21 Best things to do in Belgrade

Belgrade.png

Belgrade is the capital of the southeast European country of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. This city has a blending high culture with a fun-loving spirit. You can sense this lust for life on Skardarlija, the Bohemian street, or the splavovi, party boats that are moored on the Danube and Sava. Belgrade’s fortress dominates the cityscape, while Orthodox churches and palaces for the Serbian royalty cropped up after Serbia won independence in the 19th century.

Let’s explore the best things to do in Belgrade:

1. Belgrade Fortress

Belgrade Fortress

Click here for the location

Open 24 hours

Fortress 500 years old near the city center. Great to visit cause it is unique and suits family, children, and pet-friendly. Don’t miss the Theresa Restaurant at the end. Get some pizza and a coffee on the terrace. Enjoy the Zoo animals too. If you don’t feel like walking back, you can exit down from there and catch the tram back to the center. If you do not have tickets, you can buy them on the tram. Exact change only.

2. Skadarlija

Skadarlija

Click here for the location

Skadarlija is a vintage street, an urban neighborhood and former municipality of Belgrade. Skadarlija is the second most visited tourist attraction in Belgrade.

Like its Parisian counterpart, Skadarlija’s glory days were in the early 1900s when famous but cash-strapped Serbian singers, musicians, writers, and poets lived, worked and performed here.

Come for the cafes nightlife, traditional Serbian food like roštilj (grilled meat), and to take in the art displays and street performers as you go.

3. Temple of St Sava

Temple of Saint Sava

Click here for the location

The largest Orthodox Church in the Balkan region, and the second largest in the world. Built on the place where Ottomans burned remains of Saint Sava, it’s still under construction. Impressive appearance with a huge dome and a golden cross. Right next to a national library. Plenty of benches to sit on and relax while eating ice cream on a hot summer day.

4. Ada Cigalinja

Ada Ciganlija

Click here for the location

Ada Ciganlija is in the middle of the city. On a summer day, you can jogging, rowing and kayaking on the lake, playing golf, tennis or basketball.

This area provides picnic tables and deckchairs and are open in the night time.

5. Knez Mihailova Street

Knez mihailova street

Click here for the location

Knez mihailova is the main pedestrian shopping area in the city. You will find upmarket boutiques and international high streets brands like Sephora, Zara, and Gap. This area also protected by law as one of the most valuable landmarks in Belgrade.
It is one kilometer long in one of the easiest ways to access the fortress of Belgrade. The Serbian Academy of Science and Arts and several other important Institute’s can be found in this street.

6. Nikola Tesla museum

Nikola Tesla Museum

Click here for the location

Opening hours: Everyday 10am – 8pm (except Monday)

Cost: 500 dinars

Nikola Tesla museum is a perfect place to get more familiar with both professional and personal life of one of the biggest scientists and inventors of our World! Be sure to follow the guided tours as guides are professional and full of exceptional stories that will make your visit unforgettable!

If you are looking to do it in English make sure to double check the times for guided English tours. They also have a very informative 15-minute video at the start. You can’t buy the tickets in advance and you have to pay with the national currency.

7. Republic Square

Republic Square.png

Click here for location

The main point of the city. Convenient for a short rest,  chat party in a cafe, visit The National Museum, enjoying the performance in The National Theatre or just sitting on the bench and watch the pigeons. In the summertime, performances are organized such as concerts, dance festival, humanitarian fairs, and child workshops.

8. Konak Princess Ljubica

Konak Princess Ljubica

Click here for location

If you love antiques, this is a must visit in Belgrade. A museum displaying the lavished lifestyle of a princess in the 19th century. Interior of the Konak is a setup which represents by clothes, paintings, and photographs, but various styles of furniture are the true testimony of the radical social and cultural changes arisen in Serbia just in one century.

9. Belgrade Zoo

Belgrade Zoo.png

Click here for location

Cost: 500 dinars (around 7aud)

Opening hours: every day 8am–5pm

A wide selection of animals, including an impressive white tiger and the oldest alligator in the world. The animals were all out and some you could even see up close!

10. National Theatre

National Theatre.png

Click here for location

Cost: Around $7

Founded in 1868. it is one of the oldest and most important cultural institutions in Serbia, it holds great value to the Serbian people and houses plays, operas and ballets several times a week. Front stalls are from as little as $7 and boxes aren’t much more.

11. Museum of Yugoslavia History

Museum of Yugoslavia.png

Click here for location

Opening hours: Everyday 10am – 6pm (except Monday)

The complex has 3 different areas, main building whit the small “six torches” monument, representing six republics that made ex Yugoslavia, and quite a nice fountain.  House of flowers is the second building uphill and there is the resting place of Tito and his wife Jovanka.

On the right side of the tomb is his workroom as it was in the residency, a replica of Tito’s train and on the left are batons that were cared on his birthday by the best athletes, workers and presented to him personally. On the left is the house of the old museum where you can see just a bit of the gift that Tito received from all over the world, some of them from the II century, medals, guns, uniforms, guns.

12. House of flowers

House of Flowers

Click here for location

Opening hours: Everyday 10am – 6pm (except Monday)

Cost: 400 Dinars (5aud)

It’s a great place to spend an afternoon, learning about an important part of Yugoslavian history and its most important man – Josip Broz Tito.

13. Belgrade Military Museum

Military Museum

Click here for location

Opening hours: Everyday 10am – 5pm (except Monday)

One of the best Military Museums you could visit. As the history of Serbia is full of wars and conflicts, this museum provides a very good lesson of Serbian history, from their point of view of course.

Great for gun enthusiasts. Every room contains historical firearms from both Yugoslavia, Russia, Germany, France, UK, etc.

14. Aeronautical Museum

Aeronautical Museum

Click here for location

Opening hours: every day 9am – 5pm

Cost: 300 Dinars

One of the biggest collection of historical aircraft in the world. Amazing static display. The purpose-built building could use some TLC but the airplanes always steal the show. Check it out if you are an aviation buff.

15. Kalemegdan Park

Kalemegdan Park

Click here for location

A place where history meets present, with its beautiful architecture, monuments, parks and river views it promises a good time. On weekends, you may be able to catch a local festival complete with food, beer, and music.

16. Saint Mark Church

Church of Saint Mark

Click here for location

The Church of St. Mark is one of the largest churches in Serbia. The Church is located in Tašmajdan park near the Parliament. It was built in Byzantine style and was completed in 1940, on the site of a previous church dating to 1835.

17. Topčider park

Topcider park

Click here for location

Beautiful and historic park. It is placed in a great location and extends over a large area for urban and populated communities. It is ideal for walking and running. It has several points for children and for athletes. Since it connects several parts of the city and the roads, it can also be used as a shortcut.

18. The Victor

The Victor

Click here for location

This tall statue of the man with the eagle is an important landmark for the Serbian history and victory, but it is also located in a spectacular natural green environment, where the Sava river flows into the Danube. Great place for sunset.

You can’t actually say you were in Belgrade unless you haven’t seen Victor. Take a look at Victor’s face, and give it a thought.

19. Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art

Click here for location

Opening hours: Everyday 10am – 6pm (except Tuesday)

Cost: 300 Dinars. Free on Wednesday, 50% off for student

Great for art lovers lots of great pictures, paintings, sculptures, and video art. Near the museum is a beautiful park for kids and adults to take walks, there is also a shopping center about 5-10 minutes walk from the museum. It was closed for 11 years but then reopened 6 months ago. The museum is not very big it takes about 1- 1:30 hour depending on how slow or how fast you go, it has 4 small floors.

20.Belgrade City Museum

Belgrade City Museum

Click here for location

Old ruined building, that was Yugoslav military school, transformed to the city museum, hosting contemporary art shows of highest esteems (the October Salon). The building itself – being ruined, raw, seems like a perfect place for art to be focused on. That is one of the buildings in the military complex hit by the NATO missiles during the war of 1999.

21. Rajko Mitić Stadium (Marakana)

Rajko Mitic Stadium

Click here for location

The biggest stadium in Serbia, home of FC Red Star Belgrade. Attend games and enjoying the games is a unique experience.

If you come for the fixture when Red Star host their cross-town rivals at the 55,000-capacity Rajko Mitić Stadium you’ll encounter possibly the most intense atmosphere of any football match in the world.

Buy a ticket for the east or west stand, as the North and South ends are for the hardcore fans. You have to print your on-line ticket anyway or you won’t get inside.

Eurail Pass

Book Eurail Pass for Serbia (3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 Days) online here

Options:

Stari Dvor (Old Palace)
House of the National Assembly of Serbia
White palace
Zeleni Venac (Queen of the Markets)
Winery Kovacevic and Tarpos
Monastery Krusedol and Hopovo

Leave a comment