City Life & Food
Skadarlija
Belgrade · Belgrade
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- City Life & Food
- COUNTRY
- Serbia
- REGION
- Belgrade · Belgrade
- DURATION
- 2–4 days
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
When the old Turkish quarter of Dorćol burned in 1867, its innkeepers moved up the hill to Skadarska street — and by 1900 the crooked cobbled lane had become the home of Belgrade’s writers, actors and painters. The “bohemian quarter” was formalised in 1960s renovation, but the taverns are the real thing: the Tri šešira (“Three Hats”) and Dva jelena (“Two Deer”) have been pouring since the 1860s, and the walls carry photographs of the poets — Đura Jakšić, whose own house-museum stands halfway up the lane, drank here. Order ćevapi or karadordeva šnicla, a bottle of šljivovica, and let the tamburica bands drift table to table. The street still lights itself with gas lamps — one of the last in Europe.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
When Dorćol’s old Turkish quarter burned in 1867, its innkeepers and craftsmen moved up the hill into Skadarska street, named for traders from Skadar. By the 1890s the lane was Belgrade’s bohemian centre: the poets Đura Jakšić and Radoje Domanović, the actors of the National Theatre, and the painters of the 1900s made its kafanas their ateliers and their letterboxes. The name “Belgrade’s Montmartre” dates from the interwar press. The city renovated the lane in 1967–68 — cobblestones, gas lamps and the Jakšić house museum — and the kafanas have run continuously since the 1860s.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The Đura Jakšić house-museum — the painter-poet’s 19th-century home with a garden café.
Tri šešira and Dva jelena — the two great kafanas, pouring since the 1860s.
The gas lamps and cobbles — the lane is lit the old way every evening.
GOOD TO KNOW
Facts & Curiosities
Tri šešira (“Three Hats”) has poured since 1864; its name comes from a night the poet stayed with two friends — three hats on the coat rack.
Đura Jakšić, the lane’s iconic painter-poet, lived and died at No. 32–34 — his house is now a museum with a garden café.
The lane keeps its gas lamps — one of the last streets in Europe lit the old way.
Desanka Maksimović, Serbia’s beloved poet, held court in Skadarlija’s cafés into her nineties.
MAP & LOCATION
Skadarlija
Skadarlija, Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
44.8150, 20.4630
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Belgrade
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Skadarlija’s kafanas (Tri šešira, Dva jelena) for the full bohemian ritual — grilled meat, tamburica and rakija
Zemun’s Danube quay for river fish and smoked carp at the fish-market stalls
Dorćol around Cetinjska for the new-wave restaurants and specialty coffee
The splav rafts on the Sava — food until late, music until later
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Dorćol for character, cafés and the river walk — the best all-round base
Around Knez Mihailova or Slavija for first-timer convenience
The Sava promenade hotels for river views
Zemun’s quay guesthouses for the quiet, local alternative
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
INTERESTS
Explore by what you love
PART OF
Keep exploring
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