serbia
Weekend in Belgrade
Why should I go? Because it has about the best nightlife in Europe: cosy cafes, terrific bars concealed within ordinary residential blocks, glitzy glamour joints and pulsating nightclubs that are magnets for the best DJs around. One night in Belgrade and you’ll be won over by the disarmingly friendly locals, all on supercharged joie de vivre.
It’s also a fascinating daytime city, with a commanding position on the Danube, a sprawling citadel, lots of unusual sights, great restaurants and good shopping. And it’s cheap and untouristy. For now, at least. Hurry and you’ll get there before the Eurovision Song Contest does, this April. After that, my hunch is that Belgrade will shuffle onto the city-break map of Europe in style.
What do I do? Start at the Kalemegdan Citadel, for an elevated view of the Danube and its confluence with the Sava. The park here is beloved of Belgraders, who come for their first snog, to push prams and to relish the changing seasons. Outside the gate is the smart, baroque main shopping street, Kneza Mihailova. Do call in at the intriguingly named “?”, a magical old bar/cafe/restaurant that serves formidable gibanica (Serbian pie made from filo pastry, cheese, eggs and sour cream) and great plum brandies (the national drink).
For some quantum quirk, there’s the Nikola Tesla Museum (Krunska 51; 00 381 11-243 3886, www.tesla-museum.org ; 50p), dedicated to Serbia’s hero of science. Don’t miss the hourly demonstrations of his inventions, including the electric motor, radio and remote control. At the most hair-raising exhibit, visitors are left holding an unattached neon light next to a 10ft-high Tesla coil that produces half a million volts. Lightning forks dance between two metal spheres, like a scene from Carry on Screaming, then the neon in your hand flickers on at full strength. Disconcerting, but fun.
If you’ve a craving for cobbles, the lovely old riverside town of Zemun is three miles to the north. It is famous for excellent fish restaurants and the Tower of Sibinjanin Janko, built in 1896 to keep an eye on the Turks.
Where do I stay? The 17-room Hotel Admiral Club (Venizelosova 31; 303 8260, www.hoteladmiralclubbeograd.com ; doubles from £140) opened in 2006 in a neoclassical villa, and has large rooms and antiques. A more central and snazzy alternative is the Aleksandar Palas (Kralja Petra 13-15; 330 5300, www.aleksandarpalas.com ; doubles from £140). Or try the grand old Balkan Hotel (363 6000, www.balkanhotel.net ; doubles from £99), which is central, with sunny rooms. Where do I eat? For traditional Serbian food in a magnificent setting, try the Terrace restaurant (328 3011) inside the citadel – great views, live folk music, and main courses, including a “gypsy’s barbecue”, from £5.
Jutting out into the Danube, down a gangplank and past some geese, is the wooden and wonderful Stara Koliba (311 7444, www.starakoliba.com ). Specialising in seafood, it’s the best of the many floating restaurants on this stretch of riverbank. Danube perch with sour cream costs £12.
How do I get there? For now, the only nonstop flights to Belgrade are from Heathrow, with British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com ) or JAT (020 7629 2007, www.jat.com ).
Richard Green
From The Sunday Times
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