Are you planning to visit Belgrade and Serbia? Here are 15 valid reasons you shouldn't miss spending few days or a week in this cordial and hospitable country.
In recent decades, Belgrade and Serbia have always been wrongly considered as an inhospitable country. I tell you right away, that nothing more wrong can be said for this country.
I don’t think a lot of travelers consider worth visiting Belgrade and Serbia! The only reason for that is, they don’t know much about them.
So, you’re about to visit Belgrade and Serbia? And you’ve never been before? No big deal! Want to know what the CNN, BBC, The Lonely Planet and other media say about Serbia and its capital?
Diverse, welcoming and a hell of a lot of fun – everything you never heard about Serbia is true. Best of all, this landlocked country in the heart of the Balkans is still delightfully off the tourist trail.
Table of Contents
12 Reasons to visit Belgrade and Serbia
1. Is Serbia Safe to travel to?
Is Serbia safe to travel to? I have heard this question so often, and my answer is that Belgrade and Serbia are some of the safest destinations.
For a country that's slowly rising from years of war and internal security issues, Serbia is relatively safe when it comes to crime. Like elsewhere, travelers should take common-sense precautions.
2. Is it easy to get to Belgrade and Serbia?
You can reach Belgrade by all kinds of transportation means. Once you arrive in Belgrade, all parts of Serbia are reachable by a cheap and regular bus services.
If you prefer travelling by plane, Belgrade is served by Nikola Tesla International Airport (BEG), situated just 18 kilometers from the city centre. From there, you have at your disposal all kinds of rather cheap transfer services.
The Belgrade airport is connected by various flights from European cities and also receives a number of transatlantic flights as well as flights from the Middle East and Africa. Check all flights to/from Belgrade Nikola Tesla airport!
3. Do people speak English in Seria?
You will be surprised how many people really speak English, from the moment you land on Belgrade airport. I would say, they speak a good English.
I recently came across this blog article where, a young American girl, after she spent a month living in Serbia, that there is no need to ask people; if they speak English.
She thinks that English is so prevalent in Serbia that it is rare to find someone who doesn’t speak it.
When she asked her friends how they had acquired such fluent and American-sounding English, nearly everyone attributed it to the lack of dubbing in movies and TV shows.
4. The Serbs seriously know how to party!
Are you a fan of a good night out? If your answer is yes, welcome to Belgrade and Serbia. All you have to do is to be in a good mood and you’ll have the best time of your life!
Nightlife in Belgrade is booming, regardless of the season, either in summer or winter. Tens of clubs and splavs (floating river clubs) and bars are synonymous with crazy fun.
Some of the most famous European festivals are taking place in Belgrade and Serbia. The most famous are Belgrade summer beer festival, Exit festival in Novi Sad.
Other festivals such as Guca Trumpet Festival is the largest trumpet and brass band event in the world and Nisville Jazz festival, one of the most popular festivals in this part of Europe.
If you are looking for a good nightlife entertainments, you won’t have to look far for some good time, just visit Belgrade and Serbia nightlife tours.
5. Are Serbs really the most hospitable people in the world?
There is no doubt that if you come to Belgrade and Serbia as a friend, you will be treated as on. Hospitality has always been a part of Serbian tradition.
Each time you visit Belgrade and Serbia, you'll be welcomed everywhere. It’s really hard to properly describe the hospitality of Serbian people, you simply have to experience it yourself!
Sometimes, hospitality has been more evident in southern and eastern part of Serbia. But, I can say from my experience that you will hardly find more hospitable people than the Serbs. Read how Wikipedia describes Serbian hospitability tradition!
6. Are Belgrade and Serbia expensive destinations?
If you compare Belgrade by costs with major cities in the world, Belgrade holds a rather low position (among 512 cities it's at 349th position).
It seems that Belgrade belongs to a cheaper place to live. If you plan to visit other Serbian cities, like Nis or Kragujevac, prices are slightly lower than in Belgrade or Novi Sad.
For example, what can you buy for the banknote of 1000 dinars? 1 euro in Serbian dinars is 117,86 and 1 USA $ is 100.52 dinars. (official rate exchange on August 2rd 2021)
If you visit Belgrade and Serbia, for this banknote, you can have two regular cappuccinos, 180 dinars each, two domestic beers (200 dinars each), and two one-way local transport tickets (90 dinars each.
For the same amount of money, you can have a typical breakfast for two, in one of the bars, including coffee with fresh croissants or ham and eggs, which will cost you 8 Euro (950 Dinars) or 9,40 USA $.
7. Good and cheap accommodation
You can not go wrong with the accommodation either in Belgrade or in other cities in Serbia. When planning to visit Belgrade and Serbia, the accommodation is great savings on your travel budget.
The accommodation offer in Belgrade and in Serbia is pretty varied and quickly growing in the last few years. Many new hotels and dozens of hostels have been opened recently.
Before booking your accommodation in Belgrade, have a look at these 12 essential facts about Belgrade. For more info about all types of the hotel, read my practical guide to accommodation-
8. The biggest boom in accommodation in Belgrade and Serbia
The biggest boom in accommodation in Belgrade is apartment rentals. Apartments rentals are the best deal when planning your visit Belgrade and Serbia.
What makes apartment rentals so attractive? If you are traveling on a limited budget, renting an apartment is the only way to save.
What will you say, if I tell you that you can rent an apartment for 2 persons, for 35 $ for a night? It cannot be said, this is an offer not to be missed.
If I add that, it is a well-equipped 35m2, near the city center, good for solo adventurers, business travelers, and couples, that it's why apartments are the big deal.
On the other hand, the apartments give you the opportunity, to meet local people. You'll have a chance to socialize not only with the apartment's owners.
With their help, you will find all important guidelines, where to go and what to see, as well as where to stock up on food and other necessities. Check full detailed page (in preparation) about apartments rentals in Belgrade and other Serbia's cities.
9. The country of seductive nature
Only if you decide to visit Belgrade and Serbia, for a minimum of one week, you'll have the fortune to discover, the unique natural beauties of Belgrade and particularly Serbia.
From the fascinating wonders of nature, beautiful lakes, overexciting mountains, and valuable medieval monasteries, to amazing parks and unique gorges, are only the small part that Serbia will show you.
In Serbia there are many places that look “as if they were taken from the most beautiful fairy tale.”
10. Food
Before you visit Belgrade and Serbia, you should know that food is meat-oriented. It's a heaven for all kinds of meat dishes.
Serbian cuisine is characterized by highly diverse, solid, and spicy food, which can be simply described as a mixture of Greek, Bulgarian, Turkish and Hungarian cuisine.
The fact is, Serbian food will never leave you hungry! The truth is, Serbia is not a great place to travel for vegetarians and vegans. But, don't worry, things change, but still, vegan food is a bit hard to find.
Although meat prevails in Serbian cuisine, vegetables are widely used in almost all dishes, particularly, tomatoes, peppers, onions, cabbage, lettuce, potatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and others.
11. Drink
What do Serbians drink after lunch or dinner? As far as I know, they rather drink beer than wine. Beer in Belgrade is a very popular drink.
In Belgrade and in the rest of Serbia, there are many festivals dedicated to beer, rakija, and wine. Belgrade beer festival 2021, has just finished.
Popular hard alcoholic drinks in Serbia are produced from fruits and the softer ones are produced from honey or grape. Rakija (brandy) Šljivovica is the most popular and most traditional drink in Serbia.
12. Things you shouldn't do!
If you are coming as a friend in Belgrade and Serbia, there are some topics that locals aren't so fond of talking about.
Actually, there are two arguments you shouldn't start discussing with them. The first one is the 1999 NATO attack at Belgrade and Serbia.
The second argument is Kosovo. That is the deepest wound of the Serbian people. Kosovo will never be recognized as an independent state by Serbia. I just, advise you, not to start discussing it.
