I only had the day today in Belgrade (little did I know that the plan would change, and how!), so I wanted to see as much as I could. I got up early and set off by myself.
I headed towards Republic Square, the vibrant central hub of Belgrade, and saw the Prince Mihailo Monument, a bronze equestrian statue in the centre. I also saw the Belgrade Clock, the Monument to Branislav NuΕ‘iΔ, and the Monument to Vasa ΔarapiΔ nearby.
From here, I walked to see the Bajrakli Mosque, a historic Ottoman-era landmark in Belgrade. It is the only surviving active mosque in the city. The neighbourhoods and streets of the city were pleasant and quiet at this time of the day.
From here, I walked towards the Belgrade Fortress. I saw the Monument to Rigas Feraios and the Art Pavilion “Cvijeta ZuzoriΔ” along the way. I crossed through the Outer Stambol Gate and saw the military tank exhibition of the Military Museum, followed by the Baroque Gate and the Sahat Tower.
From the top of the fortress, I took in expansive views of the Sava and Danube rivers, the Belgrade cityscape, and the waterfront. In the distance, I could even spot Zemun.
Close by stood The Victor, a bronze male figure atop a tall stone column. Walking down, I saw the Tomb of National Heroes and eventually made my way back down via the Small Staircase.
I visited the Cathedral Church of Saint Michael the Archangel, a Baroque-style cathedral featuring a striking, tall green-and-gold bell tower.
I walked back towards Voyvoda Vuk Park and saw the Duke Vuk Monument and the Aleksandar Deroko Monument. My wife and I had planned to meet somewhere on ObiliΔev Venac for breakfast.
After looking at a few options around, we decided on April Beograd CafΓ© & Restaurant. It was great to have a relaxed breakfast after a full morning of walking.
As per our original plan, my wife had another day in Belgrade at the end of the trip and would cover what I had explored this morning. After breakfast, we headed out to see the rest of Belgrade together.
We walked past the Old Palace and the New Palace, paused at the Monument to Tsar Nicholas II Romanov, and reached the House of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbiaβa masterpiece of Academic Renaissance and Baroque Revival architecture.
Our next stop was St. Mark’s Orthodox Church, built in the Serbo-Byzantine Revival style with a red-and-cream brick facade and ornate interiors.
Right behind this stood the smaller Holy Trinity Church, a Russian Orthodox Church. We also saw the RTS (Radio Television of Serbia) building, which was struck during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. A sheared section of the demolished concrete facade was intentionally left unreconstructed as a stark, open-air memorial to the victims.
TaΕ‘majdan Park featured several evocative sculptures and memorials, including the Don Quixote Sculpture, the Monument to the Golden Forest, and the “We Were Just Children” monument. Further down near the fountain, we came across the Statue of Heydar Aliyev and the Milorad PaviΔ Monument.
We made a quick detour to ManjeΕΎ Park to see the Bust of Josif MarinkoviΔ and the Sculpture of a Girl by Risto StijoviΔ.
Next, we walked to Slavija Square to see the fountainβit was refreshing just to watch the water on such a warm day. We also saw the bust of Dimitrije TucoviΔ. From there, continuing along Svetog Save brought us to our final stop of the day.
The Church of Saint Sava, the largest Orthodox place of worship in the Balkans, was truly magnificent. A bronze statue of Saint Sava greeted us outside. The temple itself is a massive masterpiece of Neo-Byzantine architecture, with stunning gold and coloured glass mosaics adorning the interior.
The Small Church of Saint Sava was situated on the same grounds, and the KaraΔorΔe Monument honouring ΔorΔe PetroviΔ was nearby. After a wonderful day exploring Belgrade, it was time to make my way to the airport for my flight back to Zurich for the rest of my work trip.
Since my wife had nothing scheduled for the evening, she decided to join me on the journey to the airport to see me off. We took Bus 31 from KaraΔorΔev Park to Terazije and connected to Bus 72 from Zeleni Venac to Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.
Once we arrived at the airport, she discovered that her wallet and passport were missing from her sling bagβeven though the zippers were fully closed. She called the hotel reception and asked if someone could use the master key to inspect our room in case she had left them there. A few minutes later, the hotel called back to confirm there was no sign of them.
Our original plan had been for me to wrap up the remainder of my work trip while my wife spent the next couple of days visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina. We were then supposed to meet up later in the week in Tirana, Albania, before continuing to Montenegro and North Macedonia together. With her passport gone, none of that was possible.
All we could do was wait until morning to contact the Indian Embassy. We decided that I would carry on with my work trip and return to Belgrade a few days later, while she stayed behind to begin the paperwork needed to travel back home to India. The pickpocketing incident put a major damper on our spirits and completely derailed the rest of our travel itinerary.
My wife took Bus 72 back to the city and went to the local police station near the hotel, but the officers required someone fluent in Serbian to interpret before registering the complaint. Fortunately, the lady managing the hotel where she was staying agreed to accompany her to the police station on Monday morning to complete the formalities.
Back at the hotel, my wife emailed the Indian Embassy about the incident and then began looking into what might have happened. She discovered we had fallen victim to bump and zip pickpocketing. Hearing that, I immediately recalled a girl bumping into my wife while alighting from the bus between KaraΔorΔev Park and Terazijeβbut I had thought nothing of it at the time. I was standing right there, and my wife was in my sight the entire time, yet I didn’t spot anything unusual. The whole experience left us feeling completely blindsided.
At the airport, I went through passport control and security, then stopped at the Business Club lounge for a late lunch before boarding my flight to Munich and onwards to Zurich.
The first flight to Munich on Lufthansa was smooth and comfortable, offering great aerial views of Munich Airport right before touchdown.
Because I was re-entering the Schengen zone at Munich, the border officer initially assumed I was entering for the first time on this visa, prompting some extra questions. I clarified that I had already entered Switzerland the previous week and was simply returning from a weekend trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
My connecting flight to Zurich on Swiss was slightly delayed. After landing, I grabbed a quick bite at the Zurich Airport McDonald’s before making my way to the hotel.
ποΈ Villa Terazije
π½οΈ April Beograd
π Bus 31 from KaraΔorΔev Park to Terazije
π Bus 72 from Zeleni Venac to Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport
π½οΈ Business Club
βοΈ Lufthansa 1737
βοΈ SWISS 1737
π½οΈ McDonald’s