Hotels near Republic Square and the National Museum

Republic Square (Trg Republike) is Belgrade's most important public space, the natural meeting point for the whole city. The 1882 bronze equestrian statue of Prince Mihailo Obrenovic in the middle - Serbs simply say we'll meet 'kod konja' (by the horse) - points at the direction the Ottoman troops retreated after the 1867 handover of the Turkish-held cities. The square is flanked by the neo-Renaissance National Theatre (1869) and the National Museum, and opens south into the shopping streets Vase Carapica and Terazije.

The National Museum reopened in 2018 after a 15-year restoration. Its 400,000-object collection spans Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday 10:00-18:00, Thursday and Saturday 12:00-20:00, and closed Monday. Admission is 300 RSD and free on Sundays. Highlights include the 4th millennium BC Vinca Culture figurines, the Miroslav Gospel (Serbia's oldest surviving book, from 1180), a strong 19th century French collection with 22 Renoir paintings, a Van Gogh landscape and works by Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani and Kandinsky.

Pro Tip: Enter the National Museum from the side door on Vase Carapica, not the front - the queue is always shorter. Head straight to the second floor for the French Impressionists before the crowds, then work down through the archaeology on floor one and the Serbian medieval frescoes in the basement.