Belgrade Travel Guide
As my blog followers may remember, I went to Belgrade 4 years ago in the spring and wrote about it as the Best Visa-Free Route in Spring. This time, I went to experience Autumn in the second half of September, but actually what I was expecting was spring weather. After the first day, where we walked around in short sleeves and thinking how nice the weather was, we had upcoming days where we couldn’t escape the cold even though we dressed in layers. Is it beautiful in autumn too? Yes, but only if you’re prepared for weather changes. For example, my mother and her friends went in snowy weather in winter and still enjoyed it because they were prepared.
So, Autumn or Spring? I think it’s definitely Spring 🙂 The places I recommend you not to miss, no matter what season you go, are listed below.
As you may remember if you read my Sarajevo article, we intended to go to Belgrade but changed route due to the sudden increase in prices. Afterwards, we saw so many bloggers/influencers going to Belgrade that it became clear why the prices were increasing. Semiha came with a lot of Belgrade notes, especially since she doesn’t miss following celebrities and influencers in the section of who did what where. As usual, I followed the suggestions of those living in Belgrade. Finally, we set out with a long list in hand.
Accommadation in Belgrade
In Belgrade, we stayed at Hotel City Savoy, which was also very central and we chose it because it was close to the Skadarska area. I can say that we were satisfied with both the location and services of the hotel during our 5-day stay in Belgrade.
The hotel can arrange a taxi for transfer from the airport if you wish, but thankfully, they arranged a luxury taxi upon arrival, so we paid almost twice the normal price (3000 dinars, or approximately 25 Euros). On the way back, they called a normal taxi and we paid 1600 dinars, approximately 13 Euros. Additionally, our hotel stay included a spa and Turkish bath, but we did not use it due to the pandemic.
Of course, as I mentioned in my first article, you can also use public transportation or the A1 line options to reach the city center from the airport. You know that I prefer normally budget-friendly transportation options, but in our recent trips we generally preferred a taxi due to the pandemic.
Places to Visit and Food and Drink in Belgrade
Let’s start visiting the places and landmarks of Belgrade together. On the first day, when we went to our hotel and settled into our room, it was noon. We immediately took to the streets to avoid missing the sun. Also, I was about to reach my coffee crisis, and Semiha was starting to get a little hungry.
We went to Poslasticarnica Suma Cafe, which offers delicious delicacies. Seeing that it is especially preferred by families with children gave the first signals about naturalness. It is a small cafe, but it has 4-5 tables outside. While I chose the forest fruit and almond paste cake, Semiha ordered a banana bread with lots of grains. Its organic is definitely evident in the products, as they use date and fruit flavors as sugar, and it is not overly sweet when eating. Prices are also reasonable, coffee and cake 600RSD.
Since Kalemegdan would be very beautiful in this weather, we set out towards the castle passing through Skadarslika, but the smell of Bucko Pizza covered the whole street again. Semiha also read my first article and came prepared, so she said, “Isn’t this the delicious pizza spot?”and immediately jumped in. We were completely satisfied his hunger with a slice of pizza with American salad sauce. Bucko’s feature is the variety of sauces you can put on a normal pizza slice, and there are long queues in the evening or after school hours. A slice of pizza and sauce is an on-budget and delicious choice.
We cross Francuska Street and dive into one of the parallel streets Simina, Gospodar Jevremova and Gospodar Javanova. It doesn’t matter which one, visit them all, because different beauties will meet you in each one. We pass through Academy Park in front of the university and go to the most famous street, Knez Mihailova. Proceeding along the street, we arrived at Kalemegdan.
Taking a walk among the trees on a sunny day, watching the view of the Sava River, was a nice Sunday activity. There are so many viewpoints and places to see. I recommend you spend a few hours. Just when you were wondering what else could add beauty to your Sunday, you hear wedding sounds with drums and pipes coming from Ruzica Church. We too witnessed the celebration of the bride and groom from afar. The benches in front of Ruzica Church are also very nice to take a breath and enjoy the view.
Another beauty very close to the Ruzica Church is the Boho Bar. This bar, which offers a pleasant concept with its bohemian design with outdoor cushions, is the choice of both Belgrade people and tourists. I would say the only downside is that they only accept cash. We went during the daytime, but if the weather is nice, I’m sure it’s even more beautiful in the evenings with the lighting. Let me also point out that they also have concepts such as sunset parties.
After enjoying the sun in Kalemegdan, we are starting to get hungry. Grmec, which is on the way to our hotel and has a local recommendation, is an old Belgrade restaurant. Semiha orders the creamy lamb, and I try the Serbian style hamburger meatballs. Although the flavors are good, the portions are very large and unfortunately almost half of our dishes are left. Our waiter was astonished by what he saw 🙂
When the weather starts to cool down in the evening, we stop by the hotel and change. We stop by Cetinska Sokak No:15, a little down from our hotel, which is a great local recommendation with lots of pubs, but we are not yet aware of its greatness. This area, which creates the feeling of entering a car park when entering and from which we had no expectations, hosts pubs and clubs, each with a different concept and design, and almost all of them have both open and closed areas. While we are wandering around, we are having a hard time deciding which one to sit at. Then someone hears live music in the open air. Is that New Rules by Dua Lipa? It becomes clear where we will sit: Polet. The venue is very affordable, they charge an extra 150 RSD for live music. In the following hours, they sing many more old and new English and Serbian pop songs. I think it’s definitely worth it for an enjoyable night. It’s one of those moments I wish would never end.
Our first stop the next day is Tasmajdan Park. Of course, we grab our pastries for breakfast on our way to Tasmajdan. Even though the pastries were in the form of a spread, they were the most delicious to my taste among the things we ate. Unfortunately, as seen in the photo, the name of the pastry shop does not seem to exist, so I can give you information that you can find this place around Llije Garasanina No:4 near Tasmajdan.
Tasmajdan Park is also very beautiful with its autumn colors. There are also cafes in the park as well as benches to sit on. Many Belgrade locals prefer this place for sports. As far as we can see, both the width and beauty of the area are ideal for a pleasant time., St. Mark’s Church, which you see in the cover photo located at one end of the park, is beautiful to photograph from the outside, but is a very ordinary church inside.
When we leave Tasmajdan, we are not sure which way to go for a while, but then we decide to go street art hunting and go to see 3 different murals on Ustanicka Street with the local recommendation. That is our intention, but we do not know what we will encounter yet. The rain starts lightly and gradually accelerates and slows down. The backyard of KFT Topolska 18, one of the points we marked on the road, is ideal for a quiet coffee, another local suggestion 🙂 We immediately sit down and take a breath. When we order domestic coffee as on the menu, the woman asks “Turkish coffee?” and from now on, wherever we want local coffee, we ask for Turkish coffee. Meanwhile, luckily the rain is stopping.
We reach Ustanicka after a long walk. We look to the right of the suggested spots, there is no street art; We look from the left, it is not there again; There is no place left that we do not look at, but we walk towards each one with hope and leave with disappointment. In front of us rise ordinary buildings with no trace of art on their walls. Walking on bumpy roads in the rain for more than half an hour and not being able to find what we wanted… Anyway, while passing through different streets, we console ourselves by seeing sweet houses in different parts of Belgrade.
Our next stop is Ada Ciganlija, despite the cold. It’s like the road never ends. My knee pain, which started a few months ago, is recurring, and I am writhing in pain due to the cold. Although we could not see any decent cafes on the road, we rested in a cafe that we saw that the people of Belgrade preferred, Kralj Kafe; I try to gain energy by eating a dessert called chocolate plasma. Dessert is good but the cafe is quite ordinary.
We still have a long way to go to the island, but after getting close to it, we have to throw ourselves on the main roads to cross the road, so we turn back part of the way we came and start walking along the river. We go back and look at some of the spots we marked on the riverside, but most of them are closed or the parts facing the river are closed; So there was nothing special about them now. Fortunately, the island is still very beautiful, if the weather were not like this, hours would pass. Moreover, most of the places were not open.
A point where you can take photos with the inscription Ada Ciganlija has been added to the entrance of the island. We also take photos among the trees and on the shore of the pond. Meanwhile, my leg, which is in pain and the wind prevents me from walking well, and even the pain in my knee has hit my other leg. I don’t feel like walking back. Even though I don’t want to, buses are the only option, we jump on the one we see empty (37, 58, 56 are some of the buses going to the center). There is no place to buy tickets for the buses again, although it is not free. We get off near Terazije, walk to our hotel, dress a little more warmly and go out for dinner.
I’m going as slow as a turtle, I’m worried I might not even be able to do that in the coming days. We intend to go to Tri, the Italian restaurant near Tasmajdan, for dinner. We pass by many nice cafes on the way, but when we go there, Tri is not where it is supposed to be. We enter the courtyard of Kosovska Street No:51 and look, it is not there either, but guess what we see: the mural you see in the photo above! Apparently, we can’t find what we are looking for today. (When we return to the hotel and look at the restaurant on Google map, a very different address appears, Svetogorska 46).
When we give up hope on Tri, we go to the nearby Just a Maestro (JaM) Restaurant. The garden is very elegant, but since the weather is cold, very few tables are open for service. We are sitting outside despite the cold, and the employees cannot understand us. The inside is so stylish that they specifically ask if we would like to come in. We’re ordering hamburger. First, we receive a treat from their own delicious clotted cream and special bread, to prepare our palate for the flavors that follow. Before the burger, salad and baked spicy potatoes are served on separate serving plates. They are all stylish in their own way. Their homemade sauces are available on the table. The hamburger is served covered in smoke to prevent it from getting cold, with a grand opening. Everything is delicious, the only thing I don’t like is that the meat was overcooked even though I ‘d like it to be medium-well.
Eating is very enjoyable, but if only we didn’t have to go back to the hotel. The weather has become very cold, and the drinks we had has no effect anymore. I’m even slower than a turtle, I daydream about taking a taxi instead of walking for 15 minutes. I suddenly realize how hard it is for disabled people and elderly people from my heart. I’m already starting to complain about these traffic lights turning to red after a very short time, how can old people pass? Fortunately, we arrive at the hotel safely, but we are in no mood to go anywhere else. After finishing the day with 40,000 steps and resting, we fall asleep hoping to wake up to a better day.
We start the 3rd day with pastries from Lulu Bakery, their taste is average. Even though I’m less cold today because I dressed in layers, my leg continues to hurt. We go to drink Turkish coffee at Blaznavac Cafe, which is recommended by both the influencers and locals. The design of this place is quite different, every corner is Instagram-worthy, no wonder why it is recommended. It is ideal not only for coffee during the day, but also for drinks in the evening. Sewing machines are used as stands, for example, a colorful elephant hangs near the door, and its open area is quite large. We wander around the streets in the Skadarska area again, and as a local recommendation, we go to see the clock mural at Gospodar Jovanova No: 22, but as you can see from the photo, this is a clock depicted differently. Then our stop is Bajraklı Mosque, but we pass by by looking at this small mosque from the outside.
As we move forward, we suddenly come across the chocolate shop I bookmarked, Valentina i Karanfil. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have an open space, but since it’s very empty inside, we warm ourselves up with a quick hot chocolate. Here, chocolate lovers can also buy many types of chocolate as gifts. After devouring our chocolates, we go to see the oldest house in Belgrade at number 10, Cara Dusana, but it is not at all what we expected; an ordinary house. Finally, We also see the St. Alexander Church and leave this area, of course we will come again 🙂
On our way to the Zeleni Venac bus stop to go to Zemun, we visit the Street Art Gallery in Cavke’s Passage, at the point connecting Nikola Pasic Square and Nusiceva Street on the Terazije side. Different photographs and works of art are exhibited here, and periodically. It varies. Then our stop is Zeleni Venac, which is the departure stop of almost all buses, and many buses pass through Zemun. Oh my leg and if the weather wasn’t like this, wouldn’t I walk that beautiful Zemun road, even if it took hours… We ask the bus driver, just in case, we don’t have a ticket, where can we buy one? He says okay, go ahead.
Our first stop will be Gardos Tower for the view of Zemun, but remembering the stairs we climbed last time, I say Semos, I can’t go up like this. By the way, the map stubbornly shows a stop after the Zemun stop to go to Gardos, and even says to skip Gardos. While we thought there was something wrong, we missed the Zemun stop and had to get off at the Nade Dimic stop. As we set off towards Gardos, while waiting for the stairs, I realized that we had arrived at Gardos on foot. On this occasion, we understand why the map suggests this stop. Our advice to you is to get off near this stop. Without entering the tower, we photograph the view and go down the stairs. There are also nice spots to take photos on the stairs down.
When we go down the stairs, we come across a small gift shop. The seller says that her husband painted the earrings, which are decorated with different works of art. She says something to us in his own language and smiles, if only we could understand. We buy a pair of earrings and head towards the riverside and then into Zemun. Meanwhile, the weather is getting softer and the pain in my leg is getting better. A marketplace is set up in Veliki Square, but when we went, almost all the stalls were gathered. Since the square does not have the atmosphere of an Italian square, we do not want to sit down, so we decide to walk a little further by the river.
Actually, there are many nice restaurants overlooking the river in the center of Zemun, but we are not hungry. Since we are looking for a more cafe-style place, we go to Savana Cafe (Splav Savana), which is another local recommendation and located on the river, with a 20-minute walk. This cafe with African influences has a wonderful decoration, you can see the interior decoration in the photo below, African masks hang on the walls. It has tables both inside and outside on the river side, it is a very peaceful place. There is also a sweet service staff who immediately brings us shawls in case we get cold, and takes pictures of us from every angle without even asking. There are a variety of drinks and coffees available, and the prices are affordable. There is no choice for food, as far as I remember they had desserts.
On the way back, we get off at the Brankov Most stop as soon as we cross the Branko Bridge. Our stop for food is Majstor i Margarita Pizza, one of Semiha’s saved spots from the influencers’ posts. We shared the mushroom pizza, but the pizza tasted ordinary to us. Maybe different varieties are much better. While we are at the pizzeria, we look at the Novi Sad tour on getyourguide to go the next day, there is still room; We leave buying the tickets to later saying we will pick it up at the hotel in the evening. When we arrived at the hotel, unfortunately, the tour is no longer an option, they have closed the sale. We are investigating other ways to go ourselves, but we are not comfortable with the pain in my leg, the pandemic conditions and the cold weather. I’m coming back before I can go to Novi Sad again. We were really lucky to get the tour in Sarajevo. Anyway, I still have an excuse to visit Belgrade once again 🙂
Another thing that is nice and recommended in Belgrade is ice cream. When the weather is a little better, we buy a scoop of ice cream from Crna Ovca, one of the famous chains. There are so many varieties, it’s hard to choose, but I prefer the one with pistachio, one of my favorites, it’s really delicious.
As it gets dark, we go to Passengers Bar, a local recommendation, to have a drink. It’s a place with a courtyard away from the street, and it looks nice both inside and out. We prefer Cosmopolitan and nachos. We are satisfied with both the tcocktails and nachos. The next table’s dog, who frequently visits our table, also adds joy to our night.
Our first stop in the morning is the branch of Belgrade’s chain bakery Hleb & Kifle in Gospodar Jovanova. The reason we particularly chose this place is its proximity to our hotel and the fact that it has outdoor seating. By the way, don’t pay attention to what I wrote Hleb & Kifle, normally you don’t understand anything when you look at the sign. There are a wide variety of pastries here, I chose the one with whole wheat and spinach, it was delicious. I also noticed their desserts. Meanwhile, while I was at the checkout, I realized that I had forgotten my bag at the hotel and we had to return to the hotel with difficulty walking; In fact, SemoÅŸ forgot her backpack when getting up from the table. Is there an evil eye on us?!
There is no place on our list for coffee, but as we pass by a cafe called Sweet’n’Chili, its dessert decoration catches our eye. Moreover, it is very sweet not only inside but also outside. Here we first take a few photos and then sip our coffee. This place, with its vintage style cups, reminds me of Velvet Cafe, my favorite destination in Istanbul.
From here, we visit Mama Shelter, an influencer’s recommendation on Knez Mihoilava, and continue on our way. Although this hotel and cafe/restaurant located in the shopping mall makes a difference with its decoration, we did not choose to sit there because they closed their outdoor area due to weather conditions. There is also Vapiano, which we visited on the way to Zemun on my previous trip, within the same shopping mall. It is pleasing that it is opened to the city center; because their pasta was delicious. I hope their taste hasn’t changed.
Our next stop is the industrial zone, you read it right:) When Semiha said that they converted a factory by the river into a beer hall, I was imagining something like an totally abondened and transformed area, but it turns out that the factories here are still working. In fact, I was a little worried while walking and going through the door.
Silosi Beograd is both a bar and an event and art center. It would have been a more enjoyable place if it wasn’t too windy when we went and there was some music. I think their employees were surprised that we came in this weather, the place was empty anyway. It’s a little hard to understand from the photo below, but it’s a nice concept on the river bank, with sun lounger-style cloth chairs and murals on the walls. I don’t think it would be worth walking this far in normal times, but you can follow the events and art activities and visit during the summer.
As if the cold here wasn’t enough for us, our next stop is Beton Hala (Concrete Hall), one of Belgrade’s most popular stops lately. Here, many stylish places are lined up side by side on the river bank. Cantina de Frida, a Mexican restaurant, attracts us with its design. I wish the restaurant itself was also attractive… Maybe because we didn’t go during usual working hours, the place is not very crowded anyway. Not everything on the menu is available. We try the burrito, it’s not bad, but I can’t say it’s delicious. Interestingly, the design of the toilets was better than the restaurant itself.
As we go up from Beton Hala, we see the house of Princess Lljubica, St Michel cathedral and several churches in Kosancicev Venac. Skica Cafe, where you can sit in nice weather, is also one of the local recommendations on this street, but we did not sit there. At the beginning of the street, you can find the ruins of the National Library, which was bombed by the Germans in World War II, and the explanations of the ruins. From here we go to Koce Popovica Street, but the houses are not as magnificent as we expected, so it is one of the streets that I would prefer not to pass.
Our next stop is the Girl with an Umbrella mural at number 40 Terazije Street. You have to look really carefully to see it, there are both color and black and white versions on two separate walls, but considering the street works we have seen so far, we cannot say that we are very impressed. I’m adding the photo so you don’t have to walk all that way 🙂
After dark, we go to Black Turtle‘s branch near our hotel. Although it doesn’t appeal to us with its design, we prefer this place because we cannot find fruit-flavored beer anywhere else. I think blueberry beer will not please those who like the unique taste of beer, but I thought it was not bad.
On our last day, we prefer Spasa Bakery, another local recommendation, for our breakfast, but although their desserts are eye-catching, their pastries are a bit dull, both in terms of variety and taste. The reason it was recommended was because of the desserts, if you try it, let me know 🙂
From here we go to see the area where old items are left in front of the building at Hilandarska Street No:26. Various items, from shoes to wine bottles, from newspapers to old tickets, were left here. We also leave our overseas exit stamp. We are near Ljutic Cafe, which has a local recommendation, so we immediately go and check it out. The courtyard is really as nice as they say, but it was sad to learn that it is opened after 4 o’clock.
When we give up hope from here, we go to Tasmajdan, the weather is better this time, we can enjoy the park on the benches. A local TV channel came for an interview, they thought we were from there too. I mean, if you had said you were going to do an interview, I would have dressed more elegant, right? 🙂
For coffee, we prefer Martovski Cafe near Tasmajdan. Turkish coffee comes in a mug. Here, actually everywhere, it comes in larger cups and the prices are more affordable, but this is the first time we see it served in a cup. Also, they always serve it with Turkish delight, it is our tradition, but we cannot continue it like this. The cups of this place are very cute, but it is a bit crowded.
The only place that remains in our mind was Lorenzo & Kakalamba, so we visited on our last day, both local and influencer recommended. This is the most interestingly designed place I’ve ever seen, it can’t be described, it can only be experienced. They open at 12, but when we said we just wanted to take photos, they allowed it. It doesn’t have an outdoor area, I think the atmosphere of the inside should be experienced anyway.
Our last stop, Super Donkey, offers sandwiches and salads. The portions are large, the products are delicious, but there are not many options. They also said that some products were not available when we went, which may vary depending on the time and day. It is an alternative for those looking for something healthy, but it is a very small and ordinary place, with only a small table with stools outside.
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport offers options for food, although it is not very big, the Duty Free is not bad. There are options to spend the remaining dinars you have.
For those who wonder if they can go to Belgrade twice, as can be seen from my article, it is possible to go even for the 3rd time 🙂 I also think it would not be bad if I experienced the summer when there is no pandemic, what do you think?
