You have finally decided to visit Belgrade (and we salute your choice), and now you have to get to the city in the fastest, and the most hassle-free way. Here’s a quick overview how to do just that.
1. Airplane – Belgrade’s airport – Nikola Tesla – is located some 18 km from the city’s downtown. Currently, 36 airlines operate out of Belgrade Airport which offers non-stop flights to 57 cities around the world. Each week, over 70 domestic flights and 833 international flights depart from the airport. Apart from major airlines – British Airways, Air France, Alitalia and Lufthansa – low-cost carriers like Wizz Air, Cimber Sterling, German Wings, Fly Niki and Norwegian Air also fly to and from Belgrade. Once you arrive to Nikola Tesla Airport, you will need transportation to the city. Our advice is to avoid pushy taxi drivers at the airport since they charge more than usual, and in most cases don’t use taxi meters. If you do need a taxi, you can arrange a pick-up by phone, or just choose a taxi that has a roof – sign which means that it adheres to city regulation. These taxis are located on the stand outside the airport building. The average taxi fare from the airport to the Belgrade centre is around 10 Euros. The Belgrade Tourist Board staff, located at the airport building’s exit, can assist you in finding a taxi. Alternatively, you can catch one of the shuttle buses at the airport, and the bus fares are in the region of several Euros.
2. Air-Taxi (airplane rental) or Heli-Taxi (helicopter rental) – If you want to arrive to Belgrade in high style and have the money to afford one, why not rent a plane or a helicopter to get you here. There are two airplane rental companies in Belgrade – Air Pink and Prince Aviation, as well as two helicopter rental companies – Aeroput Aviatika (telephone no. 00 381 92 43 480) and Shuttle Air (telephone no. 00 381 91 771, ext. 3584). We presume that if you use this mode of transport, money is no object, so we won’t go into prices of chartering a plane or helicopter.
3. Train – The Central Train Station is located at the heart of Belgrade, and services both national and international trains. The national railway operator Serbian Railways gives commercial discounts for the holders of the following train passes: InterRail, Euro Domino, Railplus, Balkan Flexipass, Easy Travel Card, Euro<26, City Star and the Unified Balkans Tariff. There are several international train lines including Budapest-Vienna-Belgrade and Belgrade-Zagreb-Munich-Zurich. Additionally, there are direct trains from Moscow, Skopje, Istanbul, Sofia, Bucharest, Kiev and Thessaloniki.
4. Coach / Bus – Belgrade’s central bus station is adjacent to the central train station. There is a coach service from Belgrade to 19 European countries in total (Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, France, The Netherlands, Croatia, Montenegro, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Sweden). For time tables, consult the website of the Belgrade’s main bus station. You can book and purchase tickets at the main terminal building. Ticket offices are opened 24/7. You will be also given a token to enter the platforms, while coach drivers usually charge a fee for storing your luggage in the coach’s cargo compartment.
5. Car – Since Belgrade lies on the intersection of the European E-70 and E-75 motorways, you can enter Serbia from the north (near Subotica) and take the E-75 to the Serbian capital city. If you are coming from the west, via Croatia, use the E-70. The motorways are in a moderately good shape. Both motorways have toll booths, and cars with foreign license plates are required to pay toll on the following motorway sections: E-70 Subotica – Novi Sad, E-75 Novi Sad – Belgrade, E-70 Šid – Belgrade, E-75 Belgrade – Niš and E-75 Niš – Leskovac. The toll for passenger cars starts at 240 Dinars (approx. 2 Euros). The toll can be paid in cash – in Dinars or Euros – and by a credit card (Mastercard, Maestro, Visa or American Express). Also, upon entering Serbia, the drivers of cars with foreign license plates are required to buy an insurance policy from local insurers at the border crossing. Should you need road assistance in Serbia, call the Automobile and Motorcycle Association of Serbia (AMSS) (telephone no. 00 381 11 1987) for 24/7 service. With regards to mandatory safety gear for your car in Serbia, it should consist of the following: first aid kit, warning triangle, reflective jacket, spare wheel, and towing rope (which should be between 3 and 5 metres long) or towing bar (at least 3 metres long). In winter, you are required to drive with winter tires (with 4 mm deep tread), and have a snow chain handy. Spiked tires are banned from use in Serbia.
6. Boat – Belgrade is the city that rests on two international rivers – the Danube and the Sava. The city lies at the 1170-kilometre-mark of the Danube flow, and the 0th kilometre of the Sava flow. If you want to take your time getting to Belgrade, and savour the scenery of the Danube countries, than, by all means, go on a Danube cruise or sail down to Belgrade. The navigational period on the Danube is from March 1 to December 25. For information on mooring sites on the Danube and the Sava, please visit http://www.tob.rs/en/travel_in.php?id=5 .
7. Bicycle – If you feel really adventurous, hop onto your bike and pedal down to Belgrade. Find the best route to get to Belgrade on the website of the European cycle route network EUROVELO routes.
Once you arrive to Belgrade, you will need accommodation (hotel or hostel) or to rent an apartment. For the latter, go to https://apartmanibeograd.com/ and pick an apartment to your liking. The Belgrade Apartments site contains a wide selection of rentals (size, location, comfort and luxury wise).
Bon voyage!
