Serbia
Belgrade is the Balkans at full volume: a big, warm, unpolished capital on the ridge where the Sava flows into the Danube, with a fortress that has been fought over for two thousand years, cafes that never seem to empty and a nightlife that runs from riverside rafts to smoky taverns.
The old town falls away from Kalemegdan Park along Knez Mihailova, the pedestrian spine of the city, towards Republic Square and the grand hotels of Terazije; the bohemian lanes of Skadarlija serve grilled meat and rakija to the sound of tamburica bands; and on Vračar hill the vast white Temple of Saint Sava rises over everything. Belgrade is also a city of layered history, from Roman Singidunum and Ottoman gates to the Austrian gunpowder stores under the fortress, Tito’s House of Flowers and the brutalist blocks of New Belgrade, and it honours its most famous son at the Nikola Tesla Museum. An hour to the north lies Novi Sad, with the great Petrovaradin Fortress, and beyond it the baroque wine town of Sremski Karlovci and the monasteries of Fruška Gora. This guide books the tours worth booking, flags the museum rules that catch visitors out and shows how to fit it all into a first visit.
Belgrade Fortress and Kalemegdan Park
The heart and symbol of Belgrade: a free, open-air fortress on the ridge above the meeting of the Sava and Danube, wrapped in the shady paths of Kalemegdan Park and crowned by the Victor monument. Come for the sunset view.
Nikola Tesla Museum
A small, much-loved museum in a Vračar villa devoted to the inventor Nikola Tesla, seen on a 45-minute guided tour with working models of his machines, his personal belongings and a short film. Bring cash in dinars.
Belgrade Underground Tour
Two and a half hours beneath the Belgrade Fortress and the old town: a Roman well, an Austrian gunpowder warehouse, tunnels and a Cold War bunker, finished with a glass of sparkling wine by the river.
Temple of Saint Sava
One of the largest Orthodox churches in the world, a white-and-green domed giant on Vračar hill with a dazzling gold mosaic interior and a richly decorated crypt. Free to enter and visible from all over Belgrade.
FreeThe heart and symbol of Belgrade: a free, open-air fortress on the ridge above the meeting of the Sava and Danube, wrapped in the shady paths of Kalemegdan Park and crowned by the Victor monument. Come for the sunset view.
The classic day out from Belgrade: across Fruška Gora to Krušedol Monastery, a wine tasting in baroque Sremski Karlovci, the ramparts of Petrovaradin Fortress and three hours in the elegant centre of Novi Sad.
A small, much-loved museum in a Vračar villa devoted to the inventor Nikola Tesla, seen on a 45-minute guided tour with working models of his machines, his personal belongings and a short film. Bring cash in dinars.
A three-hour small-group walk with a local guide from the National Parliament along Knez Mihailova to the Belgrade Fortress, the best way to make sense of the city on your first day.
Two and a half hours beneath the Belgrade Fortress and the old town: a Roman well, an Austrian gunpowder warehouse, tunnels and a Cold War bunker, finished with a glass of sparkling wine by the river.
FreeOne of the largest Orthodox churches in the world, a white-and-green domed giant on Vračar hill with a dazzling gold mosaic interior and a richly decorated crypt. Free to enter and visible from all over Belgrade.
A four-hour guided journey through Tito’s Belgrade, by foot and by trolleybus, to the Museum of Yugoslavia and the House of Flowers, where the Yugoslav leader is buried. Socialist history, told with humour.
Three and a half hours of eating your way through Belgrade with a local guide, from market stalls to traditional kitchens, tasting the burek, cheeses, grilled meat and rakija that define Serbian food. Come hungry.
A private day in the hills north of Belgrade: medieval monasteries hidden in the forests of Fruška Gora National Park, the baroque town of Sremski Karlovci and Novi Sad, with a home-cooked meal and wine.
FreeA town within the city: the old Habsburg streets of Zemun, the Gardoš Tower viewpoint on its hill and a long Danube promenade lined with fish restaurants. A free, easy half day across the river.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$$Stari Grad
Belgrade’s most polished luxury hotel, a 45-room member of The Leading Hotels of the World on Studentski trg, steps from Knez Mihailova and Kalemegdan, with an 18-metre pool, a Sisley spa and a rooftop Japanese restaurant.
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$$$Terazije
Belgrade’s grand old landmark, opened in 1908 on Terazije, where Einstein, film stars and world leaders have stayed, with a famous cafe and pastry shop that gave the city its favourite cake, the Moskva šnit.
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$$Knez Mihailova
A playful, sociable design hotel at the top of Knez Mihailova, a minute from Kalemegdan Park, with 125 soundproofed rooms and one of Belgrade’s favourite rooftop terraces, open all year.
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$$Stari Grad
A quietly stylish 21-room boutique hotel in the old town, a few minutes from Knez Mihailova, with art by sculptor Gabriel Glid, a lounge bar and one of the highest guest ratings in Belgrade.
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$New Belgrade (Ušće)
Belgrade’s most original budget stay: a wooden houseboat moored on the Danube in the Park of Friendship, with dorms, private rooms and river-view apartments, breakfast included and the old town a 20-minute walk away.
Rates on Expedia →The practical primer for a first visit to Belgrade: how many days to plan, what to book ahead, the cash and museum rules that catch visitors out, getting around the city, and how to fit in Novi Sad and Fruška Gora.
Where to stay in Belgrade: the old town around Knez Mihailova and Kalemegdan, grand Terazije, the quieter old-town streets towards the Sava, and New Belgrade on the Danube, with the best hotel in each area for every budget.
