This is Belgrade, Serbia, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe,
and a city with the most turbulent history. Belgrade was the first attacked city in the
First World War and the last city in Europe to experience aerial bombing in 1999. It sits at
the junction of two major European rivers, Sava and Danube and with its rich history, beauty,
interesting communist architecture and amazing atmosphere is one of the most interesting
places on the Balkans. This was the capital of Yugoslavia and is now the capital of Serbia.
Hi guys, my name is Rok and I’ve spent the last 9 years travelling around Europe as a tour guide
and I can’t wait to show you Things To Do In Belgrade, Serbia.
Belgrade doesn’t have many charming and inspiring old squares, but this is its most
popular and busiest square. It is an interesting mish mash of different architectural styles that
reflects the dynamic past of the city. Originally the square was designed in the mid 1800s and is
surrounded by important historic buildings like the National Museum and the National Theatre.
On the other hand many surrounding buildings were built also in the communist era and from
today's perspective aren't very inspiring but are very interesting. This square serves as a central
business area and a transport hub with over 20 bus lines. That is why this is one of the main
meeting points in the city. Citizens of Belgrade meet up at the grand statue of a man on a horse
simply called at horse or Kod Konja. The statue is dedicated to Knez Mihailo Obrenovic who was the
Prince of Serbia in the 1800s. Knez Mihailo was a great Serbian reformer that advocated the idea
of a Balkan federation against the Ottoman Empire. The statue was erected in honour of his most
important political achievement of forcing out the Ottomans in the mid 1800s and the liberation
of several cities from Ottoman rule. The names of the cities are carved on plates on the monument.
This part of Belgrade was built in the time when Serbs were fighting Ottomans for independence.
Ottomans controlled Kalemegdan fortress and Serbs built this neighbourhood just outside the
citadel walls. It is full of small cafés, natural cobblestone streets, gardens and old buildings.
Here is a Holy Archangel Michael Orthodox Church from the early 1800s and opposite to the church
you can find the oldest tavern in Belgrade serving traditional Serbian cuisine. Here
is also the Residence of Princess Ljubica, a royal residence of Serbian Prince Miloš.
As the residence was near the Ottoman part of the city, there were safety concerns and Prince
Miloš stayed here only occasionally. Today the palace has occasional exhibitions and serves as
a museum showing interiors of 19th Century Homes in Belgrade. It offers an interesting insight
into transition from the oriental Ottoman style interiors to more western European decoration.
Yugoslavia was a state on the Balkans that existed from 1918 till 2006 and Belgrade was its capital
city. In the wealthiest neighbourhood of Belgrade called Dedinje you can find numerous villas,
embassies, a royal palace and this, a museum where you can learn more about Yugoslavia.
Yugoslavia was created as a Kingdom led by Serbian royal family Karađorđević. When the
second world war broke out, the King's army was weak and couldn’t fight against the Nazis.
So it was the communists led by Josip Broz Tito that organised their own army called Partisans
to fight a successful rebellion against the Nazis. After the war communists took over
the power and communist Yugoslavia was born, led by its lifetime president Tito. Yugoslavia
consisted of six republics: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Montenegro and Macedonia. The country broke up in the 1990s with a devastating and long
lasting war. This museum consists of three buildings and shows the history of Yugoslavia
as well as the life of Josip Broz Tito as Tito's residence was right here. You start the visit
in the old museum that contains presents that Tito has received during his presidency and shows the
history of Yugoslavia. Next to the cascading old museum is The House of flowers, a winter garden
that was part of Tito's residence. When Tito was buried here in 1980 it became his Mausoleum.The
last building is the 25th of May Museum and was the first purpose-designed and built
museum in Belgrade opened in 1962, for Tito’s 70th birthday. Unfortunately the last building offers
a lot of empty space and very little in terms of Yugoslavia experience as the exhibition is
very small and modern. The Museum of Yugoslavia is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.
This popular neighbourhood has cobble-stone streets, 19 century architecture and numerous old
taverns that preserve the old soul of the city. This was a gathering point for poets and artists
in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Neighbourhood was developed in the
abandoned trenches in front of the city walls settled by the Gypsies.
The soul of this bohemian neighbourhood is its picturesque and vintage Skadarska Street. This
short pedestrian street is full of restaurants decorated with flowers. During the day the area
offers a pleasant walk and in the evening this bohemian atmosphere attracts a lot of people.
At the bottom of the street stands a replica of the famous old Sarajevo wooden fountain. After
the Balkan war in the 1990s it is hard to imagine that this fountain was a gift from the Bosnian
city of Sarajevo to the Serbian city of Beograd when the cities were still part of Yugoslavia.
World famous Serbian engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla spent most of his life in the United States.
But his museum is right here in Belgrade and the man also ended up on Serbian currency
as his face is on a 100 dinar banknote. One of Tesla’s most important inventions was the AC
electric motor that marks the beginning of the second industrial revolution
we still use in production, transmission and consumption of electricity.
Tesla also developed the first remote control and spent a great deal of his time and fortune
on a series of projects trying to develop wireless transmission of electricity.
After having spent most of his money, Tesla lived in a series of New York hotels, leaving behind
unpaid bills until he died in 1943. Tesla’s entire property was packed and sealed in sixty packages,
suitcases, metal trunks and barrels and shipped to Belgrade. The Yugoslav Government soon established
this museum that shows his documents, plans, drawings, photographs, exhibits and even his ashes
in a glowing, golden orb. Here you can see working models of Tesla’s machines,
his various personal items, and his visions of the future. Guided tours in Serbian and
English show experiment demonstrations, but you can also visit the museum on your own.
This is one of the most beautiful city islands in Europe called Ada Ciganlija or simply Ada. This
river island with forest has been artificially turned into a peninsula and part of the river has
become a lake known as Belgrade sea. During hot summer days people come here to cool down, swim
and have fun as Ada is famous for its beaches. In summer you should definitely bring sunscreen and a
bathing suit and get ready to meet a lot of people as the beaches get packed. This is also a popular
place for summer parties with good music as there are many bars and nightclubs. If you come here in
Autumn like I have, you can enjoy countless cafes, restaurants, cycling tracks and sports fields.
Here is even an artistic version of the famous Stonehenge called Ada Stonehenge and the latest
symbol of Belgrade, a beautiful white cable-stayed bridge. The bridge spans over the Sava river and
its only pylon with a height of 200 meters or 660 feet stands on the tip of Ada peninsula.
There is no way you can avoid a nice stroll along the river in Belgrade. This waterfront promenade
along the Sava river stretches for about 1,8 kilometre or 1,1 miles and leads all the way
to the confluence of Sava and Danube. Here is a bicycle trail, many restaurants and bars, sports
areas, Gallery of Belgrade on the water and even an amphitheater. The promenade is decorated with
artwork and represents a new tourist attraction of the city. One of the most popular places along
the way is Beton Hala, where you can find several restaurants and clubs, overlooking the confluence.
Both rivers are full of permanently parked barges and boats that serve as floating restaurants,
bars or nightclubs. Some are open year-round, but many only do business in summer, when the
river provides a nice cool climate. Some barges are polished and cultivated, while others are
more vibrant. If you’re planning to experience the most famous nightlife on the Balkans, be prepared
to board these barges. Most popular floating nightclubs are on the right bank of the Sava river
in Savski Kej neighbourhood. In the summer these floating clubs are running seven nights a week and
each of them offers a different music, from live rock bands, to pop, dance and Serbian folk music.
This is the largest Orthodox church in Serbia, one of the largest Eastern Orthodox churches
in the world and a landmark of Belgrade. This impressive temple is dedicated to Saint Sava,
a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk from 12 hundreds, the founder of Serbian law and the
founder of Serbian Orthodox Church. Church is built on a spot where the Ottomans burnt Saint
Sava’s remains in the 1500s. At the time Belgrade was part of the Ottoman Empire and Serbs were
uprising against the Ottoman rule using icons of Saint Sava as their war flags. Construction
of this temple began in 1935 but was stopped by the second world war. After the war, the
Orthodox Church was unsuccessful in its attempt to secure permission to complete the building,
as Belgrade was a capital of communist Yugoslavia that prohibited construction of churches. After
Tito died, permission for the building was finally granted. Due to Yugoslav war in the 1990s interior
work was slow. Mosaic decoration was secured by a donation from Russia in 2016. Huge and amazing
golden mosaics were recently completed by Russian artists and are a very impressive sight. One of
the most impressive mosaics is a huge Jesus on the interior of the dome. Church is divided into
two levels as under the main space is also a crypt with new golden frescos. Church provides
a beautiful space with a special charm and it is among favourite meeting places in Belgrade.
This is the main pedestrian shopping street and it is considered to be one of the most beautiful
pedestrian streets in South East Europe. It is about 1 kilometre or 0.6 miles long and runs
between Republic square and Kalemegdan Park. It is surrounded by beautiful architecture as
the elegant houses were built in the mid 1800s by wealthy families. At the time Belgrade experienced
big development as the Ottomans left and the city became the capital of Serbia. Now this charming
street is THE place to shop as it has one of the biggest and most popular shopping malls in the
city. Street is also full of world famous brands as well as stores from local designers and most
shops are open from morning until late evening. Here are also restaurants and Belgrade's favourite
cafes where many people spend their days sipping coffee and socialising. This charming street is
always busy and full of life. Rising 125 meters or 410 feet above the confluence of the Sava and
Danube rivers is the most historic and impressive part of Belgrade, Kalemegdan. Big Kalemegdan Park
surrounds the old Fortress and stretches down to the waterfront. Park was developed in the area
that was once a bare open field which separated the city from the fortress. Open field ensured
safety for the fortress as it provided no shelter for the enemy. The Field was also used by the
Ottomans as the training ground and the gathering point of the Ottoman army before the battles.
The field also separated the Ottoman and Serbian parts of Belgrade. After the Ottoman army left
Belgrade the city started to transform the empty field into this park. Now this is the most popular
park and the main recreational area of the city. Here are numerous walking paths, tennis and
basketball courts, shaded benches, picturesque fountains, statues, historical architecture and
scenic river views. Here are also two hidden gems right behind the fortress walls. First is Little
Rose Church, Serbian Orthodox church that was once used to store gunpowder. It has two chandeliers
made entirely of spent bullet casing, swords, and cannon parts. Right underneath is a second gem,
Saint Petka's Chapel that was erected on the site of a miraculous fresh water spring.
This strategic lookout point above the confluence of the Sava and the Danube offers the most
beautiful views. From here you will get the best skyline of the city and also the best view of the
river confluence. No wonder that for centuries here stands a mighty Fortress that has been
controlling the area and has seen many battles, as its citadel was destroyed more than 40 times.
Due to frequent military events spanning over the centuries Belgrade existed only within the
walls of this fortress. Fortress has stood here since the Roman Times as in the 1st century
Romans built a military camp to stop frequent barbarian attacks. Many Empires followed but
most of the fortress we see today is the result of Austrian and Ottoman reconstructions. In the 1500s
Ottomans captured the city. After two centuries of Ottoman rule, Austrians conquered Belgrade
and began constructing a modern fortress. In the following decades Austrians and Ottomans changed
hands several times and In 1700s Austrians built new ramparts with bastions and Belgrade
Fortress had become one of the strongest military strongholds in Europe. However due to political
reasons Ottomans retook the city without a fight. When in 1867 Ottomans finally left,
the fortress lost its significance as a military stronghold and became the symbol of the city.
Behind the mighty walls most of the fortress is a park and there are only a few buildings. One of
them is a Military Museum, very appropriate considering the long and violent history of
this fortress. You can visit Roman well, a clock tower and a lookout point with a statue of Victor.
The entire walk along the walls facing the river offers amazing views. Kalemegdan is
the most popular place for visitors in Belgrade and the best part is that there is no admission.
As I've shown you, Belgrade is a lively, friendly and beautiful European capital
city with an amazing heritage and an endless variety of unique experiences.
That is why I've also prepared a list of my favourite Belgrade tours in the description below.
But one of the most important daily experiences for Serbs is to sit down and enjoy a meal. Serbs
are known for their love of food and in my special video dedicated only to Delicious
Food In Belgrade. That upcoming video will show you the best street food and the best
restaurant dishes you have to try here and will be available in the top right corner. If you
like this video please give it a thumbs up. You can share your questions or suggestions about
Belgrade in the comments below. And don’t forget to subscribe and turn on the notification bell
to be notified about my new travel videos. Thanks for watching, and see you next time.