Belgrade Travel Guide – Visit Belgrade – Budget Travel In Serbia

Visit Belgrade, Serbia’s capital city, where the Danube and Sava rivers meet under the imposing presence of the Kalemegdan fortress. It might not be the prettiest of European cities, but the Belgrade nightlife is as good as anywhere on the continent.

Serbia became my 8th country on my unplanned travel around the Balkans and nearby countries. Moving on from Sarajevo meant an 8 hour bus ride, the longest journey on my European travels by some margin. The bus left ‘Istočno Sarajevo Bus Station’ (map) on time and took just over 8 hours to reach Belgrade bus station (map).

Where To Stay In Belgrade

These are some of the best budget hostels in Belgrade, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.

• Good People Design Hostel
• NapPARK Hostel
• Cricket Park Hostel
• Balkan Soul Hostel
• Roommates Hostel
• Green House Hostel
• Hostel White Town
• Authentic Belgrade Centre Hostel
• White Owl Hostel

Balkan Soul Hostel

I had booked a 4 night stay at ‘Balkan Soul Hostel’ (map). The hostel is located in the heart of Belgrade and proved to be a great base from which to explore the city. Each bed came with a locker, power socket and night light. Towels are provided. There is a large communal area and kitchen. The communal area has games, books and even guitars.

The bathrooms could probably do with a bit of an upgrade but they were all functioning. Overall, it was a decent hostel for the low budget traveller.

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I paid £38 for a four night stay in 8 bed dorm with shared bathroom.

Click here to book a stay at ‘Balkan Soul Hostel’.

Things To Do In Belgrade

Belgrade Fortress

Ancient fortress, built in the 3rd century, overlooking the junction of the Danube and Sava rivers. The fortress is home to museums and parks that offer a calm respite from the busy city. The fort is free to enter but museums have a fee. Map.

Dorcol Platz

Interesting art space with a variety of events taking place. I originally planned to come here at night as they have live music and DJs. Having to take antibiotics put an end to that plan so I came on a Sunday afternoon and found a lively market. Cool area with some nice street art. Map.

Dorcol Platz Opening Times: 10 am – 2 am, every day.

Farmer’s market “Zeleni venac”

Local produce market selling fruit, veg, meat and fish. There are also a number of clothes stalls. It all seemed to be closed when I visited in the early afternoon, despite the opening hours stating the market is open until 7 pm.

Holy Archangel Michael

Built in 1830, the cathedral dominates the city centre landscape. It is very impressive inside and it is free to enter. You do not have to pay the people asking for money by the door. They are beggars and have no connection to the church. Map.

Museum Of Contemporary Art

Located on the west of the Sava river, I walked across ‘Branko’s Bridge’ (map) in blustering winds to visit the ‘Museum Of Contemporary Art’ (map). I had no idea what the exhibition was and I couldn’t believe it when I discovered it was an exhibition of the life and work of Belgrade’s Marina Abramovich. I had visited an exhibition and symposium by her in Bangkok so this was a real welcome surprise.

The exhibition contained videos, images and artifacts from some of Marina’s most famous performances.

There were also young performance artists recreating some of Marina’s work. To enter part of the exhibition, visitors had to walk in between a naked male and female.

In this performance, the artist repeatedly wailed until he no longer had a voice.

Museum Of Contemporary Art Opening Times: 12 pm – 8 pm, Wed – Fri & Mon. 10 am – 6 pm, Sat & Sun.
Museum Of Contemporary Art Entrance Fee: 500 RSD.

Street Art Of Belgrade

I was pleased to discover, thanks to the website https://splatrs.com/2019/10/07/belgrade-street-art-map/, that Belgrade has some great street art. I used the map on my first day to explore the city.

Street Gallery

Art gallery in a city centre street with changing exhibitions. Map.

Temple Of Saint Sava

The biggest church in Serbia and one of the biggest in the world, ‘Temple of Saint Sava’ (map) is certainly an impressive sight. The church was closed for renovation on my visit but the crypt was open to tourists.

Food And Drink In Belgrade

As I was travelling on a low budget, I didn’t eat out so much. But I did check out the bars. The night life in Belgrade is incredible, with various areas offering an alternative to your average night out.

Bajlonko

Typical Balkan fast-food, open 24 hours and serving grilled meats at reasonable prices. I had the traditional cevapi wrapped in bacon. It was a fine breakfast! Map.

Barista’s Speciality Coffee Corner

Located just a few minutes walk from my hostel, I had big hopes that this would be so good, it would become my regular coffee stop during my time here. It’s a hipster place where they take coffee very seriously. You can buy third wave coffee prepared in a variety of ways (v60, aeropress, etc). It’s reasonably priced too. Unfortunately, my regular americano just didn’t do it for me. It tasted quite weak. It is generally highly rated so I’d still recommend you make your own mind up about this place. Map.

Blaznavac

Chilled vibe in this wonderfully decorated bar. It has a great beer garden and the whole place has the feel of a Budapest ruin bar. Prices are reasonable and the music was good, as was the table service. Recommended. Map.

Cafe Amelie

After a disappointing experience at ‘Barista’s Speciality Coffee Shop’, I needed to find a better alternative for my morning coffee. ‘Cafe Amelie’ (map) was close to the hostel and ticked all the boxes: great coffee, relaxed vibe and nice music. I came here every day after I found it.

Car Park

It might not sound the most exciting place to spend an evening, but the car park area is a lively area filled with a wide choice of bars. I came to ‘Skadarlija’ to find a certain bar but could not find it. It appeared to be between two streets which didn’t make sense, until I came across the car park. There are so many places to choose from.

I had beers at ‘Bluz I Pivo-Admiral Inn’ where there was a live, three-piece blues band, before enjoying drinks and DJs at ‘Berlin Monroe’.

There is so much choice here, you could easily spend every night in this area and never drink in the same bar twice. Some great street art too. Map.

Gunners Pub

Thankfully, not an Arsenal themed pub but a nice bar selling craft beer from around Europe. The quality of the beer is very good and the prices are more than reasonable. They played a nice variety of music and offer table service. Great place for a night out. Map.

Sava River

On the west side of the Sava river, there are a number of floating restaurants, bars and nightclubs. I didn’t spend any time there as it seemed pretty quiet out of season. I have read and heard mixed reviews of these places so do your research before spending time here.

Skadarlija

Lively street with plenty of bars and restaurants. The whole street is painted and looks wonderful in the evening. There are so many bars that are off the main street. It’s a great area to explore. Map.

Street Food Of Belgrade

Located on the busy ‘Kneza Mihaila’ are several street food vendors where you can buy various meat sandwiches for a reasonable price. I visited here twice as the food is filling and tasty. All the salads and toppings are free.

Super Vok

Chinese restaurant offering cheap, fast food with many vegetarian and vegan options. For just 350 Dinar (£2.55), I had a plate of rice topped with 2 main dishes. The food was good and was a welcome change from the meat-heavy Balkan diet. Map.

Is Belgrade Worth Visiting?

Belgrade is not as pretty as other Balkan cities that I had visited. In fact, parts of it are quite ugly. Amongst the gritty urban landscape, modern coffee shops, craft beer bars and wonderful street art can be found. It took a day or so for me to warm to Belgrade but by the end of my visit I had come to enjoy the city. The night life alone makes the city a worthy inclusion on any Balkan itinerary,