Summer on the Zemun Quay

How to spend a summer evening in Zemun: golden hour on the Danube quay, drinks and fish on the splavovi, the riverside ride to Ada, Lido beach on Great War Island and Zemun Fest every August.

On a summer evening the whole of Zemun seems to drift down to the Danube. The heat of the day lifts off the water, families stroll under the plane trees, cyclists glide past towards the city, and the terraces of the river barges fill with friends settling in for a long night. If you have only one summer evening in Belgrade, spend it here.

The quay at golden hour

The Zemun Quay is a long ribbon of green along the river, with tree-lined paths, bike lanes and benches facing the water. Fishermen tend their boats, the largest flock of swans in Belgrade gathers below the old town, and as the sun drops behind you the river turns gold and then rose. Walk upstream from Venecija, at the start of the quay, and simply follow the crowd.

If you have only one summer evening in Belgrade, spend it on the Zemun Quay.

On the splavovi

The splavovi, the floating bars and restaurants moored along the bank, are the soul of a Belgrade summer. On the Zemun Quay they serve drinks, river fish and fish soup late into the evening, with the water lapping a few feet away. Later on, the river clubs take over: Sindikat, on the quay, opens on Friday and Saturday nights from 23:30 for Serbian pop and live performers, with the whole room singing along.

Ride the rivers

Hire a bike or bring your own and follow the riverside route from the Zemun Quay to Ušće Park, across Branko’s Bridge, where a lift carries bikes up to the deck, and along the Sava to Ada Ciganlija. It is the best ride in the city, flat, shaded in places and on the water almost all the way.

Lido and Great War Island

Across the water lies Great War Island, a protected nature reserve where the Sava meets the Danube, home to almost 200 species of bird, including nesting white-tailed eagles. In summer, Lido beach on its tip becomes Zemun’s own river beach.

Zemun Fest

Every August, Zemun Fest turns Magistratski trg, Veliki trg and the quay into stages for concerts, art installations, workshops for all ages and food from around the world. Most events are free, and it is old Zemun at its liveliest. We will add the 2027 dates as soon as the organisers publish them.

Our advice: come in the late afternoon, walk the quay as the light softens, eat fish on the water at sunset, and stay for a drink on a splav as the lights come on along the Danube.