City Break Belgrade Travel Report 2023

Freshly printed, it's finally here: my Belgrade travel report. We spent five-plus-one days in this amazing and diverse city. A destination that has been on my bucket list for a long time. Belgrade isn't exactly a typical place for vacationers and travelers. The city is big enough that we encountered hardly any tourists, even during the holidays. Of course, the city, which is now on the verge of two million inhabitants (as of 2023), has plenty of space.

Especially when visiting Belgrade with family, you'll notice how friendly and courteous the people are. Here, even men get the door held open for them =). In this Belgrade travelogue, I'll show you everything we experienced during our few days here and give you some tips and inspiration. Maybe Serbia will be on your list soon too.

Travel to Malta – Belgrade

A big plus for Malta is that you can easily and comfortably travel to any European capital from here. Thus, we can fly with your direct flight from Luqa to Belgrade. The almost two-hour flight was super comfortable. We arrive in Belgrade around midnight and are picked up at the airport by our host Milos (pronounced „Miloš“) and taken to our apartment. He tells us that Vinci recently bought the airport, and thus the French have entered the country. Therefore, the airport is currently a huge construction site. Nevertheless, everything runs smoothly.

Belgrade - A Fascinating Mix of Old and New

Let's assume you want to invade one country from another. And let's assume you want to do this in Europe. So, not in the USA or Australia. Then, in your campaigns, you will almost always encounter Belgrade over. Since not only you and I know this now, Belgrade has been attacked, destroyed, and rebuilt over 40 times in the past. This is on the same level as Jerusalem, which experienced something similar. Practically destroyed and plundered on the fly.

Belgrade is first mentioned in the year 878. Today, there is an old part and a new part. Both parts are separated by the Sava River. Then there is also the Belgrade Waterfront, a new part built right next to the old part, on the same side of the river, so to speak. This sounds complicated, but it isn't at all. Quite the opposite, in fact, because it creates a cool atmosphere. You can stroll past old historical buildings, marvel at Belgrade's history and culture, and just a few minutes later, you'll find futuristic skyscrapers reminiscent of the skyline in Dubai.

I liked this exact mix the best. In addition, there are larger and smaller shopping malls, old traditional shops, boutiques, and modern fashion chains. Everything is totally mixed, everything is within walking distance, everything is very affordable.

Belgrade Zoo VRT

Thankfully, our kids find joy in almost everything when we're on the go. Whether there's a small puddle, an old playground, or just a wall, they're happy and play with it. Nevertheless, zoos are always a highlight, and so we always plan them in.

The Belgrade Zoo was opened in 1936, making it one of the oldest in Europe. However, even it has been attacked and destroyed twice already. Nowadays, though, it's in good condition and known for breeding white tigers. Unfortunately, we could only see one from a distance. It was quite warm, and most of the animals had retreated. Except for the camels, who seemed to love it. 🙂

We spent a wonderful morning here and a visit to the zoo is ideal, especially if you are visiting Belgrade with family. The zoo is not particularly large, but it is still worth a visit. It is located in Kalemegdan Park, where the fortress is also located. Incidentally, below the fortress, the Sava River flows into the Danube, which you can view from up here.

We also took the tourist train in the park, which is also a great highlight for the kids. For a few euros per person, the train takes you to all the important spots in the park within 30 minutes. It doesn't get any faster or more efficient. Especially if you're only in the city for a few days, like we were.

The Temple of Saint Sava

One of the largest Orthodox churches in the world should not be missing from my Belgrade travel report. The Temple of Saint Sava is located in the Vracar district. It takes about 30 minutes to walk to the temple from the old town. The size is impressive. The temple is 82 meters high and can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers.

Someone like me, who doesn't pay much attention to houses of worship, might think this temple is a few hundred years old. In reality, it's not even finished being built. Construction did begin in 1935, which still isn't old. However, work was halted a year later due to World War II. Construction didn't resume until 1985, when I was five years old (not relevant to the church's continued construction, but still worth mentioning). All exterior work was completed in 2004, and interior work is still ongoing today.

Belgrade Indoor Playgrounds – Belgrade with Family

Even hot temperatures sometimes mean that a bad weather program has to suffice. In Belgrade, we noticed one thing very positively. There are not only countless and huge playgrounds outside, which we visited in the evenings. There are also indoor playgrounds here in abundance.

The Galerija shopping mall, located at Belgrade Waterfront, already houses three large indoor playgrounds. The great thing about it is that parents can shop while the kids play. Since I also work on the go from time to time, I always like to take advantage of such opportunities. Air-conditioned, with staff to look after you, and children who are occupied and happy. Win-win =)

In Zemun Park, there is another indoor playground. We have been there twice. The playground is called LOL Playroom or as some say LOL Playground. Here you pay five euros and the kids can play all day. The only downside here: there's nothing to eat, only a coffee bar. Nevertheless, this playground should be included in my Belgrade travelogue.

All in all, it reminded us a lot of Curacao reminds me where there are a similar number of indoor playgrounds. We're always happy because you can visit these playgrounds in any weather, too cold, too hot, too rainy, too nice outside to be true, etc.

Pro tip from a traveling family: Plan one sight and then the playground. 🙂

Museums in Belgrade

As with any major city, Belgrade also has numerous museums. I'd like to list the most important ones for you here. We only visited one of them. Which one do you think it was?

National Museum of Serbia

In total, there are 400,000 exhibits here, including many rare and valuable artworks by Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh, among others. The museum was founded in 1844 and is located on Republic Square. It is the largest museum in Serbia and also one of the oldest.

Nikola Tesla Museum

As the name suggests, this museum is dedicated to the American-Serbian physicist Nikola Tesla. While he wasn't the Elon Musk of his time, he was the inventor of alternating current and the Tesla coil. These are all things that are used in many areas today. This includes the Tesla car, and the company Tesla Inc. was named after Nikola Tesla.

Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to visit this museum.

Military Museum

This museum is located in the Kalemegdan Fortress, where the aforementioned tourist train also passes through. This gave us a little glimpse. Overall, the museum tells the military history of the Balkan region. The exhibits we saw as we passed by were impressive. However, I personally wouldn't visit such a museum, as the topic doesn't interest me that much. But if a tourist train passes by, I'm happy to take a picture of it.

Selfie Museum Belgrade

A museum that surely no one thought of in the 90s. It is located in the Galerija Shopping Mall, on the first floor.

In total, there are 30 rooms here, and they couldn't be more different. You can take cool photos in a pink prison, dive into a yellow ball pit, and bathe in a bathtub full of money. This museum was a ton of fun for all of us.

You were definitely right with your tip. We absolutely had to visit this museum and I can definitely recommend it to you. Especially if you're visiting Belgrade with family, the Selfie Museum is a great outing. A clear tip here in my Belgrade travel report.

Culinary Belgrade

To be honest, I've never really explored Serbian food. I've roughly categorized it as similar to Turkish cuisine. So, to prevent that from happening to you, I want to give you three restaurant recommendations:

Moon – Sushi & Fusion Food

The first restaurant we ate at. Moon back on our way home from downtown. A Japanese man who prepares excellent sushi. I love sushi and like to take advantage of such opportunities when I'm traveling in larger cities. Our kids love sushi too, so there's always something for everyone.

The quality of the food convinced us here, and of course the taste as well. Additionally, you sit very comfortably here, both indoors and outdoors. So if you're ever in Belgrade and like to eat sushi, Moon is definitely a great restaurant for it.

Homeland Balkan

We're getting closer now. The restaurant, whose name I have no idea how to pronounce. It was a tip from a friend (Thanks Wolfgang, if you're reading this!). Located between the old town and Belgrade Waterfront, it serves traditional Serbian food. We tried five different dishes and all of them were exceptionally delicious.

Serbian cuisine is very meat-heavy. We had delicious beef goulash with mashed potatoes, chicken breast with vegetables, and a tasty soup. We also had a very spicy onion and pepper dish and a type of baked pepper with cheese.

I have no idea what the dishes are called, but in this restaurant, you can try all sorts of delicious Serbian dishes. There's also traditional music, sometimes live music. It's best to reserve a table here. We went around 6 PM and were the first ones there, but by 8 PM the place was packed.

Here Go to the official website.

Do you want Vračar

Another culinary highlight on our trip. In Do you want There are both local and international dishes. What particularly struck us here was the extensive wine list with many Serbian white and red wines.

The food here was also top-notch. The ambiance was great too. We could sit outside and despite the 35-degree heat, it wasn't warm for us. There were fans with water misters, which provided a refreshing coolness. Overall, this restaurant is a bit more upscale, but still reasonably priced.

Directly opposite is a large playground, in case you are traveling in Belgrade with family.

Why were we in Belgrade for five plus one days?

Sometimes, luck is also part of traveling. So, we drove to Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG) just in time for the evening, as our return flight to Malta was scheduled for 9 PM. However, it was initially delayed. This is always an opportunity to try out airport lounges. Therefore, we first had dinner in the Business Lounge and waited for further information. It wasn't until around midnight that the flight was canceled and rebooked for the next day.

We flew with Wizz Air, basically the Eastern European Ryanair. And hats off, buses were immediately organized to take us to a hotel. This allowed us to get a good night's sleep and spend another day in Belgrade. Our flight was then three hours late again, but the Air Serbia Premium Lounge made up for it. I was able to work well there, and the food was really delicious. And of course, you can try all the drinks there. I had a 15-year-old Croatian whiskey, which was really tasty.

Around midnight, we were back in Gozo. Thanks Wizzair for the extra day in Belgrade, which was naturally covered by the airline.

Conclusion of Belgrade Travel Report

Our trip to Belgrade was an unforgettable experience. A capital city so rich in history, offering us a fascinating blend of old and new worlds. We always try to have something for everyone in the family. In Belgrade, we found this incredibly easy because the city is so diverse.

Furthermore, the people were incredibly friendly and kind. Serbians have an extraordinarily great hospitality. We noticed this everywhere.

Belgrade is a city that surprises and inspires. The kids already told us on the plane that they miss the many playgrounds. Therefore, we can hardly wait to come back and discover more of Belgrade.

Impressions of Belgrade with Family