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Belgrade is the capital of Serbia and beautifully situated at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, which is why nature is such a large part of the city and its activities. Together with the city’s interesting history and the lovely Serbian atmosphere, the cosmopolitan Balkan capital is full of memorable sights.
Many cultures have ruled here for centuries and left their mark on the cityscape and culture that you experience today. You can enjoy the differents eras when you walk the streets, see for example one of the most impressive churches in the Balkans; the great orthodox Saint Sava Cathedral.
In Belgrade you will find a wide range of impressive buildings, beautiful architecture, green oases and wide boulevards that characterize the central part of the city. Of course, as one of the Balkan metropolises and historical centers, there are great museums as well, and good shopping and gastronomic experiences are abundant as well.
Recreational areas are located close to the center of Belgrade, with opportunities for boating, swimming and enjoying some fine walks. National parks and great mountains with magnificent views, cozy towns and historical monuments are also close to the capital. Thus, there are unforgettable things to see and do both in and around the Serbian city.
Kalemegdan is the name for the large fortress and park complex located between the center of Belgrade and the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. The word kalemegdan comes from the Turkish word for castle square, which is clearly seen with Belgrade Castle, which is located at the top of the area’s hill and thereby elevated above the city’s streets.
Early Belgrade was located in present-day Kalemegdan, which consisted of several parts. The most important were the upper and the lower town, which under the despot Stefan Lazarević both had walls built around them in the 15th century.
Today, Kalemegdan contains a number of historic fortifications as well as park facilities with fine views over the Serbian capital and its two large rivers. The park itself was laid out and planted 1873-1875 and continuously expanded to cover parts of the upper town.
Around the beautiful park you can see many monuments and attractions, such as the memorial for France’s aid to Serbia in World War I and the place where Belgrade Castle was handed over from the Turks to Serbia in 1867. You can take a walk around the large area in the castle and in front of it along the Sava and Danube.
Saint Michael’s Cathedral is the name of Belgrade’s Orthodox cathedral. It is also simply called the cathedral and was built 1837-1840. However, it was not the first church building on this site before the patriarchate.
It was Prince Miloš Obrenović who commissioned the architect Adam Friedrich Kwerfeld to build the cathedral as a classicist church with baroque style elements. Inside you can see a number of valuable icons and gold works. The beautiful and richly decorated iconostasis was made by Dimitrije Petrović, while the painter Dimitrije Avramović was behind many of the artworks in the church room.
The cathedral also contains several relics, and the regents Milan, Milos and Mihailo from the Obrenović dynasty are buried in the crypt.
Belgrade Castle was built strategically well at the mouth of the river Sava in the Danube. Already from the year 75 BC, established defenses on the site as a military camp for a Roman legion.
In the 300s and 400s, Goths and Huns attacked the Romans, and the site had to be rebuilt several times. In 476 Belgrade became a border town between the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire, and in 535 the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I reinforced the fortress. The 6th century was the century in which Serbs and other Slavs arrived and settled in the area in greater style, and in the 11th century, Serbs were given the fort by the Hungarian king Béla I.
At the Battle of the Sorsort Plain in 1389, the Serbian kingdom fell as an independent state, but it was not until 1521 that the Turkish Ottomans captured Beograd Borg, which lay above the city that had grown along the banks of the rivers over time.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the area was again built. During the Turkish-Austrian war, Belgrade Castle was strengthened throughout the century into one of Europe’s most solid fortresses. However, some parts were demolished again before the castle got its final appearance shortly before the year 1800.
Skadarlija is Belgrade’s bohemian quarter, which from its establishment in the 1830s was known as the gypsy district, as gypsies were the first to settle in what was then outside the city’s defense lines.
In 1872, the neighborhood’s main street was given its current name, Skadarska/Скадарckа, which comes from the Albanian city of Skadar, known in Albanian as Shkodër. At the end of the 19th century, many writers, actors and other artists moved to the many inns and hostels that had sprung up here, and this had an impact on the atmosphere and on daily and cultural life.
In 1968, a renovation was started, and today the Skadarlija neighborhood and Skadarska Street, with its many restaurants and shops, is a well-visited place in Belgrade. There are good places to eat here, but you can also just enjoy a stroll between the low buildings.
Belgrade’s Saint Sava Church is one of the world’s largest church buildings within the Christian-Orthodox denominations. It was dedicated to Saint Sava, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and built on the very spot where Saint Sava’s remains are believed to have been burned in 1595 by the Turkish vizier Sinan Pasha. The monumental building is a church, but is sometimes also called a cathedral. However, it is not the seat of a bishop and therefore does not have this status officially.
The church has a central dome 70 meters high, and on top of the dome there is a 12 meter high cross. The ground plane measures 91×81 meters and is built like a Greek cross. The large framework provides space for 10,000 people in the church, and there can be 800 singers in the church choir alone.
300 years after the burning of Saint Sava, in 1895, a company was founded with the aim of erecting a church on this very spot. In 1905 and again in 1926, competitions for the design were called, and in 1935 construction began. The later Serbian Patriarch, Bishop Gavrilo Dožić-Medenica, laid the foundation stone. Before the Second World War, the foundations had been completed, and the walls were up to 11 meters high, when the war stopped work.
In 1958, the patriarch German brought the construction forward again, and after many bids, it was decided to continue the project in 1984. Branko Pešić became the architect of the church, which continued to be built from 1985. In 1989, the large dome was lifted into place, and since then work has been done on the completion of the church’s magnificent interior, where, among other things, Carrara marble and fine Russian mosaic craftsmanship have been used.
Immediately next to Saint Sava Church, you can see the smaller church, Little Saint Sava Church/Мала Црква Светог Саве [Mala Tsrkva Svetog Save], which was built in the 1930s, and which naturally offers a smaller, but also quite interesting interior . In Lille Sankt Sava there are, among other things, beautiful frescoes on the walls and ceilings.
The Royal Amlæg is an area of over 100 hectares in the suburb of Dedinje. In the area are two castles, the Royal Palace/Краљевски двор [Kraljevski dvor] and the White Palace/Бели двор [Beli Dvor], as well as a number of service buildings. The large areas in the area are laid out as English landscaped gardens, and around the palaces themselves there are French gardens.
The Royal Complex is still inhabited by the Karađorđević family and thereby descendants of the last king of Yugoslavia. For the same reason, there is no general access to the entire facility, which consists of, among other things, the Royal Palace, the White Palace and the Royal Chapel. However, tours are arranged, and it may be open at special events. During the season, there is also continuous access to the art collection in the White Palace.
The Royal Palace was built in the years 1924-1929 in a style inspired by Serbian-Byzantine architecture. The palace was initially intended as a place where King Alexandar I Karađorđević and Queen Marija Karađorđević could live in peace yet close to the center of Belgrade.
A colonnade connects the palace with the Royal Chapel/Капела Светог Андреја Провзваног, which was dedicated to the Apostle Andrew, the patron saint of the Yugoslav royal family. The wall paintings in the chapel were done by Russian artists who copied motifs from Serbian medieval monasteries.
The White Palace was built in a style inspired by the works of the Venetian Andrea Palladio from the 16th century. There is also English inspiration, which is expressed, among other things, in the decoration of the palace. The palace construction was started by King Alexandar I Karađorđević, who wanted to build a residence for his children. The White Palace was nevertheless completed in 1936.
After World War II and with the establishment of the Republic of Yugoslavia, the White Palace was used by President Josip Broz Tito and later by Slobodan Milošević.
The monument Victory was erected to commemorate the Battle of Cer, which was the first Allied victory in the First World War. The battle took place on the 16th-19th. August 1914 at Mount Cer west of Belgrade, and it stood between several hundred thousand Serbs and Austrians. The Serbs won, marking the first victory over the Central Powers, which included Austria-Hungary and the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
The victory was made by the Croatian Ivan Meštrović, and the statue was originally intended for a position in Terazije square. However, it was instead set up on Kalemegdan with an impressive view over the rivers Danube and Sava. The statue has a dove in one hand and a sword in the other, and they are symbols of peace and war.
By the way, the terrace around the Victory is one of the best places to enjoy the view of Belgrade. From here you can see to Belgrade on the eastern bank of the Sava, to the modern neighborhoods of Belgrade na Vodi and to Novi Beograd, which arose as a colossal expansion of Yugoslavia’s capital in the 20th century.
Prins Michael Street is Belgrade’s main street. Here is a classy and lively atmosphere between the many elegant and impressive buildings from the late 19th century. The street got its current name in 1872, when it was named after the prince, statesman and army commander Mihailo Obrenović, who in the 1860s took steps towards liberation from the Turks, but who was murdered on the street in 1868.
Although Ulica Knez Mihailova follows one of the axes of the Roman Singidunum and was a busy street with many mosques during the Turkish era, it was not until 1867 that the street took its current course. In the years that followed, many beautiful buildings sprung up, and some of them are of special interest.
Belgrade’s elegant City Library is housed in number 56, which was built in romanticism in 1869. Originally, the building was designed as the Serbian Crown Hotel/Хотел Српска круна [Hotel Srpska Kruna].
At number 53-55 is Marko Stojanović’s House/Кућа Марка Стојановића [Kuća Marka Stojanovića], built in Neo-Renaissance style in 1889. Since 1937, it has been an art academy and gallery.
You can also see a square with examples of both the houses and office buildings of the bourgeoisie with the numbers 46-50. The houses were built in 1869-1870. The style of the buildings was among the first on the street that was not in the Serbian romanticism of the time.
The fortress tower Nebojša stands to the northwest on Kalemegdan, and it is the only preserved medieval tower in the area. In its original version, the tower was built in the 15th century and was a defensive point of strength at the point where the river Sava flows into the Danube.
The name Nebojša means fearless in Serbian, and after first being called the White Tower/Бела Кула [Bela Kula], it got its current name in the late 17th century.
Throughout history, Nebojša Tower has, among other things, been designed as a prison. Today, the tower has been converted into a museum, where you can take a closer look at the site’s history and former functions.
Belgrade’s National Museum is Serbia’s oldest museum. It was founded in 1844, and the rich collections count countless effects and themes in the institution’s collections. The museum building was built in 1903 and was originally the Ministry of Finance.
The National Museum depicts Serbia from prehistoric times through the Middle Ages to the present day. One of the museum’s most valuable treasures is the oldest piece of writing executed in Cyrillic letters. It is the Gospel of Miroslav, which is from around the year 1190.
Belgrade’s beautiful National Theater was built in 1869 according to the designs of Alexander Bugarski. The opening took place on 30 October of the same year with a performance written for the occasion. The repertoire is today very versatile, and plays, ballets and operas are performed on the well-known stage.
Since opening, both the exterior and interior of the theater have been changed several times. The result, however, is still a beautiful and classic 19th-century theater building that suits this part of Republikpladsen well.
Belgrade Waterfront, also called Beograd na vodi, is a large-scale urban development project that has transformed the former railway areas in the center of Belgrade and other land along the Sava River into a new district in the Serbian capital. The project started in 2014, and since then homes, office buildings and other things have been built in the well-located area. The first high-rise buildings started in 2015, and they are continuously expanding with modern urban experiences.
Among other things, you can take a nice walk along the promenade by the Sava, where there are cafés and restaurants as well as a view over the water and to Novi Beograd on the western bank of the river. Belgrade Tower/Кула Београд (Kula Beograd) stands as the center of the district, and the skyscraper is the landmark and the most characteristic building here. Kula Belgrade has a height of 168, and the tower block was completed as the city’s tallest building in 2023.
The Serbian Parliament building was built in the period 1906-1936. It was designed first by architect Jovan Ilkić and later by his son Pavle Ilkić. The style is monumental classicist with Renaissance elements, and the building is considered a masterpiece of recent Serbian construction. The sculptures in front of the parliament were produced by Toma Roksandić.
The construction was adopted in connection with Serbia’s independence and elevation to the kingdom. At the time, the then assembly building was judged inappropriate in style and size for a state like Serbia. The site of Belgrade’s cattle market was chosen as the location, as this was then on the edge of the built-up area.
The result of the plans was the imposing parliament building that you can see today. It was built to house, among other things, the Serbian National Assembly, Senate, Council of State and various offices. Since opening in 1936, the building has served as the parliament of many formal states; Yugoslavia, the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Since 2006, it has again been the seat of the Serbian Parliament.
Stari Dvor is the Old Palace, which was built by Aleksandar Bugarski in the years 1882-1884. It was built as a royal palace for the Obrenović dynasty, and it was naturally one of Belgrade’s finest buildings at the end of the 19th century. However, the palace was not built as an actual residence, but more as a representative building for various ceremonies.
At this location, the Austrians, during their rule in the city from 1717-1739, had built a military hospital. The hospital was not demolished after the conclusion of the Treaty of Belgrade in 1739, which otherwise required the demolition of Austrian buildings. Later in the 18th century, the hospital was demolished, and then it was until the 1830s before Stojan Simić bought the land, which was then marshland. Simić built a house that Prince Aleksander Karađorđević bought in 1843.
Karađorđević expanded the residence with several buildings, which the Obrenović dynasty moved into from 1858. When the current Stari Dvor was to be built, several of the previous buildings in the residence complex were demolished. Aleksander Karađorđević’s house from 1843 was demolished in 1904, but by then it had become historic, as Serbian King Aleksander I was assassinated here on June 11, 1903. After that, the Karađorđević dynasty came back to the throne, and Stari Dvor was the royal residence of those from 1903.
Later, the royal family vacated Stari Dvor in favor of the neighboring building Novi Dvor. After World War II, Yugoslavia became a republic, and Stari Dvor was then given various political purposes, which is also the case today, where the old palace is set up as the seat of Belgrade’s city government and administration.
The Flower House is the name of the mausoleum of the Yugoslav head of state, Josip Broz Tito, who died on May 4, 1980. The name Flower House comes from the many flowers that were originally around Tito’s grave.
Tito was the leader of Yugoslavia’s partisans during World War II, and he was the leader of the country for many years until his death. Tito was born in the Croatian village of Kumrovec in 1893, and he died in Ljubljana, after which he was brought to the capital Belgrade on board his famous blue train, which had previously taken him extensively around the country.
At Tito’s funeral, among others, 4 kings, 31 presidents, 6 princes and 22 prime ministers participated, making events one of the largest state funerals in history. In the Flower House today, you can visit Tito’s grave and see an exhibition about the famous Yugoslav head of state in two rooms next to the devoutly decorated room with the grave itself.
The New Palace was built 1911-1922 as a royal palace for the rulers of Serbia and Yugoslavia from the Karađorđević dynasty. The plan for the palace arose after the assassination of King Alexander I in 1903 and the demolition of the existing building from 1843 in the area. With the demolition, there was no actual residence building, even though the king had settled in Stari Dvor from the 1880s.
Novi Dvor was built as the intended residence for the crown prince from 1911, but during the First World War the building was destroyed, and therefore it was not completed until 1922, when King Aleksander and Queen Maria moved in on 8 June. Along with Novi Dvor, an elegant building connecting Stari Dvor and Novi Dvor was also constructed, but this was demolished in 1957.
Novi Dvor was the royal residence until 1936, when the royal family moved to Beli Dvor south of the center. On that occasion, the centrally located residence complex was set up as a museum. The museum closed in 1948, when Novi Dvor was rebuilt in the following years to be the seat of the Serbian president, and the former palace has continued that function. For a number of years it was also the seat of the Executive Council of Serbia and the Serbian Assembly during the Yugoslav Republic.
Novi Sad is an old cultural city and is also one of Serbia’s most interesting provincial cities. It is located on the banks of the Danube and is the country’s second largest city. Novi Sad was founded in 1694 by Serbian traders who established themselves opposite the Austrian Petrovaradin fortress. The city grew rapidly in the following centuries and became one of the economic and industrial centers of the region. However, Novi Sad was relatively hard hit by the revolution in the Austrian Empire in 1848, but the city was quickly rebuilt and expanded.
A central place in Novi Sad is the square Trg Slobode, where several monuments from the city’s history can be seen. Here is the city’s beautiful town hall, which was built in the New Renaissance style in 1894 by Georg Molnar. The same architect also designed the Neo-Gothic Roman Catholic Maria Name Church, which was built in the years 1891-1894. On the square you can also see the traditional Hotel Vojvodina from 1746 and Tanurdzić’s Palace from 1933-1935, which stand as a fine example of Bauhaus architecture.
Avala is a mountain and natural area in the area southeast of Belgrade. Avala’s top is at a height of 511 meters above sea level, and there is beautiful nature and good hiking trails on the mountain, where there are also two attractions up top. Here you can see the Monument to the Unknown Hero and Avala Tower, which are within walking distance of each other.
The Monument to the Unknown Hero/Споменик Незнаном юнаку [Spomenik Neznanom junaku] is a monument erected in memory of the fallen soldiers of the First World War. The Croatian Ivan Meštrović designed the monument, which looks like a classical mausoleum.
The monument is adorned by eight columns, which represent the eight historical Yugoslav regions. The monument stands on top of Mount Avala and was inaugurated in 1938. Four years earlier, the ruins of a fortress building had been blown away from the site to make room for the new monument.
From the Monument to the Unknown Hero, you can take a nice walk to the Avala Tower/Авалски торањ [Avalski toranj], which is a TV tower originally completed in 1965. The tower was 202 meters high and sat on top of Avala. On April 29, 1999, the tower was destroyed during one of the US and NATO bombardments of Belgrade and Serbia in the spring of 1999. In the years 2006-2009, the tower was rebuilt; this time with a height of 204 meters. 102 meters up there is an observation deck from which there is a magnificent view of the landscape.
The village of Golubac is located on the banks of the Danube and is a former Roman military post and town. It first had the name Cuppae, and later it was called Columbria. The area is known for historical buildings and the long gorge, the Iron Gates/Дердапска клисура [Đerdapska klisura], which is the gorge where the Danube flows between the Carpathian Mountains to the north and the Balkan Mountains to the south.
Particularly interesting is the Golubac castle, which is one of the finest examples of medieval defense construction in Serbia. Today, Golubac is a relatively well-preserved ruin with a dramatic location at the entrance to the Iron Gates. The castle is located a few kilometers east of the town of Golubac.
The fortress with the seven towers is located almost on an inaccessible cliff, and over the centuries it has been the scene of a number of battles. The castle is believed to have been built by Hungarians in the 14th century, but over time the Hungarians, Turks, Austrians and Serbs have been dominant in the region and ruled over the castle. In 1867, the place became Serbian when it came into the hands of Prince Mihailo Obrenović.
The impressive Manasija Monastery was founded by despot Stefan Lazarević in the early 15th century. Over the centuries, the building has been both ravaged and partially blown up, but after a rebuilding of the church in 1735 and of other parts in 1807-1810, the monastery was finally restored around 1845.
The beautiful monastery church, Trinity Church/Црква Свете Тројице [Crkva Svete Trojce], was built in 1407-1418 in the Moravian style. It is unique for its kind and time in that it was the only one among comparable churches to be partly built in marble. Among the original marble constructions is the beautiful speckled floor.
The monastery’s location, like the entire region, was marked by unrest over the centuries, so thick defensive walls and towers were built around the entire facility. These mighty constructions are still seen today. In addition to the church and the defensive works, you can also see remains of the monastery’s library and some other functions.
Obilićev venac 20/Обилићев венац 20
Jurija Gagarina 16/Гуријa Гагаринa 16
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Jurija Gagarina 151a/Јуријa Гагаринa 151a
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Ulica Knez Mihailova/Улица кнез, Михаилова, Bulevar Kralja, Aleksandra/Булевар краља, Александра, Trg Terazije/Трг Теразије
Београдски зоолошки врт
Мали Калемегдан 8
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Музеј аутомобила
Мајке Јевросиме 30
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Muzeј ваздухопловства
Аеродром Београд
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Природњачки Музеј
Његошевa 51
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Belgrade is one of Europe’s oldest cities. The first settlement is founded here at the strategically important site of the Savas estuary in the Danube approximately 7,000 BC. The forerunner of present-day Belgrade is Singidunum, founded in the 20th century BC. of a Celtic tribe. The town was quickly entrenched and lived under local rule for the first centuries.
The Romans conquered Singidunum shortly after year 0. Also the present Zemun was a Roman city, named Taurunum, and both cities constituted important Roman military border posts. Singidunum was the area’s most important city, and with the arrival of Flavus’ fourth legion in the year 86, the first stone fort was built on the Kalemegdan ridge facing both of the city’s major rivers. In the following centuries, the city’s status was elevated and it became a Roman province.
Later in the Roman period, it became the religious center of the area, where, among other things, the later Roman emperor Flavius Jovianus was born. It was during this time that the city was established as one of the most important modern traffic hubs in the Balkans. The transport routes from the center of the Roman Empire to the many provinces throughout the Balkans passed through Singidunum.
At the break of the Roman Empire in 395, Singidunum became an important East Roman / Byzantine border town to the north. The 400s became tough for the city, which was attacked several times. In 441, the females conquered it and placed it almost totally in ruins. After that event, there were no more Romans in the city.
Singidunum again became Byzantine in 454, but fell again, among other things, in the hands of the Eastern Goths, before returning to Constantinople in 488. Under Emperor Justinian I, in 535, Singidunum was rebuilt and stronger fortified. There was also the time when the first Slavic tribes came to the area; the first Serbs around 630.
The city is mentioned again in the 8th century, this time as Belgrade, the white city – a name believed to originate from the city walls erected in light limestone.
Over the following 200 years, the dominion of Belgrade changed several times. Franks, Bulgarians, Hungarians and finally Byzantines conquered the city, which once again became Byzantine border town.
The Serbs gained power over Belgrade, which became a residential town in 1284, when the Serbian king Dragutin was deployed. At the same time, the power of the Serbian Orthodox Church rose, and the newly built cathedral became a symbol of Serbian strength. The Serbian boom, however, fell short. In 1319, the Hungarians almost completely destroyed the city and the remains became a Hungarian border post against Serbian expansion from the south.
The Ottoman Turks later advanced, and the Hungarians allowed Belgrade to rebuild as a defense against them. Belgrade experienced a tremendous growth in 1403-1427. The city was the new Serbian capital led by the despot Stefan Lazarević, who had received the noble title despot by the Byzantine emperor in 1402. The following year he made Belgrade his capital, and in 1404 he had to accept to be the vassal state of Hungary.
However, the lack of total independence did not prevent the city’s flourishing. Belgrade became the cultural and economic center. New buildings shot up in the city, growing to about 50,000 residents.
The Turks arrived with 100,000 soldiers to Belgrade in 1440. The city was now the most powerful Christian bastion to the south in the Hungarian Empire. Serbia fell to the Turkish Ottomans’ attacks in 1459, but Belgrade only fell after hard fighting in 1521. In the next 150 years there were no fighting in the city, as it was no longer a border town.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the Turks and Austrians fought for Belgrade, and in 1717-1739 the city was under Austrian rule before it was again conquered by the Turks. In 1806, the Serbs overcame the Turks and established an independent Serbia, which was, however, only a reality until 1813. The Turks returned, and despite markedly increased Serbian influence, the Turks first withdrew from the fortress of Kalemegdan in 1867.
Mihailo Obrenović became Serbian king in the new Serbia. At the same time, it was the start of an explosive boom and construction activity in Belgrade that lasted about 50 years. After World War I, Belgrade became the capital of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in Yugoslavia. Throughout World War II, the city was severely damaged.
After the war, reconstruction started under the leadership of longtime Yugoslav state leader Josip Broz Tito. After a period of economic growth in Yugoslavia, the country’s borders were repeatedly changed throughout the 1990s and until 2006, when Belgrade became the capital of Serbia.
Overview of Belgrade
The Serbian capital of Belgrade is beautifully situated at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, which is why nature is such a large part of the city and its activities. Together with the city’s interesting history and the lovely Serbian atmosphere, the cosmopolitan Balkan capital is full of memorable sights.
Many cultures have ruled here for centuries and left their mark on the cityscape and culture that you experience today. You can enjoy the differents eras when you walk the streets, see for example one of the most impressive churches in the Balkans; the great orthodox Saint Sava Cathedral.
About the upcoming Belgrade travel guide
About the travel guide
The Belgrade travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Serbian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Belgrade is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
Read more about Belgrade and Serbia
Buy the travel guide
Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.
Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Belgrade you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.
Kalemegdan • Skardarlija • Danube & Sava • Great Churches • Prince Michael
Overview of Belgrade
The Serbian capital of Belgrade is beautifully situated at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, which is why nature is such a large part of the city and its activities. Together with the city’s interesting history and the lovely Serbian atmosphere, the cosmopolitan Balkan capital is full of memorable sights.
Many cultures have ruled here for centuries and left their mark on the cityscape and culture that you experience today. You can enjoy the differents eras when you walk the streets, see for example one of the most impressive churches in the Balkans; the great orthodox Saint Sava Cathedral.
About the upcoming Belgrade travel guide
About the travel guide
The Belgrade travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Serbian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Belgrade is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
Read more about Belgrade and Serbia
Buy the travel guide
Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.
Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Belgrade you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.
The monument Victory was erected to commemorate the Battle of Cer, which was the first Allied victory in the First World War. The battle took place on the 16th-19th. August 1914 at Mount Cer west of Belgrade, and it stood between several hundred thousand Serbs and Austrians. The Serbs won, marking the first victory over the Central Powers, which included Austria-Hungary and the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
The victory was made by the Croatian Ivan Meštrović, and the statue was originally intended for a position in Terazije square. However, it was instead set up on Kalemegdan with an impressive view over the rivers Danube and Sava. The statue has a dove in one hand and a sword in the other, and they are symbols of peace and war.
By the way, the terrace around the Victory is one of the best places to enjoy the view of Belgrade. From here you can see to Belgrade on the eastern bank of the Sava, to the modern neighborhoods of Belgrade na Vodi and to Novi Beograd, which arose as a colossal expansion of Yugoslavia’s capital in the 20th century.
Prins Michael Street is Belgrade’s main street. Here is a classy and lively atmosphere between the many elegant and impressive buildings from the late 19th century. The street got its current name in 1872, when it was named after the prince, statesman and army commander Mihailo Obrenović, who in the 1860s took steps towards liberation from the Turks, but who was murdered on the street in 1868.
Although Ulica Knez Mihailova follows one of the axes of the Roman Singidunum and was a busy street with many mosques during the Turkish era, it was not until 1867 that the street took its current course. In the years that followed, many beautiful buildings sprung up, and some of them are of special interest.
Belgrade’s elegant City Library is housed in number 56, which was built in romanticism in 1869. Originally, the building was designed as the Serbian Crown Hotel/Хотел Српска круна [Hotel Srpska Kruna].
At number 53-55 is Marko Stojanović’s House/Кућа Марка Стојановића [Kuća Marka Stojanovića], built in Neo-Renaissance style in 1889. Since 1937, it has been an art academy and gallery.
You can also see a square with examples of both the houses and office buildings of the bourgeoisie with the numbers 46-50. The houses were built in 1869-1870. The style of the buildings was among the first on the street that was not in the Serbian romanticism of the time.
The fortress tower Nebojša stands to the northwest on Kalemegdan, and it is the only preserved medieval tower in the area. In its original version, the tower was built in the 15th century and was a defensive point of strength at the point where the river Sava flows into the Danube.
The name Nebojša means fearless in Serbian, and after first being called the White Tower/Бела Кула [Bela Kula], it got its current name in the late 17th century.
Throughout history, Nebojša Tower has, among other things, been designed as a prison. Today, the tower has been converted into a museum, where you can take a closer look at the site’s history and former functions.
Belgrade’s National Museum is Serbia’s oldest museum. It was founded in 1844, and the rich collections count countless effects and themes in the institution’s collections. The museum building was built in 1903 and was originally the Ministry of Finance.
The National Museum depicts Serbia from prehistoric times through the Middle Ages to the present day. One of the museum’s most valuable treasures is the oldest piece of writing executed in Cyrillic letters. It is the Gospel of Miroslav, which is from around the year 1190.
Belgrade’s beautiful National Theater was built in 1869 according to the designs of Alexander Bugarski. The opening took place on 30 October of the same year with a performance written for the occasion. The repertoire is today very versatile, and plays, ballets and operas are performed on the well-known stage.
Since opening, both the exterior and interior of the theater have been changed several times. The result, however, is still a beautiful and classic 19th-century theater building that suits this part of Republikpladsen well.
Belgrade Waterfront, also called Beograd na vodi, is a large-scale urban development project that has transformed the former railway areas in the center of Belgrade and other land along the Sava River into a new district in the Serbian capital. The project started in 2014, and since then homes, office buildings and other things have been built in the well-located area. The first high-rise buildings started in 2015, and they are continuously expanding with modern urban experiences.
Among other things, you can take a nice walk along the promenade by the Sava, where there are cafés and restaurants as well as a view over the water and to Novi Beograd on the western bank of the river. Belgrade Tower/Кула Београд (Kula Beograd) stands as the center of the district, and the skyscraper is the landmark and the most characteristic building here. Kula Belgrade has a height of 168, and the tower block was completed as the city’s tallest building in 2023.
The Serbian Parliament building was built in the period 1906-1936. It was designed first by architect Jovan Ilkić and later by his son Pavle Ilkić. The style is monumental classicist with Renaissance elements, and the building is considered a masterpiece of recent Serbian construction. The sculptures in front of the parliament were produced by Toma Roksandić.
The construction was adopted in connection with Serbia’s independence and elevation to the kingdom. At the time, the then assembly building was judged inappropriate in style and size for a state like Serbia. The site of Belgrade’s cattle market was chosen as the location, as this was then on the edge of the built-up area.
The result of the plans was the imposing parliament building that you can see today. It was built to house, among other things, the Serbian National Assembly, Senate, Council of State and various offices. Since opening in 1936, the building has served as the parliament of many formal states; Yugoslavia, the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Since 2006, it has again been the seat of the Serbian Parliament.
Stari Dvor is the Old Palace, which was built by Aleksandar Bugarski in the years 1882-1884. It was built as a royal palace for the Obrenović dynasty, and it was naturally one of Belgrade’s finest buildings at the end of the 19th century. However, the palace was not built as an actual residence, but more as a representative building for various ceremonies.
At this location, the Austrians, during their rule in the city from 1717-1739, had built a military hospital. The hospital was not demolished after the conclusion of the Treaty of Belgrade in 1739, which otherwise required the demolition of Austrian buildings. Later in the 18th century, the hospital was demolished, and then it was until the 1830s before Stojan Simić bought the land, which was then marshland. Simić built a house that Prince Aleksander Karađorđević bought in 1843.
Karađorđević expanded the residence with several buildings, which the Obrenović dynasty moved into from 1858. When the current Stari Dvor was to be built, several of the previous buildings in the residence complex were demolished. Aleksander Karađorđević’s house from 1843 was demolished in 1904, but by then it had become historic, as Serbian King Aleksander I was assassinated here on June 11, 1903. After that, the Karađorđević dynasty came back to the throne, and Stari Dvor was the royal residence of those from 1903.
Later, the royal family vacated Stari Dvor in favor of the neighboring building Novi Dvor. After World War II, Yugoslavia became a republic, and Stari Dvor was then given various political purposes, which is also the case today, where the old palace is set up as the seat of Belgrade’s city government and administration.
The Flower House is the name of the mausoleum of the Yugoslav head of state, Josip Broz Tito, who died on May 4, 1980. The name Flower House comes from the many flowers that were originally around Tito’s grave.
Tito was the leader of Yugoslavia’s partisans during World War II, and he was the leader of the country for many years until his death. Tito was born in the Croatian village of Kumrovec in 1893, and he died in Ljubljana, after which he was brought to the capital Belgrade on board his famous blue train, which had previously taken him extensively around the country.
At Tito’s funeral, among others, 4 kings, 31 presidents, 6 princes and 22 prime ministers participated, making events one of the largest state funerals in history. In the Flower House today, you can visit Tito’s grave and see an exhibition about the famous Yugoslav head of state in two rooms next to the devoutly decorated room with the grave itself.
The New Palace was built 1911-1922 as a royal palace for the rulers of Serbia and Yugoslavia from the Karađorđević dynasty. The plan for the palace arose after the assassination of King Alexander I in 1903 and the demolition of the existing building from 1843 in the area. With the demolition, there was no actual residence building, even though the king had settled in Stari Dvor from the 1880s.
Novi Dvor was built as the intended residence for the crown prince from 1911, but during the First World War the building was destroyed, and therefore it was not completed until 1922, when King Aleksander and Queen Maria moved in on 8 June. Along with Novi Dvor, an elegant building connecting Stari Dvor and Novi Dvor was also constructed, but this was demolished in 1957.
Novi Dvor was the royal residence until 1936, when the royal family moved to Beli Dvor south of the center. On that occasion, the centrally located residence complex was set up as a museum. The museum closed in 1948, when Novi Dvor was rebuilt in the following years to be the seat of the Serbian president, and the former palace has continued that function. For a number of years it was also the seat of the Executive Council of Serbia and the Serbian Assembly during the Yugoslav Republic.
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