Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, part of the former Yugoslavia, is relatively unknown thanks to the years behind the Iron Curtain under communist rule and the years of civil war that ravaged the Balkans. Now it appears on travelers’ radar as an interesting destination, but where exactly is it?
Belgrade is a capital of Eastern Europe in the north-central region of Serbia at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. Find that junction on a map and you’ll have your finger right in Belgrade.
The New York Times wonders in an August 2016 story if Belgrade is the new Berlin, its sand and gray reminiscent of the German capital in decades past. You’ll see drab socialist-style architecture in the shadow of art nouveau buildings as their diverse pasts merge into the future.
Serbia has history and beautiful landscapes, and Belgrade is becoming a scene of nightlife, coffee shop and hot cuisine, with great coffees and tasty beers, all in its characteristic irreverent flair against the historic architecture and peaceful parks. The Lonely Planet travel guide calls it one of the most popular cities in Europe. The smart money is in getting there and making your own discoveries before it becomes the next cutting-edge destination for travelers who are always looking for new places where no one has been.
Â
Distances to other cities in Eastern Europe
- 196 miles south of Budapest, Hungary
- 228 miles east of Zagreb, Croatia
- 276 miles west of Bucharest, Romania
- 302 miles east of Ljubljana, Slovenia
- 459 miles southeast of Prague
Arriving in Belgrade
You can fly nonstop to Belgrade from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Air Serbia. You can also depart from Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Phoenix on multi-stop flights. Many airlines serve this route, including United, American, Delta, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Air Serbia, Air Berlin, Swiss, Alitalia, and British Airways. Those flying to Belgrade from international destinations arrive at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.
If you have flown to another European city, you can travel to Belgrade in Eurail. The Serbian rail system serves European cities such as Vienna, Munich, Budapest, Kiev and Moscow, and you can take connections in those cities to Belgrade. When you arrive in Belgrade, you will see the city in the context of Serbia and you will have a broader idea of the country if you do this stage of the train journey.
If you’ve flown into Belgrade and if your time frame allows, take a train journey through the beautiful Balkans, starting in Belgrade, to get a feel for the entire region. Develop an itinerary that will take you to Dubrovnik, the jewel of Croatia, on the Adriatic Sea. Disembark and stay for a while, then get back on the train and travel to another destination and then finally to Vienna or Budapest, where you can catch a flight home or a train to a Western European capital.
