If you are coming to Belgrade as a tourist (either if you are planning to stay for just a few days or for a longer time) or you have recently moved to this beautiful city, you are probably wondering where and how to meet the locals. This won’t be a hard task, as many people in Belgrade (especially young people) are friendly, open-minded and easy to get to know well. Luckily for you, Belgrade is full of young, beautiful people who will soon become your friends and best hosts around Belgrade that you can possibly imagine!
On a night out
Going out is the best chance to meet new and beautiful people. In clubs, bars and pubs people like to relax, chat and meet new friends. Feel free to approach them and start talking to them if you want to get to know someone. They will usually be glad to introduce you to the Serbian customs, tell you more about the history and famous places around Belgrade and Serbia, and maybe even offer you a short tour around the city. People in Belgrade are easy to talk to, especially if you are interested in getting to know more about Serbian tradition and country in general. They will likely offer you a drink, and having a drink with a local is like an admittance to a group of friends, so be sure not to reject them (especially if they offer you with some rakija). On a night out, you will be surrounded by a bunch of friendly, beautiful people (especially girls), so don’t miss a chance to meet some of them!
On a sporting event
Sporting events, especially if they involve a national team in almost any sport, are also a good chance to get to know the locals. National sports in Serbia are football, basketball and volleyball, and recently tennis. Most football fans are really passionate about their favorite clubs, and the majority of them support the Red Star football club or Partizan. These two football clubs have been rivals for decades, and many fans are really proud of their teams, the matches and the titles they have won, and they will be happy to tell you more about the history of the clubs. However, be warned that attending a match between the two football clubs may be an overwhelming experience for a foreigner (especially if you are not much of a football fan), since this is an occasion when football fans’ passion may escalate and even end up in occasional fights.
For this reason, the best place to meet the locals is a national team match, live or on TV. During an important championship (such as a football or basketball world cup), people (some of whom don’t even watch sports during the rest of the year), like to gather in pubs and bars and watch closely as the national team plays. Serbian people are very passionate about sports, and they will readily tell you all about the success we had in the past, or current favorite players, so if you are interested in finding out more about that, be sure to approach a group of locals (buy them a beer maybe?) and ask them all you want about the game.
On a day out
At weekends, people in Belgrade like to spend more time out then during the rest of the week. Most of them like to go to a cafe or relax in nature, so visiting some of those places might give you a chance to meet some new friendly, beautiful young people in Belgrade. One of the best places to visit and get to know someone is Ada Ciganlija. This small river island is located on the river Sava. It has a number of cafes, sporting facilities, which makes it a very popular recreational spot, popular among many locals. There are tennis and basketball courts, a beach volleyball course, roller skating paths and trim trails, and even a bungee jumping platform. Again, if you are interested in any of these sports, you can join a group of friends and play some of the sports with them.
Even if sport is not your cup of tea, you can meet people at Ada Ciganlija. The beach on the Sava lake is an ideal spot to get to know beautiful people who like to come here and relax after a long week.