A turbulent past
Perhaps the most splendid building in Belgrade (Beograd) is the Church of St. Sava, which dominates the skyscape in the Vračar district. It is built in honour of St. Sava, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church and lies on the spot where his remains were burnt in 1595. Another place of importance is the Parliament Building – a scene of great chaos during the elections held in October 2000. Protestors stormed the building after former president Slobodan Miloševic attempted to fake the election results.
The Church of St. Sava and Parliament Building are a 10-minute walk from Belgrade’s main train station.
Understand Serbian culture
The Ethnographical Museum has a range of interesting displays revealing the life and culture of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including Balkan crafts and colourful costumes – and its free! If you want to know where the young and hip Serbians hangout, go to Trg Republike (Republic Square) in the early evening where they’ll be mingling, before later moving on to bars and clubs. This hectic, gritty, yet very sociable city will give you a good insight into the Serbian way of life.
From Belgrade central railway station it is a 10-minute walk to Republic Square. From there it's another 5 minutes to the Ethnographical Museum.
Riverside entertainment
Zemun is one of the liveliest neighbourhoods in Belgrade. It lies on the Sava river and forms part of what is known as “new” Belgrade. The riverside of Zemun is littered with restaurants, clubs and bars to start off the night. However, it is the popularity of party boats that will have you partying until the early hours as you float atop the Sava.
The riverside is a 10-minute walk from Zemun train station.
