Safety and practical advice for visitors

Belgrade is a safe city and New Year's Eve is not an exception to that, but it is a night with very large crowds, a great deal of alcohol and amateur fireworks. Almost everything that goes wrong is avoidable, and most of it comes down to a handful of practical decisions taken before the evening starts.

General safety

Violent crime against visitors is rare and the centre is busy and well lit on New Year's Eve.

The usual precautions about crowds apply: keep valuables secure and be aware of pockets and bags.

Nothing about the night requires unusual caution beyond what any large European city would.

Taxis

Use taxis ordered by phone or app, or taken from an official rank, rather than ones that approach you.

Licensed vehicles are marked with a company roof sign and display a licence number inside.

Agree the fare in advance if the meter is not used, which on that night is common by prior arrangement.

Fireworks

Amateur fireworks are widespread in the days around New Year and are the main cause of injuries that night.

Keep distance from anyone setting them off in the street, particularly in crowded areas.

The city fireworks at midnight are professionally run and are the safer thing to watch.

Crowds

Open-air programmes draw very large crowds, and the hour before midnight is the densest part of the evening.

Agree a meeting point before entering the area, as mobile networks fail when the crowd is that size.

If the crowd becomes uncomfortable, move outward rather than trying to push through.

Alcohol

Measures are larger than in many countries and rakija in particular is stronger than it tastes.

Pace yourself over an evening that runs to five in the morning, and drink water between rounds.

If someone loses consciousness, place them on their side and call for help rather than trying to revive them.

Emergency numbers

The general European emergency number works in Serbia, as do the separate numbers for police, ambulance and fire.

Write them down rather than relying on a phone, as batteries fail on exactly the night you need them.

Ambulance services operate throughout, though response times on that night are longer than usual.

Medical care

Emergency care is available around the clock, including on 1 January, at urgent care centres.

Duty pharmacies operate on holidays but are few, and the list is published in advance.

Bring your own regular medication, as prescriptions cannot be filled during the holidays.

Insurance

Travel insurance with medical cover matters, because without it a consultation is paid in full at the listed price.

Check whether your policy covers the days you are travelling, as year-end dates are sometimes excluded.

Keep the policy number accessible rather than buried in email.

Documents

Carry identification, as foreign visitors are required to be registered and may be asked for documents.

Hotels handle registration automatically; if you stay privately, confirm the host will do it.

Keep a photograph of your passport separately from the document itself.

Money and cards

Do not carry all your cash in one place, particularly in a crowded venue where things get lost.

Cloakrooms are responsible for the item, not its contents, so nothing valuable stays in a coat pocket.

Cash machines in the centre empty on 1 January, so withdraw what you need beforehand.

If your group separates

Networks are overloaded in crowded venues, so calls fail and messages arrive late.

Agree a meeting point and a time before going in, and note the table number when you sit down.

Do not walk back alone through empty streets at five in the morning; travel together.

Driving

Do not drive on the morning of 1 January after a late night. A few hours of sleep does not clear alcohol.

Police checks are increased that day precisely because this is a common misjudgement.

Winter tyres are mandatory from 1 November to 1 April, and this is enforced.

Pickpocketing and crowded venues

The main risk on the night is not crime but simply losing things in a crowd of several hundred people.

A bag that closes properly is more useful than an expensive one, because it is moved around the table all night.

If something is lost, report it to staff in your section immediately rather than on the way out, when the room can no longer be reconstructed.

Ice and pavements

Paved surfaces along the river promenades and around steps freeze before the rest of the city and stay slippery longer.

This causes more injuries over the holidays than anything else, and almost always to people in shoes chosen for the room rather than the walk.

A second pair of shoes left in the car or carried in a bag solves the problem entirely.