ABOUT BELGRADE
"Whoever was lucky enough to wake up in Belgrade this morning can be considered to have achieved enough in life for today. Any further insistence on something else would be immodest."
Belgrade is the capital of Serbia, having around 1,7 million residents.
It is one of the oldest cities in Europe and, beside Athens, the greatest urban area of the Balkan Peninsula.
Belgrade is fast building a reputation as a city that really knows how to enjoy itself, with excellent museums, a vast selection of restaurants and cafés and probably the best nightlife in southeast Europe (note by Mary: I can confirm that).
There are plenty of things to do in Belgrade, good places to stay at, tasty restaurants to visit and useful things to know, and lots of information about Belgrade can be found online.
Here is a short selection of our personal recommendation how to spend a weekend in Belgrade (beside attending our wedding), where to stay, what to do if you arrive earlier or stay longer and some useful things for you to know.
Also we would like to highlight that you can easily combine a Belgrade weekend with your vacation and continue your journey within the region by visiting the beautiful coast of Montenegro or Croatia within less than 1 hour flight time.
If you want to continue your vacation outside of the Balkan region, no problem, Belgrade Airport is well connected to the whole world and there are direct flights to Greek Islands, Mallorca or Turkey, just to mention a few.
GOOD TO KNOW
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Safety
First of all, Serbia is a safe place to travel and move around.
Like in other big cities, we advise you to be aware of pick pockets and pay attention to personal safety late at night - especially when leaving a night club.
Demonstration can occure - we recommend to avoid them if you come across one.
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how to get there
If you are travelling from Zurich, both Air Serbia and Swiss have several departures per day.
From Stockholm, you can reach Belgrade with a direct flight with Air Serbia a few times per week from Arlanda. An alternative is Austrian Airlines via Vienna.
From Skavsta Airport there are also direct flights with Wizzair.
Guests travelling from Palma are recommended to check flights with Lufthansa, Eurowings, Swiss or Austrian Airlines.
> visa is not required but make sure you travel with your passport!
It is important to get your passport stamped when you first enter Serbia. The absence of an entry stamp from the point of entry could create difficulties at the time of departure from the country. Ensure you also obtain an exit stamp to avoid complications if you intend to return.
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Belgrade and it's taxis
BE AWARE OF TAXIS
There is no UBER in Belgrade.
Whenever possible, try to have a taxi arranged for you by the hotel or the restaurant.
In case you need to get a taxi on the street, search for PINK Taxi (the best), STB Taxi, Naxi Taxi or BEO Taxi.
Never enter another taxi, even if they look serious and professional.
Not only they will rip you off with 5x higher prices, you risk to end up in a uncomfortable situation where they will threaten and ask for even more money.
Arrange airport pick-up - highly recommended
If not provided by your hotel, you can book here a private driver for 50 EUR info@limostar.rs
Using public transport is not recommended
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Serbian Dinar RSD is the currency.
EUR is accepted throughout the Balkan region like Bosnia and Montenegro - but not in Serbia!
Currency in Serbia is RSD and although most of the restaurant places accept credit cards, you can never rely on it. So make sure you lways have enough RSD cash with you.
Credit card fraud is common and use ATM only in well-lit public areas or inside a bank.
Cover key pad when entering your PIN.
Be prepared to pay cash for taxis and drivers.
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Smoking
Smoking inside is fortunately decreasing, but it's still common to smoke inside, even in restaurants.
WHERE TO STAY
1
The practical solution
A practical solution is to stay at the Crystal Hotel (9.4 ranking on booking.com), where our wedding will start.
A big plus is that they offer English speaking chauffeur service, so you can be picked up at the airport, which we definitely recommend instead of using a taxi (read more about taxis in Belgrade).
City center is reachable within 15mins walking distance.
When booking, let them know that you are wedding guests.
2
Mary & Erik's choice
Hotel Saint Ten is a boutique hotel with an intimate, luxury ambience, located within only 5mins walking distance to the Temple of Saint Sava and 10mins walking distance to the wedding reception Hotel Crystal. It is a perfect choice if you want to have your weekend a bit more exclusive. Of course airport pickup is also possible to be booked.
City center is reachable within 15mins walking distance.
3
Staying Downtown
Staying directly in the City Center is always a good choice. There are plenty of hotels and we recommend just to check ratings and pricing on booking.com.
Some recommendations from our side are the luxurious Zepter Hotel, the bohemian Mama Shelter or rustical Hotel Moskva.
Also to be recommended is to rent an apartment instead of staying at the hotel. Check the apartment rental by clicking the button.
THINGS TO DO
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Have a stroll downtown in the main shopping street Knez Mihailova - have a drink in one of the many cafés and feel the atmosphere
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Have dinner in the rustic bohemian quarter Skadarlija. (Mary's restaurant choice "Mali Vrabac" if you want to experience rustic local restaurant culture with local life music)
approx. 10mins walk from Knez Mihailova -
If you like it more fancy, have lunch or dinner at the urban "Beton Hala" in one of the restaurants with life music after 22:00 (like Cantina de Frida or Temperament)
approx. 15mins walk from Knez Mihailova -
Have lunch or dinner at the Belgrade Waterfront with great opportunities for shopping
take a taxi there or walk from Knez M. approx. 30mins -
If you want to shop till you drop, then visit the brand new mall GALERIJA at Belgrade Waterfront
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If you wanna spend a day at the "beach", spend it in Ada Ciganlija - a taxi can take you there
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For museum lovers: visit the Nikola Tesla museum
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See the fortress Kalemegdan - you will end up there by walking on the shopping street Knez M.
For more restaurant recommendations contact Mary or Erik directly - it depends on what you like