Family Days in Belgrade: Coils, Planes and Playrooms

Hold a fluorescent tube near a Tesla coil and it lights up with no wire attached. Children rarely forget that, and Belgrade has an unusual run of hands-on museums that make it a strong city for a family with a mix of ages and a wet-weather plan.

The Tesla Museum show

The Nikola Tesla Museum, Krunska 51, runs guided tours on the hour. Each lasts about 45 minutes and includes a live coil demonstration and a film. The English tour costs 800 RSD and the Serbian one 400 RSD, in cash dinars only. It opens Monday 10:00 to 18:00 and Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 20:00, individuals need no booking, and you should arrive 15 minutes early. Full details are on tesla-museum.org .

The visit works best for children old enough to follow a 45-minute talk in English. Younger ones may prefer the other stops below.

A science playroom in an old power plant

The Museum of Science and Technology (Skender-begova 51, Dorćol) is housed in Belgrade’s first public thermal power plant, from 1893. The science playroom upstairs is the draw: optical illusions, levers, sound frequencies and physics installations that children are meant to touch. Entry is about 300 RSD.

Planes by the airport

The Aeronautical Museum sits beside Nikola Tesla Airport in a futuristic glass saucer. More than 50 aircraft are on show, including Second World War Spitfires and Messerschmitts and Yugoslav jet fighters, along with wreckage from a US F-117A stealth fighter shot down in 1999. Present that last exhibit factually and let older children ask their own questions. Check opening hours before you travel out, as the museum lies away from the centre.

Outdoors, when the weather allows

Belgrade Zoo is inside Kalemegdan Park (Mali Kalemegdan 8). It is known for its white lions and for Muja the alligator, who has lived here since 1937. Tickets are about 600 RSD for adults and 400 RSD for children. On a warm day, take the family to Ada Ciganlija, where a 7 km car-free path suits bikes and quadricycles, and rentals cost roughly 300 to 500 RSD an hour; see adaciganlija.rs .

For a child-friendly guide to the old town, browse Belgrade family tours on Viator .

Getting around with a buggy

Public transport costs nothing: buses, trams, trolleybuses and BG Voz are free for everyone, children included. Pavements in the old town are cobbled in places, so a carrier or a sturdy pushchair helps. Demonstrations happen in Belgrade and can escalate quickly, so steer clear of protest areas with children.

More ideas are on the activities page , and the 2-day Belgrade plan shows how to space the museums out. The city tourist office at tob.rs lists current events.

Tip: start with the Tesla show, arrive 15 minutes before the hour with small dinar notes ready, and keep the playroom for the afternoon.

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