Belgrade (Serbian: Beograd) in Serbia hasn’t been on the usual European city break travel list for over twenty years, but not for the lack of tourist attractions. In fact, Belgrade has a similar set attractions as other popular European cities without diminishing its own uniqueness. So check out this list of what to see in Belgrade.
Want more practical information on Serbia? Check out my Travelling to Serbia post.
WHAT TO SEE IN BELGRADE: TOP 10
A NOTABLE GATHERING POINT: Surrounded on two sides by the National Museum and the National Theatre, Republic Square (Trg Republike) is Belgrade’s people-watching hub. It’s also the starting point of walking tours – Belgrade Free Tour (orange umbrella) and Belgrade Walking Tours (yellow umbrella) come recommended.
Republic Square (Trg Republike)
A BIG RIVER: Belgrade has two rivers as the city sits on the confluence of the Sava and the mighty Danube. The floating nightclubs (splavs) are located on the western side of the Sava.
River Sava from Kalemegdan Fortress. Splavs are located on the opposite side.
River Sava (left) meets the Danube (centre)
A GREAT SHOPPING STREET: Knez Mihailova is the flagship shopping strip in Belgrade, complete with food vendors and performers, although smaller (and much cheaper) boutiques are dotted around the city centre.
Knez Mihailova
A LANDMARK HOTEL: The minute I saw the Hotel Moskva I immediately knew that this was/is the gathering point of the rich and famous/infamous.
Hotel Moskva
A MAJOR RELIGIOUS SITE: Sveti Sava is the world’s largest Orthodox Church. Whilst I didn’t visit inside, the spectacular outside was sufficiently impressive for me.
Church of St. Sava (Sveti Sava)
A HIP/COOL AREA: Dorćol, east of Knez Mihailova, has transformed itself from a Serbian mafia hang-out to an area with great artisan cafes, bakeries and bars. Given its proximity to the city centre and its laid-back vibe it’s an ideal place to stay.
Dorćol area
Statue of Josip Broz Tito in the grounds of the Museum of Yugoslavia
A HISTORICAL FOCAL POINT: A long & varied history means plenty of sites with Kalemegdan Fortress dating as far back as Roman times.
Josip Broz Tito ruled Yugoslavia from the 1940s until his death in 1980. His mausoleum in the House of Flowers is part of the Museum of Yugoslavia. It’s an area of quiet reflection with display boards detailing his life. The utterly fascinating part of the complex is the Old Museum which houses artefacts from his life, gifts he received and other post-Tito ephemera.
As for recent history, Belgrade & Serbia were subject to NATO bombing in 1999 and I’ve explored that in my Travelling to Serbia post.
Political ephemera on display in the Old Museum section of the Museum of Yugoslavia
A CITY CENTRE PARK: Belgrade has many but Tašmajdan Park became my favourite. It had a great mix of ages, from elderly women chatting to perfectly-sculpted young men making use of the outdoor gym. The Church of St. Mark is located on the north of the park and behind this lie the remains of the RTS building which was bombed by NATO in 1999.
Tašmajdan Park Belgrade
Rakija (pronounces ‘Ra kia’) – Serbian fruit brandy and panacea of all ills
CAFÉ CULTURE: You will not go hungry or thirsty in Belgrade. Every street has at least one café or bakery.
Coffee, rakija (fruit brandy), pastries and 300-400g of meat are staples of the Serbian daily diet combined with ice-cream from pop-up parlours and cigarettes at €1.90 a pack.
Forget your coconut water and kale smoothie, it’s all about the devilish delights of living for the moment in Serbia.
SPLENDID ARCHITECTURE: The words communist and architecture usually find themselves in sentences with grey, concrete and monstrosity. However, Belgrade has managed to preserve some gems from bygone eras such as the Ottoman Bajrakli Mosque and the 19th century National Theatre.
Bajrakli Mosque
Old Palace on Kralja Milana street – Current location of the Belgrade City Assembly
BELGRADE FINAL THOUGHTS
Pariah state is a phrase commonly used to describe Serbia since the 1990s conflict and it’s a description the country is shaking off.
English is widely spoken amongst most young people, an outward-looking demographic focusing on tourism to build sustainable careers. Their prime wish is the arrival of Ryanair flights to Belgrade although I fear hordes of stag parties descending upon the city should their wish materialise.
However, with popular European cities such as Dubrovnik and Venice experiencing over-tourism perhaps Belgrade’s timing is just right.
Looking for accommodation in Belgrade? Check out the great selection of hotels booking.com has to offer.
MOVING ON FROM BELGRADE
I did a day trip to Novi Sad in the north of Serbia while staying in Belgrade.
From Belgrade, I travelled onwards to Montenegro via the spectacular Belgrade to Bar train.
