Belgrade nightlife guide

Nightclubs, discos, clubs and bars

Although Belgrade (Beograd: the White City) is one of the oldest cities of Europe and has several lovely and interesting sites, even the people born there fully agree it is not a particularly beautiful capital. But about one aspect almost all locals and foreigners are unanimous: Belgrade has a vibrant, wild and varied nightlife which any other European city will find hard to compete with. It seems Belgrade has become the regional nightlife hub, offering cheap drinks and accommodation, a friendly atmosphere and a spirit to party 24 hours a day. Most visitors will wonder if the people of Belgrade ever work since bars and clubs seem to busy, no matter the day of the week or hour of the day. Belgrade is not only gifted with an everlasting party mood but also blessed by its location at the glorious Danube and Sava rivers and Ada Ciganlija, the popular lake where beaches, restaurants, cafes, and the famous floating night clubs open their doors as soon as the weather allows.

Belgrade is famous for its floating bars and clubs on the rivers Danube and Sava, the so called ‘Splavovi’ (Rafting clubs). There are hundreds of these boats and you can choose from rock bars, flashy discos, stylish clubs op air restaurants and vibrant live music performances. Especially the floating bars and clubs of Zemunski Quay (Zemunski Kej) are worth visiting. One of them is Amphora, a stylish and relaxing club close to Hotel Jugoslavija on the quay of the river Danube (Mihajla Pupina Boulevard). Amphora has a lovely terrace overlooking the Danube, the ultimate spot to spend warm summer evenings and watch the glamorous girls passing by. Another cool floating club on Zemunski Kej is Acapulco which is also visited by semi-pros and pros sometimes. Amsterdam is one of the most popular nightclubs on the river Danube and is always frequented by the finest selection of Belgrade girls, easily to approach and party minded. Blaywatch, another floating nightclub (Kej oslobođenja), is often described as the local meat market. The stunning ladies and sexy dancers around the small pool in the centre of the club are a huge magnet to male locals and foreigners. There is a great variety in the musical menu varying from local turbo-folk tunes to charts and disco music. Allowance of entrance by the bouncers can be a challenge but the entertaining scene in Blaywatch makes worth the effort. A bit more prestigious is Club Sound (Brodarska), the first floating club in town, offering different music styles like house, techno, R&B and hip hop. Next to Club Sound you will find Freestyler. Best assets of this popular floating club are the outgoing atmosphere and super sexy go-go dancers. For the best White Russians or Bloody Marry in town it is recommended to pay a visit to Cruise, a floating cocktail bar on the Sava (Sava Quay block 70). During the day it is a sophisticated bar for quiet conversations and relaxing, meanwhile at night it transforms in a rampant and sweaty nightclub. Excellent cocktail are served as well in Bar Central on Kralja Petra street 59 where preparing cocktails is an art and drinking them a way of live. Bar Central has a very relaxing atmosphere and is an excellent venue to start your wild and long lasting tour of Belgrade by night or meet your local date in an intimate setting. Beautiful local ladies can be noticed in Absinthe, the always busy bistro and bar on Kralja Milutina street 33. Another club frequented by lovely local girls is Bard Club on Mitropolita Petra street 8.

Probably the most popular nightspots in Belgrade and not to be missed when exploring Belgrade by night are located in Strahinica Bana street. Strahinica Bana, locally also known under the nickname Silicon Valley (no need to say more) or Ostrich Valley, houses a wide range of fancy cafes and clubs like Ambasada, Kandahar, Nachos, Space, Buongiorno and Ipanema. Club Insomnia on Strahinica Bana 66a is considered to be an excellent pick up joint for local ladies and even some semi-pros. Bistro Pastis on Strahinjića Bana 52b is one of the most popular places in Silicon Valley and populated by many posers, celebrities and glamorous local ladies. Nearby on Strahinjića Bana 48 you can also find Kandahar, a popular bar in Oriental style. A Brazilian flavour can be found in Favela, a sophisticated bar close to Silicon Valley ((Miročka street 3) which is famous for its homemade wine. Its open air terrace in the lush garden is a great place for meeting your local date. You can also go Latin in Havana (Nikole Spasića 1) an evergreen in Belgrade with an attractive and spacious patio where different days of the week are devoted to dances like Salsa, Tango and Merengue.

Good dating opportunities are provided by Galerija on Čunarska street 1, by many considered to be the most romantic café in Belgrade. This charming bar is located in Gardoš close to the Danube quay. The beautiful open terrace and wine cellar are excellent venues for making acquaintance with a Belgrade beauty. For socializing and flirting with locals White (Pariska 1a) is one the places to be in Belgrade. This large cave beneath Kalemegdan Park is always ram-packed with a cheerful and flirtatious young crowd. A more mature clientele can be met in ¿Que Passa? on Kralja Petra 13-15. This classic venue on the ground floor of the luxurious Aleksandar Palas Palace Hotel is a good place to socialize with elderly locals meanwhile enjoying a glass of Armenian cognac and a Cuban cigar. Also popular with people of around 30 years or older is Apartman, tucked away in an old building near Branko’s Bridge (Karađorđeva 43). This colourful designed club houses several rooms, all with an own atmosphere and usually 80’s on the musical menu.

As often the local Irish- or British inspired pubs provide good opportunities to meet expats and the usual local ladies surrounding them. Worth mentioning in that respect are the buzzing Kuća piva (Mileševska 42) that offers live music almost every night of the week and The Three Carrots Irish pub (Kneza Miloša 16), the best place to watch football games in a cheerful ambiance. Marshall Pub (Ćirila i Metodija 2) also attracts a lot of students from the university faculties nearby. Many students also head to Idiot on Dalmatinska street 13, a tiny bar which is very popular with local artists and intellectuals.

One of the best pick-up places in town is Mr Stefan Braun. This always ram-packed club is located on the ninth floor of a commercial building on Nemanjina 4/IX and very popular with expats and foreigners. Mr Stefan Braun is famous for its outgoing atmosphere, wild parties and easy-going girls dancing on the big bar. Club Magacin (Karadjordjeva street 2-4) is a huge disco located at the Sava docks. It is only opened during weekends and it can be very packed with an energetic crowd bouncing to pulsating house and other electronic music provided by a good selection of local DJs. Belgrade has a dazzling number of venues offering excellent electronic music and great DJ sets. Plastic on the corner of Takovska and Dalmatinska street is a very popular and pulsating dance club where often foreign DJs are playing their sets. During summer events take place at Plastic Flow floating club (Savski kej). Anderground (Underground) on Pariska street 1a, opposite to the Swedish embassy is a popular club that has techno, house and hip hop on the menu. The best house club in town with an impressive set-up of DJs and a cool and funky design inspired by the New York club scene, is Bar Baltazar. For deep house and techno you should head to The Tube on the corner of Simina and Dobračina street where the best DJs in town do their shows and the dance floor is usually ram-packed with locals devoted to minimal electronic sounds.  Trance and rather young local folks can be found in X-Lagum, located in an underground cave (Svetozara Radića 5).

Update nightclubs and bars in Belgrade:

Shahrazad: Oriental style coffee bar, on Terazijska passage 1 close to the Hotel Balkan. Indulge yourself into a 1001 nights atmosphere with nargil (hookah), belly dance and pretty Belgrade girls open to acquaintance with foreigners.