Beograd Travel Guide

Belgrade is one of the oldest cities in Europe, famous for its extraordinary position, turbulent history and fantastic night life. It lies at the confluence of clashing cultures, where east meets west, and the Sava flows into the Danube River. Belgrade’s greatest asset are warm-hearted and hospitable Belgraders.
Its name (Beograd) means White City.
The idyllic winter days when Belgrade was covered in thick carpet of snow are gone, thanks to global warming, but the notorious Belgrade wind called Košava still holds its own. People say it blows for either 7, 14 or 21 days in a row. It strikes in sharp gusts and instantly it feels as if temperature has dropped by ten degrees. Mulled brandy is the only remedy. When the wind is particularly fierce, those weighing less than 50 kg may want to reconsider the need to go out. In winter, you can nibble roast chestnuts sold by street vendors, ring in the New Year several times, and enjoy great cultural events, in particular the Guitar Art Festival, which will bring to Belgrade some of the best musicians in the world.

Belgraders lose no opportunity for celebrating and partying. That is why they celebrate New Years Eve for three days at least. The 31st December is reserved for the official countdown, and then there’s New Years Eve Re-Run (complete with midnight countdown and kissing)  on the 1st and sometimes even on the 2nd of January. Restaurants and clubs offer about the same bill of fare and entertainment as on the 31st, at prices quite a bit lower. In this way, one can ring in the New Year in more ways than one - with the family, in a restaurant entertained by a live band, or dancing the night away at a club... And it doesn’t stop there. As it happens, the Serbian Orthodox Church still uses the Julian Calendar (which is 13 days behind the Gregorian Calendar used worldwide). This means that Orthodox Christmas falls on the 7th of January (traditionally a family affair), and obviously there is another New Years Eve - the so-called Serbian New Year, celebrated on the 13th January. And so, it starts all over again, the arrangements for the parties, bookings at clubs and restaurants, only there is no public holiday the day after, and many revellers turn up at work all rumpled and puffy. Another Serbian idiosyncrasy are New Years gifts, and New Years tree, because, as far as Serbs are concerned, Santa comes on New Years Eve (31st December).

Enjoy Belgrade!