No matter how much time you plan to spend in Serbia’s capital, the decision to visit is always a good one. Located on the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, Belgrade is the type of place you can return to again and again, always coming across something new to enjoy. The city has its fair share of must-see attractions, but it’s also ideal for DIY discovery since you never know what you’ll find as you explore — a stretch of awesome street art, a laid-back riverside bar or peaceful patch of green space made for relaxed afternoons in the sun.
Belgrade may be landlocked, but that doesn’t keep locals from hitting the beach. Head to Ada Ciganlija for some summertime fun in the city, a river island that has artificially been turned into a peninsula and known as Belgrade’s seaside. Here you’ll find a long stretch of beach on an artificial lake prefect for swimming and sunbathing. But if you’re feeling more active, you have plenty of options in the form of kayaking, water skiing, mini golf, cycling, fishing and even bungee jumping. At some point on a visit to Belgrade you’ll want to spend some time hanging out at Kalemegdan Park, one of the city’s best green spaces set within and around the Belgrade Fortress. In addition to scenic walking paths, Kalemegdan Park is also home to the Belgrade Zoo, Belgrade Military Museum, many statues and monuments, gardens, restaurants and galleries.
Experience Belgrade’s bohemian quarter with a visit to Skadarlija Street, sometimes known as the city’s version of Montmartre in Paris. The pedestrianised cobbled street is as charming as they get, and the area is filled with cafes, bars and restaurants serving traditional dishes. Grab a seat at a streetside patio table, order some food and drinks, and do some serious people-watching.
The Church of Saint Sava, with its beautiful white marble and granite façade, is the largest Orthodox place of worship in the Balkans, and one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world. The majestic place of worship is visible from almost every vantage point in the city, and its beauty is well worth seeing up close.
Night life in Belgrade
Belgrade has earned it’s reputation as a city with best night life in the region. Sure, some cities in the neighborhood are very interesting during the summer, because with their beach parties, but that last only for few months – but Belgrade doesn’t stop partying during the all year, all seven days of the week. It doesn’t matter if it’s too cold, or too warm, if it’s raining, snowing, if there is crazy wind or fog – every night in Belgrade is Friday night. Everyone is ready to party at all the time, dance and drink the night away, and go straight to work the next day. There is no way you want find the fun at your liking, because Belgrade has it all – clubs, taverns, bars, restaurants with domestic music. Almost everywhere you look you will find a place to have a good time. To make your enjoyment more comfortable this is what you have to know about the Belgrade night life.
– Belgrade’s nightlife has winter and summer season. During the cold weather of the winter months, there are amazing indoor clubs, bars, and taverns where you can have fun at night. At the end of the spring, when days start to get warmer, famous clubs are closing their doors, and move to their summer venues on the riverside. All of the most popular clubs have their summer versions on the river shore, with the same quality, service, and concept.
These river clubs are called “splavovi”.
Splavovi are the river clubs that have a lot of open space, so it’s ideal for the fun during the warm summer nights.
Most of the river clubs are located on the Ušće quay and the pier behind the Belgrade Fair, so the view at night is spectacular.
Shopping
Shopping in Belgrade can be a real pleasure. You can find almost anything, as long as you know where to look for it. There’s something for everybody, from cheap markets to exclusive international brands, and the best thing is that there are even shopping zones based on the type of product, price span, etc. you’re looking for.
The largest and most popular shopping malls in the city are Usce, Delta City and Mercator, all in New Belgrade. There are also several “old style” shopping centers, the most popular being Piramida, Cumic and Banjica. Two new huge shopping malls were opened recently, and a couple more are under construction.
Depending on your preferences, when shopping for clothes or home accessories, there are zones, clusters of shops with similar style, quality and price tags, or for specific product types such as shoes, mobiles, etc. Off course, the downtown – Knez Mihailova and the surrounding streets tend to be much more expensive.
There is one large flea market – “Buvljak” at New Belgrade and another equally big and usually cheaper at the nearby town of Pancevo (accessible by bus or BeoVoz trains). There’s also a large Chinese trade center / flea market at Blok 70 (Novi Beograd). There are a few other flea markets in the surrounding towns and villages, and some flea market areas in several downtown green markets.
