City of Belgrade · Serbia
Belgrade travel guide
Belgrade is a city in City of Belgrade, Serbia, home to about 1,198,000 people.
- Best months
- April, May, September and October
- Nearest airport
- BEG12 km · Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport
- Currency
- RSDSerbian dinar
- Time zone
- Europe/Belgrade
- Language
- Serbian
About
About Belgrade
Belgrade ( bel-GRAYD or BEL-grayd; Serbian: Београд / Beograd, lit. 'White City', pronounced [beǒɡrad] ) is the capital and largest city of Serbia.
The core of the city is on a bluff overlooking the confluence of the Sava and Danube. Both rivers are navigable by large vessels: the Sava up to Sisak in Croatia, and the Danube from the Black Sea all the way up to Kelheim in Bavaria. It's been inhabited at least since 6000 BC and the earliest recognisable town was the Celtic settlement of Singidūn. The bluff now called Kalmegdan was fortified and its environs grew into the White City, beo grad. Belgrade has, however, suffered over 100 wars and was destroyed over 40 times.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Belgrade
See
- Kalemegdan
- Military Museum
- Belgrade Zoo
- Belgrade Cathedral
- Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church
- Residence of Princess Ljubica
- Museum of Applied Art
- Zepter Museum
- Ethnographic Museum
- Bajrakli Mosque
- Chocolate Museum
- Museum of Science and Technology
Do
- Belgrade Arena
- Ada Ciganlija
- Public Observatory
- National Theatre
- Belgrade Fair
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Belgrade
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Belgrade are April, May, September and October. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; June is the wettest, with about 88 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Belgrade: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG), about 12 km from the city centre in a straight line; Morava Airport (KVO, 112 km) and Timișoara Traian Vuia International Airport (TSR, 130 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG, Aerodrom Nikola Tesla Beograd) is how most visitors reach Serbia. Most flights are by Air Serbia, especially from other Balkan cities such as Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Skopje and Zagreb, and within Serbia from Niš and Kraljevo. Other airlines are mostly traditional "flag-carriers" such as Lufthansa. Serbia doesn't have the EU "open skies" philosophy, so Wizz is the only budget carrier. The airport, for practical purposes, has a single terminal. Arriving, you pass through the airside lounge before passport control and baggage reclaim.
Getting around
Local public transport in Belgrade is free. This excludes trains, and express bus lines with an E route number. GSP Beograde (ГСП) operates city buses, trams and trolleybuses. You can try to use their Beograd +plus app for timetables and live tracking, but it is a bit slow and cumbersome compared to your regular navigation app. Buses are the mainstay of city transport, and you can get almost anywhere on them. Buses get very full at peak times, and some are full all day, notoriously the 26, 83 and 50.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
BEG · Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport
KVO · Morava Airport
TSR · Timișoara Traian Vuia International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Belgrade
Drink
Belgrade's drinking scene ranges from traditional kafanas and rakija bars to pubs, specialist cocktail bars, craft-beer taprooms and late-night clubs. Indoor smoking is still common, so travellers who need a smoke-free venue should check before visiting; terraces are widespread in warmer months. Tap water is safe to drink. The scene is spread across several areas rather than one strip. Skadarlija has traditional restaurants and live folk music, while the adjoining Cetinjska 15 complex has alternative bars and events. Dorćol and Stari Grad have cocktail, wine and craft-beer bars, and Obilićev Venac is a central pedestrian café and pub strip.
Stay safe
Overall, Belgrade is a pretty safe city, but like anywhere, you should always keep money, mobile phones, travel documents and other valuable personal items in secure places. Pickpocketers are known to operate in public transportation, and other crowded places so never wear a backpack or purse on your back and make sure that you have your wallet in one of your front pockets. If you own a car, it is preferable to have a security system. Traffic laws are usually observed although nervous drivers can change lanes suddenly or make dangerous turns when avoiding traffic during rush hour. So be cautious if you are a pedestrian or riding a bike.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Belgrade: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Belgrade?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Belgrade are April, May, September and October. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; June is the wettest, with about 88 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Belgrade?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG), about 12 km from the city centre in a straight line; Morava Airport (KVO, 112 km) and Timișoara Traian Vuia International Airport (TSR, 130 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Belgrade?
Serbian dinar (RSD).
Nearby
Destinations near Belgrade
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.