Belgrade, the modern-day capital of Serbia, is one of Europe’s oldest cities, dating back some 7,000 years. Signs of its tumultuous history are visible everywhere, juxtaposed with the city’s vibrant modern-day present.
Featured Excursion:
Nights Out: Serbian History with Private Concert
Join a private after-hours visit to the Kalemegdan Fortress. Considered one of the most culturally significant monuments in the country, this imposing structure sits on a cliff overlooking the Danube. It’s the perfect setting for an atmospheric evening of music, arranged just for the guests.
Please note: on this itinerary's March 30 and April 4 departures, the private evening excursion and concert instead take place in the National Museum of Serbia, which houses an impressive collection of Serbian art and archeological findings.
Choose between:
Belgrade City Tour with Visit to the Royal Grounds of Karadjordjevic Dynasty Palace
As a motorcoach carries you through the city, you’ll see a mix of architectural styles that reveal the city’s past, ranging from Gothic, Ottoman, baroque, and art nouveau to utilitarian Communist apartment blocks and modern high-rises. While Belgrade has been no stranger to political upheaval, the 19th-century Residence of Princess Ljubica and serene old residential streets speak of calmer days, as do the bustling present-day café-lined boulevards. You’ll pass the tomb and memorial museum of Josip Broz Tito, which is located at the site of Tito’s former residence in Belgrade’s affluent Dedinje neighborhood, and visit Kalemegdan Fortress, high on a hill above the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers.
Ancient Romans built the first fortress here, and successive conquerors and defenders—Slavs, Byzantines, Ottomans, Habsburgs—continued to build and destroy fortifications on this site for another 1,500 years. Walk along the old stone walls, passing monuments and memorials (some surprise you—poets and composers are honored here as well as military actions), for a sense of Serbia’s distant and more recent history. It’s not the only intriguing historical sight you’ll see today, however. You also visit the Karadjordjevic Dynasty Palace and sip a glass of sparkling Serbian wine as you tour a compound of palaces built in the 1920s and 1930s. Serbia’s royal family, which is related to most of Europe’s royalty, has a strictly honorary position in modern-day democratic Serbia, but Crown Prince Alexander (who did not feel that taking the title of king was appropriate when his father died in exile in the United States in 1972) and his family still live in these palaces. A local expert show you the public rooms of the Royal Palace, the White Palace, the adjacent chapel, and the spacious grounds.
OR
Let's Go: "I Bike Belgrade" Tour
Mount a bike and spend a leisurely half-day getting an up-close look at Belgrade. Ride towards the island of Ada Ciganlija, an island in the middle of the Sava River with picturesque bike paths that wind through a beautiful park and beach. You’ll circle through the park, just as the locals do when they are looking for an active day out, and take a break with a refreshment before heading back to the ship.
