A true crossroads of influences with a renascent wine scene to boot, Serbia’s thriving capital is an ideal short-break destination offering the intrepid wine-loving explorer a bite-sized taste of Balkan life
Belgrade is said to be a city that never sleeps – a place where restaurants and traditional pubs, clubs and riverboats never seem to close their doors, whether to locals or foreigners. At the same time, the renaissance of Serbian winemaking and the Serbian market’s newfound openness to wines from across the globe have given rise to numerous wine shops and wine bars. The gastronomic scene, too, is more vibrant than ever before.
However, Belgrade offers much more. Alongside frequent music and art festivals – such as the four-day EXIT live music festival held in Petrovaradin fortress, and the longrunning October Salon, Serbia’s largest visual arts festival – a variety of attractive museums and theatres contributes to Belgrade’s wealth of culture. The Museum of Contemporary Art (msub.org.rs) at Ušće 10, where the river Sava meets the Danube, displays the most important works of artists from all parts of the former Yugoslavia, while the National Museum (narodnimuzej.rs) on Republic Square in the city centre carries great significance for visitors keen to learn more about Serbian identity. As you would expect, the Nikola Tesla Museum (nikolateslamuseum.org) close to Slavija Square at Krunska 51 is extremely popular with international tourists.
An almost equal distance from other regional capitals Budapest, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Skopje, Sofia, Vienna and Zagreb, Belgrade is a favourite tourist destination in the region. If this is your first visit and you only have two days, your perfect weekend in Belgrade could look like this…
FRIDAY
The best place to begin is in one of Belgrade’s cocktail bars. Kultura Bar (@ kulturabar) and Druid Bar (@druid.bar) are both comfortable city centre venues where you can enjoy great music and signature cocktails. With its impressive Art Deco interior, the Josephine cocktail bar and restaurant (josephinebelgrade.com) was named after a famous guest of the building, the trailblazing singer, dancer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker. In addition to cocktails and a wide range of wines, Josephine offers an excellent dinner menu. On weekends, the venue also hosts well-known DJs from all over the world.
For partygoers, Belgrade’s clubs are must-go destinations. Don’t miss the open-air Barutana (@barutanabeograd), and the floating venues on the Sava river, Klub 20/44 (@20_44_night_club) and Leto (@leto_belgrade).
For an informal dinner, don’t forget that Belgrade is famous for its street food. Ćevap kod Dekija (cevap.rs) offers wildly popular juicy kebabs,
