We spent two days exploring the Serbian capital, Belgrade during our Balkan Road Trip. Things I knew about Belgrade before we visited; (1) it was the capital of Yugoslavia, (2) former President Tito is buried here – you can visit his mausoleum and (3) you can visit Nikola Tesla’s remains in a golden casket in the Tesla Museum. Here is my pick of the top 10 things to do on a visit to Belgrade.
Note: If you visit Belgrade on a Monday, several attractions, including many museums are closed.
How to get to Belgrade
We drove to Belgrade as part of a our road trip across Serbia. Belgrade is well connected by road, rail and plane. If you opt to fly, Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport is located 10 miles west of the city. The Shuttle Bus (A1) will get you into central Belgrade in around 30 minutes.
Getting around Belgrade
The main attractions in Belgrade are quite spaced out. We explored on foot (with the exception of the Museum of Yugoslavia, which we stopped at on the way into town) but this involved covering quite a lot of walking (around 6 miles). If that’s too much, skip the art museum, which brings it down to 3 miles, or take a tram across the river (No 7 or 9 to Blok 21). In fact, if you prefer to walk less, Belgrade has an extensive public transport system and you can hop on and off a tram to get between many of the attractions listed.
Where to stay in Belgrade
We stayed at the Life Design Hotel. This boutique hotel is centrally located and also benefits from underground parking. I described it at the time as a ’boutique hotel that someone lost interest in half way through construction’. However, it has now had a refurb and reopened as the Nobel Design Hotel.
Belgrade: To 10 Things to do
| 1 | Learn about the country’s history at the Museum of Yugoslavia |
| 2 | Take a peek at Tito’s Mausoleum |
| 3 | Visit the imposing Belgrade Fortress |
| 4 | Have a picnic in Kalemegdan Park |
| 5 | Stroll along Knez Mihailova |
| 6 | Admire St Mark’s Church |
| 7 | Learn about the famous Scientist at the Nikola Tesla Museum |
| 8 | See the spectacular Crypt of Sveti Sava Cathedral |
| 9 | Soak up some culture at the Museum of Contemporary Art |
| 10 | Take a walk along the River Danube |
No 1 – Learn about the country’s history at the Museum of Yugoslavia
First up is the Museum of Yugoslavia. The museum is actually split across several buildings.
- The main building, the May 25 Museum, houses a collection of over 200,000 artefacts depicting the history of Yugoslavia.
- The House of Flowers houses Tito’s Mausoleum.
- The Old Museum is pretty much a storage area full of random tat gifted to Tito.
When we visited, the main museum was closed for renovation.
The Old Museum contains all sorts of stuff in no chronological or any other obvious order; mementos from Tito’s life, gifts given to Tito, relay batons….
The museum is open daily except Monday from 10 am until 6 pm. Entry costs 600 dinar (around £4.40).
No 2 – Take a peek at Tito’s Mausoleum
The House of Flowers contains Tito’s Mausoleum, plus a who’s who guide to his funeral attendees (Prince Phillip sat next to Margaret Thatcher), a model of Tito’s Blue Train, plus batons from his birthday celebration relays.
No 3 – Visit the imposing Belgrade Fortress
Belgrade Fortress consists of the old Citadel and Kalemegdan Park. The Citadel is an imposing building perched on a hillside overlooking the city and the Danube.
It has an impressive array of weaponry from across the ages.
No 4 – Have a Picnic in Kalemegdan Park
Spanning out from the fortress is Kalemegdan Park. It’s a pleasant place for a stroll amidst the gardens and sculptures. My favourite is this striking Monument of Gratitude to France.
No 5 – Stroll along Knez Mihailova
Extending diagonally from the fortress to Republic Square, Knez Mihailova is a pedestrian shopping street lined with shops, restaurant and bars. There are plenty of places to stop here for dinner – as it was a lovely day, we opted to buy sandwiches from a supermarket and return to Kalemegdan Park for a picnic.
No 6 – Admire St Mark’s Church
St Mark’s Church is an imposing five domed Orthodox church. The current building was completed in 1940. There is a small Russian church next door, erected by refugees of the October Revolution.
No 7 – Learn about the famous Scientist at the Nikola Tesla Museum
The Nikola Tesla Museum documents the life and works of the renowned inventor and scientist. It was shut when we visited, so we just took a photo of his statue and moved on. Apparently, it contains interactive working models of some of his inventions.
The museum is open daily from 10 am until 8 pm (6 pm on Monday). Entry costs 800 dinar (around £6) including a tour in English. Tours in Serbian are also available (and half the price).
No 8 – See the spectacular Crypt of Sveti Sava Cathedral
The enormous Sveti Sava Cathedral is the second biggest Orthodox Church in the world. It was also shut for renovations when we visited.
However, they had kept the gift shop open, and the Crypt. The crypt is spectacular; the walls and ceilings are covered with gold and brightly coloured paintings.
No 9 – Soak up some culture at the Museum of Contemporary Art
The Museum of Contemporary Art is across the Sava River, housed in a 1960s modernist concrete and glass building, surrounded by a sculpture park.
The museum spans five floors (when we visited, only two were open) with a large collection of 20th Century Yugoslav art.
The museum is open daily except Tuesday from 11 am until 7 pm (12 pm – 8 pm on Thursday and Saturday). Entry costs 600 dinar (around £4.40).
No 10 – Take a walk along the River Danube
It is a short walk from the museum to a viewpoint where the River Sava and River Danube converge. When we visited, there was a submarine moored there and two men with guns enforcing a very strict no photography policy. So no Instaworthy river shots from here. So we walked back along the river, which is lined with floating bars and restaurants, with the occasional snake…
If you walk back across the bridge to the pedestrian centre of town, you do get a great view of the Danube winding its way through the city.
I hope you found the above information useful. For more top picks from other destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full Top 10 Things To Do list here.
- Trip taken: October 2018
- Updated: October 2025
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