Serbia
Stari Grad

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
    • Day 20

      Die Apfelbarone vor Belgrad

      April 24, 2022 in Serbia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      Sirig - Belgrad
      109 km / 450 hm

      Als uns um 07:00 Uhr der Wecker und der Gockel vom Bauernhof in der Ferne aus den Schlaf holen, wissen wir, dass es Zeit ist. Wir tuckern entlang vieler Plantagen von Apfelbaronen und bestaunen die dazugehörigen Schlösschen. Das Thermometer macht einen Ausflug auf 26 Grad und heizt uns gut ein ☀️ Auf dem Weg sehen wir immer wieder halbfertige Bauwerke, die von Bäumen & Störchen zurückerobert werden. Als uns der Hunger langsam einholt, stellen wir fest, dass am Ostersonntag (in Serbien 1 Woche später) sich nur einen mit der Familie im Garten einen hinter die Binde gekippt und nicht gegessen wird 🍻 Wir werden an einer Dutzend Wirtshäuser zum nächsten weitergeordert, selbst in unserem Ziel Belgrad tun wir uns sehr schwer etwas zu finden. Aber am Ende wurden wir fündig. Belgrad selbst ist grüner als gedacht, die schiefen Betonhochhäusern sind auf Erdbeben bestens vorbereitet. Als Bleibe dient wieder ein Hostel, wo wir die salzkrustigen Klamotten endlich einer Pflegekur übergeben können. Dann kostet das Windschattenfahren weniger Überwindung 😅Read more

    • Day 26

      Beim serbischen Bullen in Belgrad

      October 15, 2019 in Serbia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      Belgrad hat architektonisch und in puncto klassischer Sehenswürdigkeiten im Vergleich zu meinen vorherigen Destination quasi nichts zu bieten und doch hat mir die "weiße Stadt" besser gefallen als diese. Es gibt kaum Touristen, dafür überwiegend junge Menschen, die auf eine so unverfälschte Art und Weise offenherzig, neugierig und freundlich sind, dass ich spontan ein bisschen länger geblieben bin, um die Melancholie der Stadt zu genießen. Der nach einer Rakija-reichen Nacht nur noch "der serbische Bulle" genannte Hostelbesitzer Nikola hat sich hervorragend um seine Gäste gekümmert. Seine Nachbarin hat mir die Haare geschnitten und Nikola selbst hat mir schon bei meiner Ankunft versichert, dass mein Motorrad in diesem Viertel unter seinem persönlichen Schutz stünde. Er sollte sein Wort halten. Ein VW-Fahrer hatte wohl weniger Glück mit der Wahl seines Unterschlupfes ... Bei ihm wurden über Nacht ein paar Teile geerntet.

      Weg von der Hauptstadt und quer durch Serbien mach ich mich auf in eine sehr abgeschiedene Region an der Grenze zum Kosovo.
      Read more

    • Day 6

      Montenego - Kotor / Bar

      August 7, 2022 in Serbia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

      Satisfied that I had exhausted the touristic potential of the capital, I felt it was time to escape Podgorica to another part of Montenegro. The Hotel Kerber had been fine in that old fashioned Yugoslavian way, right down to the unsmiling staff, but it was time to move on. On checking out, I commented on the lack of electricity the night before, and the receptionist grimaced and shrugged and said: ‘Well, that happens’. Have a nice day to you too, Miss!

      I decided to take the morning bus on the two hour trip to the Montenegrin coast and the resort of Kotor. Once again the scenery was amazing as we climbed high into the mountains, before descending into the Bay of Kotor with fabulous views of the resort area, including the Old Town. Apparently it’s been described as southern Europe’s most spectacular fjord. I dumped my luggage at the Garderoba and headed straight to the beach. At last I was able to cool off from the searing heat in the beautiful waters of the Adriatic Sea. I could have stayed in the sea all day. So this why so many folk flock to Montenegro! The beaches were certainly packed with sun-worshippers from all over Europe. I enjoyed a tasty Chinese lunch overlooking the Bay, before exploring the very pretty, if touristy, Old Town. Stray cats basked in the sun, and I was sorry not to have time to visit the Cats Museum, home to all things feline, in tribute to the moggies who have been part of this area since its seafaring days.

      Time to be on the move again, and I caught the (typically late) afternoon bus to Bar. The trip down the Adriatic coast was beautiful, allowing glimpses of various resorts, including Sven Stefan - a fortified island now part of the luxurious Aman resort, and apparently Montenegro’s most photographed site. I’m afraid my photo from a busy, bumpy bus does not do it justice.

      Tonight I was staying at a more upmarket hotel - the 4 star Agape Hotel in Bar town centre. It was pure luxury to get out of the heat, shower and change, and enjoy the surroundings of this newly opened hotel. Danilo, the friendly young man on reception suggested a walking route round the town and recommended a good restaurant for dinner. Bar is really a Port Town where you can catch the Bar - Bari ferry (Montenegro to Italy). It seems a bit more down-at-heel than some of the other resorts in the area, but still possesses a lengthy, busy city beach with the usual assortment of bars and cafés. Indeed a rock concert, Summer Under The Stars, was on the night I visited. Some improvements have been made in the town centre such as dancing water fountains, which delighted the kids. The church of St Jovan Vladimir looked stunning, with the evening sunshine reflecting off its (real gold) domes. If you like brutalist architecture (which I do!) Robna Kuca mall was a great example of a concrete shopping area, and Danilo’s recommendation of the Marnar (Seaman) restaurant was a good one. Lovely surroundings and ample portions made this an obvious family favourite place to eat. My Wiener Schnitzel was very tasty though huge (and suspicially more like pork than veal). A doggie bag was in order for tomorrow’s long journey!
      Read more

    • Day 7

      Montenegro to Serbia Train Trip

      August 8, 2022 in Serbia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

      THE BAR - BELGRADE TRAIN TRIP

      After a good night’s sleep and a delicious breakfast at the Hotel Agape, Bar (not a burek or cevapi in sight!) Danilo called me a taxi, carried my luggage, and bid me a very pleasant trip. He obviously did not train at the Yugoslavian School of Hospitality.

      The Bar - Belgrade train journey is described as one of the most scenic in Europe, and was one of the highlights of the trip which I had been looking forward to. It’s a marvel of engineering with 254 tunnels and 435 bridges. Construction started in the 1950s but was only completed in 1976, and was opened by President Tito himself.

      My single ticket to cover the length of this marathon 11.5 hour journey cost only 21 Euros - a real bargain. Bar station has one café which only sold drinks. When I expressed surprise that there was no buffet car on board, the proprietrix responded ‘well, you should be prepared!’ Thank goodness for the doggy bag of Wiener (pork) schnitzel and the free water I brought from the hotel.

      As is sadly common in many East European trains, the train itself was covered in graffiti - no Orient Express this! As I said there were no catering facilities on board, and the toilets left a lot to be desired. Safe to say, I was glad I had brought my own supply of wet wipes and hand sanitizer! For some reason since COVID, this international train has been reduced to 3 carriages, which made little sense as it was packed. To complicate matters, the website recommended ignoring seat reservations and sitting anywhere. This caused quite a few heated arguments between local folk and backpackers, with much in the way of high raised voices and even higher raised arms.

      However, we were here for the journey - and what a spectacular one it was! Although an older train, the seating was plush and comfortable, and I wisely followed the advice and sat on the left hand side to enjoy the best views. After following the Adriatic coast on leaving Bar, the train soon moved inland, skirting Lake Skadar. Then a gradual climb into the mountains, higher and higher and crossing over what was, until recently, the highest railway bridge in Europe. Plunging into numerous tunnels of varying lengths at such great heights, you couldn’t help but wonder how the railway came to be built. After a while, the rugged bare mountains gave way to rolling tree-covered hills, and then green valleys dotted with small homesteads. There is an excellent 10 minute video on YouTube with the highlights of this wonderful train trip for anyone who is interested (warning, there is a bit when the train hits and kills a horse! 😞 ).

      Amazingly the train arrived at Belgrade’s Centar Station only 10 minutes late after a fantastic 11.5 hour long trip. I took a taxi to my favourite hotel in Belgrade - The Mockba (Moscow). I was in time to enjoy the last hour in the beautiful Wellness Spa, and had the place all to myself - a wonderful way to soak and relax after one of the most memorable train journeys I have been on.
      Read more

    • Day 69

      Beograd

      April 23, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

      Nous décidons de squizzer Podgorica pour nous rendre directement à Belgrade (le train que nous avions prévu de prendre sur la plus belle ligne d’ex-Yougoslavie n’existe que de nuit, contrairement à ce qui est annoncé en ligne, on n’en verra donc pas grand chose).
      Ambiance plus capitaline et européenne, nous profitons des berges du Danube, des bars fumeurs et survoltés, des pop-corn en vente dans toutes les rues, et nous faisons une séance ciné nostalgie avec les Trois mousquetaires en Vostsr. On visite le musée de Yougoslavie et le mausolée de Tito qui est bien moins critique de l’histoire socialiste du pays qu’annoncé dans la museographie.
      Le russophilie se fait un peu ressentir, entre pubs pour Gazprom et nouvelle cathédrale financée par Poutine.
      Read more

    • Day 161

      Belgrade, Serbia

      October 16, 2022 in Serbia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

      Belgrade is the capital of Serbia and former capital of Yugoslavia. It's also one of the most polluted cities in the world based on air quality and you could certainly tell. Its most significant landmark is the Beogradska Tvrđava, an imposing fortress at the confluence of the Danube and the Sava rivers. The fort is a testament to the city’s strategic importance to the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Serbian and Austrian empires, and it's now the site of several museums as well as Kalemegdan, a vast park.

      The city of Belgrade itself was destroyed 44 times throughout the course of its history. Most recently in WWII where half of Belgrade was totally razed. Today its a very fun, younger, and somewhat modern city. It's known for its quaint Bohemian district loaded with cafes, restaurants, and bars in a nature setting. It feels similar to parts of Boston. They have a predominate night club scene with floating clubs situated along the banks of the Sava River. They also have tons of breweries and orthodox cathedrals downtown. It's home to Tito's residence and mausoleum which we toured as its now part of the Yugoslavia museum not far from the city center.
      Read more

    • Day 4

      Waterfront und so…echt chillig!

      October 29, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

      Tatsächlich haben wir erstmal ausgeschlafen… bis halb 10, fast 12 Stunden, da die Uhren ja zurückgedreht wurden kommt noch ne Stunde drauf! 🤣🤷🏻‍♀️ was soll’s, es hat gut getan.
      Nach dem Frühstück sind wir direkt losgestiefelt, hoch zur Burg und dann an die Waterfront zu nem Drink. Da haben wir so schön in der Sonne gesessen, dass wir darauf verzichtet haben die andere Sava-Seite zu erkunden, die liegt nämlich im Schatten,
      Irgendwann sind wir wieder Richtung Fußgängerzone zu einer winzigkleinen Pizzeria in einer Seitengasse, wo es eine richtig leckere Pizza gab.
      Danach noch ein Drink Nähe Hotel und schwups, ist der Tag schon wieder vorbei!
      Read more

    • Immer noch Gegenwind

      March 14, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Tag 8 und 9 wir kämpfen gegen den Wind. Unser Tacho hat die 2000 km überschritten. Jetzt sind wir wieder an der Donau und erreichen Belgrad. Am Nachmittag spazieren wir noch zum Dom der Heiligen Sava und zur Festungsanlage.Read more

    • Day 8

      Belgrade Serbia

      November 18, 2022 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

      Never thought I would come to this part of Europe but so glad I did. I have experienced and seen things I never would have with out cruising with AmaWaterways . It is also great to have excursion options included; 3 this morning and 3 other ones after lunch onboard. And let me tell you the food is AMAzing! Did the active walking tour to visit an amazing Cathedral of St. Sava, the fortress and center of the city of Belgrade. After lunch off to a Plum Brandy tasting.... who would have thought, 1st sip was not super pleasant, but 2nd, 3rd, 4th... wonderful! And they provided some traditional tasty snacks. Longer ride back to the ship because of Friday evening traffic can be congested. Back for Sip and Sail hour, then another amazing dinner. Now sitting on our balcony with some great wine 🍷 Cheers 🥂.Read more

    • Day 158

      Belgrade

      August 22, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

      We both did workouts in the morning followed by a very filling buffet breakfast at the hostel before heading out to explore Belgrade.

      We started our time in Belgrade with one of our favourite activities - a free walking tour. This was definitely necessary as the history had so much history (some of it very complicated and tragic) and it was so interesting hearing the local perspective. The walking tour we did was called the ‘Downtown Walking Tour’ which commenced in the centre of Belgrade, Republic Square. The walking tour was definitely the best way to get around because although Belgrade has old trams that run through part of the city, it is the largest European city without a metro.

      We met our tour guide, Željko, who of course gave us a great overview of the city and the history of the country. We learnt that the Serbian empire settled in the city of Belgrade in around the 6th or 7th century AD, in the 15th century the Ottomans ruled the area until liberation throughout the late 1800s (and some areas of Serbia were not liberated until the early 1900s) and of course there was a lot of political and social unrest in the region in the 20th century (including starting with the Balkan Wars at the beginning of the 20th century). Belgrade's architecture is really interesting because there is such a mix of styles side by side. You can see "brutalist"/"socialist" architecture right next to modern skyscrapers and older traditional styles. This is partially because the city has been destroyed/bombed many times so only parts have been rebuilt in new styles (particularly after WW1 and WW2).

      The guide took us through the pedestrian walkway in the city called Prince Michael Street. Prince Michael was very important for the liberation of the country in the late 1800s and a statue of him on a horse can be found in Republic Square. Even with changes of governments, the name of the pedestrian street has not changed which is surprising and indicative of his influence.

      We then walked through Kalemegdan Park which is the place of the Belgrade fortress. From Kalemegdan Park, you can see an amazing view over the Danube River (which actually runsthrough 10 countries) and see where it meets the Sava River which is 950km long). Belgrade is the only Central European city to be at intersection of two main rivers which meant it has always been one of the most strategic positions in Europe. It is actually considered the second most important geopolitical location in the world (after Istanbul). From this point, you can see where our floating hostel is which is part of New Belgrade which was built after WW2. The New Belgrade area is very flat (European plane) as opposed to the Belgrade side which is very hilly area.

      Of course, in Sarajevo, we learnt about the assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand and how this was an event which triggered the start of WWI (as well as the array of conflict which was brewing across Europe). In Belgrade, the first bombs and casualties of the war occurred. After the assassination, the Austrian-Hungarian empire sent Serbia a list of demands (remembered as one of the hardest ultimatums ever given by one country to another). Serbia agreed to many of the demands but they could not agree to the 2 demands which required that during the investigation into the assassination, the Austrian-Hungarian army would be in charge of the Serbian army and the Austrian-Hungarian court would be in charge of the Serbian court. As a result, exactly one month after the assassination, the Austrian-Hungarian forces entered down from the river to invade and started bombing.

      We then walked through the Kalemegdan fortress which looks really impressive and you can see the different time periods of occupation. The fortress was first built by the Romans in 3BC, Chinese hans then pushed the Romans away, the Byzantine’s then arrived, then Slavic people arrived in 6th century while other people were also still in Belgrade. We learnt that Belgrade was never fully Serbian until the 14th century when the Serbian king married a Hungarian, then through the 15th century Serbia was slowly given to Hungary. In 1878, Belgrade got its independence and since then Belgrade has been the capital of 10 different countries without ever moving location. Belgrade means ‘white city’ because of the white colour of the stones on the fortress. Interestingly, the fortress has been destroyed by war 40 times.

      At the fortress, you can also see the Victor statue which is a now famous symbol of Belgrade. It was created to represent victory after WWI. There was some controversy as to whether it should be in the main square (because the local women did not want a statue of a naked man in the centre of the city) so it was placed at the fortress (which, funnily enough, is now the most visited and viewed tourist attractions in Belgrade).

      We then finished the tour nearby the bohemian area which has a lot of Turkish/ottoman influence. There are lots of cool restaurants and cafes around this area.

      Our tour guide was fantastic and we learnt a lot about Serbia’s history throughout the tour. We also learnt some other interesting things along the way. For example, we saw the oldest primary school in Belgrade which is 300 years old and is where the first game of basketball in Serbia was played in 1923. We also learnt some Serbian words and learnt about how two alphabets are used (the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets). Serbian is an easy language to learn as there are 30 characters in the Cyrillic alphabets- one for a completely different sound- and the language is perfectly phonetic (I.e. there are no annoying silent letters or strange pronunciations!)

      After a lot of information, we went to a nearby truffle shop recommended by our guide and tried some different truffle pastes (including one with paprika!) and some very interesting truffle wine. We didn't know truffles can be found in the mountains in Serbia.

      We made our way back to the hostel where we hired e-scooters from the hostel and went up through New Belgrade to the Zemun area to explore along the water. This is one of the oldest areas of Belgrade and has nice cobblestones and cute restaurants (but the cobblestones were not so nice for the e-scooters!) We enjoyed riding along through the park (the scooters can get reasonably fast) and enjoying the breeze on the scooters after such a hot day of walking around without any relief!

      We then dropped the scooters back at the hostel and when for ćevapi and palaćinke (pancakes) for dinner which was very filling! We then went back to the hostel and watched a movie before going to bed.
      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Stari Grad, Стари град, Στάρι Γκραντ Βελιγραδίου, Opština Stari Grad, スタリ・グラード, სტარი-გრადის მუნიციპალიტეტი, Стари-Град, Градска општина Стари град, 舊格拉德

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android