Is public transport free in Belgrade?

Yes — as of 2026, Belgrade public transport is free for everyone, residents and visitors alike. Since 1 January 2025 all city and suburban buses, trams, trolleybuses and BG Voz trains carry passengers with no ticket, pass or validation. You simply board. The only paid exceptions are a couple of express minibus services: the A1 airport minibus and the lettered 'E' express lines, which charge a small fare on board.

Do I still need a BusPlus card?

No. You no longer need a BusPlus or Beograd Plus card to ride a Belgrade bus, tram or trolleybus. The smart-card fare system was switched off when transport became free on 1 January 2025, so there is nothing to buy or validate. If a guide still tells you to buy a BusPlus card or send an SMS ticket, that advice is out of date as of 2026.

Is the Tram 2 (Krug Dvojke) loop worth riding for sightseeing?

Tram 2 — known locally as Krug Dvojke, the 'Circle of the Deuce' — is a roughly 8.5 km circular line of about 17 stops that loops central Belgrade in around 45 minutes, passing near Kalemegdan, Skadarlija, the Sava riverfront, Savski Trg and Slavija. It is free like all city trams, so it doubles as a cheap, low-effort orientation lap before you start walking.

What's the best app for Belgrade buses and trams, and are there night buses?

For route planning and live departures use the Beograd Plus app, which now provides journey info and service updates rather than tickets, or Moovit and Google Maps, which many visitors find easier in English. Belgrade also runs a network of night buses on its main corridors, so check the app for late-night options after the daytime services wind down.

Are taxis safe to use in Belgrade?

Official taxis must display a municipal registration number and taxi sign. Guidance recommends ordering registered taxis by phone or app, or using apps like Yandex Go or CarGo, rather than hailing random cars or using unmarked vehicles.

Is Belgrade walkable?

Yes, at its core. Central Belgrade — Stari Grad and parts of Vračar and Savski Venac — is reasonably walkable, with Knez Mihailova, Republic Square, Kalemegdan and the Sava riverfront forming one largely car-free pedestrian zone. It is hilly in places, so the climbs up to Slavija or the St. Sava Temple may warrant a short free tram or bus.

Is Belgrade's public transport accessible for wheelchair users?

Accessibility is uneven and system-wide data is limited. Free transport removes the fare barrier, but many older trams, buses and pavements remain challenging, while newer venues and the Expo site are designed with accessibility in mind.

Getting around Belgrade

Q: Does Belgrade have a metro?

Not yet. As of 2026 Belgrade has no operating metro. The first line (Metro Line 1) is under way — Alstom signed the turnkey contract in March 2026 and tunnelling equipment was being shipped to Serbia in mid-2026 — but no station is open and no firm opening date has been set, so for your trip you will rely on buses, trams, trolleybuses and BG Voz trains.

Is Belgrade public transport free?

Yes — as of 2026, Belgrade public transport is free to ride for everyone. The single most useful thing to know is this: since 1 January 2025, Belgrade has run completely free public transport on all city and suburban lines — buses, trams, trolleybuses and the BG Voz suburban trains. No tickets, passes or validation are required, for residents or visitors alike. You simply board. Belgrade became the largest European city by population to adopt universal fare-free transit, and multiple 2025–26 sources confirm the policy was still fully in force as of mid-2026.

That makes this page a freshness check on most older travel advice. A practical note for anyone reading those guides: Belgrade used to run a smart-card fare system, first BusPlus (2012 until its contract ended in April 2023) and later Beograd Plus from May 2023, with payment by SMS or app. Once transport became free in 2025, those ticket-purchase functions were switched off. So if a blog tells you to buy a BusPlus card or send an SMS to validate a ride, that advice is out of date — there is nothing to pay and no card to carry.

There are a small number of paid exceptions to the free network, and they matter mainly at the edges of a trip. As of 2026 the A1 airport express minibus (Slavija ↔ Nikola Tesla Airport) and the lettered "E" express minibuses (lines such as E1, E2, E6 and E9) are paid services where you buy a ticket on board — reported at around 400 RSD for the A1 and around 200 RSD for the E lines, indicative figures that may shift. Everything else — ordinary buses, all trams, all trolleybuses and BG Voz — is free. (If you're heading to or from the airport, the cheaper move is a regular free city bus rather than the paid A1; our airport-to-city guide compares the options.)

One honest caveat on the policy itself: it is funded from the city budget and higher local taxes rather than fares, and it has drawn some domestic criticism. It was still in force in mid-2026, and is likely stable for visitors through 2026 and probably 2027, but a future administration could change it. Treat it as the reality for your trip, not a permanent guarantee.

Does Belgrade have a metro?

Not yet — as of 2026 Belgrade has no operating metro, so you'll move around on buses, trams, trolleybuses and the BG Voz suburban rail. The long-promised system is finally moving: Alstom signed the turnkey contract for Metro Line 1 in March 2026, the project entered its design phase, and the custom tunnel-boring machines were being shipped to Serbia in mid-2026. The first phase is planned to run roughly 15 km across the city with around 15 stations and driverless trains. But no station is open and no firm opening date has been set, so for any trip in 2026 — and almost certainly for Expo 2027 — the metro is a construction site, not a way to get around.