Americans Can Now Fly Nonstop To Europe’s Most Underrated Capital With Ancient Castles, $60 Hotels, And Zero Crowds

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You’re in luck today, as we’ve just got confirmation one of Florida’s busiest airports—and its leading international gateway—will be hosting nonstop flights to one of Europe’s fastest-rising destinations. And no, it’s not Paris, London, Frankfurt, or any done-and-dusted Western European hub.

From May 20, 2027, you can fly from MIA straight to Belgrade, the much-overlooked capital of Serbia, and here are just some of the reasons why you should:

It’s dominated by a riverside fortress rooted in more than 2,000 years of history, well-rated private rooms still start at around $60, and most importantly… none of the usual crowds.

Miami To Belgrade, Nonstop In Under 11 Hours

Air Serbia has just confirmed it will be moving forward with adding Miami to its flight network, after already linking the United States to Serbia via New York and Chicago for several years now.

This will mark the first-ever nonstop link between Florida and the Balkan country, which has been dominating travel headlines recently due to its high affordability, absence of mandatory EU fingerprinting for Americans arriving directly, and of course, the fact it’s spearheaded by vibrant Belgrade.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new route:

New Nonstop Miami–Belgrade Flights (2027)

• Airline: Air Serbia
• Route: Miami International Airport (MIA)–Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG)
• Launch date: May 20, 2027
• Tickets on sale since: October 20, 2026
• Frequency: twice weekly, Thursdays and Sundays
• Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
• Classes: Economy and Business
• Flight duration from Miami to Belgrade: 10 hours 30 minutes
• Flight duration from Belgrade to Miami: 12 hours

The flight schedule varies depending on the day, and it may change seasonally, but for now, this is what we’re working with:

Flight Schedule (Local Times)

• Thursday: Belgrade 1:50 PM → Miami 7:50 PM
• Thursday: Miami 10:30 PM → Belgrade 3:00 PM on Friday
• Sunday: Belgrade 11:30 AM → Miami 5:30 PM
• Sunday: Miami 7:00 PM → Belgrade 11:30 AM on Monday

Air Serbia was displaying selected one-way Economy fares from Miami from around $495 at the time of writing, and flights are already bookable through the airline. As always, fares can move quickly.

Before you book, make sure you check the entry rules that apply to U.S. passport holders.

Serbia is neither in the European Union nor the Schengen Area, so its border controls are entirely separate, and the EU’s new EES fingerprinting system does not apply when you fly directly from Miami.

Americans can visit visa-free for up to 90 days within a six-month period. If you connect through a Schengen country instead, however, EES checks will apply at that first Schengen border.

Use the Entry Requirement Checker to verify the documents and rules that apply to your journey.

Have We Been Sleeping On Belgrade All Along?

A bustling capital whose wider administrative area is home to roughly 1.7 million people, sitting at the exact confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers, Belgrade packs everything we love about Europe into one single, long-weekend city break:

• It has Belgrade Fortress, rising through Kalemegdan Park: a riverside stronghold rooted in more than 2,000 years of history, now complete with fairytale-like drawbridges and moats
• Knez Mihailova is the Balkan equivalent of the Champs-Élysées: a prestigious, pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare lined with Belle Époque façades
• Skadarlija is European Old Town charm in a nutshell: a cobbled lane winding uphill, dimly lit by historic lamps and lined with traditional taverns
• The Church of Saint Sava is one of the largest Orthodox churches anywhere in the world, complete with a staggering gold-mosaic interior
• Dorćol is that grungy, lower-town district known for its art-splattered murals, hidden concept coffee shops, and Ottoman-era Bajrakli Mosque
• The Belgrade Waterfront is a modern development running along the right bank of the Sava—think of it as the Serbian answer to London’s South Bank
• Zemun is the ‘town within the town’: a historically-separate Habsburg settlement, now one of Belgrade’s municipalities, known for its 19th-century Gardoš watchtower, late-night cafés, and street markets

How Safe Is Belgrade, Serbia?

Wondering how safe Serbia is to visit?

The country is currently listed at Level 2 by the U.S. Department of State, meaning Americans should exercise increased caution due to crime.

For visitors, the likeliest problems are pickpocketing around busy transport hubs, nightlife-related theft, and occasional taxi overcharging, not random violence.

On the Travel Off Path Traveler Safety Index, Serbia scores 85 out of 100, based on reports from recent visitors.

What Sets Belgrade Apart From The Rest?

Despite definitely not having a lack of historic sights, Belgrade still feels far less touristy than Paris, Prague, or Barcelona.

The city center still feels lived-in and local, rather than being dominated by picture-perfect tourist quarters and souvenir shops, and much of daily life revolves around everyday Serbians. In other words, Serbian remains the lingua franca rather than English.

The main selling point here is not that it is as pretty as your average EU capital—Serbia’s not even in the EU, mind.

While there are beautiful monuments scattered hither and thither, Belgrade feels grittier, a result of the legacy of socialist Yugoslavia, and the stately architecture is often contrasted with less elegant, endless rows of Brutalist apartment blocks.

Think weathered red-and-cream trams rattling their way through broad boulevards, Serbian grandmothers lugging their Sunday-market haul home because farm-to-table tradition still takes precedence over frozen Aldi slop, and old men spending whole afternoons bent over chessboards in Kalemegdan Park.

I guess I’m trying to say it feels unpolished, and though there are definitely pockets of grit and urban decay, as is often the case across Southeastern Europe, somehow even that’s still incredibly refreshing amid an increasingly-sanitized, Disneyfied Europe.

Oh, and it’s still one hell of a steal:

Average Prices In Belgrade, Serbia In 2026

• Bakery snack, such as burek or gibanica: $2–4.50
• Serving of ćevapi with flatbread and onions: $7–14
• Main dish in an inexpensive local restaurant: $9–18
• Three-course meal in a mid-range restaurant: $24–38 per person
• Cappuccino: $2–4
• Half-liter draught beer: $2.50–5
• Shot of rakija: $2–4
• Public transport: free
• Taxi: around $1.60–2.50 per mile, plus a roughly $3–4 starting fare
• Simple guesthouse or private room: $50–85 per night for two
• 4-star hotel: $130–220 per night for two
• 5-star hotel: $190–270 per night for two

Belgrade’s buses, trams, and trolleybuses have been free to use since January 2025, meaning you won’t pay a single penny of Serbian dinar to cross the city.

Europe’s Forgotten City Break

Belgrade is no sleepy, backwater European destination, either: this is a whole metropolitan zone with roughly 1.7 million people within its wider administrative boundaries.

It definitely gives off a ‘city that never sleeps’ vibe, rather than that of a quaint little provincial town revolving around a hilltop castle.

For what it’s worth, nightlife here is on a par with Berlin or Budapest:

I’m talking former slaughterhouses converted into thumping techno sanctuaries—hello, Drugstore—underground, hole-in-the-wall clubs you’ll need a local tip-off to find, and Cetinjska 15, a repurposed brewery complex now housing a cluster of alternative bars.

Belgrade is truly the new European capital of cool, and you’d be wise to visit before the secret’s fully out.

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