I have been longing to visit Belgrade for years. So when I found out that British Airways reopened the route from London to Belgrade on 31 October 2023 after 13 years, I did not hesitate to plan my trip.

By booking 4 months in advance, I bagged an amazing Club Europe deal for myself and my daughter! The trips that I have taken in the intervening months were just warm-ups for this main event!

Sofitel Heathrow Hotel

We kicked off this much anticipated trip by staying at Sofitel Heathrow the night before for our 7.50 departure the next morning. 

The exterior of Sofitel Heathrow is rather functional than attractive but it’s swish and huge inside. The real draw of the hotel is that it’s just a 5 minutes’ walk via a covered walkway to Terminal 5.

It means that we didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn or worry about the traffic on the road. We even had time to enjoy breakfast at the BA airport lounge.

It was not a cheap option but it sure got our trip off to a great start.

Tesla Hotel

The appearance of Hotel Tesla is rather nondescript, but our room was large and comfortable. Its connection to Nikola Tesla – the inspiration of the Tesla electric car – is everywhere seen in the hotel. It even provides guests with free tickets for visiting Nikola Tesla Museum which is within walking distance from the hotel. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to avail ourselves of this great offer!

Belgrade

Belgrade not only compares favourably to other touristy icons like Budapest and Prague in eastern central Europe but it has the additional advantage of being unspoiled (as yet) by mass tourism. We spent three days in unalloyed delight exploring Belgrade with a small-group (only 3 of us!) walking tour for two and half hours and on our own in sunny warm weather. 

St Sava Temple

When preparing for the trip I looked at lots of reviews and photos of Belgrade but some of the buildings still left me open-mouthed with amazement. St Sava Temple, which is a short walk from the hotel, was one of them!

This Serbian Orthodox church is stunning outside at daytime and at dusk. 

The interiors of St Sava Temple are truly awe-inspiring. When I stepped inside I felt like I was enveloped by a golden haze

St Mark Orthodox Church

The appearance of St Mark Orthodox Church is imposing in a different way from St Sava Temple, but the interiors are no less opulent

National Assembly of Serbia

Stari dvor – Old Palace

Stari dvor was a royal residence. It now houses the City Assembly of Belgrade

Novi dvor – New Palace

Separated from Old Palace by flower beds, this former palace is now the seat of the Serbian President

Stari Grad (Old Town) 

The most important part of the architectural, cultural and historical heritage of Belgrade is located in this area. Belgrade is one of the oldest cities in Europe. The mixture of architectural style reflects Belgrade’s turbulent history.

Over the centuries, Belgrade was razed to the ground and rebuilt 44 times! It’s a wonder that some of the stylish buildings are still standing! Here are a few that caught my eyes

Hotel Moskva (Hotel Moscow)

Opened in 1908, this historic landmark was the favourite haunt of the intellectuals of its time. Today it’s the gathering point for walking tours. It’s particularly known for the Café Moskva inside the hotel.

Everyone told me that I had to try its signature cake – Moskva šnit, or Moskva cake, so I did!

I wasn’t sure of the ingredients of French buttercream, sour cherries, pineapple, peaches covered with sliced almonds, but I’m glad I tried it. The cake was lovely and light and it went down a treat with my cappuccino!

Captain Misa’s mansion (below) was built in the 19th century . It now houses the Rectorate of the University of Belgrade and other faculties

Republic  Square

Republic  Square borders with the National Museum on one side and the National Theatre on the other. On the day of my visit, the square was taken up by a stage erected for some event.

Knez Mihailova St

This is the main pedestrian and shopping zone in Belgrade with 20 mansions regarded as of great cultural heritage importance. It is protected by law and is home to many hotels and eateries

Ruski Car Tavern (Russian Czar Restaurant)

At the corner of Knez Mihailova St is this elegant building. It was built between 1922 – 1926. In its heyday the restaurant was the meeting place for both noble citizens and the intellectual elites of that time.

Nowadays the ground floor is a restaurant, the second floor is for business offices, and the upper floors are exclusively for residential use.

Belgrade Fortress & Kalemegdan Park

Kalemegdan Fortress is regarded as a must-visit place in Belgrade, I can see why. It’s steep in history, and was declared a monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979

Views from the observation terrace in Belgrade Fortress

The observation terrace at the top of the fortress affords wonderful views far and wide over the confluence of the rivers Sava and Danube, which flow beneath the Belgrade Fortress 

In the far distance is the “Genex Tower” known also as Western Gates of Belgrade. It can be seen on the road from the airport into the city. It’s said to be the best known example of brutalist architecture in Belgrade

The Victor Monument

On the top observation terrace of the fortress stands The Victor Monument, the symbol of Belgrade.

It was moved there from its previous location on Teraxije Square and put on a 11-metre high pillar because of protests by the Belgrade ladies of the nude male figure! 

Sava Promenade

Sava Promenade is a new walking zone on the bank of the river Sava lined with eateries. The passenger terminal for cruise ships is also located here

Favourite eateries in Belgrade

Apart from Café Moskva, we found 2 lovely venues to sample the local delicacies

This rooftop restaurant on the top floor of Hotel Crystal has a great view of St Sava Temple

This was the most wonderful starter that we had!

We also had a delicious lunch of local delicacies at Ambar restaurant on the Sava Promenade

Know before you go 

Here are a few tips that might be useful to would-be visitors to Belgrade

(1) Ready cash- Although most places accept card payments, it’s useful to have some cash for small purchases like souvenirs. As Serbian dinar (RSD) is not widely available outside the country, I changed some RSD at the airport before reaching the arrival hall. The exchange rate was lower than that charged by my credit cards, but better than at tourist areas.

(2) Car:go – the driver of our airport transfer advised against hailing a taxi on the street. He suggested that we download the Car:go app – it works like Über.  We used Car:go to get around. The fares were really reasonable. As the pickup point and destination were set and the journey paid for via the app, language barrier was no problem!

(3) Smoking – In Belgrade it’s allowed to smoke inside most restaurants, so non smokers, be warned! We made sure that we chose somewhere with outdoors seating

Finally, here are my fridge magnet and personal souvenir!

Before we left we set aside a day to visit Novi Sad