Our ten favourites
Ten of the best in Zemun
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © ULTIMATE International MediaOur ten favourite places in Zemun, from the green market and Gardoš Tower to the swans of the quay, the opera on Glavna and a Greek taverna, each with its own page in the guide.
Zemun rewards the curious. In a single day you can shop at a market with roots in the 17th century, climb to a tower built for a thousand-year anniversary, watch swans on the Danube and finish with dinner by the water. These are our ten favourite places in the old town on the river, each with its own page in the guide.
1. Zemun Market
Start where Zemun starts its day. The green market on Masarikov trg has fed the town since at least the 17th century: kajmak and white cheese, cured hams, peppers by the sackful in autumn and river fish in the tanks.
Market in the morning, Gardoš before lunch, the quay in the afternoon, the river at night.
2. Gardoš Tower
Built in 1896 on the ruins of a medieval fortress, the Millennium Tower crowns old Zemun. Climb the lanes to the top of Gardoš for the view over the red roofs, the Danube and Belgrade across the water; the hilltop is free at any hour.
3. St Nicholas’ Church
Begun in 1745, St Nicholas is the oldest church in Zemun, with an 18th-century iconostasis and a bell tower rising above the rooftops below Gardoš.
4. The Zemun Quay
The long Danube promenade below the old town, with fishermen tending their boats, restaurants on the water and the largest flock of swans in Belgrade.
5. Venecija
A Zemun institution since 1913, with a terrace built out over the Danube and more than 120 swans gathered on the river in front. Book a table for sunset.
6. Great War Island
The wild, wooded island where the Sava meets the Danube, a nature reserve since 2005 and home to almost 200 species of bird, including nesting white-tailed eagles.
7. Madlenianum Opera & Theatre
Founded in 1997, the first privately owned opera and theatre company in Serbia stages opera, ballet, concerts, drama and musicals in its 524-seat house on Glavna.
8. Campo de’ Fiori
A family Italian restaurant on a quiet street in the heart of Zemun for more than twenty years, with stone walls and pizzas from a classic Margherita to the house pizza with prunes.
9. Balkan Ekspres
A Serbian restaurant in old Zemun, a short walk from the quay and Gardoš Tower, serving traditional Serbian dishes with a modern twist: the place to try home-style favourites in a contemporary setting. Closed on Mondays.
10. Fit Pahuljica
A small organic and health food shop on Masarikov trg, beside the market: the place to stock up on healthy foods and teas before a walk along the river.
Our advice: take a whole day. Start at the market in the morning, climb Gardoš before lunch, walk the quay in the afternoon and keep the evening for the opera or a table by the river.
Why it's on our list
- The market and Gardoš Tower
- The quay, the swans and Venecija
- Opera, Italian and Greek
- Every place with its own page
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
More in depth
The back storyZemun’s frontier story: the quarantine, the hospital and the parkHow the Habsburg frontier town of Zemun guarded its gate: the quarantine of 1730, whose churches of 1786 and 1836 still stand in the City Park, the hospital founded in 1784, and the customs and trade of the Danube.
Zemunska pijacaZemun Market: The Soul of the SquareZemun’s green market fills Masarikov trg with farmers’ cheese and kajmak, peppers for ajvar, cured meats, honey and river fish, as it has since at least the 17th century. Here is how to make the most of a morning there.
Riblja čorba and river fishFish on the Danube: the restaurants of the Zemun QuayFish soup and river fish by the Danube: how to eat on the Zemun Quay, from Venecija, open since 1913, to Šaran, Reka and Stara Carinarnica.