Shopping in Belgrade

Different people find different things amazing about shopping in Belgrade. Some enjoy the main shopping streets Kneza Mihaila and Terazije with a mix of well known brands and an occasional flash of domestic production or the large American-like shopping malls like:

• City Passage (Obilićev venac 18-20),
• Delta City (corner of Jurija Gagarina and Doktora Agostina Neta streets in New Belgrade),
• Ušće (on the New Belgrade side of the Brankov bridge) or
• Zira (corner of Cvijićeva and Ruzveltova streets).

In all of these places you will find branded items at prices similar or a bit lower than in the more developed countries as well as a similar shopper friendly atmosphere. The big set back is that the sales are not so frequent and prices never such a bargain as they might be in some bigger economies.

On the other hand, many Westerners find the most amazing experience in Belgrade to be a visit to one of many green markets (pijaca) where one may find fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat products directly from producers. Although they are not necessarily (or are not aware of the fact that they are!) grown to all ecological standards most of the fruits and veggies from Belgrade markets still smell and taste like the real thing. Add the gallery of faces and characters, noisy communication, bargaining and some rakija or beer drinking from the corner shop and you get the idea of an experience that should not be missed. The green market that you are most likely to bump into is the centrally located Zeleni venac, laying next to an important city transport bus terminal. It has recently been renovated loosing some of its smelly charm but the products and their sellers have not changed a lot. Other popular and colorful green markets in central areas of the city are Bajlonijeva pijaca at the bottom of Skadarlija quarter, Kalenić in Vračar and Zemunska pijaca, the green market in downtown Zemun.

Another worthy experience is strolling down the Bulevar kralja Aleksandra, the longest street in Belgrade starting from the parliament building. "The Boulevard" (Bulevar) as it is popularly known is a strange mix of modern shops, the disappearing craftsmen, places that sell all the tidbits you can imagine, and all of that mixed up with a little bit of street selling in the upper end of the street.

Most shops in Belgrade open at 9am and stay open until 9 or 10pm Monday through Friday, with shorter hours on Saturday (mostly until 3 or 5pm), while on Sundays they are closed. The large shopping malls are open 10am-10pm throughout the week. Green markets open on all days at 7am till early in the afternoon, but coming after 1pm you might find most of the stalls already empty.

Your credit card will be accepted in all major shops, but the smaller ones as well as market vendors work only with cash. Therefore you should always have a reasonable amount of dinars with you. Get your money from one of many ATMs (bankomat) or exchange your currency for dinars in an exchange office (menjačnica) none of which charge any commission. Do not change larger amounts of money in the banks since the exchange rate there is not so good.

 

114.0438

 

85.1518

 

92.5755

 

133.1354