Belgrade

The best place I found In Europe as a digital nomad. The best thing about Belgrade for me are the events, almost every day you can find a language exchange or a CF event. The coworking spaces are good too, I recommend ICT hub. I spent there like 6 months and cannot complain. One down side I can think of is the low quality apartments. Even for 2k$ you will find a ran down communist era flat. The city is very energetic and lively so I recommend for sure. Check out Sinkopa bar and you wont regret

I was here for around a month in 2022. From what I could tell, the Dorcol neighborhood was the best. If you're into techno, there are fun parties to be had away from the tourist traps on the river. But overall I don't see the point of staying here long term. Neighboring Sarajevo was a lot more livable in my opinion, although not as much nightlife.

Totally agree with all the other reviews. Nothing good, nothing terrible, but no reason to come here unless you are super into Serbian culture & plan to stay long-term.
I'm staying in Pancevo, a little town right outside Belgrade, just a 20 minute bus ride (without traffic, which is LA-levels of terrible). The town itself is much more beautiful & charming than Belgrade, I have to say. Belgrade is really ugly, & it's true that there's neither Soviet nor classically European architecture - just bland, brown, square & rectangular buildings with some ugly newer glass box ones thrown in. Also found that getting around Belgrade is mega unpleasant - lots of traffic, shockingly few cafes, which is crazy since that's always one of the things people rave about here. So basically you either have to spend a lot of time figuring out their dysfunctional public transport, paying for expensive, unreliable taxis, or walking the uninteresting streets dodging aggressive locals with nothing nice to look at.
Pros (very few): safe, clean, hot guys & mostly attractive women, easy to get a cheap SIM card.
Aside from that, super unpleasant vibe - everyone is sour & borderline aggressive. People cut in front of you at the supermarket, just elbow you right out the way to get what they need. People on sidewalks almost try to race you in order to either overtake or keep pace, it's really odd. Have no idea why people keep saying the locals speak English, as almost no one in either Belgrade center or the town I'm in can manage more than a broken sentence, & that's IF they speak any English at all. Which leads me to the next untrue myth: the people are not warm or friendly at all. I have made good efforts to use their language, but each time there is visible anger that they're having to deal with a foreigner. Again, I found this in the center of Belgrade & in the town I'm staying in. Also agree with everyone that there's absolutely nothing to do outside of going to a café & drinking. There are parks everywhere, but how many times are you going to visit the same 10 parks? As an American, I already have the experience of living in a city you have to leave in order to have fun in nature, so I'm not impressed with the excursions outside the Belgrade area - it's stuff we already have at home, & frankly, our nature is way better & more impressive with more stuff to do, as there's nothing exotic enough here to justify the terrible living experience.
Also find that the gym experience is crap, as the town I'm in doesn't have a lot & they're expensive with weird rules that won't make sense to you as a foreigner. Also shocked that this town doesn't have any street workout areas, as I thought Serbia & Slavic countries in general were kinda known for this culture (guess I was wrong lol).
A final note, the town I'm in has a lot, and I mean A LOT, of packs of stray dogs roving around, it's kinda scary since you don't know what the rabies situation is here. Some are aggressive, but most are just sleeping lol
Overall, I'm glad I came for a short stay to satisfy my curiosity, but I really want to leave & I would never recommend coming here for any reason. I've been to one other Slavic country, the Czech Republic, & I LOVED it, so if you have a Slavic curiosity, go there, but certainly don't waste time in Serbia.

City of up's and down's. It's great to see for 6 months to 1 year and explore the local culture which arguably is quite similar to Greek or Spanish. Food is amazing and affordable. As a tourist, especially if you are from western Europe, you will feel safe and welcome. To put it into context, for people actually living there, organized crime, car thefts, corruption on literally all levels can become challenging. I don't judge it since the country has scars of war from a recent unjust war but it's not a place to send your kids to school for sure.

As a Black woman, I found the people to be very unfriendly, racist and passive aggressive. Some resturants, the waiters were aggressive and I felt unwelcomed or they would take forever to give me a menu even though business was slow.

In addition, Serbian men fetishize BW and said all sorts of derogatory things, like you guess it the n word and seem to have hangups over race, as well as insecurities regarding their pee pee size. Serbian food was really bland and nasty, however the vegan options are the best and I found the people there to be a lot nicer than say the traditional Serbian spots. I also appreciated the ease of taking a bus as it helped me get around when I had to live far from the center.

But I found Belgrade overpriced for what you get and bland compared to cities like Sarajevo. Their airline Air Serbia is a scam, they will cancel flights and refuse to give you a refund and I found people at the airport to be quite unhelpful. Taxis also overcharged me. Would not go again if I could avoid.

Super safe city, many things to do, good restaurants. Nightlife is great (especially Boho Bar) but it's not for everyone as locals like to stick to tables and don't socialize much. The city is very walkable.

I'll preface this by saying I am American 30s male.
Belgrade is okay. Nothing about it really stands out to me. I'd say its mediocre at best.
I would maybe avoid if you are American. I mean the people that I met seemed fairly friendly but
there are alot of russians and there is a bit of resentment towards Americans (because of the 1999 bombing). Generally speaking.

Maybe its because its too early in the year (April - May). But the so called amazing nightlife seemed pretty lame tbh.
Most places to need reservations. People are at tables and sort of have their own groups. Not a great atomsphere it your solo and looking to mingle.
I would say unless you are a social butterfly its a challenging place to be a solo traveler.

Very cheap city, I don't know what nomadlist is smoking with their price estimates. I spent around $500-600/mo while I was here even while living in city center. City is relatively safe but you'll occasionally get harassed by beggars which can create a feeling of unease. Food is very meh, the best restaurants are the turkish/greek over the traditional "serbian" ones. Locals are generally nice and welcoming even if you're from the US, but the youth are obnoxious and loud especially at night. The smoking especially in indoor buildings is rude and obnoxious to most but not in Serbian culture.

Overall I would say 5/10.

TLDR; cheap city, locals are welcoming, surrounded by nature, not much to do compared to some other countries. Book a taxi ahead :)

Belgrade is a great city for digital nomads, with its low cost of living and excellent infrastructure. We spent about two months in Belgrade, and it's true that, at times, it can get quite... repetitive. There's not a huge variety of things to do in the city, and it can get quite old after a while. But if you're willing to be open-minded and try new things, Belgrade is an excellent place for digital nomads.

There are many cafes, locals speak perfect English, and the wifi is generally fast and reliable. If you like taking walks and being surrounded by nature, Belgrade has some beautiful parks and is well-connected to other cities that are perfect for getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

One great thing about Belgrade is its affordable cost of living - we got a GREAT spacious apartment in the center of town for under $1000/month, or even less if you're willing to live outside the city center or commit to longer-term (non-Airbnb rentals).

In terms of entertainment, we weren't wowed at all. While there are plenty of restaurants of all kinds (cheap, expensive, vegan, gluten-free, etc.) and bars, we've seen better places for entertainment.

In general, we would definitely go back if we were looking for something more "slow-paced." We were very well welcomed in Belgrade; the locals were extremely warm from our experience.

A previous review said it well. Belgrade does not have much to do. Unfortunately there is the fortress with the military museum, the Tesla museum, and Tito's. The other tours outside the city vastly over charge too. Locals took me to Novi Sad for cheap and a tour there was around $90.

The nightlife is something everyone brags about here but the reality is you won't meet people or break into groups very easily. It's a very clique like city where everyone hangs with the friends they know. I've been here 1 month now and some change and will leave after another month. I'll return for the friends I did happen to make, but it won't be a long stay like this was.

Short stay in the city is fine, but there are much better cities to visit in the Balkans and Eastern Europe in general for a long stay.

Nomads, please stop playing up this city. Quite frankly, it sucks. There are only like three things to see in Belgrade (the fortress, Nikola Tesla museum, and Tito's museum). Those are fine but that's about it. The restaurants are also not as affordable as other parts of the Balkans and the people are not nearly as nice as the rest of the Balkans. They seem to be much more aligned with Russia and China and tend to have a bit of an attitude with those from Western European and North American countries. I spent a week here, thankfully just a week. But it was a long week, and I couldn't wait to leave. There are many way better places than Serbia to visit, but people keep talking it up online and I went. Much like Bansko, Bulgaria which is another terrible place but played up online by nomads. For the money you spend in Belgrade, check out Budapest which is a fantastic city. Hopefully this will save someone from going through what I went through.

Amazing city, beautiful people and very affordable. However, if traveling by air and need a taxi,do not arrive in Belgrade alone or late. I did this was pretty much robbed, threatened by a crazy driver.

Been in Belgrade for a month now. Belgrade is one of the worst cities for hospitality in general, including laundrettes, airbnb's and the general service industry. It is hard to do anything without getting the heaven or hell service experience. Trying to get a private office or private space in the shared work areas, has been a huge letdown with many being unavailable for months. The cafe's are not work friendly, as you have to deal with cigarette smoke and loud music, crowded spaces. A lot of bars and restaurants close over the summer months (July-August) as they go on holiday. The people individually are friendly, but the service is very bad.

I'm living in Belgrade for last 15ish years, and as every large city, there are some pros and cons. I've learned from experience that if you're dissapointed with something in a particular city - it just means that you haven't searched enough, or you were misguided. Most of european cities are sharing a lot of similarities, so I'll try to focus only on differences.

1. Night life - in Belgrade, it's unbeatable by far. There is so much variety on that topic, and it just depends on you what are you searching for. It's true that sometimes it's not easy to find information over the internet on public sites, it's better to know local people to guide you through. There are even locals who cannot recommend you something good for night life because they are not in that mood anymore, they don't know what's popular nowadays. That's quite common, at least with mid-aged people.

2. Food - You can really find any type of food you want, from all around the world. If you're foody, you're on the right place - no matter if you want domestic food, or something international.

3. Moderately cheap - This is sort of true, although prices are going up last few years, so it's not that cheap anymore. The rest of Serbia is a lot cheaper than capital of course.

4. Hospitality - This is usually on very high-level here, but you cannot judge on it based on bars/restaurants in city center which are full of tourists. I'm having feeling all across the globe that you're not served properly in any country if you're sitting in very touristic place, especially if waiters are overloaded, and they cannot pretend that they have enough energy for everyone. But still, such experiences are rare minorities, everyone care about reviews.

5. From safety standpoint, I'll tell you one fact - how many capital cities in the world you know where it's safe to go freely over the night in every area of the city? I'm not sure I know for some, every city has some regions where it's not clever to go by walk over the night. Well, guess what, we don't have such places. You can go wherever you want over the night, and you'll feel safe. Of course that something randomly might happen, but it's very very rare.

6. Medical - Medical tourism is pretty popular here, but specifically for two things: dentists and plastic surgery. That's something you can do here with very affordable prices. Other than that, I don't see a reason why someone would come here for any other medical service.

What I don't like in Belgrade is:
1. Transportation - Our public transport is bad, lack of metro. Even taxis are very booked, and sometimes it's not easy to find one, although there are a lot of those in the city. Traffic in the city might be a bit tough for someone who is coming from Germany/Switzerland, but trust me - you haven't been in Palermo / Sicily. Belgrade is something in between of those two.
2. Pollution - It's true that situation is not great, specifically during winter time. I wouldn't recommend coming here during winter time if you're asthmatic.
3. Globalization - In last few decades, it's evident that city is transforming to something "acceptable" from the "western" standpoint, meaning it's having all those popular places and franchizes which you can find all over the global. All the capital cities in Europe are starting to be like all the others. Cities are losing its character. I'm not a fan of modern skyscrapers neither.

Bottom line - try to find a local people for recommendations if you want to get the most juice of visiting Belgrade.

The most attractive thing about Belgrade is the low prices and a good selection of restaurants. Customer service has been one of the worst I've experienced. It is unfriendly, slow, and mistakes happen too often. This has been surprising to me since Serbians expressed to me that they're proud of their hospitality.

The nightlife is disappointing, to say the least.

Not bad for period from mid April till end of August when everything is green, cheap food, friendly people.

I would avoid if you're from North America, people are still bitter about 1999 and it comes across in the overall attitude. Also, overall it's not a very transient place and everyone knows each other, and it seems like in Serbian culture there is a sort of stigma in associating with outsiders.

Other Slavic countries are not like this, I think it is something specific to Serbian culture. One Serbian-American friend says it has a lot to do with many young people leaving Serbia, and the media being taken over by the government and promoting a nationalist narrative. I don't know if that's true but I doubt I will be back, except for the purpose of medical tourism -- the medical care here is cheap and of very high quality, much higher than other non-Schengen European countries.

I was born and raised in Belgrade and all I can say is the city is very underrated. Been to many major cities in Europe, Northern Africa, and also lived for half a year in Los Angeles. I don't wanna sound as if I'm a big local patriot. I will try to be as much as genuine as possible.

I completely agree with the fact that most places are full of smoke from cigarettes yet there are parts of the objects separated from smoking sections. This is available in many restaurants, cafes, bars, etc. You don't have to inhale smoke if you don't wish to. Also, one review on here complains about the highest lung cancers in this area -- I must admit this is not 100% accurate based on the statistics. You can't be sure about that info especially if considering that many places, in both country and the capital, left contaminated since the 1999 NATO bombing back. So it makes sense seeing rates being high within one part of the population. However, it's not an excuse for smokers and a bad living style.

The nightlife is somewhat lower due to the Covid-19 crisis and local law regulations. Again, this doesn't mean all famous discos and bars are completečy gone. The riverside is still flawing with clubbing and you can have a great time if you know the right place to go.

Now when it comes to people, local people here are very open and generous to foreigners. Hospitality is simply a part of our culture and we've known for this in the Balkans as well as the rest of Europe. We are also famous for helping people no matter where they come from. One of the reviews mentioned that waitresses will usually prefer to read a book or stare at their phones -- again, it also depends on the place you go, and in most cases, you will end up meeting a very friendly local waitress who will dive into a conversation with you whether you are a foreigner coming from abroad or a local pal that got lost in a different area. "Coffee culture" is very famous here and also a part of our culture. You can easily find a friend who will go out with you to a cafe or bar. In my opinion, the major difference between this part of the world and western society world is the fact people here are more honest and will not fake their feelings. This is why you will see dozens of different moods. In the western world, this is somewhat faked and one of the things I disliked. You will also make deep friendships here because people aim to make meaningful relations (not faked).

In the last few years, the city has developed into a huge economic and IT hub. It has become an important place in this part of Europe (i.e. Ex Yugoslavia region to be more exact). There are lots of different places and activities you can do depending on your needs -- from walking in the parking zones and the riverside to hiking in smaller forest areas (I recommend Banjica forest). Most of the city center is walkable and turned into a walking zone -- you can easily walk away from the very center to the river. Also, the infrastructure is getting much better and even I can feel that for the 25 years spent here.

To summarize, if you want to feel the real European vibe for a cheaper price (western standards), then this is a place to go. I also recommend staying in urban areas closer to the city center because this part has a special vibe easily noticed. The suburban parts of the city may seem way too different for foreigners and remind them of a typical Eastern European environment.

My girlfriend and I lived in Belgrade for over a month and absolutely loved it! It has a bit of a raw feeling and the indoor smoking is something that's hard to get used to, but in general we felt welcomed with open arms with pretty much everyone we've been in contact with.

We were particularly fond of the Dorcol region to stay, eat and live. The castle area is great for a walk on a sunny day.

Also relevant in pandemic times: the food delivery is amazing (we mostly used Wolt).

I stayed in Belgrade for over a week. I had high expectations based on the Nomad List ranking, but having been to every other capital in the Balkans, found it utterly disappointing.

The city is not particularly walkable, the infrastructure is in a sad state, and there is practically no interesting architecture or urban development to speak of, be it historical, communist, or contemporary.

Pollution is a real problem. To make matters worse, people smoke all the time, everywhere, including inside every cafe and restaurant.

Health statistic confirm the point:
- 2nd highest rate of lung cancer in the world
- 4th highest rate of all cancer in the world
- 1st highest rate of pollution-related deaths in Europe
- 9th highest rate of pollution-related deaths in the world

There are some nice cafes and restaurants through the city, but nothing wou can't find lesewhere in the region. Few have vegetarian options, and you'll get strange looks if you ask for tap water.

I am from Serbia.
People in Serbia are hospitable but if they do not know you by common friends or something they will treat you as an outsider in most cases, they will talk to you but not make friends etc.

Even for serbs from other cities when you go to another city, Belgrade for example, it is difficult to make friends or people to go out with . It applies much more to foreigners. Why? I do not know, we are very hospitable in general but that's the way it is.
Nightlife is not as good as it was, but it is good. Much better than in most of Europe. Cafes, restaurants and typical european culture is present at lower prices than for example in Denmark.
The women are beautiful, some are stunning, I can say serbian women are among top 5 in Europe (along with russian, ukrainian, chech etc), men are often tall and good looking.
Belgrade and Serbia are worth a visit especially if you are not from Europe and you can not afford more expensive western cities, but want to feel european lifestyle. In terms of hospitality, and good looking men and women you will get more then you would get in western Europe.

I spent about a month in Belgrade, and visited other cities in Serbia, such as Smederevo. People are very kind, the prices are very cheap. It was pretty safe, and will probably go back and stay longer. Belgrade is a big and dynamic city. Currently, there are some buildings under construction in the center. There are places to visit and there are lots of history behind the city. I didn't like so much graffiti on buildings.

I spent 4 months in Belgrade, putting myself out there quite a lot socially [PROS]- city center is quite nice, green with parks, and very walkable - low airbnb costs (but quality tends to be low as well) [CONS] avoid at all costs in colder months, every restaurant and bar becomes a cigarette hot box - nomad / expat community here is very small. only one legit co-working space (impact hub). - service in restaurants and shops is the worst I have ever experienced - night life is very overrated, none of the bars and clubs have open mingling areas / dance floors, they're just these tables everyone stands around and no one talks to each other Bottom line: Belgrade is a bit grungy but charming to walk around and explore for, I would say, a week or so. Socially, Serbia is quite a proud, inward-facing society. This, coupled with the small-to-nonexistant nomad community, can leave you feeling quite isolated.

I spent 3 weeks in Belgrade (July 2019) to visit a friend who relocated. To be honest, while i've traveled somewhat extensively, and leave the USA on average three times per year, I had no idea what to expect in Serbia (Belgrade). I'd never been to Eastern Europe, let alone the Balkans. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how incredibly friendly just about everyone was. Everyone spoke english everywhere I went: cafes, restaurants, supermarket, taxis, shops, etc. My friend has very small children, and Belgrade is FULL of parks. The parks are routinely teeming with parents, as it seems there's some sort of a baby boom going on there. I was able to easily strike up friendly conversation with locals, who were extremely cordial. Even though I was there to visit friends, I spent the majority of my time alone exploring. I stayed in the city center, close to Republic Square. From there I could walk just about anywhere; the river, the mall on the other side of the river, waterfront, the old fort, etc. Taxis were extremely cheap, but often I just preferred to walk, even to Vracar from where I was in Venac , which is about a 30 minute walk, just because it was nice to experience Belgrade and people watch along the way. The AirBnb I rented had a functioning kitchen, and food in the supermarket is pretty cheap, but so is eating out (by American standards). I routinely had lunch or dinner with a drink, coffee and desert for anywhere from $11-18USD on average. I chose mostly to sit at any one of the countless open air cafe/restaurants twice a day, because it was so worth it. Is Belgrade the most exciting place on the planet? Probably not. At the same time, it's not boring either. I ended up loving the place. Between the people, the fact that I felt completely safe walking around by myself past midnight on many occasions, the great food, and typically European feel, I would definitely recommend Belgrade. Especially if you're not on a London/Paris budget, but want to experience Europe. People are much nicer also.

I was in Belgrade a couple of days ago. Stayed there like 2 days. My Airbnb host was really welcoming and he offered some tips/advice regarding the best cheap prices in pubs + restaurants. The old center of Belgrade is really nice + it seems the same like Bucharest in some parts of it. Loved it and more than probably I will return to check it! Be carefull with gypsies near the bus/train station.

A lovely city. But not the friendliest one.

I travel extensively; 15-20 counties in the last 2 years. I'm friendly and very outgoing. But in my humble opinion, Belgrade (very generally speaking) is not a terrible friendly place for foreigners or solo-travelers.

It is a beautiful, inexpensive and very safe city. Prices are fantastic, as is the food. But unless you come here with a companion...be prepared to have a rather lonely time. The local Serbs are not rude or actively unpleasant, and most everyone speaks English well.

But most of the locals don't seem particularly open to having conversations with people they don't already know.

In most of my travels, simply by being a foreigner in a cafe, restaurant or bar...you will, at minimum, at least be able to strike up a conversation with, say, your bartender or waitress. Here in Belgrade...not so much. For example: if you're sitting at the bar in a pub...the bartender, given a choice, will usually prefer to read a book or stare at their phone, rather than conduct anything more than a brief, monosyllabic conversation. It's pretty much the same in shops, restaurants, etc. And if you're used to striking up friendly conversations with fellow patrons at a restaurant, or bar, or art exhibition...don't expect that in Belgrade.

Even the cashiers in the local grocery stores seem to prefer to keep interactions as brief as possible. Fake as it may be, there is something a bit comforting about the Western retail-facade of people pretending to be happy to see a customer...especially when you encounter the absolute lack of it for weeks on end.

I'm not saying it's good or bad; it's just the way things are. I suspect it's at least somewhat cultural. I've gotten somewhat similar vibes in a few places in the Balkans and Eastern Europe before. I would not rate the locals of Budapest or Kiev as overly-friendly to outsiders, for instance...yet I found it far, far easier to meet and talk to people in those cities than in Belgrade.

There are exceptions to the above. But I will stand by it as an accurate generalization, having been in the city for 3 weeks. Perhaps if you hook up with other travelers in some of the city's co-work-spaces, you might have a better time; I don't know.

PS: I also think the "Belgrade is famous for it's nightlife" reputation is severely over-rated. That reputation might have been appropriate in the past; I heard from a couple of locals that, as of a year or so ago, a lot of new laws were passed restricting the operating-hours of most bars and clubs in the city. Most (not all, but definitely) places in the downtown area close up by midnight or 1am at the latest.

With the exception of a couple of specific nightclubs...most of the city is pretty much a ghost town by midnight, even on the weekends.

Again...a beautiful city, with lots of interesting culture, art and architecture. I think I'd likely love it if I came with someone I was dating. But for a solo traveler...it's genuinely one of the least-friendly cities I've ever been to.

Overall: Lovely city (quite underrated)!

Much, much more than expected.

Not a good city for long-term stays. Nothing to see, very little to do. High air pollution. However cheapest capital in Europe and most friendly and warm people of all Eastern Europe / Balkans.