View from Kalemegdan park
Our summer trip began with a few days in Belgrade, Serbia. Wizz Air has an inexpensive flight from Gothenburg to Belgrade. Note: There is a baggage charge and unless you are taking a tiny carry-on that fits within their slim baggage restrictions, you have to take that additional fee into account when planning your budget.
Yoni’s friends who were traveling in Europe met us in Belgrade on our last day. They were one of the thousands heading to EXIT festival in Novi Sad, Serbia that week. Thanks to Yoni’s friend, we also had our own personal guide who showed us around the city.
I’ve made a few Serbian friends in my Swedish class and they are some of the friendliest people I’ve met (and my class is pretty multicultural)! They were really excited that I was visiting the Balkans!
We stayed in Belgrade’s city centre, which meant everything was within walking distance from our apartment… and we did a lot of walking! The city has some nice green areas including Tašmajdan and Kalemegdan parks.
Tašmajdan
The story behind this statue is that it was once displayed in the city centre. The Belgrade Women’s society, however, didn’t want that naked man to be anywhere in the city, so they moved him to his current place where he could face the river. Haha
Locals hanging out on the wall of the Belgrade fortress enjoying the view.
Cannons and tanks on display by the main fortress entrance
What I loved most in Belgrade were the “Kafanas” or traditional Serbian cafes and the food! Everything was so cheap, especially compared to Sweden, so we ordered whatever we wanted!
Fresh Serbian Salad – they try to use what it’s season, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and sometimes fruit.
Roštilj – Delicious grilled meat with some grilled veggies
Serbian salad, dairy plate, Ajvar (paprika spread) & rakija
Dairy plate (with Kajmak, soft cheese spread that ‘s something between cream cheese and butter!!) & a really full bread basket
Ćevapi – minced meat shaped like sausages, sometimes it was lamb, sometimes veal or beef.
BBQ Mackarel
More Ćevapi!! *drool* (usually eaten with diced onions)
We also tried a sausage place near Skadarlija called ‘Kobasice’
So many choices!!
A nice cold pivo with the hot dogs!
Deeeelish!!
The Graffiti around the city reminded me of New York City at times.
NATO Bombed buildings still stand in the city centre. The soldier guarding the buildings saw us taking photos and told us to stop.
Skadarlija, Bohemian Quarter – Cobblestone street comes alive in the evening with locals dining and drinking while musicians play music at their table!
River Danube – after walking around Kalemegdan park and seeing the Belgrade fortress, we had a drink and some food on the River Danube. There was a boat festival going on that weekend so it was crowded!
Nikola Tesla Museum – We were able to visit the museum on our last day in Belgrade. I recommend joining a tour during your visit. There’s no additional charge, you hear some interesting info and also get to see some of Tesla’s inventions in action. It’s a small museum so our short visit was enough to take it all in.
Let there be light!
Spent an afternoon at Lake Ada. The cute dogs below were running around the cafe. Right when we decided we would go to the dinner place, it started to rain!!! We decided to wait out the rain and ate dinner at the cafe. Once the rain stopped we walked around the lake and then headed back to town.
A couple other places we visited…
Knez Mihailova Street – popular pedestrian shopping street right by Republic square
Temple Sava – still under construction, the church outside the temple is supposed to be quite beautiful
Tennis center at River Danube owned and built by tennis star Novak Djokovic
One of the churches at the Belgrade fortress
Damaged building converted into a pop-up art gallery
Indie designer marketplace where I found a cute new bag and keychain!
Old and new trams
There was a lot to see during our trip to the Serbian capital! We had a wonderful time trying all the delicious food, and checking out the city. Like other European cities, Belgrade and the Balkans have a lot of history. It was interesting (and sad) to see and hear about how the war and how the area was affected. But the people of Serbia are amazing and resilient. It was nice to learn about their history and a little about their culture as well on the trip.
I was reminded a little of Manila because of all the little bakeries and older buildings found throughout the city standing next to more modern ones. Special thanks to our fabulous guide, Nina!! She showed us some local spots and suggested all kinds of deelish food to try. Hvala Beograd!
Our last dinner in Belgrade on Skadarlija street
Check out wikitravel when planning your trip!
Debuggirl's blog: Travel, Food & Adventure (in Sweden and beyond!) 