I just counted - this is the 4th country I have been living in and I have never moved from Belgrade. It’s nothing, really: my grandmother has lived in 7. What we have here is just an interesting side effect that living in the Balkans has on your passport.
Out of all those countries, one of them has slowly and steadily become a cult favorite: Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, or just- Yugoslavia. A unique social experiment, the country between two opposing political blocks that offered the best of both worlds: freedoms of the West and the careless safety and comforts of socialism. In the collective mind, it is a sort of Instagram-filtered version of Utopia, so close, yet almost too incredible to ever be real.
For me, a 60s design freak, it is, most of all, the country of inexhaustible aesthetic thrills: from cars, to fashion, to everyday objects. And imagine how much I hyperventilated in Yugodom: an apartment you can rent for your stay in Belgrade where everything is “made in Yugoslavia"- from the furniture, to every little detail, including the authentic movie posters on the walls and mini Yugoslav beauty cabinet exhibited in the bathroom. Basically, the front door is a portal that takes you directly back in time.
This is clearly a case of me envying you for being tourists in my city and having a chance to stay somewhere really interesting. Like, in a country that you’d otherwise never be able to add to your travel list.
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"Stari šlep" is the perfect restaurant for the summer days/daze in Belgrade. Its name means 'the old barge' - I'd recommend a fish soup and salad here.
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"Radecki club/restaurant" on Belgrade's Zemun quay: a true local oasis - no espresso here, just plain good old 'domestic' Turkish coffee. Lots to see here.
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"Balkan Ekspres restaurant" is in Belgrade's Zemun, a city of its own. This place is worth visiting if only just for the views from inside the train car...
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"Illegal Cinema" in Belgrade is a very special institution. Everyone can suggest a film for screening, if they start a discussion about it at the end...
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The daily menu can, for example, include pumpkin with leek and poppy seeds, Thai curry with dried banana, chutney and raita. Or the good old veggie burger.
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The Residence of Princess Ljubica in Belgrade is one of the few buildings that date to early the 19th c. Discover the bourgeois Serbia of the past!
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Sinnerman Jazz Club in Belgrade hosts great jazz bands of course, but I really like their terrace with the great city views and its dark beer on tap!
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After 40 years of providing the people of Belgrade with the best steaks, "Morava Butcher Shop" is now the first Meat Concept Store in town...
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The "Stefan Nemanja Monument" in Belgrade is the city's largest - it always reminds me of The Lord of the Rings...
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Pljeskavicas are like Serbian burgers, but much bigger and tastier. Mile makes some amazing pljeskavica, some of the best in Belgrade in my opinion...
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"The Black Turtle Pub" is one of the original Belgrade microbreweries, and no other has the modesty, atmosphere and affordable prices you'll find here.
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197 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
Authentic Stories by Real People
Escape the crowd & travel slow 🐌
✓ 197 Insider Tips from our local Spotters