Special treat: Square Nine is one of Belgrade’s newest hotels, barely two years old. Spacious rooms look out onto the lively Studentski Trg while guests can enjoy the indulgent spa. Doubles from £220.
Mid-range: The five-star Metropol Palace (00381 1133 33100; metropolpalace.com) is very good value, with beautiful, light interiors overlooking Tasmajdan park. There is also a spa. Doubles from £127.
Budget: Hotel Park (000381 1136 40385; hotelparkbeograd.rs) is clean, comfortable, and a short walk from the centre. Doubles from £59.
7pm: Head to Trg Republike, the main square, and watch young Belgraders waiting to meet their dates by the statue of Prince Michael.
Day one @10am: Take a trolleybus to the Museum of Yugoslav History (00381 1136 71485; mij.rs) in south Belgrade. Tour the House of Flowers, Tito’s marble mausoleum amid a winter garden.
3pm: Wander Kalemegdan, the ruins of a fortress built to keep out the Ottomans, who invaded and adapted it as their own defensive outpost on the hill overlooking the confluence of the Sava and Danube.
8pm: Take an inexpensive taxi to the ferry terminal. Its Twenties warehouse now houses Iguana (00381 1132 83749; iguana.rs), a buzzing restaurant with great views over the Sava.
10pm: Next door, Cantina de Frida (cantinadefrida.com) attracts a younger crowd for Cuban-themed live music and occasional Serbian takes on Queen classics. It has an exhaustive cocktail list.
12pm: Catch the tram to Destilerija (destilerija.rs), a bar entirely dedicated to rakia (Serbian brandy). Order their plate of five canapés, which each come with a shot glass of matching rakia.
