Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

562 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE

Shopping & Entertainment

Serbia’s high streets have modern shops selling branded
goods, however, traditional open-air markets where an
array of fresh foodstuffs and craft items are available are
a big draw. Serbia has a lively outdoor drinking cul ture,
with cafés and alfresco bars particularly popular during
the spring and summer months. The capi tal, Belgrade,
has a thriving music and theatre scene with the season
usually running from October to June. A busy schedule
of music festivals takes over in the summer, with Novi
Sad’s EXIT festival drawing the biggest crowds.

CRAFTS AND SOUVENIRS

In Belgrade, the main
upmarket shopping area
is along Terazije and Knez
Mihailova Streets. Open-air
stalls along the main avenue
in Kalemegdan Park (see
pp550–51) in Belgrade display
traditional Serbian handicrafts
such as carpets, opanke
(leather slippers), painted
gourds and shoulder bags
deco rated with folk motifs.
A good selection of items
is also available at the
Ethnographic Museum. For
postcards, guide books, T-shirts
and other souvenirs, head for
the Beoizlog gift shop. The
multimedia store Mamut has
a number of English-lan guage
books and music, and also
sells guidebooks and maps.

FOOD AND DRINK

The Zeleni Venac market in
Belgrade is a good place to
pick up dried red paprika,
scented honey and herbs.
The Serbian national drink,
rakija (brandy), comes in
several varieties although
šljivovica (plum brandy)
and lozovača (grape brandy)
are the most common. Rakija
and other spirits can be bought
at supermarkets throughout
Serbia, although Rakia Bar
and Gift Shop outlets have
a larger range of products.

MUSIC AND FESTIVALS

Serbia’s national opera and
ballet companies are based
at the National Theatre in
Belgrade. The Belgrade
Philharmonic Orchestra per-
forms most weeks in the
Kolarac Hall. Sava Centre is
the venue for musicals, variety
shows and visiting symphony

orchestras as well as major rock, pop and world music acts. Of the festivals, the Belgrade Music Festival in October brings top classical performers, while the Belgrade Dance Festival, held in April, features international dancers. Serbia’s biggest summer rock and pop event, the EXIT Festival, takes place in Novi Sad’s Petrovaradin Fortress (see p556). In August, the Guča Trumpet Festival, sees Serbia’s best brass bands perform in a village southwest of Belgrade.

THEATRE

For classical drama in the Serbian language, both the National Theatre and the Yugoslav Drama Theatre offer quality productions. Novi Sad is the home of the Serbian National Theatre, while Subotica has a dedicated Hungarian-language theatre, the Dezső Kosztolányi Theatre. The Belgrade International Theatre Festival (BITEF), in September, is the leading festival of contemporary theatre in South Eastern Europe.

BARS AND CLUBS

Many of Belgrade’s fanciest bars are located along Strahinjića Bana. Nearby is Skadarlija (see p553), whose restau rants and cafés preserve the atmosphere of the 1920s and 30s and feature live music. In spring and summer, nightlife shifts to the splavovi (rafts) which line the banks of the Sava and Danube rivers. A pop ular one is Povetarac, which plays rock music. Also famous are nightclubs such as Plastic, which play electronic music.

Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

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