Taking a taxi from Belgrade Airport (Serbia)
Upon arriving at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport in Serbia, you can take a bus to the city center.
Since we had gotten up at 5 a.m., we were a bit worn out, so we opted for a taxi.
So far, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the kindness of the Serbs, but as almost everywhere in the world, you have to watch out for fake taxis at the airport.
I had read online that you can get a “prepaid taxi” at an airport counter. That’s always what I prefer when it exists: it avoids unpleasant surprises.
In the baggage claim area, signs confirm this service exists (I forgot to take a photo).
This kiosk is available after the baggage claim area, in the (small) arrivals hall (I also forgot to take a photo…).
When I approached the kiosk, there was no one inside. A man approached me, explaining that the “prepaid taxi” service wasn’t available and offering a “not expensive” taxi for 40 €.
I had done a bit of research on the rates, so I knew that was absolutely overpriced 😀
Like magic, a man appeared at the counter, and I gave him my address. There are several zones; for us (downtown Belgrade), the rate is 3,000 RSD, about 25 € at that time (March 2023).
The man gave us a voucher, with the address and rate written on it.
Important point: unlike some airports, you don’t pay at the counter, but directly to the taxi driver.
Then you have to leave the airport to get to the taxi stand. It takes 2-3 minutes to walk (maybe not in normal times; there’s construction going on at the moment). This gave us time to be approached by a man offering us a ride, saying he accepted the voucher.
Politely decline and take the first official taxi parked at the stand.
Give him the voucher, make sure he knows where we’re going, and off we go. Our driver spoke a bit of English, which helps with communication.
I don’t think the taxi took credit cards.
I also didn’t ask if they accepted euros.
We paid in cash, in Serbian dinars, which we had taken the trouble to withdraw money before leaving the airport.
