Belgrade, Serbia: Self-Guided Walking Tour

Looking for things to do in Belgrade? Serbia’s capital brings together Orthodox churches, historic squares, museums, former railway buildings, distinctive neighbourhoods and the contrasting landscapes of central Belgrade, Zemun and Topčider. A free Neywo audio guide for Belgrade covers 124 narrated places, helping you discover the city as you walk.

What to see in Belgrade

Kalemegdan Park and Belgrade Fortress

Kalemegdan Park and Belgrade Fortress form one of Belgrade’s essential historic sites. The fortress stands above the meeting point of the Sava and Danube, while the surrounding park includes the Big Staircase, the Tomb of National Heroes, Mehmed Paša Sokolović’s Fountain and the fortress itself.

The site brings together open space, historic structures and views across the rivers. Neywo’s shortest Belgrade walk focuses on this area, covering 0.42 km and four narrated stops.

Knez Mihailova Street, Republic Square and the National Museum

Pedestrianised Knez Mihailova Street connects shops, cafés, historic façades and cultural landmarks in the city centre. Nearby, Republic Square brings together several important institutions, including the National Theatre in Belgrade and the National Museum of Serbia.

The area also includes the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts building, Studentski Trg, the Sheikh Mustafa’s turbe, the Museum of Pedagogy in Belgrade, the Fisherman’s Statue with a Fountain, the Monument of Gratitude to France and the Gallery of the Natural History Museum in Belgrade.

Nikola Pašić Square

Nikola Pašić Square is one of central Belgrade’s principal public spaces. It was created in the 1950s during the reorganisation of the Terazije area, whose original hilly terrain had to be substantially levelled. Until 1992, the square was known as Marx and Engels Square.

The square takes its current name from Nikola Pašić, who served as mayor of Belgrade, prime minister of Serbia and prime minister of Yugoslavia. A monument to him was erected in the early 1990s. The Home of the Trade Union and one of Belgrade’s largest fountains dominate the square, while the Museum of Yugoslav History stands opposite it.

St. Mark’s Church and Tašmajdan Park

St. Mark’s Church is one of Belgrade’s best-known Serbian Orthodox churches. Set in Tašmajdan Park, it was built between 1931 and 1940 in the Serbian-Byzantine style, with an exterior modelled on the Gračanica Monastery.

The church replaced an older wooden church on the same site. That earlier building had stood there since 1835, and King Alexander Obrenović and Queen Draga Obrenović were buried there after their assassination during the May Coup in 1903. German bombing badly damaged the old church in 1941. The newer building was consecrated in 1948.

Saint Sava Church

Saint Sava Church stands on the Svetosavski Plateau and is one of Belgrade’s most striking landmarks. It is a Serbian Orthodox Christian church and one of the defining sacred buildings in Serbia’s capital.

Manak’s House

Manak’s House, or Manakova kuća, stands on the edge of the former Savamala area. The building preserves a collection of around 2,600 objects and is protected as a cultural monument. It was declared a cultural monument in 1963 and later recognised as cultural heritage of great importance.

Belgrade Main railway station

The monumental former Belgrade Main railway station building stands on Sava Square. It served as the city’s main railway station from 1884 to 2018. The building is now being adapted for the Historical Museum of Serbia.

Zemun

Across the river, Zemun has a distinct historic character. Its sights include narrow streets, Austro-Hungarian architecture, Gardoš Tower and the Danube-side setting. The neighbourhood also contains the Monastery of Saint Archangel Gabriel, the Zemun Gymnasium, the Homeland Museum of Zemun, the Magistrate in Zemun, Gospodska Street and several churches.

The Monastery of Saint Archangel Gabriel is also known as the Zemun monastery. Its church was built in 1786 on the site of an older church in the Donji Grad neighbourhood, while the monastery was officially established in 1990.

Topčider Church

The Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, commonly called Topčider Church, stands in Topčider Park beside the Residence of Prince Miloš. Prince Miloš Obrenović founded and supported the church, which was built between 1832 and 1834.

Construction began on 28 July 1832, and delays extended the work until the summer of 1834. The church’s bell tower and konak incorporated old headstones, while Prince Miloš donated three bells. Two were removed and melted down for arms production during the Austro-Hungarian occupation in the First World War; the smallest bell survived.

The Church of St. Nicholas and Novo groblje

The Church of St. Nicholas is located within the Novo groblje complex on Ruzveltova Street, in the Zvezdara municipality. It was founded as a bequest by Stanojla Petrović, the widow of a state adviser to Prince Miloš.

The surrounding cemetery complex is also associated with the Eternal Flame, the French Military Graveyard, the Monument to the Red Army and the cemetery known as “The Liberators of Belgrade”.

Other religious and cultural landmarks

Belgrade’s varied religious heritage includes the Catholic Church of St. Peter the Apostle, built on its present site in 1933. Its parish was established in 1930, and the church belongs to the Archdiocese of Belgrade.

The Church of Saint Anthony of Padua is another significant Roman Catholic building. Designed by the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik, it was built between 1929 and 1931 and dedicated to Anthony of Padua.

The Gallery “Remont” is a cultural venue in Belgrade, while the Vuk Karadžić Library is connected with the Vuk Theatre. Since 2014, the library has been under the authority of the City of Belgrade and is intended as an artistic testing ground, particularly for young artists and creators.

The Museum of Aviation

The Museum of Aviation explores both civilian and military aviation history. It was founded in 1957 under the Command of the Air Force and Air Defence and moved to its current glass-and-concrete building at Belgrade airport in 1989.

Its collections contain more than 200 aircraft, including 50 inside the building and around a dozen displayed on the surrounding platform. Highlights include the Italian Fiat G-50 fighter—the only preserved example in the world—a replica of Ivan Sarić’s Sarić 1 and Oluj 11, described as the first armed aircraft used in the Serbian army.

A Belgrade self-guided walking tour with Neywo

Neywo offers five walking tours in Belgrade, one bus route and one bike route. The walks range from 0.42 to 5.8 km and from 30 to 223 minutes, with four to 12 narrated stops. The EKO2 electric bus route covers 3.7 km in 16 minutes and has eight stops. The Kalemegdan bike route covers 2.1 km in 11 minutes and has eight stops.

Together, these routes cover the city centre, Kalemegdan, Zemun, Vračar, the boulevards and the area between the National Museum and St. Mark’s Church. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages.

Download Neywo and explore Belgrade with a free audio guide that turns the city into a self-guided tour. For more ideas elsewhere in Serbia, consider adding Novi Sad, Sremski Karlovci, Niš or Smederevo to your itinerary.