What to do in Belgrade, Serbia
10:50:00 AM
I have a lot of visitors from all over the world. In my travelling tips i mentioned how great it is to meet a local that will show you around, and then i realized that i am the local in my hometown and i can show you what things you shouldn’t miss here, in Belgrade.
It’s the city in south-east Europe, capital of ex-Yugoslavia. According to western media, we’re the most horrible people ever. But that’s not true at all! Belgrade is a safe and interesting city and it’s a great travel destination. Our people and generous, warm and friendly. If you’re looking for place to visit that’s raw and has a soul, that’s not occupied by tourists and has a lot of cool things to do and visit - it’s a place for you. Here are some must-do things if you come to Belgrade:
1. Party. Lonely planet named us #1 party city in the world. And that’s not an accident - nightlife here is amazing. If you come here in summer, make sure to visit splavs, as we call it, or basically floating clubs. But if you come in winter, don’t worry, all splavs have their winter version, but they are situated mostly in city center and not on riverside. Also make sure to visit Skadarlija, old part of the city, where you can go to kafanas (Irish people have pubs and we have kafanas - something like tavernas). Live music, lots of drinks and old, emotional songs - not an everyday experience.
2. Eat. Who doesn’t like good food? But one warning: leave your diet at home. Serbian cuisine has been influenced by Balkan, Turkish, Mediterranean and Hungarian and Austrian cuisine (part of the aftermath of our everything-but-boring history). If i started writing about it i would need a separate blog just for it, so i’ll stop right here and let you discover it in all of its glory.
Warning: if you’re vegetarian/vegan Serbian dishes may not be your cup of tea. But that doesn’t mean you have to be hungry - you can visit one of the restaurants with great and artistic interior and atmosphere and international food, for example the ones in Beton hala (river view included).
3. Take a walk. After lunch you gotta take a walk to digest all that - right? Good thing is that city center of Belgrade is great for exploring without using any public transportation. You could start at Knez Mihailova street, main street with loads of shops, galleries and street artists. Then, after crossing the street, you are on Belgrade fortress (which consists of Kalemegdan park and old citadel). This is the oldest part of Belgrade, built in 6th century, it’s basically living history. Here you can see, among a lot of other things, monument called Pobednik (The Winner), confluence of two rivers (Danube and Sava), open-air photography exhibitions etc. Also visit Savamala, urban neighborhood near Belgrade port with funky, cool clubs and restaurants and great, artistic graffitis where cool kids go and Dorćol, neighborhood with the oldest buildings and according to many people prettiest part of the city.
4. Learn. Belgrade has a long, rich history. I already mentioned some galleries, but there are also great museums. National museum of Serbia, Ethnographic museum, Museum of Nikola Tesla, Museum of Applied Arts, Tito’s museum - House of flowers and many, many more. There is also Belgrade underground tour (where you can learn a lot) and you can make trip to Vinča - neolithic archaeological locality, one of the first urban settlements in Europe.
5. Cruises. Unlike many cities, Belgrade has 2 rivers - Danube and Sava, which makes going on a river cruise an unforgettable experience and a chance to meet a city from a brand new perspective. It can be really romantic, with dinner, or chill and enjoyable with a lot of sightseeing. They usually go around Kalemegdan, Great War Island and along New Belgrade and Zemun promenades.
6. Go to the beach. If you saw a map of Serbia, this may leave you confused - sea is nowhere to be found. But there is the Belgrade’s sea, as it’s popularly called, or Ada Ciganlija. It has a blue flag. If swimming, tanning and drinking cocktails is boring to you, don’t worry, here you can also bungee jump, water ski, rock climb, roller skate, even play golf!
And - this is not exactly a beach - but if you have some spare time don’t miss walking down the promenades by river banks. It’s beautiful, calm and relaxing.
7. Go to Avala. Avala is the small mountain on the periphery of Belgrade. Go on Avala tower, destroyed in 1990s by NATO bombs, built again and reopened as the eastern Europe’s tallest tower, the view is breathtaking. There is also a huge monument of An Unknown Soldier and a mausoleum. It’s great for picnics and chilling. Tip: Go there on weekdays because there’s zillion people on the weekends, especially if weather is nice.
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48 comments
I've never been to Belgrade but it sounds like fun! The river cruises sound beautiful - thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteRosie | www.rosieromance.com
Thanks for stopping by! :)
DeleteI would like to take a walk around the avenues of Belgrade. Must be so nice on evenings.
ReplyDeleteIt is! Evenings are very lively here :)
DeleteAnd one more thing: When one occurs Belgrade, it always returns (or does not go away)
ReplyDeleteTrue!
DeleteAlva would be my first stop if I ever get to visit Belgrade.
ReplyDelete*Avala
DeleteIt's a really nice place :)
Hi! I loved your post! I think Belgrade is really beautiful and should be more visited by the tourists and your post is a great way to help. I would also like to write about my hometown, Sombor, so I think we'll keep in touch. Ne znam zašto sam pisala na engleskom, haha, ispisala sam puno komentara u grupi pa valjda mahinalno. P.S.You forgot to mention St. Sava's church, it's magnificent!
ReplyDeleteHahah slažem se! Ako hoćeš, slobodno mi se javi na mejl da se dogovorimo oko tog teksta.
DeleteU pravu si, bilo mi je u glavi da spomenem hram ali nisam znala gde da ga smestim i onda sam zaboravila :D
Sounds absolutely stunning! Reading and it's dinner time all this talk of all that lovely cuisine is making me wish i could be there now!
ReplyDeleteHaha Belgrade is waiting for you :D
DeleteI have never been to Belgrade but you painted such a lovely picture I may have to add it to my travel list. If/when I do go, I'll be mindful that Serbian food is not veg friendly.
ReplyDeletexx
If you visit Belgrade (or any place in Serbia), just ask if something is POSNO - that means it's plant based (except it may contain fish, believe it or not, so just make sure there's no fish in that meal and you're good) :)
DeleteI've never been to Belgrade before and it would be nice to experience all of the things that you have on this list! I think it's great to learn more about a place especially when it comes to their history! I hope to visit someday!
ReplyDeleteI also like learning about the history of a place i'm visiting, i think that's a great way to understand it better :)
DeleteI just have recently been to Slovenia. It was my first time there. I really would like to visit Belgrad now. Seems like a great city and I really like the fact it has two rivers. Hope to get to explore it one day and if, your guide really helps. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSlovenia is beautiful :) We used to be the same country at one point
DeleteThank you for stopping by! x
Wow. This is a great one. It is a great place to visit to have some funs. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteIt really is :)Thank for stopping by!
DeleteIt is very nice that you like hometown, and what you write about it.I live in Japan, and this seems to me exotic.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Japan seems very exotic to me :) I hope i'll have the chance to visit it someday
DeleteThe place looks romantically chilly. that's the place I would like to take a walk to and experience cruising with someone I love. Though it may not look like a party place for me, I still think that the place is worth exploring.
ReplyDeleteIt sure is :)
DeleteWow, Belgrade seems to be a city I'd like to visit. After reading your review it has everything I would look for in a city.. Lots of culture and art. Will definitely consider visiting in the future
ReplyDeleteBelgrade sound absolutely adventurous.Generally when I travel, I leave all my guilt and other dietary concepts behind!The biggest turn on is food for me; and your post is really helpful if ever I would plan to visit Belgrade in the near future :)
ReplyDeleteHaha same, i LOVE experiencing everything country i'm visiting has to offer, specially when it comes to food!
Delete2, 3, 4 & 7 sound the most interesting!
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Serbia. My uncle though goes every other year and he loves it! Belgrade definitely sounds lovely. I would love to go to Avala! I really want to see that view. And point 4 sounds really good. Always enjoy going to a museum.
ReplyDeleteNever been to Belgrade, but I will be sure to keep in mind your suggestions should I ever have the opportunity to visit. Definitely Serbia looks like a nice place to visit, and full of things to do and know
ReplyDeleteWe have very interesting history and a lot of great destinations beside Belgrade, but we're still relatively undiscovered by tourists (which may be good as you can actually enjoy everything without zillion other people pushing you around and blocking your view) :)
DeleteWhenever I go to new places, what I also do is eat, walk and learn. This are great tips that you gave and if ever I go to this place, I will do your suggestion
ReplyDeleteHaha same. Thank you :)
DeleteTo be honest, Serbia wasn't even in my places-to-go-to list but after reading this, I feel like I wanna go there like now! :) I love arts so museums will probably the first place I will visit in Belgrade! :)
ReplyDeleteThere is "something" in this town
ReplyDeleteA lovely informative post, thank you for sharing. Somewhere I've never been but would love to go some day.
ReplyDeleteAmi xxx
www.ami-rose.com
Thank you :)
DeleteGreat places!
ReplyDeleteYou can also check my aricle about best places in this amazing city
http://upandupblog.blogspot.ru/2016/07/amazing-serbia-belgrade.html
Thanks, i will :)
DeleteI never thought about visiting Belgrade but you definitely piqued my curiosity. I definitely want to visit the old part of the city, that's definitely my type of parties than "regular" clubs. There is a lot of interesting museums that I'd visit, specially the Tesla one I'm very cirous about. And I would definitely visit the Avala Tower, I love historical spots. Never thought about adding Belgrade on my travel bucket-list, thanks to you it is now !
ReplyDeleteI'm glad! :)
DeleteSounds like an amazing places to visit and have a good time.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an amazing places to visit and have a good time.
ReplyDeleteI believe I am one of those people that would always just pass by and never explore this place. I guess those reasons are valid enough, you described everything like it was too difficult to pass up as either local or tourist. I would definitely take on a cruise there but Avala really sounds interesting for a priority target.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a party person but if ever I get to Belgrade I think I have to try it because as you say it's the #1 party city in the world. I'd also go to Avala if permitted.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like an amazing place... I've never been to Belgrade but I would like to visit this place in the future!
ReplyDeleteI would most likely follow your suggestions to enjoy the food and take a walk afterwards to help digest the food. :) I would also head to the beach. I think that experiencing the food and walking around leisurely are fun ways to really get the feel of a new place you're visiting. Sitting by the seashore is also a wonderful way to relax while on vacation.
ReplyDeleteSerbia sounds like a great place to visit. Will include this on my list. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWould you like to follow each other? Let me know dear.
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