Why Belgrade is the greatest city you'd never thought to visit

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Credit: Credit: Aleksandar Djordjevic / Alamy Stock Photo/Aleksandar Djordjevic / Alamy Stock Photo

Today is Serbia’s National Day, which marks the anniversary of the First Serbian Uprising in 1804. Our writers think there has never been a better time to visit - here’s why you should check it out (before everyone else does)

1. Your pound will go pretty far

The country, which is currently in the process of ascension to the European Union, uses the Serbian Dinar and Brits will find that their pound goes pretty far. Access to attractions and tickets for public transport will all cost you less than a fiver, while your food and drink spend should also be modest.

2) Which means you can really make the most of the nightlife

Belgrade enjoys a reputation as an all-year party city, with a vibrant and diverse party scene spanning everything from jazz to Gypsy folk and techno, which has its roots in the 1990s where underground club culture provided a refuge from Milosevic's regime. Local favourites include Underground Club and Drugstore, while Insomnia Cafe is great for a nightcap. 

3) And you can party on the world’s wildest boats

In the summer months, the nighttime festivities move to the city’s waterways - the Danube and Sava rivers - where a plethora of splavovi (moored river boats) provide the venue for diverse nocturnal offerings.

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In the summer months revellers head to the waterways Credit: Credit: Stuart Forster / Alamy Stock Photo/Stuart Forster / Alamy Stock Photo

4) You get two rivers for the price of one 

The city is located on the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, which provide the backdrop for many of the city’s key sights, and split the city up into the more attractive Old Belgrade and New Belgrade, defined by its post-war brutalist architecture.

5) It has the world’s largest Eastern Orthodox church

The Church of Saint Sava is one of the largest church buildings in the world. Indeed, the construction project, which started in 1935, is so immense that interior detail, including mosaic work, is still being added today.

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Credit: Credit: Ekaterina Sheredeko / Alamy Stock Photo/Ekaterina Sheredeko / Alamy Stock Photo

6) The traditional kebabs are not to be missed

Ćevapi, a traditional Balkan dish of grilled mince meat, often served with chopped onion and sour cream, is in abundant supply in Belgrade and well worth trying.

7) But there are plenty of contemporary hip eateries

Our writer recommends Iguana , a buzzing restaurant with great views over the Sava where wealthier Belgraders head for an intimate dinner accompanied by live contemporary jazz while next door's, Cantina de Frida attracts a younger crowd for Cuban-themed live music and occasional Serbian takes on Queen classics and offers an exhaustive cocktail list. 

Cantina di Frida Belgrade
Cantina de Frida

8) And there’s something for everyone at the Supermarket Concept Store

Created in 2008, and deliberately designed in socialist-era style, this immense commercial and cultural space is a food and drink spot, fashion store and design showroom all rolled into one - and visitors can sip easily while away hours sipping on artisanal coffee or craft beer and browsing the ultra-hip fashion, music and lifestyle collection.

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The Supermarket Concept Store is part of a plethora of new cultural spaces for a city on the move Credit: Branko Brkovic

9) There's a rather cool fortress 

Check out Wander Kalemegdan, the ruins of a fortress which was built to defend the city from the Ottomans, who then invaded and adapted it as their own defensive outpost on the hill overlooking the Sava and Danube. Today it is the city’s most popular park where Belgraders gather to admire the fine view.

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Credit: Credit: Ferdinando Piezzi / Alamy Stock Photo/Ferdinando Piezzi / Alamy Stock Photo

10) And the surrounding park has a lot to offer

Including landscaped gardens, elegant monuments to eminent Serbians, an impressive military museum and a zoo. The park also hosts cultural events such as theatre performances and concerts, as well as a popular flea market. 

10) You can hop on Europe's most spectacular rail journey

The Belgrade-Bar line connects the Serbian capital to one of Montenegro’s biggest sea ports, and the journey takes in swoon-worthy hills, mountains and lakes while crossing of one of the world’s highest viaducts. Tickets are cheap and window seats are generally easy to come by.

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Credit: Credit: Aleksa Aleksic / Alamy Stock Photo/Aleksa Aleksic / Alamy Stock Photo

11) And enjoy a historic mismatch of architecture 

Belgrade may not be the most traditionally beautiful city - its skyline is still scarred by communist-era eyesores – not to mention the ruins of buildings bombed by Nato - but there are some notable exceptions. The Zemun district is lined with Austro-Hungarian houses, a vestige of its past as the southernmost outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while the cobbled Skadarlija Bohemian quarter in the Old Town has a Montmartre-style charm.

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The river promenade at Zemun is lined with Austro-Hungarian houses and is a great place for a summer's evening stroll Credit: Credit: EyeEm / Alamy Stock Photo/EyeEm / Alamy Stock Photo

12) You can visit Tito’s tomb

Be sure to see the mausoleum to Tito - or "House of Flowers" as the site is also known - a shrine to Yugoslavia's communist leader, complete with a museum full of many gifts the great leader received from ordinary Yugoslavians. 

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Credit: Credit: volkerpreusser / Alamy Stock Photo/volkerpreusser / Alamy Stock Photo

14) And if you needed any further excuse to visit, there's always Exit Festival 

You can dance till dawn in a fortress an hour's drive from the city. Exit started as a student political protest but is now one of Europe's best known music festivals, with the likes of Nick Cave, LCD Soundsystem and The Prodigy headlining in past years. With a "something for everyone" music policy and the Danube to cool off in, this festival has won numerous awards and is the perfect partner to a city sightseeing in the heat of summer. The action takes place at the Petrovaradin Fortress from July 6 – 9. Tickets without camping are £84.

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If you want to hear more about the city’s past, you can get a first-hand history lesson from legendary broadcaster Kate Adie on the Telegraph Travel correspondents cruise.

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