Over the past few years the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, has become increasingly popular with visitors who want to get a real taste of the Balkans.
Unfortunately there are not many guide books which cover this amazing city which makes it a bit difficult to plan a trip in advance and know which places to visit in Belgrade.
Over the past five years I have spent quite a few months in Belgrade and if I had to come up with the five best things to check out for a first time visitor it would look something like this:
Places to visit in Belgrade
Here are the best types of places to visit in Belgrade!
A Café
Belgraders love going for a coffee. You will find cafés on every corner and they are always packed with people. “Going for a coffee” can easily mean sitting around for a few hours, chatting with friends, watching passers-by and being watched.
Check out the various places on the central pedestrian Knez Mihailova street, the beautiful art-deco Hotel Moskva (Terazije 20), the distinctly 19th century “Ruski Car” (Obilicev venac 29), or the alternative “Centrala” (ul. Simina 6).
SerbiaTraveller on Twitter shared a great tip to visit Stamevski for cake.
A Fast Food Place
Serbians love meat and they love their fast food places. Once you have tasted a typical Balkan burger you will never want to go back to the likes of McDonald’s.
Try a “gurmanska pljeskavica” (beef patty with cubes of bacon and cheese worked in); there’s nothing better than that after a night out. Recommended places include “Loki” (corner of ul. Kralja Petra and ul. Gospodar Jovanova), “Sis” (ul. Goce Delceva 27), and “Stepin Vajat” (ul. Vojvode Stepe 2I).
A Pub
Belgrade is renowned for its nightlife and what better way to start your night out than with a cool beer or a nice cocktail. Streets like Obilicev venac or Strahinica bana offer plenty of bars and pubs. The latter is dubbed “Silicone Valley” for the high number of silicone-enhanced goods on display at night.
If you’re looking for something a bit more hidden, try to find “Klub Svetskih Putnika” (also known as “The Federal Association of Globe Trotters”; bul. Despota Stefana 7). For a traditional atmosphere with gypsy music you will have to go to a “kafana“, e.g. “Blek panters” (Ada Ciganlija).
A Club
When you’ve had a few drinks and the night is still young, then you should head out to the clubs. Definitely check out the rafts (“splavovi“) on the Sava and Danube rivers. They are a bit mainstream and a bit more expensive but typical for Belgrade (a popular one includes “Freestyler“; fair warning: do not chat up random girls in these places, this could end badly).
If you’re looking for a more alternative crowd check out the clubs in the centre, e.g. “Francuska Sobarica” (ul. Francuska 12), “Siprazje” (ul. Golsvordijeva 13) or “Corba Kafe” (ul. Bra?e Krsmanovi?a 3; good live music).
Note that many of these clubs may be temporarily closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Something Else
And now that I have talked in length about options for food and drinks, I realize I should probably also recommend something that better fits the word “sight”.
So, when in Belgrade these are the things to see:
- Kalemegdan Fortress
- Temple of Saint Sava
- Saint Marko’s Church
- Museum of Nikola Tesla
- House of Flowers/Tito Memorial
- Ada Ciganlija
- Palace of Kneginja Lubica
… phew, that’s more than enough for a few days in Belgrade!
