What to do in Belgrade - tips for Charles and Camilla

It may have a dark recent history, but - as the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will no doubt discover on their official visit this week - the Serbian capital is a cultured city on the move.

Why go now?

Few British tourists trouble Belgrade - for now. Some remember the wars of the 1990s and the NATO bombing campaign and prefer to stay away. Others, though, are simply put off by its relative ugliness. Even Uroš Petrović, one of the city’s most prominent writers, admits the Serbian capital is not “overly beautiful”.

Yet, look beyond its Soviet-era commercial quarter and you will find a fascinating, vibrant city, with some surprisingly attractive pedestrianised streets in the centre, and a certain charm along the riverbanks of the Danube and Sava. More than 40 invasions have coloured the architecture, and stained its history with blood, but the city is flourishing once more with a lively artistic and cultural scene (concerts this spring range from Beyoncé to Andrea Bocelli). Its youthful population makes the nightlife legendary and the great value coffee shops, bars and restaurants are so thriving you may wonder when any work gets done. Go now, before everyone else finds out.

Getting there

Two airlines fly direct to Nikola Tesla Airport from the UK: Wizz (wizzair.com) from Luton, and Air Serbia (www.airserbia.com) from Heathrow. It's a short taxi ride from the airport to the city centre.

Where to stay

Special treat: Square Nine (Studentski Trg; 00381 1133 33500; squarenine.rs) is one of Belgrade’s newer hotels, just a few years old. Its chic interiors are hardly traditional Serbian, though: the Brazilian architect insisted on importing the sophisticated dark wood that dominates. Spacious rooms look out onto the lively Studentski Trg while guests can enjoy the indulgent spa.

Mid-range: The five-star Metropol Palace (Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra 69; 00381 1133 33100; metropolpalace.com) is very good value for money. Built in 1950, it was originally intended as the grand headquarters of the Committee of the National Youth of Yugoslavia. But Marshal Tito converted it into a hotel when he fell out with Stalin, and it went on to host Che Guevara, Alfred Hitchcock and Louis Armstrong. It now boasts beautiful, light interiors overlooking Tasmajdan park. There is also a spa. 

Budget: Hotel Park (Njegoseva 2; 000381 1136 40385; hotelparkbeograd.rs) is only a short walk from the city centre and is clean and comfortable. Guests can also use the gym and sauna. A little further away, the rooms at Hotel Crystal (Internacionalnihbrigada 9; 00381 715 1000; crystalhotel-belgrade.rs) are larger and the well-stocked bar is lively before dinner.

On arrival

7pm

Head to Trg Republike, the capital’s main square and watch young Belgraders waiting to meet their dates by the statue of Prince Michael, who ended the Turkish occupation in the 19th century. Then stroll along Strahinjica Bana, known locally as “silicon valley” for being the haunt of those wealthy enough to afford cosmetic surgery. Have an excellent cocktail at Pastis (Strahinjica Bana 52b; 00381 1132 88188).

9pm

Just round the corner is Supermarket (Visnjiceva 10; 00381 1129 10942; supermarket.rs), which attracts a trendy crowd for fusion food and steaks.

Day one

10am

Take a trolleybus to the Museum of Yugoslav History (Boticeva 6; 00381 1136 71485; mij.rs) in South Belgrade. Tour the House of Flowers, Tito’s marble mausoleum amid a winter garden, and browse the fascinating collection of gifts from ordinary Yugoslavians to the former president.

Between April and October, you can take an 11am tour of the nearby Royal Compound (Bulevar Kneza Aleksandra Karadjordjevica 96; 00381 1130 64014; royal.rs). Tito abolished the monarchy but Prince Alexander II returned to live in the palace with his family in 2001. Wander the gardens sculpted by Édouard André, who designed parks at Versailles, and admire the Louis XV-style furnishings inside.

12pm

Stop at the Cathedral of St Sava (Krusedolska 2) for a rare chance to see a country’s most important church still under construction. The imposing white marble exterior and 4,000-ton dome have taken more than 80 years to build. It will be years before the mosaics inside are complete.

1pm

Lunch at Varoš Kapija (Zmaja od Nocaja 12; 00381 1126 24184; varoskapija.rs), which translates as "question mark", hence the "?" sign outside. When the original proprietor opened the city’s oldest restaurant in 1823, he named it after the nearby Belgrade Orthodox Cathedral. Asked to change it by the church, he defiantly chose the current name. Try the hearty veal soup followed by muckalica (pork escalope) and a Turkish coffee.

3pm

Wander Kalemegdan (Terazije 3; 00381 1126 20685; beogradskatvrdjava.co.rs), the ruins of a fortress which was built to defend the city from the Ottomans, who then invaded and adapted it as their own defensive outpost on the hill overlooking the confluence of the Sava and Danube. Today it is the city’s most popular park where Belgraders gather to admire the fine view.

8pm

Take an inexpensive taxi to the ferry terminal. Its 1920s warehouse has recently been refurbished and now houses Iguana (Karadordeva 2-4; 00381 1132 83749; iguana.rs), a buzzing restaurant with great views over the Sava where wealthier Belgraders head for an intimate dinner accompanied by live contemporary jazz. The fish and seafood menu changes often but try the prawn salad with jalapenos if you can. The Serbian dry white wine, Tamjanika, is particularly good.

10pm

Next door, Cantina de Frida (Karadordeva 2-4; 00381 1121 81107; cantinadefrida.com) attracts a younger crowd for Cuban-themed live music and occasional Serbian takes on Queen classics. It has an exhaustive cocktail list.

Day two

10am

Reflect for a moment on all the bloodshed at the military museum (Kalemegdan 66; 00381 1133 43441; muzej.mod.gov.rs), which holds a fascinating collection of weaponry from Celtic spears to cluster bombs that landed in the 1990s. Photography from recent conflicts is especially poignant.

11am

The ethnographic museum (Studentski Trg 13; 00381 1132 81888; ethnografskimuzej.rs) hosts a seemingly endless array of traditional national costumes as well as a series of mocked-up interiors that show the diversity of 19th-century life in the Balkans. The building was also the Nazi’s high command headquarters during their occupation of Yugoslavia.

12pm

Catch the tram to Destilerija (Nebojsina 41; 00381 1124 36098), a bar entirely dedicated to rakia (Serbian brandy). Order their plate of five canapés, which each come with a shot glass of matching rakia, from honey to plum. Buy a bottle or two to take home. 

Belgrade checklist

1. Public transport - including taxis - is inexpensive in Belgrade. Bus, trolleybus and tram tickets are cheaper at newspaper kiosks than from the driver. Only take official taxis with “TX” on the licence plate
2. Belgrade’s best known classical music event, the Bemus Festival (bemus.rs), takes place in October
3. For more information, visit the Belgrade tourist board website attob.rs