"Minha Belgrado" #1 - Accommodation in Belgrade

When planning a trip to no matter where, accommodation is usually the first thing that comes to people's minds. And when it comes to accomodation, Belgrade has plenty of options to offer!
The choice of what kind of accommodation suits you best depends on many facotrs, as:

- For how long will you stay in Belgrade?
- What is your budget?
- With how many people are you travelling with?
- What level of comfort and privacy are you expecting?


Option 1: HOSTEL

If you're planning a short stay in the city (up to 15 days) and you're on a tight budget, a hostel would be the best option. Privacy and comfort are not so great, but one of the best things about staying in a hostel is the amazing amount of people from all over the world you get to know. Also, people who work as part of the staff of those hostels are usually very helpful and very, very friendly!

Belgrade is full of hostels (check it our here and here). Here's a small list of some hostels I picked up, highly recommend:

Chillton Hostel

I never stayed on Chillton Hostel, but 3 friends of mine did in January 2009, and they just loved it! Chillton is located in the neighborhood of Vračar, just beside the mighty temple of Saint Sava (the biggest orthodox temple in the world!) and some 15 minutes walking from downtown (some 5 minutes by bus). Nice and quiet location.

Chillton Hostel #1

Hostel Captain Belgrade
I never stayed in this hostel, but as Dušan is the guy on charge of it, I'm pretty sure it must be very good. Dušan helped me finding an apartment to rent when I was in Belgrade in 2008, so I trust him when it comes to accomodation :)
Hostel Captain Belgrade has a great location (in Dorćol, one of my favourite parts of the city!), pretty near Republic Square (Trg Republike), the main pedestrian zone (called Knez Mihailova) and only a couple of blocks from Kalemegdan Fortress, my all-time favourite spot in Belgrade.

Hostel Captain Belgrade

In Old Shoes
This is where my best friend, Sanja, works now. When in Belgrade, I visit her at her working place day in day out, and the general feeling at "In Old Shoes" hostel is that of staying in someone's house - very cozy! Also, the hostel was voted #7 on the list of Top 10 Hostels in Belgrade! The location is awesome too, just some 7 minutes walking from the main pedestrian zone (Knez Mihailova).
Sanja told me a few days ago that the hostel is currently going on maintenance. But still, is worthy checking out with them when the renovation will be due! :)

In Old Shoes Hostel

Af-Terr Hostel
On Obilićev Venac - a street just beside Knez Mihailova and a few steps from Republic Square! - this hostel is located in a lovely building. I stayed on Af-Terr for some 4 weeks in 2008, before I moving into an apartment. Friendly staff, nice accomodations and good price!

Af Terr Hostel

Arkabarka

If you're not choosing your hostel so much based in prices, but more like you're looking for an unique place to stay, than Arkabarka is definitelly the_option for you. Due to its unusual location - on a float on the Danube river (!!!) - the newly built Arkabarka Hostel was recently ranked as the most unusual hostel in the world by hostelworld.com. All the rooms, the glass facade and the balcony on the ground floor offer wonderful panoramic views. Nearby the hostel, also on the river, one will find some of Belgrade best clubs, restaurants and shopping malls.

ArkaBarka Hostel

Option 2: PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION

No matter if you're on a tight budget or not, if you're staying for a longer time in Belgrade and if you're travelling with a group of friends, the best option is definitely private acommodation!
Private accomodation for a group of people can be as cheap as a hostel, only that you will have an apartment all for you and your friends and total privacy.

Beoapartmani
On my last visit to Belgrade (last July and August), me and my 5 friends decided to rent an apartment. after searching a lot on the internet, we ended up picking one of the apartments offered by Beoapartmani. Nena - the lady in charge of Beoapartmani - was really kind, did her best to fit us 6 comfortably in a flat. The apartment was really big enough, quite, all equipped and very well located.
In the website there are dozens of apartments available for rental, with pictures, location details, listed facilities and so on. Highly recommended!

Beoapartmani's 30 downtown PARISKA big Belgrade apartment

Option 3: HOTEL

Now, if budget isn't a problem and/or if you're not staying for such a long time in Belgrade - and if comfort is a must for you - then the best thing is going "traditional" and staying in a hotel.
As any big city, Belgrade is full of hotel options: from small hotels to luxury international ones (such as Hyatt), the options are plenty.

Hotel Moskva
Well, I'm all for tradition. I mean, if I was to stay in a hotel in Belgrade, it would definitely be one that's both classy and traditional, but with some of the local charm and flavour. I wouldn't think twice to pick Hotel Moskva: a 4 stars hotel in the very center of the city (2-3 minutes walking from Knez Mihailova and Republic Square), with a history that traces back over a 100 years ago, when it was opened by King Petar I Karadjordjević himself in 1908. Some of their rooms - that were named after famous guests that stayed at the hotel, like Alfred Hitchcock and Ray Charles - have a beeeeautiful view of the Sava river. Room prices are, actually, pretty affordable to such a traditional 4 stars hotel, with single rooms from RSD 7725,00 (approximately € 75).

Hotel Moskva