01. 03. 2011
Belgrade traveler basics
Disabled travellers
The Delta City and Mercator shopping malls offer facilities for people with disabilities. Pedestrian crossings on the main city arteries have sloped kerbs and large intersections in the centre are equipped with sound signalling systems. And that, sadly, is that. Most restaurants and cafés are inaccessible to disabled patrons and hardly any offer toilet facilities to them.
Geography
Serbia takes up an area of 88,361km2. The country borders Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro. The Midžor peak at Stara planina (Old Mountain) is the highest in Serbia at 2,156m. The Danube flows 588km through the country, the Sava River 206km, and the Drina River forms most of the border to the West (220km). Another important Serbian river is the Great Morava (185km), created by the confluence of the Western Morava (308km) and the Southern Morava (295km). Belgrade itself lies at the confluence of the Sava and the Danube Rivers.
Health
Tap water is safe to drink. The estimated number of AIDS cases is low. Doctors and medical staff in state-run hospitals are professional and reliable and you won‘t need to worry about their skills if you should become ill. The worrying part of the experience is the poor maintenance of state-run hospitals, which is a consequence of underfunding, and the red tape involved in getting admitted to hospital. If you have any minor health issues, it would be better to visit a private clinic so that you avoid an agonising wait.
Homosexuality
Public displays of homosexuality are largely unacceptable in Belgrade. If you are gay, you are advised not to be too affectionate in the street, because intolerant onlookers may respond with varying degrees of hostility. There are a few gay clubs in Belgrade, for more info visit www.gay-serbia.com or www.belgrade-gay.com.
Local laws & Police
Prostitution and drug use are illegal so try and stay away from these potential sources of trouble. Besides, being a foreigner you may not be able to spot plain clothes police officers. Police in full riot gear are a regular sight at football matches but that should not cause you any alarm.
Important phone numbers
Police: 92
Fire Department: 93
Ambulance: 94
Road assistance: 987
Local time
Serbia is in the Central European Time Zone: GMT + 1 hours (in winter), GMT + 2 during daylight saving time. When it is noon in Belgrade it is: 11:00 in London, 06:00 in New York, 21:00 in Sydney and 14:00 in Moscow.
Money
The Serbian currency is the dinar (RSD). The first mention of a "Serbian dinar" dates back to 1214. Each dinar is divided into 100 paras, no longer in use, thus prices at shops are rounded off. Coins come in the following denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 dinars. The banknotes come in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000 and 5,000 dinars. You can change money in a bank or any of the exchange offices dotting the city (they are marked with the logo of the National Bank of Serbia). The differences in exchange rates are negligible. Most banks in Belgrade will change travellers cheques, American Express, Thomas Cook, VISA and Eurocheques. Western Union money transfers from abroad can be collected from the post office and most banks. The first ATM in southern Europe was installed in Belgrade in the early 80s.You can buy almost all goods and services with bank cards, and you need cash only for green markets, kiosks, and parking fees. Throughout the city, there is a large number of ATMs where you can collect money 24h. Cards widely acceptable in Belgrade are VISA, VISA Electron, MasterCard, Eurocard, Maestro, Diners Club and local DinaCard. American Express has recently been introduced to Belgrade market, and a rather limited number of shops and ATMs will accept it.
On the city’s roads
As a result of a surprisingly small number of bridges, a bypass is currently under construction in Belgrade. This will be most welcome when it has been completed because with a motorway running through the centre almost, there are no normal rush hours. Instead, there are traffic jams on the major interchanges pretty much all day long. Belgraders as a rule drive fast and change lanes abruptly without signalling and they do not suffer slower drivers gladly. A yellow line which marks the right-most lane actually means the lane is reserved for public transport and taxis. Do not come too close to the curb, because some mysterious bandits seem to be operating outside the city centre and targeting manhole lids, so you run the risk of your wheel hitting the hole. In short, if you have little penchant for the Dakar Rally experience, it would be best to abandon the idea of driving round Belgrade. After all, the best way to get to know a city is on foot.
Population
Serbia’s population in 2002, excluding Kosovo and Metohija, came to 7,498,001, Belgrade’s in the same year was 1,576,124. The country’s ethnic make up then, again without considering Kosovo and Metohija, was: Serbs 82,86%, Hungarians 3,91%, Bosniaks 1,82%, Roma 1,44% and others 9,97%. The official language is Serbian, with Cyrillic as the official script. However the Latin script is also used just as much
Religion
Orthodox Christianity is the major religion in Serbia. The Serbian Orthodox Church became autonomous in 1219. Other important religious communities are those of Islam, Catholicism and Judaism.
National holidays
1-2 January - New Year’s Days
7 January - Christmas (Orthodox)
15 February - Statehood Day in Serbia
2-5 April - Easter (Orthodox, from Good Friday to second
day of Easter)
1 May - Labour Day
9 May - Victory Day (Commemorative Day)
Smoking
Most Belgraders consider coffee and cigarettes a perfect way to start the day, so it is small wonder that smoking is currently allowed in all restaurants and cafés. However, from 11 November 2010, the city is scheduled to begin enforcing a smoking ban similar to those in place in many EU countries. Smoking is already outlawed only in public premises (banks, post offices, hospitals, etc).
Toilets
Public toilets in downtown Belgrade are extremely hard to find. There are none at the Belgrade Fortress and the nearest one is in Kalemegdan Park. The existing ones are fairly decent, free and can be found in large parks. They are open from 07:00 - 23:00. If you need to use the toilet whilst strolling around the city, you can go to one in a nearby café or restaurant, or a public garage.
Visas
If you are a citizen of the EU, Norway, Switzerland, USA, Israel, Russia, Japan, Canada, Argentina, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cuba, Macedonia, Tunisia, Singapore, Mexico, Bolivia, New Zealand or the Republic of Korea, you can enter Serbia without a visa and can stay in the country for 90 days. Citizens of other countries must obtain a visa from a Serbian consulate before travelling. Within 12 hours of your arrival in Serbia, you are required to register with the nearest police station. If you are staying in a hotel or hostel, they will automatically do that for you. Failure to register carries a massive fine. For all the details on how to extend your stay or procure a working permit, contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate of Consular Affairs C-3, Kneza Miloša 24-26, tel. (+381) 11 306 82 68 or Belgrade City Police (Department for Foreigners) B-3, Savska 35, tel. (+381) 11 361 89 56.
Safety
Belgrade is a fairly safe place. There is not a single part of the city where a girl cannot be out on her own in the middle of the night. There are other hazards that you should be aware of when you are in in the city, though. While you are strolling round the Old Town, beware of the bits and pieces that may fall off the old buildings waiting their turn for restoration. At the same time, you should tread carefully (particularly on Svetogorska, Vlajkovićeva, Palmotićeva and Hilandarska Streets) because irresponsible dog owners hardly ever clean up after their pets, leaving behind a veritable minefield of muck. There are stray dogs too, but they generally mind their own business and don’t cause anyone any bother.
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