COFFEE
The Serbs love their coffee houses. Stroll down Skadarska – a lively street lined with cafés – to get a feel for the place. Try Restoran Kalenic (on Milosevska, next to Kalenic Market), which is very traditional and ideal for a quick coffee or bite to eat. Mama’s Biscuit House (Kralja Milana) has stunning cakes. Dva Jelena is one of the best, and great for either a snack or a more substantial meal. Alternatively, take a short taxi ride to the suburb of Zemun, where you can relax to jazz music, while you drink coffee at Galerija. ML
DINNER
SARAN, Kej Oslobodjenja 53
Serving fresh fish, typical Serbian dishes and featuring traditional music, this is a fabulous riverside restaurant in the suburb of Zemun. A visit will give you the chance to wander this beautiful Austro-Hungarian area with its elegant cafés and cobbled streets. ML
ZAPLET, Kajmakcalanska 2
A stylish, modern eatery offering an interesting twist on classic dishes such as risotto, goulash and excellent venison. It tends to attract a fashionable, arty crowd. Nick Groves, Second Secretary, British Embassy
ABSINTHE, Kralja Milutina 33
This is a fabulously stylish restaurant and bar. It’s always packed and is a great place for people-watching. Ivana Davidovic, Ministry of Finance
BARS
This is where Belgrade comes into its own. Bars are always packed at cocktail hour and the city is full of people who like to be seen. Many of the most popular places are on Strahinjica Bana – nicknamed Silicone Valley for obvious reasons. The best bars here are Pastis and Insomnia, though it’s well worth bar-hopping between the rest. ML
HOTELS
TOWNHOUSE 27, Maršala Birjuzova 56, townhouse27.com
This newly opened, four-star boutique hotel, has chic modern rooms, each with high-speed internet connection and a flatscreen TV, and there’s an elegant café/bar. Anke Truijen, journalist
ALEKSANDAR PALAS
Kralja Petra 13-15,
For a touch of glitz, book into Aleksandar Palas, the only five-star hotel in Belgrade. It has an ideal location, a few streets away from the bustling main drag, Knez Mihailova, and boasts nine sumptuously decorated suites. Prices are steep, but there are weekend deals and two-day packages. ML
LE PETIT PIAF
Skadarska 34,
petitpiaf.com
For real atmosphere, try Le Petit Piaf, a charming little place with its own garden and restaurant on Skadarska, a cobbled street dating back to the Ottoman era and surrounded by typical Serbian eating places. NG
CLUBS
If you’re here in the summer months, you shouldn’t miss a night out on a splav, one of the city’s famous nightclub boats. These pontoon venues are typical of Belgrade nightlife and line the banks of the Sava. There are many to choose from, but Sound is one of the best. On these floating nightclubs, you can boogie till dawn – they only get going around midnight. Toby Brundin, DJ
SHOPPING
ORFELIN, Knez Mihailova
This is a great old bookshop selling antique publications from Serbia and abroad. Apparently, the entire shop is one man’s personal collection. ML
KALENIC MARKET, Maksima Gorkog Street
Here you can buy food, knick-knacks and plants. It is acceptable to barter at the market, but the prices are very low in any case. For something really different, take a 20-minute tram ride to New Belgrade and head for Block 70, where you’ll find the Chinese market. The clothes here are much cheaper than elsewhere in the city. Ivana Davidovic, Ministry of Finance
DON’T LEAVE WITHOUT…
Heading to the suburb of Dedinje, up the hill from Kneza Milosa (past several bombed-out buildings). Ask a taxi driver to give you a tour, or rent a bike and do it yourself. It has the most magnificent houses in Belgrade, including many ambassadorial residences. See the Beli Dvor, or White Palace, where the Crown Prince lives. Take in the opulence and imagine Yugoslavia in its finest times. ID
