Acknowledgements
The Organising Committee would like to express their sincere gratitude to every contributor to the IPW Travel Scholarship Fund, without whose generous help the arrival of some presenters would not have been possible. We also thank Professor Jeff Severs for expertly allocating the funds to the colleagues most in need.
Travel and Communication
Visa requirements
Citizens of all EU countries, USA, Canada and some other countries do not require an entry visa for Serbia. Nationals of the countries for which the entry visa is required need to submit the application at the nearest embassy prior to travel.
For detailed information please see:
https://www.mfa.gov.rs/en/citizens/travel-abroad/visas-and-states-travel-advisory
Arrival information – travel to the airport
Belgrade Nikola Tesla International Airport (https://beg.aero/eng) is served by a number of airlines (including a few low-cost ones) with daily connections to many European cities, for example: Vienna, Zurich, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Athens, Paris, Munich, Barcelona, Rome, London, Berlin, Copenhagen and the like. A detailed list can be found at https://www.flightsfrom.com/.
While we assume that it is relatively easy to fly to Belgrade from any European capital or major airport hub, the matter is a little more complex with intercontinental and transatlantic flights. We advise all the conference participants, especially scholars from the USA, Canada and other faraway points of departure to use some of the available airfare calculators to get the best of their flying experience for the most affordable price:
https://airtreks.com/ready/create-a-travel-budget/tripplanner-for-airfare-costs/
https://www.flightsfinder.com/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/CheapFlightsHome
https://matrix.itasoftware.com/search
https://media.hopper.com/articles/hopper-airline-fee-calculator
https://www.cheapair.com/when-to-buy-flights
On average, flights can be booked about 9 months in advance, sometimes even as early as one year ahead. One of the options would be a flight from New York to Rome, then to Belgrade, which is only 720 km (447 mi) from the Italian capital. Norse Atlantic inaugurated its New York to Rome flight in June 2023 with low ticket prices, which naturally rise when standard fare for 23 kg baggage is included. It may be useful to check all the factors on the homepage:
Another possibility is to fly from New York to Paris on one of the several airlines with this service: Fly Play, Austrian, United Airlines or Air Canada. However, all these flights and fares should be verified at:
For example, the calculator https://www.cheapoair.com gives a $600 low-price for the round trip with Norse Atlantic on June 16 and June 21, 2024, JFK to Fiumicino and back. From Rome it is possible to reach Belgrade with Wizz Air (another low-cost company) at the round-trip price of $245, including a free carry-on, a trolley bag, 20 kg checked-in bag and priority boarding. The company’s official calculator (https://wizzair.com) goes as far as March 2024 when consulted in July 2023. Although it is a low-cost company with not so many amenities, the flight itself has a duration of slightly over 90 minutes, sometimes the time required to commute in heavy traffic of numerous cities, so it should be bearable.
In addition, the Google search engine could assist the participants in their choices, and many viable options can be found with these keywords:
“cheapest flights” Rome to Belgrade
“cheapest flights” Paris to Belgrade
“cheapest flights” London to Belgrade
In eager expectation of the Pynchon conference, we hope that you will be able to combine the best ways to reach Belgrade next June.
Transport from the airport to the city
There are three types of transport from the airport: taxi, minibus and a city transportation bus. Before you do anything, you will have to go the airport exchange office and collect Serbian dinars for your money. By far the most common foreign currency is the euro, although they should regularly exchange the US dollar and some other currencies. This is a link to various financial checkpoints at the airport:
https://beg.aero/eng/services_shopping/other_services/banks_and_exchange
Depending on your arrival time, perhaps the most certain form of this service is the ATMs from the list. The median exchange rate of the euro at the National Bank of Serbia on July 1, 2023 was 117.23 dinars, the exchange offices will buy it at a lower price (about 115 dinars), and sell it at a higher price (about 119 dinars):
Simultaneously, the US dollar was exchanged at the rate of 107.82 dinars, the British pound at 136.16, and the Swiss franc at 120.00 dinars.
Taxi
The official taxi can be obtained at the special taxi counter in the arrivals hall by collecting a voucher for a fixed-price ride. Please be advised that unlicensed taxi drivers can be lurking outside the airport, although the airport management, the communal police and the Ministry of Traffic and Transportation have joined forces to eliminate this illegal activity. The safest way to take the licensed taxi is to collect the voucher at the stand in the arrivals hall, which is the warranty that the driver will take you to the destination at the fixed price, around 15-20 euros. You will not be able to hail a ride without a voucher if it is a legal driver. They have the standard taxi signs belonging to the established companies, like Lux, Pink, Naxis or Belgrade (Beogradski) Taxi. The legal taxi cars all have the same letter combination at the end of the plates, e.g. BG 12345 TX (BG stands for Belgrade, the numbers refer to the current number within the letter group, and the TX letter group is a certain sign of a taxi vehicle). No car without the TX at the plates’ end is legal. One more thing you can do for your greater ease is to ask the driver standing by his car if he speaks English. You are not under any obligation to enter a car if the driver behaves coarsely, pretends not to hear or tries to drag you inside. Please do not rush into any form of transport, there will be plenty of vehicles around. The commute time from the airport to the city centre is about 20 minutes. If the ride goes well, you may tip the driver with another 10% over the voucher price for his kind service.
Minibus
Minibus Line A1 is not such a comfortable vehicle, although it can take about 12-15 passengers with their baggage. The vans are about 7 m in length, and are quite durable. Its commute time is about 30 minutes, and its terminus is at Slavija Square, 700 m away from the very hub of the city, which is Republic Square. The ticket costs 400 dinars, or 3.5 euros.
City transportation
The most affordable, and the most grassroots means of transport from Nikola Tesla Airport is certainly City Transportation Line 72, which operates two-axle buses with about 25 seats and a few more standing places for the commuters. Its commute time is between 30 and 40 minutes, and the number of stops is at least 30. The ticket can be purchased through your own mobile phone if you text the following message:
A90
The recipient number is 9011. When you write the message in the Latin script, you will need to text it to the number. It is valid for a 90-minute ride, and costs 50 dinars (less than 50 eurocents). You will be charged later by the mobile carrier in your country when the bill is due.
Public transport
The transport includes buses, trolleybuses and tram subsystems.
The ticket-selling mobile app is available for download from the link:
https://beogradplus.rs/en/index.html
Information on public transport, ticket prices and line maps can be found on www.gsp.rs when you choose English in the top right-hand corner. All in all, there are about 130 routes in Metropolitan Belgrade, and there can be rush-hour traffic jams, since the number of passenger vehicles is too high for the present infrastructure. When they show up, the buses, trolleybuses and trams move with a fair amount of efficiency, and they are on average 7 years old. In order to be better at ease, you are advised to book your accommodation within walking distance from the Faculty of Philology.
Taxis are easily available throughout the city. The cost of the average ride is between 5 to 15 euros. These companies enjoy the highest reputation, and their drivers behave in the most civil way:
Lux Taxi: 30-33-123
Pink Taxi: 19803
Naxis Taxi: 19804
Belgrade Taxi: 19801
Beotaxi: 19700
The main railway station connects Belgrade with a few European capitals and many towns in Serbia. However, the railways system is in a poor condition and trains are slow with frequent delays. Travel by coach is popular, and the capital is well-served with daily connections to every town in the country.
Driving licences
Foreign driving licences are valid in the Republic of Serbia.