Belgrade for a weekend

Start your day at the Kalemegdan fortress. It is the representative site of the city: a place of battles, of taking power, of successive dominations. Its geographical location, dominating the plain to the north-west and the meeting of the Sava with the Danube, is inherent to the history of the city and, by extension, of Serbia. A visit to the fortress and its various sites such as the Army Museum or the statue of the Victor will easily occupy your morning, after which you will have a coffee break or lunch at the kafana

, a Belgrade institution with a warm welcome.

Then stroll along the city's most important shopping street, Knez Mihailova, and don't forget to look up to admire the architecture of one building after another. Pass through Trg Republike (or Republic Square) where the equestrian statue of Prince Michael Obrenovic, the instigator of the shopping street from which you came, stands. Head down towards Skadarlija, the bohemian quarter - or rather, bohemian street - with a false air of Montmartre with which it is twinned. Look out for the kafana where you will return that evening to enjoy the traditional Belgrade nights of tamburasi and rakia.

Head up to Terazije where you will find the Moskva Hotel with its elegant art nouveau architecture. Walk past the Parliament building, which was erected in 1936 in a neoclassical style. Two imposing bronze horse statues stand in front of the building, the work of the famous sculptor Toma Rosandic. Opposite the Parliament are the Stari and the Novi Dvor, respectively the "old" and "new" palaces. The former houses the Belgrade City Assembly and the Mayor's Office. This is also where the assassination of King Alexander Obrenovic and his wife Draga took place in 1903, bringing Peter I of Serbia, of the Karadjordjevic dynasty, to power. Finally, visit St. Sava's Cathedral, the largest Orthodox building in the Balkans. You can finish your day by sitting in an old kafana such as Kalenic.