Beograd

Anyone ever been there, is it safe? is there much to do, would a day there be enough? im tempted to do a little trip down to sofia for the ireland match and was thinking of starting in italy/slovenia and working my way down and the train down goes through here so thought it might be worth seeing if its worth seeing :D

I spent a few months out there in 2004-5. It's a fantastic place, I stayed in Zemun / Novi Beograd (which is not the best place to stay as it's not that near the center). People are all very friendly and if you make an effort to speak a bit of the language (just hello, how are you, etc etc) they will do anything for you.

It's perfectly safe, there are no problems at all, just watch for pickpockets and bag snatchers at some of the really touristy places (e.g. Kalemegdan up on the hill, Sava Church) but I never saw any problems and it's probably safer than places like Charles Bridge in Prague.

Also other cities in Serbia worth visiting are Novi Sad and Kragujevac... both can be done (at a push) in a day from Belgrade. Also you can probably get to lake Ohrid (Macedonia) too in a day... just.

But the city itself is well worth visiting, if you go now the weather is fantastic too (it can be freezing in winter, like -10 and lots of snow) - but in the summer it's warm, on a par with Florence or Rome.

If you have any more questions on it - e.g. good night life, food, getting tickets for matches (Red Star, OFK, Partizan, Serbian National Team) let me know.

heh just wondering did you get to see any of the Celtic bands there...............................
Tir na Og
irish Stew
or the excellent .............orthodox celts.

youtube them:)

I didnt get to see any of them, but I did go to that Folkoteka place a few times, and some of the disco boat things on the danube. There is a lot of talent in those places in the summer months, and they are actually very friendly if you attempt to speak Serbian no matter how much / little you can speak.

Slovenia is a good place to stop, well worth a look. Lake Bled, Postojna caves and Ljubljana could be done in a few days.

Belgrade is a bit of a kip but worth a look. The Kalmegdan fortress is a good site to visit and overlooks the city and the rivers very nicely. The St. Sava church is an almighty sight to behold, even an outside view prepare you for the enormity inside. The city also has an usual night life based around boats parked in the Danube, lots and lots of boats. The food is excellent also.