow Open since 1908, the most historic hotel in the city has rooms for $127. Albert Einstein stayed here.
Where to Eat
Be mentally prepared to have your meal liberally flavored with cigarette smoke. EU rules are not in effect here, and nearly every restaurant is filled with a haze of burning cancer sticks. Look for outdoor seating.
We enjoyed Tri Sesira on Skardarska Street.
Nightlife in Belgrade:
Whoo boy, does Belgrade have nightlife? It was proclaimed best nightlife in the world by Lonely Planet in 2011.
For excellent Serbian craft beer try:
- Black Turtle pub 3
- Gunners Pub
- Miners Pub
- Samo Pivo
- Krafter
- Kabinet
- Beerville Beer Bar
These popular bars get going around 11pm:
- Blaznavac
- Bar Central
- Wurst Platz
- Passengers Bar
- Tranzit Bar
Plan to move on to the Splavs no earlier than midnight, unless you are trying to get a table at one of the snobby ones like Freestyler, then you need to be in line at opening time. There are over a dozen splavs, and lots of info about them online. We enjoyed Shlep and 20/44. Hated Freestyler.
Get a Guidebook
The Serbia Bradt Travel Guide is the best guidebook around. Lonely Planet barely touches on Serbia in their Eastern Europe compendium.
What to pack:
You can wear the same clothes you’d wear anywhere in Europe. To learn how to pack light and be prepared for anything, check out my post International Travel Packing List: All In a Carry-On!
Is Belgrade Safe?
Serbia is very safe. It has an annual murder rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people. That puts it on par with Sweden, Denmark and the UK, and much safer than the USA’s rate of 5.3.
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