Belgrade

Understand

thumb | 300px | National Assembly of Serbia The core of the city is on a bluff overlooking the confluence of the Sava and Danube. Both rivers are navigable by large vessels: the Sava up to Sisak in Croatia, and the Danube from the Black Sea all the way up to Kelheim in Bavaria. It's been inhabited at least since 6000 BC and the earliest recognisable town was the Celtic settlement of Singidūn. The bluff now called Kalmegdan was fortified and its environs grew into the White City, beo grad.

Belgrade has, however, suffered over 100 wars and was destroyed over 40 times. Those who've left their linguistic or cultural mark include the Slavs from 520 AD, the Ottoman Empire from 1521, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1688. After the First World War, Belgrade became the seat of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, from 1929 known as Yugoslavia. That entity after the Second World War was under Tito's distinctive brand of communism until he died in 1980. The Balkans in the following years were roiled by internecine wars as Yugoslavia broke apart, and in 1999 NATO forces bombed Belgrade to force the independence of Kosovo.

Serbia has not sought to join the EU, eurozone or Schengen area, but Belgrade presents a friendly face to western travellers, with English and German widely understood, and their bank cards accepted. Its overlapping layers of history and capital status create a fascinating vibrant blend. It's easy to reach and relatively inexpensive.

The majority of pla…

Get in

thumb | 300px | Nikola Tesla Airport

See

thumb | 300px | Yugoslav Drama Theatre

Do

thumb | 300px | Aeronautical Museum is a large multi-sports facility that also hosts concerts and similar events. It's on Blv Arsenija Čarnojevića west of the Sava in Novi Beograd. is a river island in the Sava extending 6 km east-west by 700 m north-south, fused to the city mainland since the 1960s and now a large park and recreation area. There are road links at its west and near its east end, while the east tip has a stairway to Ada Highway Bridge. The river loop on its south side between the road links is now a lake for bathing and water sports, with a gravel beach. The island has walking and cycling tracks, sports pitches, golf, and picnic and barbecue areas; camping is not permitted. No bus crosses onto the island but several run along the mainland shore. Badminton Centar is a sports complex at the east tip. Markoni Sport by the east road link hires bikes and has other sports gear. Ice skating: Winter City Ada is by the east road link, see below for other city sites. Veštačka Stena is a climbing wall 500 m west. Aqua Ski is west end of the lake. Ada Međica is a small river island 100 m north of Ada Ciganlija. No boats cross between them, you might find one from the north mainland bank. (And see above for Great War Island, reached by pontoon bridge from Zemun.) thumb | 300px | Ada Ciganlija Luna Park is a chain of funfairs for younger children, with three sites in Belgrade: within Kalmegdan, on Zemun Quay west of the Sava, and 2 km southeast of the centre down …

Buy

thumb | 300px |Novi Beograd business district For Serbian currency, see Serbia#Buy. Menjačnica is a chain of exchange offices, with a dozen city sites.

Delfi is a chain of bookstores, including English publications. Tržni centar is Serbian for "shopping centre" and there are dozens. The big three - UŠĆE, Delta City and Stadion - are some way from city centre. The closest are Rajićeva at Kneza Mihaila 54 by Kalmegdan, and Millennium at Kneza Mihaila 21, both open daily. The main supermarket chains are Maxi and Idea. is the largest shopping mall in Serbia, open daily 10:00-22:00 with a great array of stores and a food court. It's at Blv Mihajla Pupina 4 in Novi Beograd, but just across Branko's Bridge so it's walking distance from the old city. Or take Tram 7, 9, 13 or any bus into Novi Beograd. is the second largest. It's open daily 10:00-22:00 and has a cinema and food court. It's 1 km west of UŠĆE at Jurija Gagarina 16 in Novi Beograd, Tram 7, 9 or 13, Bus 95. Chinese Shopping Centre is 500 m west of Delta City in Blok 70 on Jurija Gagarina. The clothing is tat, but you can find Chinese food, spices and other exotica. It's open W-M 09:00-17:00. is another large centre, 2 km southeast of city centre at Zaplanjska 32, take Bus 26. It's likewise open daily 10:00-22:00. Buvljak (Бувљак) means a flea market, occupying any edge-of-town brownfield site that developers have not yet cast covetous eyes on. Closest to the centre is at Šajkaška 70 in Zemun on Sunday morning.

Eat

thumb | 300px | Cafe on Skadarlija For more on Serbian cuisine, see Serbia#Eat

Belgrade has hundreds of restaurants offering local cuisine, and as a capital city it has a fair selection of other nations' cuisine - these are sparse elsewhere in the country. Even at the top end they're inexpensive compared to western Europe.

Fast food usually comes as roštilj - grills or barbecues such as burgers. Dozens of roštilj outlets around the city.

Burek is for breakfast or food on the go, a pastry filled with feta cheese or meat, or potato (krompir). All bakeries sell them, eat them while they're fresh and hot, traditionally washed down with yoghurt. Similar is the pie called buregdžinice.

Kafana (Кафана) are trad restaurants for filling Serbian meals. These are often enlivened by a string orchestra strumming Balkan airs, think Hungarian only with even better moustaches.

Skadarska (a block south of Francuska) and Strahinjića Bana (at right angles) are streets in Stari Grad lined with restaurants, mostly kafana.

Splav means a raft, a restaurant on a barge moored along the Sava or Danube. They mostly serve seafood, like the places on the quay alongside. Some splavovi are primarily nightclubs and others are budget accommodation.

Drink

thumb | 300px | Skadarlija street City tap water is safe to drink. Creaky old buildings may still have lead piping, so run the tap a few seconds first.

Good domestic beers are Jelen, Lav, MB and Pils. Foreign beers are widely available and may be made under license in Serbia.

Wines from Serbia and other Balkan countries are good if you pay a little more for quality. Cheap stuff may be disappointing.

Rakija brandy is the national drink. The commonest is plum brandy, šljivovica or slivovitsa; other common varieties are grape, walnut, quince and pear. It can be bought in stores but Serbs insist that home-made rakjia is superior - look out for this at the food markets.

Always toast your companions in the proper manner. Look them in the eye, clink glasses, say Živeli! (cheers!) to all present as if you mean it, and take a sip. Repeat as necessary as the long night wears on.

Coffee is served Turkish-style unless you specify otherwise.

The main groups of bars and cafés are along Strahinjića Bana, along Obilićev Venac parallel to Knez Mihailova, and by the Sava and Danube riversides.

Zuzu's is a cafe bar at Obilićev Venac 21 a block west of Republic Square, open daily 09:00-01:00. Gecko is an Irish pub at Obilićev Venac 17, open daily 08:00-00:00.

Stay safe

Overall, Belgrade is a pretty safe city, but like anywhere, you should always keep money, mobile phones, travel documents and other valuable personal items in secure places. Pickpocketers are known to operate in public transportation, and other crowded places so never wear a backpack or purse on your back and make sure that you have your wallet in one of your front pockets. If you own a car, it is preferable to have a security system. Traffic laws are usually observed although nervous drivers can change lanes suddenly or make dangerous turns when avoiding traffic during rush hour. So be cautious if you are a pedestrian or riding a bike. The taxi drivers are notorious for swerving in and out of lanes. Pay close attention to the traffic signals as a pedestrian.

Also try to avoid getting into conflicts. If you are staying out late in a bar or a club, there is always a small chance that someone will try to pick a fight especially if you are in a group and a single guy is showing hostility. That is a trap by local thugs looking for a brawl. Just ignore them and walk away no matter what they say or do. The chances that this will happen are very low, but stay alert. Do not try to make fun of the locals in your native language. Almost everyone has at least a basic understanding of English and is familiar with foul words and curses. Generally, common sense is the best way to stay safe in any city in Europe, and in Belgrade.

In Serbia, including Belgrade, violence against the LGBTQ p…

Stay healthy

Belgrade's climate is generally temperate, so tourist visits are possible at any time of year. However, July and August can be uncomfortably hot, with temperatures reaching on several days. Minimize your exposure to the sun on such days to avoid heat exhaustion. On the other hand, January and February are sometimes very cold. When it snows in winter, the streets are covered in sleet the next day, so be careful when walking. The Košava, a notorious Belgrade wind, may give you a cold more quickly than you would expect - take care and dress appropriately.

For runners, a sunrise or sunset run through Kalemegdan is a must-do. Running along the Ada lake in the mornings or evenings is a great experience too. Try to avoid running during the day, as it usually is both hot and very crowded.

There are a lot of stray animals roaming streets, particularly dogs. Whilst it is very rare that they demonstrate outward signs of illness or aggression, err on the side of caution and avoid coming in physical contact. These are nevertheless rarely seen in the city center.

Pharmacies – called 'apoteka' – are found throughout the city center. Look for lit green crosses on building façades. Some, such as the ones in Francuska or Kralja Milana streets, are open 24/7. These will carry a range of prescription medicines, as well as over-the-counter products like pain killers and vitamin supplements.

Connect

Belgrade and its approach highways have 4G from all three Serbian carriers, A1, MTS and Yettel. 5G is newly rolled out in major cities for all 3 carriers and should have good connectivity in the city centre.