Belgrade is a fantastic city to visit. It is perfect to have a city trip, but it can, of course, be a great start to your Serbian or former Yugoslavian trip. The city is on some hills, has the mighty Danube going through it, and maybe has the best nightlife in the world. A city with contrasts and scars from NATO bombings and the Yugoslavian War will surprise you when you visit. I was here for a couple of days, and this was an amazing city. See the best things to do in the capital of Serbia:

See the previous government at the National Assembly of Serbia

The National Assembly of Serbia is one of the most beautiful places to photograph in Belgrade. It is close to many sights in the city. There are some great statues in front of the building. The beautiful building is worth exploring and should be on your list in this city. You cannot enter the building, but from the outside, it is already great.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How much time needed: 10 minutes to admire the building.

Visit St. Mark's church

St. Mark's Church is one of the best sights in the city, although it is not the most beautiful church in the city. It was only finished in the 1990s and is pretty both on the inside and on the outside. It is not the number one sight, but it is good in combination with other sights in the area. The church is free to visit, but pay attention to how to dress.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 20 minutes.

Enjoy Stari Dvor and Novi Dvor

These are the new and old palaces in the city centre of Belgrade. They are right opposite each other, and in the middle are beautiful flowers and trees. This is the area where sports wins are celebrated, for example, when Djokovic wins a Grand Slam. Every walk throughout the city will pass this area, and it is worth visiting. You can't enter the buildings.

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 15 minutes.

Feel sad because of the NATO bombed buildings and monuments

There are some big scars in the city of Belgrade. In 1999, Belgrade was the victim of NATO bombings because they wanted to end the Kosovo war. The bombings took around 2 and a half months. A couple of buildings are still not renovated, and you can see them, which may be rough but is also interesting to visit. There is no fee to see them, but you cannot enter the buildings.

There is also a statue of a child in Tašmajdan Park, which makes it even rougher to see. The monument stands for all children who died during the bombings.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 10 minutes (a free walking tour can be interesting to understand more about this place) for the building and 10 minutes at the monument.

Be amazed by the most beautiful building in Belgrade

The church of St. Sava is a very impressive building. The church is huge and beautiful, both from the outside and from the inside. It was built between 1935 and 2004, which makes it relatively new. The dome is very impressive from both sides as well. Go down to the basement to see the beautiful rooms. This is one of the highlights of Belgrade and cannot be missed when visiting the capital. Entry is free, so that is even more convenient.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How much time needed: Walk around, go in and down will take about 30 minutes. Take your time for this fantastic building.

Wander on the Knez Mihailova street

This is the main street of Belgrade with both the national museum and theatre on it. It is a shopping street coming from Republic Square, heading north. There are also restaurants and a gorgeous water tap (see left in the picture), which is very pleasant on a hot summer day. The street is a pedestrian zone, so enjoy a walk on the pavement and the buildings on it!

Tourist occurrence: High

How much time needed: You can walk it in a couple of minutes, but with a drink, or something to shop, it can take as long as you want.

Have a swim at Ada Ciganlija 

Do you want to escape the summer heat? Take a small bus ride from the city centre and head to Ada Ciganlija to have a lovely swim at the long beach and feel the refreshing water. There is a small park close to it, but I would recommend swimming here.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 3 hours

See the most traditional street of Belgrade

Skadarlija is the most adorable street in Belgrade. There are many traditional restaurants where they play traditional music. Have a look at the street, both in the evening and in the daytime, as the vibes are different and both very interesting. The street is not that long, but it is cool. When you think of traditional restaurants, you may expect tourists only, but there are many locals who get here as well. 

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How much time needed: 2-3 hours, including having dinner here.

Feel between locals at Zeleni Venac

Walk on this lovely market, which sells some fantastic fruits for very good prices. We went here and were amazed by the pleasant chaos at this place. People are friendly, although English is not widely spoken at the market. I always love to be at markets throughout the world because you are with the locals and you often have good food. This is a great spot to be without other tourists.

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 0.5-1 hour

Make a stop at St. Michael's church and visit the street behind it

St. Michael's Church is a good stop in Belgrade, but it is less impressive than, for example, St. Sava. The area around the church is very relaxed and cool, with cool street stones and lovely bars and restaurants. I recommend seeing Kosančićev Venac, which is a fantastic street here to see for a bit and have a drink on.

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 1.5 hours combined

Walk around the Belgrade Fortress and Kalemegdan Park

The Belgrade Fortress is very big, and you can walk for a while here, especially as Kalemegdan Park is present here. See the beautiful towers, enjoy the views over the rivers, and relax a bit in the lovely park. This spot is one of the most important sights in the city, and a trip to Belgrade cannot be complete without this sight. The area is free to visit, which gives you even less reason not to go here.

Tourist occurrence: High

How much time needed: 2 hours

See the gorgeous Street Art 

Throughout the city, there is much street art to find, and although I often did not understand the words, there were many beautiful paintings. Go around and enjoy this as much as you can. Especially in the eastern part of the Belgrade Fortress, there are nice paintings.

How much time needed: Always take a small moment, when you see a nice painting.

Party all night at Splavovi

Splavovi was one of my main reasons to visit Belgrade beforehand. What are Splavovi? Because of the nuisance of clubs in the city centre, the inhabitants wanted the clubs to leave the city. Then the solution was to place the clubs (and some restaurants) on the Danube and the Sava. The restaurants are more on the Danube side, and the clubs are on the Sava side. The clubs differ in style. There are cheap bars to fancy clubs with international music to traditional music. I would recommend visiting a couple of different clubs to see different types of clubs, although this is pricier because you have to pay entrance more often. Another interesting thing is that you will get a table pointed at, and you will get table service.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How much time needed: 1 night (or maybe do 2 or 3.

See the Danube from Gardoš Tower

Gardoš Tower is a great tower in Zemun (see below), where you can see the Danube and the lovely area here. The walk up is pretty easy because it is not that high. There is also some information about Nikola Tesla. From the outside, it is also a remarkable building to observe. The building was built in 1896.

Price: I do not remember precise, but I thought around €2.

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 30 minutes

Visit the hidden gem Zemun

Zemun is a lovely area to visit in Belgrade. This area is a village in a huge city. It is located on the west side of the Sava River and south of the Danube. This part is adorable with the cute stones, colourful houses, and barely any tourists. This is a hidden gem not to be missed in Belgrade. 

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 3 hour (including a drink and Gardoš Tower)

Have a beer and food at Zemun promenade

Zemunski Kej is a name for the promenade starting around Zemun. If you start at Sava, there are a lot of Splavovi, and in the Zemun area, there is a nice area with restaurants and bars on land, which is a fun variety in comparison to Splavovi. I would recommend seeing Zemun, having a drink or food there at the water, and later walking the whole promenade to the city, stopping at restaurants and bars.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 2-3 hours.

See the mausoleum of Tito at the Museum of Yugoslavian History

The Museum of Yugoslavian History is an informative museum about Yugoslavia. You will get information about the beginning of Yugoslavia in the 20th century. Also leader of the Partisans and long president of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito is often named, and his actions are explained until his death. Unfortunately, there is barely any information on the separation of Yugoslavia.

Besides, the mausoleums of Tito and his wife, Jovanka Broz, are present, as is the office of the former leader. This was impressive and rough at the same time. Tito was pretty popular throughout the whole of Yugoslavia, and many world leaders showed up at his funeral in 1980. This museum is a must-do if you want to learn more about the history of the former country.

Price: 400 din

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 2 hours

Things I have not done, but can be interesting

• Avala Tower
• Military Museum
• Tesla Museum (see picture below)

• Have a swim at Lido Beach 
• Visit a match of Partizan Belgrade or Fk Crvena Zwezda (Red Star Belgrade) 

Final thoughts

Belgrade is a fantastic city that has something for everyone. If you want culture, see some museums, and if you want to party, there are Splavovi. The people are great, and walking around is an absolute treat. This is the city to visit in Yugoslavia.

If you want to know more about former Yugoslavia, check out: