3 Best Sights in Serbia

Ancient fortifications overlooking the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers are now one of Belgrade's prettiest city parks. The fortress was built, expanded, destroyed, and built again between the 1st and the 18th century, but current fortifications date largely to the Ottoman period in the 18th century. It's split into the Upper Town (Despot’s Gate, the Clock Tower, the Roman Well, and the Statue of the Victor), and Lower Town (Nebojša Tower, the Turkish bath, and the Gate of Charles VI). The lovely Kalemegdan Park surrounds it all. With spectacular views of the city and perfect sunsets over the rivers, this is one of the most romantic spots it the city. Kids will love the military museum's enormous collection of cannons and tanks, as well as the Grand Stairway, the zoo, and the children’s park. There are a few cafés and restaurants if you need a break. Some attractions charge a nominal fee.

Belgrade's favorite pedestrian street is a lovely promenade that stretches between Terazije Square and Kalemegdan in the city's historic Old Town. This short stretch is packed with Belgrade's most stunning 17th-century architecture, including the Renaissance-style Marko Stojanovic house (now an art gallery) and the Art Nouveau Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Chic clothing boutiques, book stores, galleries, restaurants, and cafes all buzz with energy, making people watching on Knez Mihailova some of the best in the city.

Nikola Tesla, the enigmatic inventor, engineer, and futurist, is best known for his work on the modern alternating electric current (AC) supply system. He's also renowned for his feud with Thomas Edison. According to Tesla, early in his career, while working for Edison Machine Works, Thomas Edison promised him fifty thousand dollars to fix the company's inefficient direct current generators. When Tesla succeeded Edison said, "Tesla, you don't understand our American humor." He instead offered a ten dollar a week raise (Tesla was currently making 18 dollars a week). Infuriated, Tesla quit on the spot and the two remained enemies for the rest of their lives. By the time Nikola Tesla died in 1943, he was 86 years old, had amassed over 100 patents, and made significant contributions to the study of electricity, X-Ray, and radio. There were even rumors of a Nobel Prize in 1915 for both Tesla and Edison, but their long-standing animosity kept them out of the running. Tesla died and was cremated in New York City but his remains, and his life's work, are celebrated here. Housed in a 1929 residential villa designed by architect Dragisa Brasovan, the museum's seven rooms are packed with Tesla's personal belongings—2,000 books and journals, 1,500 photographs, and 1,000 plans and drawings. You can even pay your respect to Tesla's ashes in a gold-plated spherical urn.