70 Hours in Belgrade, serbia
One of the largest cities in the Balkans is also one of the world’s oldest. Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, was fought over 115 times. Destroyed and rebuilt 44 times, Belgrade is now a booming city with art, museums, restaurants, and nightlife.
Spending 70 hours in Belgrade with my wife and six-year-old daughter, here’s what we recommend.
Eat:
- Poppy seed ice cream at Crna Ovca, a popular ice cream shop with a sheep logo.
- Warm focaccia and skordalia in the courtyard of Smokvica Belgrade, a restaurant started by four friends as a place to gather people in beautiful spaces.
Drink:
- Cocktails made with rakia, double-distilled fruit brandy, at Ambar, a Serbian restaurant along the Sava River with three locations in the Washington, D.C. area.
- Negroni from Kultura Bar, a small bar on a quiet street highlighted in The New York Times.
Do:
- Find sculptures throughout the city like one of American actor Karl Malden, whose father was Serbian, and murals of inspiring Serbian figures.
- Take Experience Belgrade’s free walking tour to get acquainted with the Serbian capital.
See:
- Belgrade’s Design District, an alley filled with studios, shops, and public art.
- Grand churches like the Church of Saint Sava, modeled after Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, and Saint Mark’s Church, which was damaged during World War II.
