When my Serbian friend (who lives just a few blocks away from me in Cape Town) announced that she was travelling to Belgrade, Serbia, to visit her family, I was super excited. When she invited me to visit her while she’s there, I was beside myself! I mean, how often does one get the opportunity to visit a foreign country for free (well, I just had to pay for my plane ticket and sightseeing) and have some great company by your side who can tell you all about the local culture and help with translation? Needless to say, it was an incredible adventure!
Like a phoenix
Belgrade is such an interesting city to visit. It was my first visit to a Balkan country and I had always been fascinated by the Balkan region’s history and culture; and very conscious of the fact that there was so much I needed to learn. Belgrade is a very old city (dating back as far as 7000 BC) that, like a phoenix, has risen from the ashes many times over the centuries. Due to its strategic location (at the confluence of two international waterways, the Danube and Sava rivers), the city has been the battleground of countless wars, the most recent being the Kosovo War and NATO bombing in 1999. There are a number of museums and tours that tell you more about Belgrade’s turbulent history.
Youth and optimism
Despite of what the people of Belgrade had to go through, the city has a remarkable feeling of youth and optimism. It is something that left such an impression on me! The majority of people are not well-off; there are not enough jobs; and there are still signs of the war’s destruction (some buildings have been left in their bombed states to serve as a memorial for the bombings); but there is also much renewal and the city is slowly waking up to tourism. There are no masses of tourists yet, but there is so much to see. It’s a gem waiting to be discovered!
Because of all the wars, the city has an interesting mish-mash of different architectures: from the old fortress to romanticism and beautiful Art Nouveau to ugly communist buildings. I enjoyed trying to guess which era a building was from.
Cafés and nightlife
There are lots of beautiful parks and wonderful cafés that spill out onto cobblestone sidewalks. There are lovely shops, markets and, if you’re into clubbing, I’ve been told that Belgrade is the place to be. (There are big boats on the river where people party until sunrise!)
If it’s rather opera and musicals that float your boat, there is the beautiful National Theatre where I attended a performance of Verdi’s opera Otello; and the Terazije Theatre in close vicinity, where I saw the entertaining musical Zorba the Greek (in Serbian! Ha ha. Yes! Despite not understanding a word, I still knew the story and music and enjoyed it very much).
There is a good public transport network of buses, trams (both old and new), taxis and they are also busy building a beautiful brand new metro. Many of the younger people can speak some English, while the older people will try their best to help you, even if they can’t speak your language.
Very affordable
Belgrade is very affordable – even for this poor South African (our currency is very weak!). So, I can just imagine how you could spoil yourself with dollars, euros or pounds.
Another great thing about Belgrade is that it is a very pedestrian-friendly city. You can walk almost everywhere. There is a Tourist Information Centre on Knez Mihailova Street (Prince Michael Street), which is Belgrade’s main pedestrian and shopping zone and leads all the way to Kalemegdan Fortress, the city’s famous landmark. Interestingly, Belgrade is named after this very fortress: it’s name means ‘white fortress’ or ‘white town’ in Serbian (and most other Slavic languages). At the tourist info centre you can get free maps, information and book tours.
Even though I was lucky to stay with a friend, I still did a lot of sightseeing on my own and managed really well. I felt safe and it was easy to get around with a map, ‘dobar dan’ (‘good day’) and a friendly smile.
My Belgrade Top 5
I experienced so many wonderful things during my week-long visit to Belgrade and saw so much, that it’s impossible to write about everything. So, I decided to make a list of my top 5 Belgrade highlights:
Kalemegdan Fortress
If you can visit only one place in Belgrade, it should the Kalemegdan Fortress. Also known as the Belgrade Fortress, it is situated atop a 125-metre-high hill, overlooking the Great War Island and confluence of the Sava river into the Danube. In ancient times, the Belgrade population was concentrated within the walls of the fortress.
The views from here are stunning and it’s easy to see why Belgrade has such a strategic reputation and is referred to as the ‘Gateway to the Balkans’ and ‘Door to Central Europe’. When Belgrade was conquered by the Turks in the 16th century, they renamed the Belgrade Fortress ‘Kalemegdan’, which means ‘the fortress amidst battlefields’, which explains why the fortress is referred to as both Belgrade Fortress and Kalemegdan.
The fortress is surrounded by the beautiful large Kalemegdan Park with excellent views and lovely shaded spots to rest and enjoy a picnic after some serious sightseeing. Entrance is free to the fortress and park and you could easily spend half a day there.
Nikola Tesla Museum
Nikola Tesla was a brilliant Serbian physicist, engineer and inventor, famous for his discoveries in the field of electricity, such as alternating current (AC), the Tesla Coil and radio. Yup, Tesla and not the Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi is considered to be the true father of radio. Apparently Marconi used many of Tesla’s patents, including the Tesla Coil, a device essential to sending and receiving radio waves. And there have been many lawsuits.
Though Tesla was a brilliant scientist, he was a terrible businessman who failed (or refused?) to see the commercial value of his inventions. As a result, he died a pauper in New York and only received proper credit for many of his inventions long after his death.
I’m not a scientist, but I found my visit to the Nikola Tesla Museum super interesting. I think what really helped was the brilliant (and fun!) guided tour that included great explanations and demonstrations of Tesla’s inventions. There is also an interesting exhibition of Tesla’s personal possessions, drawings of his inventions and an urn containing his ashes (which I found a bit weird).
The museum is housed in a beautiful 1920’s villa and it’s cool to know that Belgrade’s international airport is named after Nikola Tesla.
The Temple of St Sava
The Temple of Saint Sava is said to be one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world. It is a famous Belgrade landmark that can be seen from many parts of the city. Construction of the Neo-Byzantine-styled church started in 1935 and, while the exterior has now been completed after many delays (most notably the 20th century wars), the interior is still unfinished due to the complex frescoes, and massive mosaics that have been planned for the domes.
Despite the unfinished interior, the church is already being used for important religious events. It is not often that one gets to see such a huge building in the making. Don’t forget to visit the beautiful completed crypt which has some beautiful frescoes and iconography. I was lucky to visit the crypt during a service, which just added to the special atmosphere.
I’d love to revisit St Sava when the interior is completed one day. I’m sure it will be stunning!
Zemun
Zemun is a gorgeous town on the old Austro-Hungarian border that only became part of Belgrade after the First World War. Situated on the banks of the Danube, the town boasts beautiful Austro-Hungarian architecture and great views across the river of Kalemegdan and Old Belgrade.
Zemun’s most famous landmark is the Gardoš Tower, a Romanesque tower built by the Hungarians on the site of ruins of a medieval fortress. Make sure to climb the tower to the top for stunning views over Zemun, the Danube, New and Old Belgrade.
From Zemun you can take a a walk along a long promenade all the way back to the Belgrade city centre (crossing the Danube via a long bridge). I tried to walk all the way, but it was just that little bit too far, so I covered the last stretch by taxi.
Skadarlija
Skadarlija is a lovely old bohemian neighbourhood situated in the old town (Stari Grad), where many poets and artists gathered in the 19th and early 20th century. It is home to great cafés, art galleries, antique shops, a market and stunning street murals.
Skadarlija still has a strong artistic flavour and is a wonderful place to explore. Make sure to take the side alleys – I discovered quite a few little gems this way, especially some fabulous street art. I took so many photos that I decided to dedicate a special blog post to Belgrade’s street art.
Have you visited Belgrade yet? What other gems did you discover?
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nice photos:)
Tanja/The Red Phone Box travels recently posted…Imperial Carriage Museum Vienna
Thanks, Tanja!
Very interesting travel and post. Congrats.
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Thanks for the lovely feedback! Much appreciated!
Wow! Belgrade seems so charming, Birgit! It is definitely a hidden gem which I hope to explore very soon. Thanks for the detailed guide!
You’re welcome, Agness! Hope you’ll get to visit Belgrade soon. 🙂
I’m hoping to go to Belgrade in the next year or so, it sounds amazing! The only thing making it tricky is getting flights. :/ Your photos are amazing though and it looks like there is tons to do, so I need to get on planning!
Ooh! I hope you can go. There is so much to see. There should be plenty of flights from the UK to Serbia but you would probably need to fly via another city. Check out Turkish Airlines or KLM for example. An app such as Skyscanner should help you quickly. Happy holiday planning:-)
Ooh, I’m looking forward to your street art post! It tells such an interesting story about a place. And Belgrade’s story is more interesting than most. Sounds as though you were really able to make the most of your trip there. Thanks ever so much for linking up with #CulturedKids.
Nell (Pigeon Pair and Me) recently posted…The Great British Bake Off guide to picking a holiday destination
Belgrade has so many interesting stories to tell! I really enjoyed my time there. I just published my Belgrade street art post with some of my favourite pics (http://www.grooveisintheheart.co.za/travel/blown-away-belgrades-street-art/). Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Thanks for your visit, Nell 🙂
It sounds like a fascinating city to visit and what a great opportunity you had to get a local guide. Sounds like Belgrade is now on the up again thankfully, it’s a fab guide. Thanks for linking up to Monday Escapes
Thank you! Happy to hear you enjoyed my post. It is a very interesting city to visit and I hope you too can travel there in the not too distant future.
Wonderful! I have visited Belgrade but only scratched the surface. The whole Balkans region is brilliant to visit, you must come back! #citytripping
So happy to hear that you also had a chance to visit Belgrade. I definitely plan to see more of the Balkans. It’s a beautiful region and there is so much history!
A fascinating city to visit and what a great opportunity you had to get a local guide. Belgrade has such a turbulent history but good to see it is now thriving. I’d really like to visit so thanks for the great guide…and linking to #citytripping
Indeed. Such a turbulent history but Belgrade is very safe and peaceful now, and I really hope that my blog post will encourage more people to visit. I hope you can too 🙂
The Balkans are not an area we have explored yet so it’s so nice to read about Belgrade – you’ve certainly put it on my radar now and I will continue to read more about it. I had no idea it was such a pretty place. And I love the sound of the Tesla museum, I love stuff like this. #citytrippin
Thanks Alex! Happy to have piqued your interest in this often overlooked country. I also hope to see more of the Balkans.
Great post! Admittedly, we don’t know a lot about Belgrade, apart from what we’ve seen in the news. And most of that was years ago. Thanks for the up-to-date view of the city. It does indeed seem to be rising like a Phoenix. Good to see, and definitely someplace we now feel like we need to see! Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
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Thanks Rob and Ann! I so enjoyed getting to know Belgrade: the people, wonderful sites, culture and history. It’s definitely a phoenix rising and I hope that more people get to see it too.
A free trip (let’s overlook the air fare) is just too good to miss! There’s so much history in Belgrade isn’t there, but those tributes to the children made my heart hurt. Can’t wait to see more of the street art!
Yes, there is a lot of history, and I learned so much. Those tributes to all the people who died during the last war (especially the children) are heartbreaking. War is so ugly and it always claims the lives of innocent citizens 🙁 Will be posting my street art blog post soon!
That fortress is gorgeous!! I have to admit, I don’t know much about Serbia and have never really considered visiting but it looks like I should one day 🙂
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Thanks, Vanessa! Yes, people tend to visit the other Balkan countries but Serbia has so much to offer too 🙂
What an awesome place! This is now on my travel radar. Beautiful photos!
Sharon recently posted…The Berlin Cathedral
Thanks, Sharon! I hope you get to visit Belgrade one day.
One of my favourite people I met while travelling is from Serbia, but when I asked about Belgrade I got the distinct impression that there wasn’t much to see or do there. From your post, I can only conclude that he was downplaying it a LOT! It looks like a beautiful city with lots to do, not to mention a fascinating history. Thanks for sharing!
Interesting! It does happen that people are sometimes not that much into their hometown and can’t understand what the tourists are raving about 😉 I guess tourists look at a place with different eyes – everything is new and exciting! I sometimes have to laugh at myself when I’m so super excited about something and the locals just look at me with disbelief because they find it rather ordinary. Ha ha!
I have read a lot of good things about Belgrade. For some reason, the cities in Eastern Europe attract me a lot. The opportunity of staying with a local is priceless. I believe that is the perfect way to absorb what a city has to offer. Good for you! #wanderfulwednesday
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Funny! I am also very drawn to Eastern Europe. I find the history and culture so interesting! The more I see, the more I want to explore. And, of course, it is more affordable too, which helps budget-travel me 🙂
Historic, affordable and walkable; Belgrade sounds perfect. I’d be with you visiting thenOpera House rather than the Clubbing Boats! Thank you for linking up to #CulturedKids
Ha ha, yes! The opera was far more my cup of tea 🙂 The city has so much to offer. I hope my blog post will convince more people to visit!
From all the former Yugoslavian countries I´ve only been to Croatia so far! It is such a beautiful region and Belgrade looks so interesting! I´ve never thought it would have so many cool places to visit, cause it has really risen from ashes. This whole story with NATO, war they had and bombing is heartbreaking… Thanks for sharing, pinned #the weeklypostcard
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True, Anna. Belgrade has truly risen from the ashes and so much to offer for visitors. The story with the NATO bombing absolutely breaks my heart… War is just ugly and there are no winners. I hope to see more of the region, including Croatia.
I loved your post, loved everything you wrote about Belgrade! Thank you so much dear Birgit. Your excellent descriptions of the places you visited, reminded me somehow of Budapest, where I spent some fantastic weeks holidaying and from there, sightseeing through Hungary.
Travelling is really the best thing one can do to spoil oneself, the experiences stay with you forever, unforgettable!!! Beate
Ah, thanks for your very kind words, Beate. I so appreciate it! Very interesting that it reminds you somehow of Budapest. I think there is some truth in it. I visited Budapest and surrounds a few years ago and also loved it. I can just imagine how fabulous your trip through Hungary must have been. What an adventure! To travel is really one of the best things ever and those memories are something that no-one can ever take away from you. Priceless!
Thank you for sharing the beautiful experience. I wish I could some day stand at the confluence of the Sava and the Danube! – Keep them coming!
Thanks, Raphefo! It indeed was a very special experience to stand at the confluence of the Sava and Danube. There is so much history at this spot and both these international rivers have so many stories to tell …
A lovely post. Belgrade sounds like a nie city. Affordable, walkable and a mix of old and new -will check it out for one of our city trips next year. #theweeklypostcard
Thanks for your lovely feedback, Jules. It is a great city to visit and a perfect introduction to Serbia. Thanks for visiting my blog 🙂
It’s great to visit a city where you have some friends or you know a local. I didn’t realize Belgrade is so beautiful. I lived so closed to it (in Romania) for so many years and never visited it. Well, maybe next time I go to Europe I’ll visit it too. #TheWeeklyPostcard
How interesting that you lived in Romania for many years. It looks like a really beautiful country too! I think the whole region has so much to offer and I’d love to explore more.
I haven’t been to any of the Balkans yet! I love the architecture though and that museum sounds really interesting. Sad that he didn’t get credit for his inventions until after he died!
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I also love the architecture… especially the Art Nouveau. Yes, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed my visit to the Nikola Tesla Museum. As I mentioned, I’m not a scientist (I’m more into words and arts) but it was presented so interestingly that I’m now a huge Tesla fan! Ah, and I’m just thinking now … It’s so cool that Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors is named after the inventor of the electric motor! Great acknowledgement 🙂
WHat a great opportunity you had to visit your friend! Belgrade looks amazing and I’m sad that somehow we managed to completely encircle the country by visiting the surrounding countries on our honeymoon. Will have to go again! So sad about the bombing of the children. Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard!!
I was really lucky, Lorelei 🙂 And staying with locals makes the experience so much more authentic. I would love to see more of Serbia and, of course, the surrounding countries, especially Montenegro and Croatia. My travel bucketlist is endless!