We took the Bus from Sofia to Belgrade. It was a comfy, simple FlixBus that was extremely cheap. The tickets on average were approximately $5-$15. In my opinion, it was the best and easiest way to get between countries.
From the moment we arrived in Belgrade, it had a different vibe from anywhere we had been before. The city is newly developed due to it’s historical background, but it still gave off a gritty, run down vibe. The buildings felt very boring and lacking any significance compared to the other places we had seen. It gave off a a ‘concrete jungle’ type of feeling. What brought some additional life to the city center was it being fully decorated for Christmas The buildings and pathways lit up at night, creating a festive environment.
We decided to stay a couple days longer in Belgrade than we planned. We got EXTREMELY lucky that we had an awesome place to stay in the city center. Our friend has a cousin living in Belgrade who just so happened to be visiting her back in Miami. His place was the ultimate bachelor pad mixed with art gallery vibes! He is a great artist. He was so generous to allow us to stay, especially since it was last minute! It was an awesome setup.
We had gotten all the local food recommendations from Jan, so our first stop was to try a true Serbian restaurant for dinner. The restaurant is called Zavicaj and it did not disappoint, the food was great. We both had Serbian style steak and potatoes. The prices in Serbia were a tad more expensive than Bulgaria, so it’s always a balancing act trying to stay on budget as currencies and expenses change. Our second night, we wanted to splurge a bit more on dinner since we weren’t doing much outdoor activities in Belgrade. It is a well known restaurant in Belgrade and we highly recommend the food at Ambar. They serve tapas-style plates so they offer a deal with an unlimited menu of food. It was a really cool set up or in Rainier’s words, “it was a beautifully decorated restaurant.”
In the main city center, they have beautiful walkways connecting all the roads and shops in the area. Every night, the Christmas booths would set up food, candies and toys to sell. We enjoyed walking around, despite the cold, watching the locals embrace the Christmas spirit.
One of the historical areas we went to check out is the Belgrade fortress. It is right on the exterior of the city center, next to the Danube River and situated at the top of the hill overlooking other parts of Belgrade. It is the oldest section of the modern urban area of Belgrade. It has a really pretty park with beautiful views. We saw lots of people strolling through the park and enjoying the views. Upon walking into the fortress/park area, you pass a variety of military weapons and tanks that were used during the past wars. They also have tried to make parts of the fortress into an amusement area. I can’t lie, we saw some random things!
Overall Belgrade was needed more than we knew. We slowed down a bit, woke up late, watched some Netflix, did laundry, people watched and explored at a leisurely pace. The weather was damp and cold so we really caught up on some much needed relaxation. It helped that we had a nice place to crash at!!
Chasing Rain 