Belgrade, Serbia is a pretty underrated city. It's not as popular as other European cities and it's often overlooked by tourists. But Belgrade is worth visiting if you want to experience a different side of Europe. The city has both modern and ancient architecture, medieval streets, beautiful old churches and great nightlife! In this article, I'll be sharing how I spent my best 24 hours in Belgrade in hopes of inspiring you to experience it for yourself. Belgrade is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It has been inhabited since at least 5000 BC and was founded by ancient Greeks what once was a fortified city, evolved into a flourishing economic staple of modern-day Serbia. It was conquered by the Roman Empire in 23 BC, which named it Singidunium. In 28 AD, Roman Emperor Publius Aelius Hadrianus, and flourished under Roman rule and expanded quickly thanks to its strategic position along an important trade route connecting Dacia (present-day Romania) with the rest of the Balkans. Regardless of its exact age, history shows that Belgrade has always been an important travel route between Europe and the Balkans because of the presence of two major rivers - the Danube and Sava flowing through its city.
I arrived in Belgrade at around 11 PM after walking the Romanian-Serbian border. It was dark, with no public transportation that I knew of at the time, and had just been dropped off on the side of the road in the city centre. I would not have wanted anything different to introduce me to what would be an exciting Balkan adventure. The very first thing I noticed was a group of 8 young kids who were hard at work on one of the busiest streets of the city in the earlier hours of the night—they were offering a windshield washing service, brushes soap and all. Very persistent to get work, and working the lights very efficiently crossing over from one side of the street to another as soon as the street lights would turn… I respected their hustle and grit.
The Belgrade Fortress City is one of the most important historical sites in Serbia. It was first built like many other civilizations, a fortified city with strategic geographical placement. The fortress is composed of two parts – Upper and Lower Towns. Today, this fortress is a place that people like to visit because of the view, history, museums and cafes that can all be found here. The Upper Town is situated on top of Avala hill and it has been declared a National Monument of Culture because it houses numerous galleries such as the Museum of Serbian Literature.
When visiting Belgrade you must also visit the Church of St Sava. The temple opened in 1935 and is the main cathedral of the Serbian Orthodox Church. It was built on land donated by King Peter I, who was also its first patron. It is a cultural and historical monument of Serbia and houses some spectacular art on its domed ceilings that make for some breathtaking views when viewed from below.
This church does not disappoint at all! You will find yourself surrounded by masterpieces from well-known artists such as Ivan Mestrovic, Petar Lubarda, Mihailo Vukotic etc., along with many other talented artists who helped create this magnificent masterpiece! There are also some great life-size statues surrounding the building which makes it even more interesting to explore while visiting Belgrade's main cathedral!
Moreover, Skadarlija is a Stari Grad municipality in Belgrade, Serbia, it stretches from Republic Square to the Bohemian quarter. The street is very popular amongst tourist and is known for its restaurants, cafés, with outdoor tables springing up all over the place in peak season and an abundance of souvenir shops.
With plans to meet a friend I hadn't seen since Bucharest, Romania, we planned to meet at Pobednik on the upper end of Belgrade Fortress, I arrived early to explore the area and came across two Serbians who had a full DJ setup on the edge of the fortress. They were live-streaming their music, so of course, I joined!
I saw a couple take wedding pictures as the sun came down during this time. We made new friends with these lads bonding over the universal love of music. And they provided us with great recommendations. I had heard of the great nightlife in Belgrade but didn't have time to research before visiting so this was very helpful. Also informing us of unannounced raves that are often held on the fortress grounds, but that we had just missed by a few days. be sure to check this out if ever visiting!
If you are looking for a fun night out with friends, Belgrade has got you covered!
Without any real concrete research before hitting the Danube, a group of friends and I decided we walk over the Brankov bridge to see what the rave of Belgrade’s nightlife was for ourselves. Shortly after leaving our hostel, we were greeted by this very friendly and cute dog, that we soon realized was a stray dog, but he seemed invested in our mission of the night and led us over the bridge where we could begin hearing all of these clubs and led us. With an abundance of Bars, Clubs and Splavs on the Danube, it’s easy to find an option that suits your tastes. As a general rule of thumb, the closer these venues are to the Brankov Most (bridge), the cheaper they are. If you’re not sure where to start your night out, here are some of the top Splavs.
In Summary
Be sure to visit Church of Saint Sava, explore and get lost in the Belgrade Fortress grounds, walk the streets of Skadarlija, Stari Grad and Enjoy the Serbian Splavs nightlife! As always go out of your way to meet locals, and you'll have an enhanced experience!
Have you ever visited Belgrade? Please feel free to leave your experiences and recommendations down bellow for other Venturesome Randoms!
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