Belgrade

Belgrade sits where the Sava flows into the Danube, a position that has made it a prize for Celts, Romans, Slavs, Hungarians, Ottomans and Austrians; the national tourist board says it has been razed and rebuilt as many as 38 times. It has been Serbia's capital since 1841. The Kalemegdan fortress and park, more than 60 hectares of walls, gates and lawns, still dominate the point of land above the rivers, and the old town runs away from it along Knez Mihailova towards Republic Square.

What makes Belgrade different from the neater capitals nearby is its energy. River barges and bars line the Sava and Danube banks, Savamala has street art, galleries and coffee houses with live music, and the city has a reputation for a nightlife that goes on until morning. It is also changing fast, with Belgrade Waterfront and the Belgrade Tower on the Sava. For the wider picture, see our Serbia guide.

Belgrade works for a city break because it is loose, lively and varied. You can walk from a medieval fortress to the Tesla Museum in a day, spend the evening in a riverside bar or a traditional kafana, and still feel you have barely started. The nightlife is a main reason people come, but the museums, the Church of Saint Sava and the parks matter just as much. It also makes a good base: Novi Sad and Fruška Gora are an easy day out. Swap it: Belgrade for Dubrovnik, if you want a Balkan city break with a working capital's pulse rather than a walled old town set up for cruise days; you give up the Adriatic swim.

Belgrade eats in taverns, or kafana, which the national tourist board calls a serious cultural institution in the city; everything good, it says, began in a tavern. Expect grilled meat, salads and pies, and a glass of rakija, the fruit brandy, to start or finish. The tourist board also promotes Serbian wine and craft beer, and green markets are good for fruit, cheese and local produce. Skadarlija is the traditional place for a tavern evening with live music, while Savamala and the Waterfront have newer restaurants. Booking ahead for weekend dinners is wise.

The old town and fortress are best on foot, and Knez Mihailova is pedestrianised. The riverside quarters of Savamala and Dorćol are walkable from the centre, but distances to Vračar, New Belgrade and Zemun are long enough to want a bus, tram or taxi. The FCDO's advice for taxis is to use registered cabs with a municipal registration number alongside the cab number, or to call a radio taxi, and most operators speak English. Expect slow traffic at busy hours, and keep your belongings close on crowded public transport.

The city's Secretariat for Public Transport publishes bus, tram, trolleybus and night lines, plus the BG Voz suburban rail service, with timetables and notices of route changes on its website. Check there before you travel, since routes are sometimes diverted for works. The FCDO says pickpockets work on public transport, so keep bags closed. For fares and how to pay, check the operator's site on the day rather than relying on a printed guide.

• Go to the Tesla Museum early: hourly guided tours run in English and Serbian, individual visits need no booking, but tours can be full, and it takes cash in dinars only.
• Walk Kalemegdan at sunset, when the stone glows and the rivers meet below the Victor monument; the fortress and park are open ground and free to wander.
• Use the riverbanks for evenings: the tourist board points to restaurants and cafés on river barges along the Sava and Danube, and Savamala has coffee houses with live music.
• Carry your passport, since the FCDO says you must always have it for ID, and make sure it was stamped when you arrived.
• Change money only at banks or official exchange offices. British banks do not normally exchange dinars and Scottish and Northern Irish notes cannot be exchanged.
• Avoid protests and large gatherings, and keep some cash and a charged phone with you in case payment systems or networks are disrupted, as the FCDO advises.

Most British visitors fly into Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG). Air Serbia sells flights from London Heathrow and Wizz Air sells flights from London, and the airlines' own schedules show which London airport and which days apply, so check them before booking. Niš Constantine the Great Airport in the south is served by Wizz Air from London, which suits a trip focused on the south rather than the capital. From the airport, use registered taxis, which the FCDO recommends, or the city's public transport; check the airport's website for current options and times. By rail or road, Belgrade's Prokop station is the hub for domestic and international rail, and the FCDO says to enter Serbia only through recognised border crossings.