Belgrade lies at the confluence of two major rivers, the Danube and the Sava.
And on a little stretch of the Sava, there is a picturesque city beach where Belgraders spend their summers relaxing in the sun, playing sports and tanning.
The park is Ada Ciganlija. It can rightfully be dubbed the Belgrade Sea.
While it is hard to compete with the beauties of the Dalmatian and Montenegrin coastlines, in terms of city beaches there are few that come close to Ada Ciganlija.
During the summer months the park fills up with people from Belgrade who want to go to the beach, but don’t feel like heading all the way down to Greece, Croatia or Montenegro to get a tan.
The area has a long history to it. The name Ada Ciganlija was first mentioned in 1809 in an order signed by the Serbian leader Karadjordje who gave the land as a gift to Mladen Milovanoc, the chairman of the Serbian Council at the time. After the Turks regained control of Belgrade in 1813 they destroyed all records of land ownership and Ada Ciganlija fell out of private hands. In 1821 the Serbian King Milos Obrenovic declared the area to belong to the people and it has remained public property since.
Nowadays Ada Ciganlija is the center of Belgrade’s sports life. All around the park you can see people biking, swimming, running and, apparently on occasion, participating in competitions to win protein powder.
Of course the main attraction of Ada Ciganlija is the beach, which gets packed on the weekends.
The city uses small stones and pebbles for the beach instead of sand, which leaves the area much cleaner.
Ada Ciganlija’s other main attraction are its cafes. They line the entire beach and offer delicious food and refreshing drinks.
Baby strollers and bikes are equally welcome.
Other cafes that are not located directly on the beach still offer places to tan and soak in the sun.
A beach bar. I’m hoping it has a little more people on other days.
The water is also very clear, a rarity for urban beaches. Water from the Sava River is constantly flowing through Ada Ciganlija, which keeps it clean.
Ada Ciganlija remained in a disastrous state for most of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. It was only in 1950 when Belgrade approved a new urban plan for the city that Ada Ciganlija was turned into a recreation, swimming and sports center on the banks of the Sava River.
Besides the beach and cafes, the food here is amazing. Freshly grilled burgers and chicken and meat all for reasonable prices.
“Diving and swimming is prohibited!”
Kids having fun with the water slide.
A range of more extreme sports are also offered, including bungee jumping off that crane.
A water park on the lake.
Cycling is a popular activity.
The playgrounds in the grass remained understandably empty, given the nearby beach.
The cafes and beach bars.
The tall trees offered much needed shade from the hot sun.
A warning to all vegans that head to Serbia, beware of the food. You won’t find vegetables here.
Soaking in the sun.
For those that don’t feel like walking, there is a small passenger train that rides up and down the lake every half hour.
An adventure park nearby allowing you to swing from tree to tree Tarzan style.
Up until 1967 Ada Ciganlija was simply an island in the Sava River. But then the city decided to connect the right bank of the island to the shore. After that Ada Ciganlija was turned into a peninsula.
Two dams were then later built at the southern and northern tips of the island to turn the park into a lake and form Ada Ciganlija’s present-day shape.
Ada Ciganlija stretches out for 4.2 kilometers and the water has an average depth of 4-6 meters.
More cafes.
There are a lot of trees nearby. Several protected species of birds and animals live in this habitat.
Hiding from the sun.
The beach is often crowded at the entrance, but people taper off as you walk further down the shoreline.
To get away from the crowds I suggest heading toward the other end of the island.
A volleyball tournament was taking place when I was there.
The smell of fresh meat on the grill surrounds you at every restaurant.
Delicious Turkish style coffee.
Who could not love this?
Behold Serbian food. Mixed pieces of grilled meat, including chicken, pork and sausages. Fries. And fresh fruits and vegetables on the side. All for under $10.
There is a dedicated bike lane that circles the beach a little further out from the lake. So you can bike freely without worrying about the crowds.
As evening fell, the beach emptied out.
Walking back toward the entrance.
On the other side of the lake is the Belgrade district ‘Banovo Brdo’.
A final look at Ada Ciganlija before heading home.
If you are just in Belgrade for a weekend, then you can feel safe to skip over Ada Ciganlija, since there are more than enough things in the center to do to take up your time.
But if you are staying in Belgrade for longer, then a trip to Ada Ciganlija’s beach is a worthwhile endeavor. You can easily spend a whole day here soaking in the sun, enjoying good food and going for a swim. In the evening many of the cafes turn into clubs and bars.
If you like to cycle, then I highly recommend renting out some bikes in the center of Belgrade and then riding them to Ada Ciganlija. There is a dedicated bike path that follows the Sava River and goes directly to Ada Ciganlija. This is the best way to get to the island.
Overall, Ada Ciganlija is a good example of what cities located on rivers can do with their shorelines to create a vibrant urban space that promotes healthy lifestyles through sport and recreation.
A major problem with living in a city is finding ways to get outdoors, go to the beach and go for a swim. Cities can solve this issue by building public beaches on their riversides.
Sure, it may be hard for Ada Ciganlija to compete with the beauties of the Dalmatian and Montenegrin coasts.
But given the fact that those coasts are a ten hour journey away, you have to ask yourself…why spend all your money and time to go Montenegro or Greece or Croatia, when you got all the sea you need right in the center of Belgrade?
