How to Tour Belgrade Street Art With Serbian Artists!
Belgrade’s street art is incredible, and it’s now possible to take a walking tour of the Belgrade street art scene with the artist themselves!
Take a walk around Belgrade, Serbia and you’ll quickly notice that the streets, alleys, and sidewalks are electrified by an overdose of amazing street art.
The colorful artwork is a welcome reprieve from the brutalist architecture that characterizes large portions of the city.
The absolute coolest thing I did in Belgrade was to take a tour with Street Up Tours, an incredible new group found by some local street artists that provides guided tours of Belgrade’s incredible street art scene.
In this post, I’ll give you a brief taste of why I loved it so much with some photos of Belgrade’s amazing street art scene:
Oh, and before we dive in, be sure to check out our article on The Best Places to Visit in Serbia (hint: Belgrade came in at #1).
Tours of Belgrade’s Amazing Street Art
Bear in mind that these photos are actually just a tiny sample of the incredible Belgrade street art you see on the tour. Note that I don’t get anything at all for recommending Street Up — I just loved the tour so much and think it’s a really interesting and off-beat thing to do in Belgrade. It costs 17 euros but, even if you are traveling on a budget, I think it is more than worth it.
There are a number of tours on offer that will take you to different parts of the city. You can go to the Salvamala district, the old Dorcol area, or Ciglana — an old abandoned brick factory that is now a hub for artists. There is even the option to spend time with some artists as they make street art – and to make some yourself!
READ NEXT: Zemun Serbia – The Ultimate Guide
The street art scene in Belgrade is really enormous and really diverse, so there is a lot to see. If you’re a fan of amazing street art, it’s worth adding Belgrade to your Balkans travel itinerary just to see these incredible colors!
👉 A Note on Serbia Travel Safety: Serbia is generally a very safe place to travel, but things can go wrong (especially these days). Check out our article on the best insurance for Serbia to learn how to protect your trip.
Political Street Art in Belgrade
One of the things that struck me the most about the Belgrade street art scene was just how political so many pieces are. There are a number of pieces that promote veganism, environmentalism, and various different progressive causes.
A common stencil piece you’ll see all over the city reads “Make Money Not Art,” which is a tongue-in-cheek reference to societal and governmental attempts to limit and control Belgrade’s street artists.
This next stencil is a message of piece written in collaboration between Serbian street artists and refugees from Syria:
Sanctioned Street Art in Belgrade
Although, as everywhere, much of Belgrade’s street art is rogue and unsanctioned, there are also government and business-sponsored efforts to encourage street art in certain places.
More of My Favorite Belgrade Street Art
Here are a few more of my favorite street art pieces from around Belgrade:
Want to take your own walking tour with Belgrade’s street artists?
If you’re going to Belgrade, I highly encourage you to get in touch with Street Up tours at their website here. As I said, I don’t get a thing for suggesting them. I just loved it so much and think you may too. And if you can’t make it there just yet, you can still marvel at their really cool Instagram feed.
Lastly, for more reading on Belgrade’s street art scene, check out Time Travel Turtle and Drive on the Left. And if you need a break after walking around to see all the street art, pop into one of Belgrade’s coffee shops.
And if you’re headed to Europe, be sure to check out my guide on how to pick the best backpacking for traveling Europe.
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Wicked street art. I spent soooo much time in Belgrade earlier this year (tried moving there but had some wifi issues and had to pack up and go back to Timisoara), but I never really got a chance to explore the street art scene. I definitely will do so when I head back. Thanks for the shout, btw 🙂 Great post
Thanks! Belgrade is such an awesome place. But it was just so sweltering when I was there that I had to high tail it out after a few days. Every photo here was taken in 40+ degree heat! So I definitely want to go back when it’s cooler and I can enjoy it without constantly feeling drained.
Interesting to see the shift in graffiti messages – when I was there in 2015, I saw more homophobic graffiti than I care to recall, along with lots of stuff about Serbia’s relationship with Russia. I like the contrast your photos give!
Oh, gosh that’s terrible (re: the homophobic graffiti). The photo I have here that was vandalized by the rival football club unfortunately saw a bit of that (if you stare closely you can see the outlines of a swastika that was later washed off). But otherwise what I mostly saw was an incredibly progressive scene. The pro-vegan art in particular is just everywhere!
Ooh I love street art! I took a walking tour with Seecret Tours in Liverpool that focused on street art – it was fascinating. Once I had some pointed out to me I started finding pieces everywhere. Just like you saw in Belgrade, it really gives you a sense of a city’s personality. (Of course, when I showed my dad the pictures, he was like, “Oh, so much graffiti, what a shame!” haha).
Haha, of course some people see it the same way as your dad. Apparently it’s hugely controversial in Belgrade – hence the “Make Money, not Art” stencils, which sprung up in response to what the artists feel are attempts to stymie them.