Serbia is an emerging tourist destination, but not yet been discovered by the masses.
The country is a very diverse tourist destination, but most visitors who come here for the first time visit only the capital.
This is your quick guide to Belgrade, welcome!
We compiled a few basic tips from our current city of residence, such as vocabulary, information on food, drink, tipping, weather, etc., as well as places worth visiting.
If you prefer to read in Finnish click here: Pikaopas Belgradiin
Belgrade is the former capital of Yugoslavia and the current capital of Serbia.
Here lives 1.3 million inhabitants and it’s an interesting blend of roughness and beauty.
The city was known as Singidunum during the Roman era and has been destroyed and rebuilt 44 times.
The name Beograd, White City, was given by Slavs in the 9th century.
The overall look is clean and Belgrade is also one of the safest capitals in Europe.
Be aware of pickpockets in the heart of the city though.
The residents are friendly and hospitable and the atmosphere is very relaxed. You can often cope with English, but some words in Serbian language are good to know. Serbian is the only language written in both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets.
In Belgrade, the latter is widely used.
When is the best time to travel to Belgrade?
The best time to travel is from April to October, but already in March and even in early November the days are usually warm.
In July and August, the weather is hot, but riversides and parks are good places to cool off.
May and June are the most rainy months, but it rains rarely the whole day (though that happens). Most often the rain comes in bursts, just like in the tropics, and with the same volume, sometimes with a handsome thunderstorm.
If a rain shower like that lays on you there’s no use to open your umbrella, you’ll be soaking wet anyway.
Autumn, on the other hand, is usually relatively dry.
Is it hot or not?
Note that the only weather station in Belgrade is located in the hilly Košutnjak forest, some five kilometers away from the city center. This means that the temperature during the summer in the center is five degrees higher than the official one.
So if your smartphone’s weather app shows a whopping +35 degrees Celsius, in the center there is actually 40+…
On those days you can take a bus or taxi to that cool forest since there are many good restaurants with beautiful views towards the burning hot Belgrade center.
Many restaurant terraces are open all year round, although they are less occupied in December and January.
Some of them have heaters, though.
Also AC for the summer heats.
Almost all restaurants, bars, and cafés allow smoking inside, so a terrace is a better option for non-smokers. A sticker on a door or window shows if smoking is allowed inside or not.
Serbian currency
The currency in Serbia is the Serbian dinar, RSD.
- 1 € = 117 RSD
- 1 USD = 110 RSD
- 1 GBP = 138 RSD
100 RSD = 0.85 €, 0,91 USD, 0,72 GBP.
(Currency exchange rate by May 29th, 2022)
The biggest banknote is 5000 RSD, but usually, the biggest one you get from the ATM is 2000 RSD.
The smallest note in use is 10 RSD. There are also coins up from 1 RSD.
With 5000 RSD you get a dinner for two in a middle-range restaurant with a bottle of good Serbian wine, including tips.
Pay with a card, tip in cash
Credit cards (kartica in Serbian) are commonly accepted, but it’s a good idea to have some cash, at least for tips.
Some small shops and sellers in open markets accept only cash.
There are ATMs already at the airport and plenty of them in the city center, as well as currency exchange offices (menjacnića).
There is no exact rule for tipping, but it is customary to leave tips in restaurants, cafés, bars, taxis, barbers, hairdressers, etc. The amount may be 5-10%, but it is also acceptable to just round up.
The general price level is affordable.
Prices in Belgrade
In a shop
- Bread 50 RSD
- Water (1,5 l) 50 RSD
- Coca Cola (1,5 l) 110 RSD
- Domestic beer (0,5 l) 70 RSD
In a bar or café
- Domestic draft beer (0,5 l) 240 RSD
- Domestic coffee 100 RSD
- A glass of wine from 300 RSD
- Restaurant (middle range) main course 800 RSD-1200 RSD
Prices in bars, cafés, and restaurants vary depending on location, quality level, etc.
Transportation
Public transportation (buses, trolleys and trams) 150 RSD
Taxi in the downtown area around 400-500
How to get around in Belgrade
- Walk
- Take a taxi
- Use public transportation
The center has a wide pedestrian area and walking in general is a recommended way to get around Belgrade.
Taxis are usually honest and drive by the meter. Usually.
Some drivers do overcharge.
There are drivers in front of the bus station who may ask 1,500 RSD for a short trip, but probably another one in the queue will drive at the right price.
Your safest bet would be Pink Taxi or Radiotaxi.
The local Uber-like app is CarGo, whose apps can be downloaded to your mobile phone – if you have a Serbian SIM card.
Some taxi companies as Pink have a mobile app.
You can buy prepaid sim cards for your phone at the airport or Moj kiosks all around the city.
Avoid taking a taxi here
- Airport (without a voucher)
- Central bus station (former railway station)
- Terazije (at the end of the Knez Mihailova)
How to get to Belgrade
Belgrade can be reached by bus from Zagreb, Vienna, Budapest, Sarajevo, and Skopje, for example.
The bus station is within walking distance from the city center.
The new main railway station, on the other hand, is located quite far away from the center.
It’s served by bus number 36 from Slavija Square and Savski Trg, the latter being next to the old train station and the main bus station.
By the air, there are a lot more options.
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Bus from the Nikola Tesla airport
Airport bus number 72 stops right on the outskirts of the city center in Zeleni Venac.
The journey to or from the airport takes approximately 30-50 minutes, much more in rush hours, and costs RSD 150.
Minibus A1 runs to Slavija Square from the airport. The ticket price is 400 RSD and can be paid in cash.
Airport taxi
Taxis are available from the airport at a flat rate, 3000 RSD to the city center.
Get a taxi voucher from the counter next to the exit.
The voucher will state the address and price of your destination.
Hand your voucher to the driver. The trip will be paid in cash.
A tip is not expected, but if you are happy with a service, something like 10% is appreciated.
Beware of the scams
There are so-called taxis inside the arrival hall of the airport offering their services and asking for overprice.
Do not fall into these scams.
An easy way to recognize an official taxi in Belgrade is to look at its register plate:
Does the plate end with “TX”?
It’s a safe bet.
Is there a yellow light on the roof?
Nope.
That light on the roof of a car could’ve been bought from the flea market.
The register plate is the only proof, check if there’s “TX” on a plate.
Guide to the Serbian language
Serbian isn’t the easiest language to learn, but give it a try.
C is pronounced approximately as ts in the word its, ć as J in the word John, i like e in eel.
Learn these at least:
- Thanks = hvala
- Please, here you are = molim
- Sorry = perdon, izvinite
- Yes = da
- No = ne
Greetings
- Good morning = dobro jutro
- Good afternoon = dobar dan
- Good evening = dobro vece
- Good night = Laku noć
- Hi = zdravo (or çao, pronounced like Italian ciao)
- Goodbye = ćao, more formally dovidzenja
Adjectives you’ll need every day
- Small = Malo
- Large = Veliko
- Good = dobro
- Bad = loše
In a restaurant
- Bottle = flaš
- Water = voda
- Beer = pivo, draft beer = pivo toceno
- Wine = vino
- Red wine = crveno vino
- White wine = belo vino
- Coffee = kafa, Turkish coffee or local coffee = domaca kafa
- Tea = ćaj, green tea = zeleni ćaj
- To drink = pice
- Eat = jesti
- Bill = raćun
- Price = cena
Numbers
- One = jedan
- Two = dva
- Three = tri
- Four = ćetiri
- Five = pet
- Six = ŝest
- Seven = sedam
- Eight = osam
- Nine = devet
- Ten = deset
- Hundred = sto
- Thousand = hiljadu
Shopping (and some religious buildings)
- Knez Mihailova street
- Rajićeva Shopping Center
- Kralja Petra street
- Dorćol district
The pedestrian street Knez Mihailova is full of clothing and shoe stores and various boutiques, often Italian chains.
There are also several well-stocked bookstores along it, and on the one corner of a side street, there is also a small outdoor second-hand vendor for books and records. There are antique shops at both ends of the street.
At the end of the Mihailova, before Kalemegdan Fortress, there is a relatively new Rajićeva Shopping Center.
It offers a range of global labels.
In front of the shopping center, under the pavement covered with glass, you can see a small part of the ancient Roman street.
Kralja Petra, across the street just before Rajićeva, has some luxury boutiques.
At its end on the Sava riverside is the Church of the Archangel Michael, the main Orthodox Christian cathedral in Belgrade.
On Kralja Petra you’ll find the only remaining mosque in Belgrade, Bajrakli (next to the Museum of Jewish History), built in 1575.
After visiting religious places you might want to do some more shopping.
Jane Doe vintage & design shops are worth having a look at. Both of their stores are located in the Dorćol district.
One has a collection of new Serbian clothes designs and another one sells vintage originating mostly back to the 60s. A lot of their items of clothing are brought here by former Yugoslavian flight attendants.
Vintage: Kapetan Mišina
New design: Gospodar Jevremova
Dorćol is one of the most picturesque neighborhoods of Belgrade, especially for architecture fans.
The Guardian paper selected Dorćol as one of the ten coolest districts in Europe.
Guide to Belgrade’s main sightseeings
- Kalemegdan Fortress
- The Church of Saint Sava
- The Yugoslav Museum and the Tito Mausoleum (House of Flowers)
- The Nikola Tesla Museum
- Tazmajdan Park
- The Jevremovac Botanical Gardens
- Ada Ciganlija island
- Skadarska street
Church and Museums
Kalemegdan Fortress is the most popular attraction in Belgrade and in the whole of Serbia.
Its walls offer great views of the confluence of the Danube and Sava.
Belgradians gather here to watch the sunset.
The fortress was originally founded during Roman rule, but the oldest parts of the present fortress date back to the 14th century.
There are several museums and restaurants, but access to the area itself is free.
Knez Mihailova is the main pedestrian (shopping) street. It starts near the Trg Republika, the Republic Square. Knez Mihailova leads directly to the Kalemegdan fortress.
See the Prince Mihail’s statue at the square.
This is the main meeting point in Belgrade.
If you get invited to “kod konja”, this is the place to go. It literally means “by the horse”.
The Church of Saint Sava (Krusedolska 2a), dedicated to the patron saint of Serbia, near Slavija Square is one of the largest Orthodox Christian churches in the world and can be seen all over the city.
Trams 9 and 14 stop at the adjacent Karadjordjeva Park, just a half-hour walk from the city center.
The Yugoslav Museum and the adjoining Tito Mausoleum, or House of Flowers, are located in the villa district of Dedinje at Mihaila Mike Jankovica 6.
The museum is an interesting cross-section of Yugoslav history.
Josip Broz Tito, the legendary ruler of the country, and his wife, Jovanka, are buried in the beautiful mausoleum.
The mausoleum offers great views of the city center.
The entrance fee for adults is RSD 400.
Buses 40 and 41 stop at the museum stop, and a taxi from the center costs around RSD 500.
The Nikola Tesla Museum (Krunska 51) is located in the Vracar district near the city center.
The title Museum of the Father of Electrical Engineering is small but offers a good picture of the life and work of a very original genius.
Refresh in parks and on the river
Tazmajdan Park is close to the House of Parliament, behind the main post office and St. Mark’s Church. It is one of the most popular and famous parks in the city, which also has restaurants. Adjacent to the park is a sports center with large indoor and outdoor pools.
Jevremovac Botanical Garden (Takovska 43)
has various plants, a Japanese garden, and a tropical greenhouse.
The entrance fee is 250 RSD.
Ada Ciganlija is a forestry island in the Sava River, a few kilometers outside of the city center.
It is a very popular refreshing area for Belgradians with jogging paths, outside gym equipment, playing grounds, etc.
Between the island and river bank, there is an artificial lake with beaches, beach restaurants, and water sporting facilities.
Bohemian Skadarlija
Cobblestoned Skadarska Street is the most touristic street in Belgrade.
It doesn’t mean you should avoid it, not at all. This beautiful street used to be favored by artists and actors at the beginning of the 20th century and it’s still called the Bohemian quarter of Belgrade.
It’s also home to some of the oldest kafanas (traditional restaurants) in Belgrade.
Some of them were founded in the middle of the 19th century.
Nowadays Skadarska is a lively and quite noisy street. Noisy mainly because traditional folk bands entertain customers in every restaurant.
The end of the street is more peaceful. Maybe touristy, but locals eat here too, occasionally.
Food in the most famous restaurants is very decent and prices aren’t much higher than in other parts of the Belgrade city center.
You might want to eat somewhere else, but at least walk through Ulica Skadarska.
At the end of the street, there is a large open green market Bajloni, one of the oldest in town.
That’s where we do our grocery shopping.
Forget the talk about Belgrade being a new Berlin or new whatever.
This is Belgrade.
We hope you’ll enjoy it, brate.
Read next: Night Train to Belgrade and chilling on floating barges.
Last updated 09/2023
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