Belgrade Big Tour: Top Attractions and Belgrade Neighborhoods

Following, we’ll leave the vehicle on the Danube bank and start our walking tour through the heart of old Zemun. But before that, we’ll take a short coffee break to refresh and enjoy the view. We’ll continue along the bank of the Danube River – Zemun Promenade, where numerous old fish restaurants have nested under the shade of the century-old plane trees. Passing by the oldest Orthodox church of St. Nicholas from the 17th century, we’ll climb the Gardos Hill – the heart of Old Zemun. Its curvy cobblestone streets and small houses will give you the impression that Zemun is a melting pot of Mediterranean and Middle European cultures.

When we reach the top of the hill, we’ll see the remains of the Zemun citadel that still stand together with The Millennium Tower in the center, Zemun’s central landmark. This romantic construction, built in a mixture of historical styles at the end of the 19th century, served to mark the most Southern point of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The majestic view from the top of the tower will leave you breathless: Zemun Old Town from above, but also the confluence of the two rivers and the Belgrade Fortress on the other side.

We’ll go down Gardos Hill to the town center and reach the Main City Square, where an everyday market is situated. Old buildings, including the Bishop’s Office and the Roman Catholic Church of the Blessed Virgin from the 18th century, surround the square. We’ll finish our walking tour here, enter the vehicle, and continue our ride.

Lunch break: New Belgrade’s Goce Delčeva street is famous in the city, nicknamed “The Valley of Hunger .” The road is full of fast food joints, offering “pljeskavica and ćevapi”, pizzas, Chinese food, plates of pasta, and different delicious fast food sales arrangement. Over here, fast food here is prepared and sold in all shapes and sizes, suitable for everyone’s taste. Here we’ll make a 30-minute lunch break.

Dedinje neighborhood: After we cross the Gazela Bridge, we’ll head for Dedinje – Belgrade’s most luxurious residential area. Here, we’ll see some of the most beautiful mansions in the city, perfectly nestled in the greenery and serenity of Topčider Hill. Your guide will give you some interesting information about the properties history and what was happening with them during the very turbulent 20th century. We’ll see the country’s biggest soccer stadium, “Rajko Mitić Stadium,” the home of Red Star Belgrade. Red Star is the last club from Eastern or Southern Europe to win the prestigious Champions League. Their biggest competitor, Partizan Belgrade, has a stadium just across a small hill. Their rivalry is lasting for more than 70 years.

Avala mountain & Avala Tower: We will leave the city and head towards Avala, Belgrade’s green mountain. Situated less than 20km south of the city center, it is one of Belgrade’s most popular green areas, a perfect spot for recreation, picnic, or just enjoying nature. It is entirely covered with wood and is home to many birds and animal species. We drive through green forests until we reach the highest spot of Avala. In the 1930’s Aleksandar I, King of Yugoslavia decided to destroy the medieval fortress of Žrnov that was situated here to build the largest monument in the kingdom – Monument to the Unknown Hero. For this job, he engaged his court artist, world-renowned sculptor Ivan Mestrovic who indeed created a majestic structure made of black marble with colossal sculptures to resemble Antique tombs. We’ll hear some exciting stories about how it was constructed and the monument’s symbolism.

After that, we go down to the second largest hilltop of Avala, 440m high, where the Avala tower is situated. Built in the 1960s as a TV tower, it was the largest concrete structure and the tallest structure in the Balkans. During the NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999, the tower was bombed and destroyed. It was reconstructed according to the same plans and reopened for visitors. The two elevators take us up to 123m with a viewpoint from which you stay breathless: you can see the Central Serbian province of Sumadija and the entire Belgrade, including the two rivers’ confluence in the region of Vojvodina behind. After a short break, we get back into the vehicle and head toward Belgrade.

Saint Sava Temple: Coming from Avala, we’ll visit the Vračar area, where we can see one of Belgrade’s most prominent landmarks – The Church of St. Sava (also known as St. Sava Temple), one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world. The Temple of St Sava has an enormous dome that you can see from all over the city. Size apart, the church is undeniably a highly impressive structure. Construction began in the 1930s at the site where the occupying Ottoman forces burned the relics of St. Sava (1175-1236). St Sava was the founder and the first archbishop of the independent Serbian Orthodox Church, and Serbians widely recognize him as one of the most important figures in Serbian history. Built in the Serbian-Byzantine style, the church occupies an area of 3500 m² at floor level, with an additional 1500 m² in the three galleries on the first level. At its highest point, the dome is 70 m in height, while the central gilded cross is an additional 12 m high, giving the Cathedral a total height of 82 m.

Slavija square: When we finish with the Temple, we’ll enter the vehicle one more time. Through Slavija Square, we will enter Nemanjina Street with almost all state governmental institutions: Government Building, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General Staff of the Serbian Army, the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Finance, and the State Court, etc. – all being beautiful examples of Belgrade’s pre-war architecture.

The National Assembly and Terazije Fountain: After that, we’ll ride through Kralja Milana Street, the city’s artery where some significant buildings are situated, such as the Old and New Royal Palaces. We’ll pass by Nikola Pasic Square, with a monument to the first Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. We’ll stop in front of the Parliament Building, where we will take a short break to take pictures. We will also see the Old and New Royal Palaces and hear stories about the two dynasties that ruled Serbia in the 19th and 20th centuries. Following, we’ll reach Terazije Square with its recognizable 19th-century white stone fountain and one of the most beautiful buildings in the city – the Moskva Hotel.

Republic Square: We’ll continue our ride and reach Republic Square, the heart of the capital, where the city’s most prestigious cultural institutions are situated. Here you will hear information about the most important buildings surrounding the Square: the National Museum and National Theatre, and a short explanation of why Prince Mihailo is one of the most important figures in Serbia’s modern history. Here we will see the National Museum and the National Theater and Opera buildings, with an equestrian monument to the most important city and state ruler from the 19th century – Knez Mihajlo.

That will be the end of our tour, and after Republic Square, we’ll drop you off at your hotels.