Belgrade - Belgrade, Serbia’s buzzing capital, goes into festival overdrive in the summer. The Belgrade Summer Festival runs until July 25 with classical music, jazz, pop and theatre. Before the free Belgrade Beer Fest kicks off in Usce Park on August 19, another is under way until August 12 in Ada Ciganlija with free nightly gigs.
It all builds to a climax with the Belgrade Boat Carnival on August 29, when hundreds of boats will take to the river Sava in a riotous parade.
Touch down
Belgrade’s airport is 18km west of the city and is served by a number of airlines operating around Europe.
Two buses go to the centre: A1 to Slavija Square for 300 dinars (about R35) and Line 72 to Zeleni Venac near the train station for 150 dinars. Both take 30 to 40 minutes and run two or three times an hour. Taxis cost 1 800 dinars and are booked from the kiosk in the baggage hall.
Get your bearings
Belgrade spreads around the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, with Stari Grad (old town) on the east side.
Looming over the rivers is Kalemegdan Park – home to Belgrade Fortress – the city’s historic and green heart. Wide boulevards and squares lead off Kalemegdan, including the busy pedestrianised zone at Knez Mihailova. Overlapping Stari Grad is the affluent district of Dorcol and the cobbled bohemian quarter of Skadarlija.
Across the Sava are the communist-era tower blocks of Novi Beograd, which are broken up by large parks, including Usce. Follow the Danube and you end up in Hungarian-looking Zemun.
The biggest sights are within walking distance, but it’s easy to use the trams and buses. Single trips cost 73 dinars, or you can buy a pre-paid “BusPlus” card for 250 dinars and top it up. It can be used by several people travelling together.
The main office of the Tourist Organisation of Belgrade is at Knez Mihailova 5. It’s open daily, 9am to 7pm, and there are smaller offices at the train station and the airport.
Check in
The oddly named yet stately four-star Allure Caramel by Karisma opened last year in one of Dorcol’s most elegant houses at Venizelosova 31. Defying the trend for minimalism, spacious rooms are unashamedly baroque. Double rooms are priced from e205 (about R2 800), with breakfast.
One of the newest additions to the riverside Savamala district is Jump Inn at Koce Popovica 2a. Smart, modern rooms start at e72, with breakfast.
In the villagey area of Vracar, south of Stari Grad, Smokvica B&B at Molerova has eight stylish rooms at immensely good value. Rustic-chic doubles start at e34 with breakfast, and there’s a lively restaurant and garden café.
DAY ONE
Take a hike
Start in Terazije, which calls itself a square but is really a boulevard. You’ll see the imposing art nouveau façade of the venerable Hotel Moskva on your left. Head into Knez Mihailova and straight into a party atmosphere amid buskers, street sellers, cafés, shops and a non-stop flow of promenaders.
If you turn left at the Vapiano café you can trawl through more restaurants in Obilicev Venac. Turn right and you’re in Trg Republike, Republic Square, with more cafés and the towering equestrian statue of Prince Mihailo.
Carry straight on towards Kalemegdan and lose yourself in the sprawling park with its gardens, monuments, fortifications, restaurants, museums, churches and zoo. The southern tip of the park leads to cobbled Kosancicev Venac, one of Belgrade’s oldest streets. Turn right and go down the steps at Velike Stepenice to the Sava. On your right, you’ll see Beton Hala, a long waterfront collection of restaurants and clubs.
Lunch on the run
Take in the views from the riverside terrace at sleek new Savanova at Savsko Setaliste in Savamala. The Italian-tinged menu has grilled squid in spicy sauce for 860 dinars.
Window shopping
If you want a change from the high-street chains in Knez Mihailova, head to nearby Kralja Petra street to Koncept 45 at No 45. It’s a fun mix of clothing, accessories, gadgets and jewellery. Mikser House at Karadjordjeva in Savamala showcases clothing and products by Balkan designers in a converted warehouse, which also includes a café and a music venue.
Take a view
Climb the 36m, 1896 Gardos tower in Zemun for sweeping views of the city and the Danube (open 11am to 8pm daily, April to October; entry 150 dinars). You’ll spot the nature reserve and sandy beach on Great War Island which, in summer, is connected to the quayside by a pontoon bridge.
An aperitif
Savamala, formerly a rundown district on the Sava’s eastern bank, is being rejuvenated, with new bars and clubs springing up in derelict warehouses. Beer prices average 200 dinars in the artfully ramshackle gardens of Klub Dvoristance and KC Grad on Brace Krsmanovic.
Dining with the locals
The Tezga Bar Restaurant at Strahinjica Bana 82 near Skadarlija has a cosy terrace and a creative Serbian fusion menu featuring succulent pork fillet with chorizo, peppers and olives for 750 dinars.
The Smokvica empire includes a restaurant at Kralja Petra 83. Choose the rustic interior or the classy garden for Eastern-influenced dishes, including blackened chicken “Lebanese style” with tabbouleh, hummus and pomegranate (830 dinars).
DAY TWO
Sunday morning: go to church
The enormous Byzantine dome of Sveti Sava temple at Krusedolska is a Belgrade landmark. One of these days, the largest Orthodox church in the Balkans may even be finished. Building began 80 years ago. Open daily, 8am to 9pm.
Out to brunch
The supermarket at Visnjiceva 10 in Dorcol was Belgrade’s first concept store when it opened in 2008, and puts on an American-style breakfast on weekends until 1pm. Try the bandito burrito with scrambled eggs and cream cheese in a warm tortilla for 620 dinars. Afterwards you can check out the cutting-edge fashions and furniture.
A walk in the park
Ada Ciganlija is land-locked Serbia’s sole Blue Flag beach and turns into a giant playground when temperatures rise. Lined with 7km of pebbly beaches and cafés, this quasi-island in the Sava has a cooling interior of forests, an adventure park and a snowboard simulator. Watersports include kayaking and an obstacle course.
Take a ride
The wide bike paths along the Sava and Danube are a joy to explore, as are the routes on Ada Ciganlija, where Bicikl Centar has a daily bike rental of 500 dinars.
Cultural afternoon
You get an enthralling crash course in Serbian contemporary art at Zepter Museum, a gem of a gallery on Knez Mihailova; closed Monday; entry 200 dinars.
It’s not just science buffs who enjoy the Nikola Tesla Museum at Krunska 51 (Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm; entry 500 dinars). The story of the visionary Serbian engineer is told through entertaining hourly tours (twice daily in English) and models of his main inventions.
Icing on the cake
Belgrade’s reputation as a nightlife magnet is boosted by the several hundred floating bars, restaurants and nightclubs lining the rivers. Known as splavovi, they come in all shapes and sizes – some intimate, others huge nightclubs that pound all night. Try Splav Play on the Usce side of the Sava, where cocktails cost 490 dinars.
Mary Novakovich, The Independent