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.
Find your way with 199 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters
"Belgrade Design District" used to be an abandoned shopping mall - now it's an emerging space where established artists and designers showcase their work!
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"Bioskop Zvezda" in Belgrade is an impressive, historical, occupied, or should we say liberated cinema that's run by a small group of enthusiastic people.
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"Beton Hala", or 'Concrete Hall' in Belgrade is a popular restaurant oasis with restaurants lined up just 10m from the Sava. Everything's quality here...
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"Cetinjska 15" is Belgrade's new hotspot. It's the Serbian Kreuzberg at what once used to be a beer factory. Much more worth it than Skadarlija...
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"Savska Promenada" Belgrade is a brand-new walking zone on the bank of the river Sava. It's a perfect place w/ many terraces for working out brain & body.
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"The Clock" is a mural in Belgrade created in 2011. It's a working clock made of 20,000 LEDs. It's a symbol of time passing and a new, digital era...
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The "Televizorke" in Belgrade always take my childhood, to idyllic Yugoslavia, when this building with the windows that look like televisions was built...
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In Belgrade there aren't many murals, though the art form has gained recognition in last few decades. One of these rare examples is on the garden wall...
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The "Kaimaktsalan Watchtower" in Belgrade was constructed by stones brought back from its namesake 1916 battle. This monument always gives me goosebumps...
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"Daska & Veslo" offers a perfect getaway from Belgrade's city jungle. Stand up paddling is something you should try at least once, so why not here?
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199 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
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