”Never judge a book by its cover”. Serbia has always been an under-rated country. Belgrade was never on our must-visit locations. We happened to travel because of the cheap flights from Memmingen airport. The trip began with zero expectations and it worked.
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Serbian capital
Belgrade is the capital of Serbia; an awesome place with friendly people. The city was bustling & full of life. It is the city that never sleeps; nightlife is the best.
Belgrade means ‘White City’. Did you know why the Slavs named so? Because the city fortress looked white from the river.
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Belgrade has two mighty rivers – the Sava, the longest river in the Balkan region, and the Danube, the second-longest river in Europe. According to us, Belgrade is the best location to see the perfect contrast in building & architecture before and after World War.
Balkan region
Serbia is one of these Baklan countries – Albania, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, and Slovenia.
The official currency in Belgrade is ‘Serbian Dinar (RSD)’.
- 1€ ~ 117 RSD
- 1$ ~ 103RSD
Things to do in Belgrade
We opted for a walking tour for the first time with belgradewalkingtour. They were amazing and very friendly. Belgrade is full of history and these walking tours help best to know them. We were a part of three walking tours- 20th-century tour, downtown tour and Zemun tour.
Below is the list of places to visit in the 20th-century walking tour.
- Republic Square
- Belgrade National Museum
- Prince Mihailo Monument
- Palace Albania
- Hotel Moskva
- The old and new palace
- St Marks church
- Tower remains from WW1
- Post office
- Pioneers park
- Media building radio and television of Serbia
- St. Sava church
- Nikolas Tesla Museum
In this blog, you will find history & information about the first five attractions in the 20th-century walking tour.
1. Republic Square
Republic Square is the city centre connecting the main street with the Belgrade fortress. It is undoubtedly one of the most happening and fun-filled places in Belgrade. There are numerous restaurants, cafes, pubs, and bars. One of the bars we visited in the Belgrade Pub crawl was at this square.
This Square is the meeting point for the Serbs and most of the walking tours begin from this square. The square has famous monuments and buildings like the Prince Mihailo Monument, Palace Albania, and Belgrade National Museum. Just walk along and explore the square.
2. National Museum of Belgrade
The National Museum of Belgrade is a history and art museum. It is one of the largest and oldest museums in Belgrade, Serbia. The Museum was declared a Monument of Culture of Great Importance in 1979.
The museum has over 400,000 objects and many foreign masterpieces. It is famous for its Archaeological, numismatic, artistic and historical collections. Surprisingly there is also a collection from ancient Egypt.
The Archaeological section has numerous sculptures, weapons, and helmets from Rome and Greece. The Numismatic Collection has more than 300,000 items like coins, medals, rings, and seals. There are over 16,000 paintings spread across 2 floors with an art collection from French, Dutch, Italian, Russian, German, Japanese, Spanish, Hungarian, Romanian and Bulgarian.
Timings and tickets
- The museum is usually open to the public from 10 am – 6.00 pm. The Museum is closed on Mondays. There is free admission on every Sunday.
- The admission price varies between 300 RSD and 600 RSD. Refer to the museum official website for other details.
3. Prince Mihailo Monument
Prince Mihailo was the Prince of Serbia who ruled during the 19th century. This bronze monument is located in the Republic Square erected in 1882; opposite to the National Museum of Belgrade. Under his leadership, Serbia made impeccable progress and harmonized agreements with its neighbouring countries.
The statue was erected in honour of the Prince’s most important political achievement-a complete sacking of the Turks from Serbia in 1867. He is to date marked as one of the greatest historical figures Serbia had. But unfortunately, he was assassinated by his enemies because of the political rivalry. He is buried in the Cathedral square.
4. Palace Albania
Palace Albania, another iconic attraction in the Republic Square. When completed in 1939, it was the first skyscraper(55 mts) in Southeast Europe. The building is a symbol of liberation during the WW2, thus becoming a prominent building in Serbia.
5. Hotel Moskva
Located diagonally opposite to Palace Albania, Hotel Moskva is another prominent building in the city centre. The hotel was earlier called ‘Palace Russia’ because it was built by one of the Russian companies in the early 20th century. This hotel gained popularity as it was the headquarters during World WarII.
But now, Hotel Moskva is one of the posh hotels in the city and a gathering place for the local elite people. There is a cafe on the ground level. The Moscow Cake is a famous cake and a protected trademark of the hotel.
If we haven’t opted for a walking tour, we would have missed such marvellous history about Belgrade. In the next blog, you will know more information about The old and new palace, St Marks church, Tower remains from WorldWar, Post office, and Pioneers park. Stay tuned…
Time of visit: February 2020
“Traveling Leaves You Speechless. Then it Turns You into Storyteller.” – IBN Battuta