I have not visited Belgrade in many years but even before the war it was not really a popular tourist destination.
You may have to investigate the connections to other parts of former Yugoslavia ( Sarajevo is not near Belgrade) .
Sarajevo was interesting to tourists because of its East meets West feel , but again , I suspect the war has changed the city and the population.

I can't comment on Belgrade, specifically, as I only took a flight from there to London. However, I just returned to the US after 2 weeks in Novi Sad, Serbia (about an hour north of Belgrade) and it was absolutely lovely. The people were friendly and helpful, although knowledge of English was a little spotty and that hampered helpfulness at times. It is VERY affordable with a favorable exchange rate with the US dollar. Meals tended toward the $5-8 range at lunch. I didn't eat out at dinner because we were staying in a dorm/hostel and breakfast and dinner were provided in our stay (we were there for a ballet workshop for my daughter arranged by her ballet teacher who is originally from Novi Sad). I did not see a menu that was different at dinner versus lunch though.

We were there during the "record heat wave" in July (I literally just returned this week--on Tuesday as a matter of fact) and one of the other mothers did check into hotels with A/C in the area in a particularly weak (and hot) moment. She reported that they were around 70-85 Euros per night (with A/C).

There are several museums in the city, a beach on the Danube, the Petrovaridin Fortress (which was the only "expensive" meal we ate--around $15-20), beautiful parks and sports facilities and good shopping. The churches are beautiful and on every street corner. Sremski Karlovci is nearby which has a little family winery where you can sample the local stock and a nice little guided tour available in English of the main street with some history. Fruska Gora national park is in the same area and is quite nice. There are also monasteries in the area which you can tour, although I did not do that this trip.

There is a good bus service and affordable taxi service, but you can walk everywhere in the city easily and shouldn't really need to use the public transport unless you are tired! If you do decide to use the bus, it is 30 dinars (approximately 50 cents). Taxi service from the city center to the beach is 1 Euro.

Vienna is approximately 9-1/2 hours by train from Novi Sad on an international train that makes the trip twice a day, connecting through Budapest (which we also visited this trip and loved).

We would return, and hope to do so for my daughter to attend the ballet workshop again.

If you would like to see some pictures of Novi Sad, you can connect to my Flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/10852435@N06/sets/72157601181351411/ where I have posted 100 or so.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me.

Kellye

Thank you both for your differing comments about Belgrade and the surrounding areas. Not being a tourist destination is exactly why we think we'd enjoy it. Kellye-what an exciting opportunity for your daughter! And for you, of course, to be able to share this experience with her. Your pictures are beautiful and hopefully other posters will click on the link and enjoy them as well. Belgrade is something we are definitely keeping on the front burner and hope to explore (and write a trip report about) next year.

Was in Belgrade in May, we arrived the day after Serbia won Eurovision so the city was in a celebratory mood. We stayed at Le Petit Piaf which is a boutique hotel centrally located on a nice pedestrian only street. It was a short (and cheap) cab ride from both the train station and the airport. From the hotel it was a decent walk to the major sites and all along the pedestrian street (the name of which I cannot recall) there were plenty of great restaurants. The only warning I would give about the hotel is that there are two ends to the pedestrian street - if you take a cab there, make sure the driver knows where the hotel is so you can be dropped off on the end of the street closest to the hotel. We were not and had to drag our luggage on cobblestone streets - not fun! The hotel, however, is great and our rate (IIRC Euro 125/night) included breakfast.

Debs:

Just posted this on another thread...thought you all would be interested in this flick rec:

Author: tower
Date: 09/08/2007, 05:29 pm
to all:


Just saw "The Hunting Party" last night, with Richard Gere, Terrence Howard...a very fine depiction of the horrors that occured in Bosnia during the ethnic cleansing genocide in the 90's...however, to the credit of the author and the director, the movie (based on a true story of a wild search for a Serbian war criminal.. by three journalists) added some diabolical dark humor that at times was hilarious, even in the face of the terrible deeds perpetrated by all sides. The characterization is handled deftly.

The scenes of Sarajevo and all of Bosnia, incluing villages now in Serbia and Bosnia, is well worth seeing if you've either been there before or are planning to go. It's a few hours of intense entertainment...Gere was never better.

Enjoy!

Stu T.

p.s there is a scene that happens to show the Holiday Inn in Sarajevo, mustard colored and maroon..a most ugly buidling which we saw being primped up for the 1984 Winter Olympics while we stayed at the old, rundown Europa Hotel. Indeed, the entire city seemed to be working on the city's massive beautification projects...it was October '83, and the Olympics were scheduled for February '84...several years before all hell broke loose throughout the region.

Stu T.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Debs, I'm reading the responses with interest because we too were thinking about visiting Belgrade sometime in the next few years as we would like to take a trip through Bosnia and Serbia. We too like to travel a little off the beaten tourist path and find it intriguing because of that. I think that combining it with Vienna would be fantastic.

Good luck and best wishes!
Tracy

Forgot to mention that we were thinking about combining it possibly with Romania, flying into Bucharest, or even Bulgaria. If the flights aren't convenient to Belgrade, you may want to consider one of those. I'm not sure about Sophia, but I was surprised by the cost of the flight from the US (Charlotte) to Bucharest because it was lower than I expected it to be.

Tracy

Tracy:

I offer any help I can be with your Romania/Bulgaria)former Yugoslavia plans....based on intensive travel to that off-track region fom the early 80's onward. You certainly picked up very well on Croatian travel and seemed to really enjoy yourselves. I'm happy it turned out so exciting and rewarding. Ain't travel keen!!??

Stu Tower

Belgrade is a great place for a non-touristy destination. I was there for 2 weeks visiting family in December/January over Christmas. There is lots to see, in particular Kalemegdan Fortress is amazingly huge and the history behind is unique, as it was originally a Roman Fortress, than a Turkish Fortress. The nightlife is crazy, however since you are not looking for that it doesn't matter. There are excellent restaraunts (I recommend Que Pasa). A Centrally located hotel is Hotel Moskva, it is fairly expensive (125 Euros a night), there is also another hotel called the Hotel Balkan, again expensive..both are located right downtown amongst the walking streets and all the small shops etc. Trg Republika is an excellent area to wander around. I also did the more visited destination - I did Budapest and Prague. Budapest was nice and close (5-6 hours by train or 3 1/2 by car). While Serbia isn't touristy, the thing i noticed most was that people were friendly and willing to go out of there way to help me. I hope you do pick Belgrade, it is historically and politically interesting, and the Danube and Sava Rivers in the spring would be beautiful.

Michael Palin's New Europe has him traveling through Slovenia, Croaita, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey,etc.

http://www.palinstravels.co.uk/

check the Travel Channel for times.

Roblowther2002 - Thanks for the encouragement to visit Belgrade! Actually, we have already booked this trip for late May, and from there will be traveling to Prague (have already visited Budapest). Our first full day in Belgrade will find us making our way to Kalemegdan Fortress. Belgrade looks like a walker friendly city, which, to us, is the way to explore areas at your own pace. Kellye has made a good suggestion for a day trip to Novi Sad (had hoped for Sarajevo but that doesn't seem logistically possible).

Thanks for the suggestion of eating at Que Pasa. We are planning on eating at '?' (at least once) and would appreciate any comments about them from those who have visited.

Am enjoying watching Michael Palin's New Europe, however, was disappointed in his recent Belgrade segment. My expectation for him being in Belgrade didn't live up to what the segment turned out to be.

Debs, I saw that episode too. Michael Palin seemed more interested in checking our Belgrade's lively party scene than showing historical or cultural aspects of the city. Dissapointing to say the least, although I did find the portion of the episode on Albania and Bosnia to be interesting.

I'll be very interested to hear about your trip when you return!

Best wishes,
Tracy

I think you will like Novi Sad--the city of shoe stores! Check out the Petrovaradin Fortress, eat lunch at one of the restaurants at the Fortress and look out over the city and the Danube...or enjoy that view for free and then go and have a MUCH cheaper lunch in the town square--there is great pizza in that town and also great ice cream. Definitely check out the Orthodox Church at one end of Dunavska Street (approximate location--don't know the exact address). There is a nice history museum on Dunavska Street--it has the history of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. The label placards on artifacts have English translations--unfortunately, the large historical placards do not have English translations--would definitely be much better with a native speaker with you. The park across from the museum is beautiful and has some lovely benches to people watch from as well.

I'm returning this summer if enough girls sign up to go on the ballet workshop again for the trip to be a "go". I am planning on a day trip or two to Belgrade this year--I only flew out of Belgrade last year and never saw any of the city. I'll be interested in a trip report and info on train connections between the two cities when you return.

I am a Heritage Interpreter and Tourist Guide of Belgrade and Serbia. It is true that Serbia is not a widely known tourist destination, but it has so much to offer. Belgrade has the advantage of being very close to numerous interesting places. You can stay in Belgrade and visit during day trips different interesting places and return in the evening. There is so much to see and to visit. Belgrade is a very safe and lively town. People are friendly and we love to communicate with people coming from different parts of the world. Even if you stop anyone on the street to ask for help, they will try their best to help you. I found out that visitors of Belgrade are always surprised of how much can be seen here and at the end of the visit impressions are possitive. Some of the comments I most frequently hear are
I want to come back here, there is so much to see and visit.
I have never expected Belgrade to be such an interesting town.
I had such a good time here, I want to return here and stay here for more time.
One of the advantages of Belgrade and Serbia is that it is not a popular mass tourism destination, so if you are visiting museums or sights of interest you do not have to wait in line for hours. There are so many accommodation options. What do you prefer a 5 star hotel or a hostel (most of them are impecably clean, recently opened, centrally located)or maybe you prefer to rent a flat for a few days stay, there is a vast choice.
Food is another surprise. Meat tastes as real meat, vegetables and fruits are grown here locally. We are very fond of organic food. We love to buy food from small producers directly. We want to know who has grown and how and where food we eat.
If you need any information on Belgrade and Serbia. Here I am. Just ask. I will be my pleasure to help you with any information you might need.