Belgrade Beer Festival-August 2010

broders3

Hey Guys & Dolls,

I am thinking of going to the Belgrade Beer Festival this August 18th to 22nd as a nice alternative to Oktoberfest. (I went there last year). I am a drinker with a running problem and I tend to reward myself with drinking holidays after a marathon induced period of sobriety!

Does anyone have any experience of this festival? How to get there? Is it good fun? Cost of beer? Accomodation. Any information is gratefully received.

Broders3

M5

broders3 wrote: »

Hey Guys & Dolls,

I am thinking of going to the Belgrade Beer Festival this August 18th to 22nd as a nice alternative to Oktoberfest. (I went there last year). I am a drinker with a running problem and I tend to reward myself with drinking holidays after a marathon induced period of sobriety!

Does anyone have any experience of this festival? How to get there? Is it good fun? Cost of beer? Accomodation. Any information is gratefully received.

Broders3

Belgrade has a reputation as a party/clubbing city so i'd imagine it being decent craic. I was there myself, not during the festival though. City is nice enough but not spectacular. Prices are low for everything. Beer just over a euro a go and cigs about €1 for 20. A tenner will get you a basic dinner. Bear in mind its a year since i was there and the festival may increase prices. Ladies are fantastic in Serbia too btw...

broders3

Thanks M5! I had heard it was pretty cheap. Going to be a bit expensive getting there but the low prices there should more than make up for it.

LiamMc

For a route, Landing in Budapest and getting an overnight train down is an acceptable way of entry into Serbia and Belgrade.

The number of hostels have increased in the last few years, if you can find a resonably priced apartment you're doing better than me.

A hotel I've stayed in the past is Hotel Royal, near the Kalemegdan Fortress. http://www.hotelroyal.rs/en/index.php
Unfortunately its prices has gone up recently.
It had a restaurant that stayed open late for non-guests so it was busy with eaters grabbing something after a night out. I prefer it when the people I'm talking with are more drunk then me.

Other venues that might be part of the festival - sedate day-time drinks,
Hotel Moskva, Terazije city center.
http://www.hotelmoskva.rs/en/ I understand it was the only hotel outside of Moscow with Moscow in it's name, that may have changed with 'Soviet-chic' in the last ten years.

Two places across the river in Novi Beograd/New Belgrade.
Hotel (Inter) Continental, I believe it was part of the worldwide chain but was dropped in the 1990's.
http://www.continentalhotelbeograd.com/home.13.html
Up to last year it was dark wood and Art Deco stuff, that website looks like some of it's changed.

Sava Centar
http://www.savacentar.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83&Itemid=71&lang=en
It's conference and concert venue. But still interesting to walk around and it's possible to get a beer here but unlikely to be part of the festival. Although chances of some major world artists playing here are high.
http://www.savacentar.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=451%3Alord-of-the-dance&catid=38%3Anaslovna&lang=en

On this side of the river Sava is the village of Zemun which has alot of restaurants to entice day-trippers, so there maybe something going on here aswell.

Down in the southern part of the city is Ada Ciganlija and normally there are party boats along both sides of a wide part of the Sava.

The biggest Serbian beer is Jelen Pivo ( brown bottle, yellow label) I don't like it. For me Lasko (Slovenia, Green Bottle, Green/white label) is better. Kamenitska(?) Bulgaria is ok aswell.
these are all mass-produced beers, none of them for the conniseur.

hermano

Anyone been in the last couple of years? Is it worth going to? Was thinking of going in August