48 Hours in: Belgrade

Thursday, May 08, 2008

WHY GO NOW?

Music (of sorts) is in the air as Serbia's capital and largest city prepares to host the Eurovision Song Contest on 24 May in the Belgrade Arena. It's the first time the contest is being held in Beograd, as it's called in Serbian; the last time the former Yugoslavia won back in 1989, hosting duties were given to Zagreb, Croatia's capital. Music fans of a trendier sort use Belgrade as a base for the Exit Festival, which takes place 12-16 July (www.exitfest.org ) in nearby Novi Sad. This year's line-up includes Primal Scream, The Hives and the Sex Pistols.

TOUCH DOWN

The Serbian national carrier Jat Airways (020-7629 2007; www.jatlondon.com ) and British Airways (0844 493 0787; www.ba.com ) have daily direct flights from London Heathrow. Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport is 18km west of the city centre. Jat operates a bus service into the city centre, calling at various stops including the main railway station (1) before terminating at Slavija Square (2); the trip costs 160 dinars (£1.60) for a 30-minute journey. The city's public bus No 72 costs 40 dinars (40p). Or ask the tourist information centre in airport arrivals to sort out a taxi for you, which will cost the equivalent £10-£15 to get into the city centre.

GET YOUR BEARINGS

Over the centuries, Belgrade has paid the price countless times for its prime strategic position on the confluence of two rivers, the Danube and the Sava. Just about everyone has had a go at taking it over, from the Celts and Romans to the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires. Although you'll get a warm welcome in this friendly and vibrant city, you won't find much architecture dating from before the 19th century. Most of it is in the attractive old town (Stari Grad) on the southern side of the Danube and the eastern side of the Sava. Here you will find wide boulevards, large squares such as the main Republic Square (3), pedestrianised shopping streets such as Knez Mihailova, the cobbled bohemian quarter of Skadarlija and numerous green spaces including the enormous Kalemegdan Park. Cross the Sava and you're in Novi Beograd (New Belgrade), where the communist-era tower blocks are being renovated or replaced.

The main office of the Tourist Organisation of Belgrade (4) is in Terazije Passage near the Albanija building (00 381 11 2635 622; www.tob.co.yu ); it opens Monday-Friday 9am-8pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm. A smaller tourist office (5) is at Kneza Mihailova 18 (00 381 11 2629 992), which it shares with the National Tourist Organisation of Serbia ( www.serbia-tourism.org ); it opens Monday-Friday 9am-9pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm.

CHECK IN

The old town has one five-star hotel, Aleksandar Palas (6), a suites-only boutique hotel near Kalemegdan at Kralja Petra Prvog 13-15 (00 381 11 3305 300; www.aleksandarpalas.com ). Prices start at €190 (£150) per night, including breakfast and airport transfers.

The four-star Hotel Balkan (7) at Prizrenska 2 (00 381 11 3636 000; www.balkanhotel.net ) is in the heart of the old town and offers comfortable doubles from €133.50 (£111), with breakfast and free Wi-Fi. Ask for a room on the renovated top three floors. Le Petit Piaf (8) (00 381 11 303 5252; www.petitpiaf.com ) is in the Skadarlija quarter and has small, charming rooms from £120 with breakfast.

If you're on a budget and don't mind outdated decor, try the Hotel Splendid (9) at Dragoslava Jovanica 5 (00 381 11 3235 444; www.splendid. co.yu ), where B&B starts at 5,500 dinars (£55) per night.

TAKE A HIKE

Start off at Republic Square (3), which is dominated by the handsome National Museum built in 1844 (temporarily closed for major renovations). Turn right into Knez Mihailova and continue until you reach Kalemegdan Park, a massive park created in 1867 that nudges the banks of the Sava. It's home to the Belgrade Fortress (10), gardens, zoo, military museum, Roman remains and restaurants, and is a favourite outdoor place for Belgraders to relax. Near the top of the park, walk down Strahnjica Bana, home to many of the city's trendiest bars, until you reach Bajlonova Pijaca (11), one of Belgrade's largest open-air food markets, which is open daily. This leads to Skadarlija, the cobblestone quarter that was home to the city's artists and intellectuals in the 19th century.

LUNCH ON THE RUN

There's a wide choice of restaurants in Skadarlija, the closest Belgrade gets to a proper "touristy" area. One of the best is Sesir Moj (12) at Skadarska 21 (00 381 11 3228 750), which serves classic Serbian dishes of grilled meats such as cevapcici (rissoles), pljeskavica (hamburgers) and raznici (kebabs) for about 600 dinars (£6), as well as salads for less than 200 dinars (£2).

WINDOW SHOPPING

Global brand names, as well as local outlets, are well represented in the pedestrianised Knez Mihailova, including Zara, Mango, Levi's and Diesel. Look out for the little malls tucked into side entrances along the street, where more local brands can be found. For way-out trends, check out the one-off creations of Serbian fashion graduates who have formed a collective showcasing their designs at Slic (13) (pronounced "Shleets") at Palmoticeva 23 (00 381 11 323 6429; www.slic.co.yu ).

TAKE A VIEW

Walk along one of the stone paths in the upper part of Kalemegdan for wide-reaching views of the Sava and Novi Beograd. On a clear day you can even see the fields of Vojvodina, Serbia's prime agricultural region.

CULTURAL AFTERNOON

As both the National Museum and Contemporary Art Museum are closed for renovations, instead you can get an idea of how Serbs used to live at the Etnographic Museum (14) at Studentski Square 13 (00 381 11 3281 888; www.etnomuzej.co.yu ). Over three floors are exhibits (in English) of Serbia's heritage, featuring costumes and recreations of domestic interiors over the past century. It's open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, and Sundays from 9am-2pm, admission 120 dinars (£1.20).

AN APERITIF

You'll find many bars in squares and tucked into side streets in the city, and, like most southern Europeans, Belgraders like to perform their version of the evening passeggiata. For real history, try the welcoming "?" Kafana (15) at Kralja Petra Prvog 6 (00 381 11 635 421). It's Belgrade's oldest bar, built in 1823, and a rare example of Turkish-Balkan architecture. The peculiar name was meant to be temporary, but it has stuck. Or follow the trendy set along Strahnjica Bana, which is lined with such hot spots as Bistro Pastis (16) at No 52b (00 381 11 3288 188). A Belgrade institution is the grandly named Federal Association of Globe-Trotters (17) in the basement at Despota Stefana 7/1 (00 381 11 3242 303; www.aur.org.yu ), a quirky hangout that has live music on weekends.

DINING WITH THE LOCALS

One of Belgrade's highlights – both gastronomically and socially – is the number of floating restaurants along the rivers, called splavovi. Stara Koliba (18) in the wooded Usce area of Novi Beograd (00 381 11 3117 444; www.star akoliba.com ) is one of the best places to get fresh river fish including pike and perch, and where dinner will cost about 2,500 dinars (£25) a head. A more informal atmosphere rules at Srpska Kafana (19) in the old town at Svetogorska 25 (00 381 11 3247 197), where hearty national dishes such as sarma cost less than 400 dinars (£4).

One of the few restaurants with vegetarian options is Little Bay (20) at Dositejeva 9a (00 381 11 3288 995; www.little-bay.co.uk ), a sumptuous recreation of a theatre complete with tables in boxes, and where dinner can cost less than 1,000 dinars (£10) a head.

SUNDAY MORNING: GO TO CHURCH

The biggest Orthodox church in the Balkans, Sveti Sava (21) at Krusedolksa 2, is one of the city's most impressive landmarks, even if the cathedral has been under construction since 1935. (Several wars interrupted building.) Although the Byzantine exterior is completed, there is much work to be done inside, which doesn't prevent the church from staying open. If you want an idea of how it will look when it's done, take a look inside the smaller church of Sveti Sava next door.

OUT TO BRUNCH

Enjoy river views from the large terrace or inside the enormous conservatory at the elegant Kalemegdanska Terasa (22), beside the zoo in Mali Kalemegdan ( www.kalemegdanskaterasa .com ). It's a bit pricey for Belgrade, but the quality of the meat and fish dishes is very high. Expect to pay about 2,000 dinars (£20) per head.

A WALK IN THE PARK

In the heart of the city is the green oasis of the botanical gardens (23). Part of Belgrade University's biology faculty, these include a Japanese garden with pagoda and wooden bridge over a miniature water garden. Open daily 9am-7pm, admission 120 dinars (£1.20).

TAKE A RIDE

The contrast between east and west is unmistakable when you cross the river Sava to reach the delightful suburb of Zemun. This is a cab ride of no more than 500 dinars (£5) and takes you to a well-preserved ancient town that was under Austrian rule rather than Ottoman. Its architecture announces its central, rather than eastern, European influence, with jumbles of red-roofed houses clustered on the hillside.

Down below are the pedestrianised market square and numerous restaurants strung out along the Danube. It's a lively spot in the evenings, when folk musicians serenade diners and the fishermen have docked their boats for the night.

Numerous boat rides ( www.metronavodi.co.yu ) operate along the Sava, many of them circling the nature reserve at Veliko Ratno Ostrvo (Great War Island) and other islands. Trips range from straightforward tours to lavish lunchtime and dinner cruises; a straightforward trip costs around 350 dinars (£3.50).

ICING ON THE CAKE

In high summer, when temperatures can reach 40C, Belgraders cool off on their own "beach" at Ada Ciganlija ( www.ada-ciganlija.com ), a large island in the Sava river that has been turned into a peninsula.

Swimmers and watersport enthusiasts gather along the 7km beach, and the rest of the island is taken up with thick forests, cafés, restaurants, a golf course, sporting complex and even a tiny zoo.