Belgrade, SERBIA

Weekend trip to Belgrade

Location: Europe, Balkan region, capital of Serbia, somewhere in the middle of the country

Currency: Serbian dinar

How to get there: depends from where you are coming 😊 In my case, I took a bus, actually two, to get to Kiskunhalas (HUN) and from there I had a direct train (MÁV-) to Belgrade (approx 6 hours). From Budapest you can either take the train or a FLIXBUS coach. Strange thing that this time the train was cheaper (23 €). Reserved seat is kind of an uncommon thing on serbian trains 😃, plus you have to pay an extra fee (3€ one-way).

Once there, don't be surprised on cyrill letters. English signs are common - making it easier for us, foreigners. However, as a contrepoint, even the street names quite close to the train station happened to be written only in Serbian.. so, despite my preparations which included pre-downloaded Google Map sheets, I had to ask some locals for help - just to make  sure that i'm on the right way. And (not that much surprisingly) I was 😊 The next mission was to find the hostel (Mosaic Hostel Belgrade), which was way more difficult than i have expected... no signs at all, the entry of the multi-storey building is hidden within the arcade floorway of a striptease dance school 😃

the fortress

The place itself is small but super clean with a well-equipped kitchen. Our private room was big and bright, in a modern style.  The city center is within easy reach with plenty of restaurants and pubs. There is a supermarket just down the building. The fortress is about 10-13 mins walk, the fountain on the main square is about 5. Do not expect hills or extraordinary viewpoints. 

a shot from the military museum..

One of the main "attractions" is the fortress. It has an open-air military museum as well as a playground for children. The latter is part of an interactive natural science thing, let's say sculpture park, so there's a fee to entry. The walk within the fortress is relaxing (at least it was so in october), and from the edge of the wall facing west you get the view of the cofluence of the two main rivers: Sava and the Danube.

Not far from the fortress, there is a zoo and if you walk further a nice walk offers itself along the river :) Plenty of the amenities on the docks were however closed.

Heading in the opposite direction either on the next day or in the afternoon - you will see huge churches. I'm not religious, so for me they only meant architectural uniqueness.

church of Saint Sava

Saint Mark's church with a crypt

This walk lasts at least 25 mins to the farther one (Church of Saint Sava), plus another 15 back to the closer one (Saint Mark's Church with a crypt). If you don't want to spend money on tickets, they are a good option to spend your time and make some exploring hand in hand with cultural sightseeing. 

The city itself isn't huge, and if you're lucky enough as I was, your travel partner is also keen on walking his feet off 😃, hence the city can be checked as done on your list. 

Big amounts of construction works were in progress while we were there. As of architecture along the main pedestrian streets, elements of the communist era are mixed up with today's somewhat modern style. The posh neighbourhood can be distinguished with a blink of an eye with its fancy houses and expensive cars parking in front of them.

We didn't really talk to the locals, but when we did we did it in English and had no misunderstandings. Dining facilities are abundant, both local and international.

Coca Cola ad in the modern district

The country is cheap compared to Western EU/UK, US, etc. 


The train station is unbelievably small.. and there's only one small tabac shop. The toilets only work with some change, so be prepared when in need ;) 

Train station - main entrance