EXCITING CITIES
PHOTOGRAPHS: REINHARD SCHMID/4CORNERS, KLUB DVORISTANCE. ILLUSTRATIONS: WORADECH SAMERJAI/TAKO DESIGN/JULIA TIM/SHUTTERSTOCK
BELGRADE, Serbia
WHY NOW? While Prague, Budapest and other
Central and Eastern European capitals have enjoyed
abundant budget airline connections and an influx of
weekend-break crowds, Belgrade seems to have lost
its ticket to the ball. Go now to stake your claim as a
city-break pioneer.
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT? It’s fair to say that away
from the river and imposing Kalemegdan (a ruined-
fortress-turned-public-park), Belgrade is no looker.
Nonetheless, this underrated town makes up for
its relative lack of sightseeing spots and postcard-
worthy views with a gritty, determined energy.
WHAT SHOULDN’T I MISS? To see the changing face
of the Serbian capital, head for the Lower Dorc ́ol
neighbourhood, the city’s oldest quarter, which
extends east beneath the battlements of the citadel.
Its streets historically hosted a mix of Serbs, Croats,
Jews and Turks during Ottoman times; now hipsters
are setting up shop in abandoned workshops, with
artisan micro-roasters, conceptual restaurants and
creative spaces. Drop into Holesterol, a reimagined
version of a Serbian kafana (pub); it serves a
traditional dish of pihtije, a gelatinous cake made of
pig offal (meals from £3). From here, it’s a short stroll
south to Cetinjska St 15: this abandoned brewery is
now swathed in street art and dotted with pop-up
bars and nightclubs that cater to the insatiable
national appetite for techno. That said, if you’d prefer
your breweries occupied and functioning, pop into
Samo Pivo, whose name translates as ‘Just Beer’. A
temple to brewing, its walls are adorned with beer
labels and posters, while the bar itself has the
expressed mission to serve every brand of beer
available in Serbia, with around 50 bottled brews
(samopivo.rs).
HOW DO I GET THERE? Qatar Airways and Turkish
Airlines fly to Belgrade from Singapore or Kuala
Lumpur with one stop each (from £566;
qatarairways.com).Sunset over the Danube
and Sava Rivers from
Belgrade’s majestic
Kalemegdan CitadelTake a break at
reinvented brewery
Cetinjska St 15.
BELOW The lively
nightclub, street-art
and pop-up scene at
Cetinjska St 15VIVE
MONTRÉAL!The Canadian
city of Montréal
is celebrating its
375th birthday
this year with
a jam-packed
cultural
programme,
including street
parties, art
exhibitions, gigs
and pow-wows
(375mtl.com).
WRITERS
READY
Dr Seuss, Mark Twain,
Maya Angelou: all
these feature in
Chicago’s new American
Writers Museum
(americanwriters
museum.org).