Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia is now known for it’s vibrant night life, interesting history and great value for money. So, is Belgrade worth visiting? I would say yes, definitely…I had a great time there and would highly recommend it. If you are looking for somewhere in Europe that is cheap and affordable and not over-run with tourists, then Belgrade will be a great place for you to visit, add it to your list!
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Belgrade – Getting there and away
Most people fly into Belgrade to Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. It is relatively accessible as it is serviced by Wizz Air, British Airways and Air Serbia from London. When you arrive at Belgrade Airport, there are buses going directly to the centre of Belgrade, but remember that they won’t take EUROS, so you will need some Serbian Dinars ready, or you will need to change some money at the airport (which can be expensive). Cards are currently not accepted – if this changes, please let me know so that I can update this blog!
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It is also possible to get the train from Belgrade train station to other cities including Novi Sad (I loved this place and you can read about how to spend one day in Novi Sad here). You can take trains further afield as well – a popular travellers route is the Sofia to Belgrade train for those coming from Bulgaria. It is also possible to take a Flixbus from Belgrade to other Balkan cities including Sarajevo and Bucharest.
Is Belgrade worth visiting?
So, is Belgrade worth visiting? I spent a week there and I would say that Belgrade is totally worth a visit, and I would recommend spending at least a full weekend there. There is a lot of history in Belgrade including Kalemegdan fortress and also a lot of unexpected history underground including Roman ruins that they found when building the metro! Also, if you are a party animal then you will love Belgrade, its nightlife is possibly the best in Easter Europe!
How long should I spend in Belgrade?
so, how long should you spend in Belgrade? Although the main sites can be seen in just one day, I would recommend at least 3 days in Belgrade to fully explore. This will allow you time to also see the bombed out buildings, Sava Church and experience some of the Belgrade night life. If you’re like me and prefer to spend more time in a destination to explore further, then you could consider spending 5 days in Belgrade and having a day trip to Novi Sad.
Pros of Belgrade
Belgrade is a very affordable city that is full out great history, culture and nightlife. This is what makes it such a great stop on the Balkans backpacking route. Let’s start by taking a look at the history of Belgrade Fortress, Kalemegdan Park and underground Belgrade…
Belgrade Fortress and the Kalemegdan Park
Most visitors to the city start their sightseeing at Kalemegdan Park, which is basically ‘Fortress Park’. It comes from the Turkish terms ‘Kale’ (meaning castle) and ‘megdan’ (meaning square). This stone monument in the park was built to celebrate one hundred years since the key to the city of Belgrade was given from the Ottomans back to the Serbians, when Belgrade became the capital of Serbia again for the second time.
Fantastic Museums
I loved the museums of Belgrade – they were very interactive! The museums that you should not miss in Belgrade are:
- Nicola Tesla Museum – Interactive science museum based on Tesla’s life and inventions.
- National Museum of Serbia – Pre-history, antiquities, Middle Ages and Modern Art.
- Museum of Illusions – Interactive museum full of optical illusions and puzzles.
- Belgrade Military Museum – Includes WW1 tanks and military vehicles.
I visited two of these – the Tesla Museum and the National Museum of Serbia. I hope to return one day to see the others. The Nikola Tesla Museum was my favourite – it brings science to life through a series of demonstrations, and also tells the story of Nikola Tesla’s life.
The National Museum of Serbia is the largest and oldest museum in Belgrade. Located on Republic Square, this is a great place to learn about pre-history, antiquity, the Middle Ages and Modern Art.
Belgrade Underground
In Belgrade, you will be surprised at how much history is actually underground! I did a walking tour of Underground Belgrade with Travel Time connection. I was fascinated to see a wealth of Roman and world war history beneath the city. We saw a library, WW2 tunnels, an underground Roman well and Roman Antiquities underneath the fortress. You can book an underground tour of Belgrade here.
Interesting Churches
Of course, as templeseeker, I had to check out some of the interesting Churches in Belgrade. The largest and most visited is the Temple of Saint Sava, the prominent white Serbian Orthodox Church with green domes. But there are some other really interesting Orthodox Churches in Belgrade that are worth a visit, including Saint Marks Orthodox Church (here rests the body of the first Serbian Emperor, Stefan Dušan) and the Saint Archangel Gabriel Serbian Orthodox Church.
Great nightlife scene – Skadarlija Street and Splavs (party boats)
One of the most famous things about Belgrade is the fantastic nightlife scene. Be sure to go out drinking on and around Skardalija Street – a cobbled pedestrianised street lined with pubs, bars and clubs. Some good drinking holes here include Red Bar, Zadruga, April Bar and Berlin Monroe. In summer, Belgrade sees plenty of Music festivals held at the fortress and ‘party boats’ called Splavs appear along the river, so that you can drink in style on the Danube!
Excellent Value for Money to Eat out
I found Belgrade to be really good value for money with regards to eating out. There is a good variety of Serbian and international food available in Belgrade, alongside some gorgeous ice cream and desert shops. I loved Manufactura (great food and Raki!) and found this excellent value brunch place called Boutique 1. It’s easy to get a traditional breakfast for £2-3, lunch out for £5 a head and dinner in a basic restaurant for £10 or a more upmarket restaurant for £15.
Shopping on Knez Mihailova
Knez Mihailova is Belgrade’s main street and shopping is great along here. Clothes shopping is particularly good value, and the Serbians are very stylish too. The weather looks pretty drab here, but please note that I visited in the off seasons (winter).
Good Day Trips
There are some great day trips from Belgrade, making it a good destination for a base, while you still see more of Serbia. I’ve mentioned already that a day trip to Novi Sad is completely doable (it’s just half an hour and a half away on the train. You can also book a guided tour of Novi Sad and Karlovci Sremski from Belgrade with GetYourGuide. There’s a great day trip down the Danube to Golubac fortress and Iron Gate Gorge and another great day trip that takes you east to explore some Serbian monasteries.
Cons of Belgrade
Despite all of the positives, there are a few challenges to travelling in Belgrade. Sometimes the language barrier is a challenge, and bars have previously been known to rip off tourists. The currency is hard to get hold of before you travel, and expect some rather unsightly architecture and even the odd bombed out building.
Serbian Dinars are not so Easy to get hold of outside of Serbia
It’s difficult to get hold of Serbian dinars outside of Serbia – it’s pretty much a closed currency. And they don’t accept euros or card on the airport buses. This is a challenge in itself, because you need to get your Serbian sonars at the airport before you even board the bus to Belgrade. The exchange rates here aren’t the best.
Architecture is not so beautiful!
I have to say it the way it is – Belgrade is definitely not one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. As a lot of Belgrade was destroyed during the war, it is left with quite a ‘hotch potch’ or mis-match of architecture. You might see a gorgeous historical building with an unsightly block of apartments next to it.
A Dark History – Avoid discussing the war
There is of course a very dark history of this region, and mentioning the former Yugoslavia and the Balkans war is probably best avoided. Many people have lived through traumatic times, and for the younger generation, it’s not a distant memory of their parents. However, it is interesting to find out about this dark piece of history through the museums and architecture in Belgrade. In fact there are two bombed out buildings still visible in Belgrade that you can see, one was actually a hospital.
Language Barrier – Not everyone will speak English!
the language barrier was a bit of an issue for me in Belgrade. In fact, when I went to order a return ticket to Novi sad I was given a single. My mistake for ‘presuming’ that they understood English. This caused much confusion when I boarded a train back home thinking I had a valid return ticket when I did not.
Getting short changed in bars
Sometimes they will play on the language barrier and the fact that you don’t speak Serbian to short change you. This happened a few times to a couple of us in bars when they didn’t give the correct change or didn’t give change at all and presumed we wouldn’t ask for it. so make sure that you know how much you should be paying.
Smoking everywhere!
One thing that I really did not like about Belgrade is that there is smoking everywhere. It has been a few years since I’ve been back to Belgrade, but when I was there the smoking was inside restaurants as well. People were not ashamed to light up a cigarette as your meal had literally just been served in front of you. As an asthmatic this was really a problem for me. It’s a health risk as well as being unpleasant. If anyone has been back to Belgrade more recently, I would be interested to know if that has changed.
Is Belgrade worth Visiting? Overall Verdict
Overall, Belgrade is probably not the best destination for the first time solo traveller, but if you have a bit of travel experience under your belt it is an excellent destination to explore. I found Belgrade very interesting and lively – a fantastic place to spend a few days and a good base for exploring Serbia further.
Further reading on Serbia
If you found this article on ‘Is Belgrade worth visiting?’ helpful, you might enjoy some of my other articles on Serbia….
- Serbia 10 things to know before you go
- Belgrade nightlife guide
- What to see in Belgrade in one day
- one day in Novi Sad
- Is Novi Sad worth visiting?