Where is Expo 2027 located?
Expo 2027 is in the municipality of Surčin, in the western part of Belgrade, southwest of the city centre — and that location is the single most useful fact for planning your trip. The official Expo planning figures put the site approximately 13.5 kilometres from the city centre and just 5 kilometres from Nikola Tesla International Airport.
One main contractor describes the site as "about 15 km from the center of Belgrade" — that is a rounded estimate, while 13.5 km is the official planning value; both agree on the 5 km to the airport. The secure venue covers 25 hectares, and the wider footprint, including the Expo village, services and parking, reaches 113 hectares. (Serbian spatial-planning documents describe an even larger 167-hectare zone that takes in the adjacent National Stadium; that figure refers to the whole development area, not the Expo grounds you will visit.)
Because the grounds sit out by the airport rather than in the old town, almost every practical question about getting to Expo 2027 comes down to one thing: how the local transport network connects the airport, the centre and Surčin by the time the gates open in May 2027.
How far is Expo 2027 from the airport?
About 5 km. The official Expo documents place the Surčin site roughly 5 kilometres from Nikola Tesla International Airport — meaning that if you fly in, you land closer to the Expo grounds than to central Belgrade (around 13.5 km away).
That proximity is the planning win to remember. The new railway now under construction runs right past the airport on its way to Surčin and the National Stadium, and officials have promised dedicated Expo bus lines linking the airport directly with the site. For now, though, the dependable way to cover those 5 km is by road — a taxi or a ride-hail car (see below) — because, as of June 2026, no airport-to-Expo rail timetable or shuttle route has been finalised.
How do I get from the airport into the city today?
As of 2026, all regular Belgrade city public transport is free. Since 1 January 2025, buses (including line 72 and its night variant 72N), trams, trolleybuses and the BG Voz suburban trains carry no tickets, fares or validation on regular city lines. This is a real, current policy — but it is also a perishable one. A future administration could change it, so it is worth re-checking closer to your travel date.
For reaching the centre, city bus line 72 connects the central Zeleni venac terminal with Nikola Tesla Airport, and the night variant 72N runs between Republic Square and the airport. Buses leave roughly every half hour and the ride takes about 40 minutes. As regular city lines, both are free to ride. Older guides often described bus 72 as the cheapest way into town; under the current policy it simply costs nothing. Other lines also serve the airport area — among them 600 (central railway station–airport) and 607 (Banovo Brdo–airport) — all free as regular city services. All airport buses depart from stops just outside the Arrivals hall on the ground floor.
If you have read a guidebook that tells you to buy a ticket or a travel card, that advice predates the change. Belgrade used to run a card-and-ticket system — BusPlus from 2012, then Beograd Plus from May 2023 — with tickets bought at kiosks, by app or by SMS. Since transport became free, there are no fares to pay on regular lines, and the app now serves route and schedule information rather than ticketing. (Old single, day and weekly ticket prices you may still see quoted online no longer apply.)
The one paid exception is the A1 airport minibus, which runs between Nikola Tesla Airport and Trg Slavija, stopping in New Belgrade (Fontana). It is a separate paid shuttle. It is reported to run roughly every 15 to 30 minutes during the day, with an on-board ticket costing about 400 RSD in cash and a journey of about 30 to 40 minutes to Slavija. Treat that fare as indicative for 2026 — it has risen over time and may change by 2027.
For taxis, the airport operates an official voucher system: you take a fixed-price voucher from an e-kiosk, then go to the taxi stand, and the driver charges only the fare on the voucher. An official taxi to the central zones is reported at roughly 2,200 to 2,800 RSD, while an app-based CarGo ride runs around 1,500 to 2,500 RSD, with the drive taking about 25 minutes. Belgrade has no Uber or Bolt; the main ride-hail apps are Yandex Go and CarGo. The driving distance to the centre (Trg Republike) is about 18 km via the E-70, around 20 to 25 minutes by car. These are indicative 2026 figures. For more on these options, see our guide to the airport to city journey.
What's the best way to get to Expo from central Belgrade?
As of 2026, the most reliable option is Belgrade's regular city public transport — currently free on all regular lines (buses, trams, trolleybuses and the BG Voz suburban trains). For door-to-door convenience to Surčin, a taxi or a ride-hail app (CarGo or Yandex Go) covers the roughly 13.5 km from the centre directly to the site.
Two faster, purpose-built options are promised but not yet running. Officials plan a new airport-and-Surčin railway and dedicated environmentally friendly electric bus lines serving Expo entrances A and C. Until those firm up, the safe assumption for planning is the free network plus a ride-hail car as your backbone — and to watch official channels closer to your travel date for the Expo-specific lines.
The new railway to Surčin: what's confirmed and what's still a promise
A new double-track, electrified railway is under construction from Zemun Polje to the National Stadium, passing Nikola Tesla Airport and Surčin. It runs 18.3 km, with stops at Singidunum, the airport and Surčin, and a station at the National Stadium. The main contractor is Powerchina International Group, working for the Government of Serbia, with construction having begun in 2024. As of early 2026, the project's first phase covers the Zemun Polje–National Stadium section (a later phase is planned to extend the line toward Obrenovac), with reporting describing more than 500 people, including around 200 engineers, working on site and major bridges, a viaduct and an overpass under construction along the route.
Completion timing is where caution matters most. Serbian officials, including the President and the Minister of Construction, have stated the line is targeted for the end of 2026, with one statement giving a date of 1 December 2026, after which a testing phase begins (reported to start around February 2027). More recent reporting describes the railway entering service in spring 2027. These are officially stated targets, reported as provisional — not officially confirmed and not a binding timetable. Officials have promised journeys of about 15 minutes between the airport and central Belgrade (Prokop), with trains every 30 minutes and up to every 15 at peak.
What is still unknown: no detailed passenger timetable, exact opening date, or fare scheme for this railway during the Expo period has yet been announced. With regular transport currently free, whether this rail link will be free or carry a special fare is itself not yet specified. In short, the line is a real, advanced construction project on an officially stated 2026–2027 timeline — but do not build your travel plans on it being open until an actual opening date and timetable are published.
How will visitors reach the site during the event?
According to the Participants FAQ, visitors will reach the site by private vehicle, public bus, urban rail and river transport, with on-site parking for up to 11,000 vehicles and charging for e-bikes and scooters. The Participation Guide adds that an urban railway will connect the site to the transport network, public buses will serve entrances A and C, and new environmentally friendly bus lines will link the site with the airport, downtown and surrounding municipalities — though it notes this is preliminary and subject to update.
Serbia is procuring electric buses for the event, with charging infrastructure at the Expo complex, the airport and major terminals; after the event they are reported to pass to GSP Belgrade for regular service. The fleet size is contested: early statements described 100 electric buses, while a later tender and contract secured 50 plus 8 chargers. At least 50 are now contractually committed; the final deployed total may differ.
The final Expo-specific bus line numbers, routes and timetables to entrances A and C for summer 2027 have not yet been published — so check official channels closer to the event.
What about the metro and BG Voz?
The Belgrade Metro is under construction, but officials have targeted Line 1 for around 2028 and Line 2 around 2030 — both after the Expo window, and stated as political dates rather than contractual ones. Crucially, no planned metro line reaches Surčin, the airport or the Expo site. Rail access is intended via BG Voz suburban rail instead. A planned BG Voz line (Line 4), 16.2 km, is meant to run Novi Beograd–Nikola Tesla Airport–Surčin–National Stadium, but it is a planned future line, not a service running today — don't expect to board it.
For now, the practical advice is to treat the airport and the free regular network as your reliable backbone, with a taxi or ride-hail car to cover the last stretch to Surčin door-to-door, and to watch official channels for the railway and Expo shuttle details as they firm up. For the wider picture on moving around the city, see getting around Belgrade.
