10:00 h
3 hours
3-16
Explore the essence of Old Zemun’s past with a walking tour that begins at the Stara Kapetanija restaurant, a landmark of early 20th-century architecture that now houses a gallery and echoes the artistic soul of Zemun.
Ascend the historical Gardoš Tower, Zemun’s iconic beacon, where breathtaking panoramas across the Danube intertwine the narratives of ancient empires and the modern cityscape.
Venture through Zemun’s quaint streets to the Saint Nicholas Church, revealing the town’s enduring connection to its maritime legacy and spiritual guardianship.
Our tour culminates in the heart of Zemun at the Main Square, where the rich mosaic of Austro-Hungarian buildings and vibrant community life unfolds, capturing the unique cultural fusion that defines this storied Belgrade district.
Private tours
The oldest preserved name for Zemun is Taurunum, as the Romans called it, signifying its importance as a trading center and port on the right bank of the Danube near the confluence with the Sava. The modern name, Zemun, might derive from the earthen homes (zemunice) where the city’s first inhabitants lived between 4500 and 3000 BCE. Although Zemun is now a district of Belgrade, its unique identity is a source of pride for its residents. The spirit of old Zemun, its distinctive architecture, and lifestyle continue to attract numerous tourists, both domestic and international.
The Zemun Promenade, with its array of floating restaurants and cafes, and Gardoš with its Millennium Tower, are just some of the attractions and landmarks of Old Zemun you will explore on this tour, offering an unforgettable experience enriched with fascinating stories that portray the life of this town in the past.
The walking tour of “Old Zemun” begins on Sunday, April 7, 2024, at the Danube quay in front of the Stara Kapetanija restaurant at 12:00. The building of Stara Kapetanija, erected in 1908 as a passenger steamboat station, now hosts a gallery and the headquarters of the Zemun Artists’ Society, as well as the namesake restaurant. It is protected as a cultural monument. The promenade offers a magnificent view of Belgrade and the Kalemegdan Fortress. From there, we’ll embark on a leisurely walk along the Danube shore, where numerous iconic restaurants and bars now stand on the site of the ancient Roman settlement and port of Taurunum. Today, this area boasts preserved and renovated old taverns and cobbled streets, one of which leads to Gardoš Tower.
Gardoš is an ancient Zemun neighborhood on a hill just above the riverbank. Our first stop is the church dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra, mid-18th century, built on the site of an old Serbian church. Saint Nicholas, being the patron saint of sailors and travelers, clearly explains the choice of location for this church by the Danube. After visiting the church, we’ll climb Sinđelićeva Street towards the Gardoš Tower, the main symbol of Zemun, offering the most beautiful views of the Danube and Belgrade.
Constructed in 1896 to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Hungarian settlement in the Pannonian plain, the Millennium Tower is the only one remaining of the seven originally built around the Austro-Hungarian Empire. We’ll ascend the tower to savor this unique and splendid view before descending the narrow, winding staircase to the lower town, Gospodska Street, and the Main Square. This area, the heart and center of Zemun, is lined with old buildings from the Austro-Hungarian era, including the Town Hall, Magistrate, the Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Zemun Market, and many other attractions.
From there, our tour continues towards Zemun Park, where we’ll first visit the Orthodox Church and Monastery of Saint Archangel Gabriel and the Roman Catholic Chapel of Saint Roch, adjacent to Zemun Park. Next to the park is Zemun Gymnasium, a magnificent post-secessionist building from 1867, also protected as a cultural monument. Our exploration of Old Zemun concludes here, encapsulating a journey through the historical and cultural essence of this unique part of Belgrade.
10:00 - we start our tour
10:00-11:30 - visit a Gardoš tower (enter the tower)
11:30-13:00 - walking tour Zemun pedestrian zone
If you cancel the tour up to 24 hrs before, you’ll get a 100% refund.
If you cancel the tour less than 24 hrs before the trip, you will not receive any refund.
There is a possibility that some of the photos in this tour were taken from the following publications (books):
– Vujović M., 2020. Rimska civilizacija na tlu Srbije. Beograd: HERAedu.
– Popović M., 2006. Beogradska tvrđava. Beograd: Javno preduzeće “Beogradska tvrđava”
– Trišić D., 2017. Kulturno blago Srbije u 1000 slika. Beograd: Vulkan izdavaštvo d.o.o.