Landed Early in Belgrade? What to Do Before Check-In and With Your Bags

Why early arrivals are a problem in Belgrade

Most hotels in Belgrade give you the room from 12:00 or 14:00 and ask you to check out before noon. Early check-in is sometimes possible, but it is rarely guaranteed, and some hotels charge extra for it.

So if you land in the morning, or fly out in the evening, you have several hours with suitcases and no room. Apartments are often the same, because the host usually has a fixed check-in time.

Those hours are still enough to see a good part of the city, as long as you sort out the luggage first.

Is there luggage storage at Belgrade Airport?

At the time of writing, we could not confirm a left-luggage office at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport on the official airport website, beg.aero. Do not plan your day around one.

If you need it, ask at the airport information desk when you land. Even if storage is available, leaving your bags at the airport means going back to the airport for them later, which is an extra trip out and back across the city.

Luggage storage in the city

The main bus station in Belgrade (BAS) has a left-luggage service. The station has moved from its old spot by the Sava to New Belgrade, so check the address before you plan around it. Check the current hours and prices on the bus station website before you go.

There are also apps that connect you with shops and cafes that keep bags for a fee. Coverage and prices differ, so compare them in the app and read the conditions about opening hours and insurance.

The catch with any storage is the extra stops. You drop the bags, go sightseeing, come back, collect them and only then go to the hotel.

Can you leave luggage at your hotel before check-in?

Many hotels will hold your bags at reception before check-in, and after check-out on your last day. If your hotel does this, it is the easiest option. Write to them before you travel and ask, so you know what to expect.

Apartments are different. Without a reception desk, the host may not be able to take your bags early, so ask the host directly.

What about a hotel where you are not staying? That depends entirely on the hotel. Some may agree, many will not, so never assume and always ask first.

What is open early in the morning

Belgrade starts the day early. Many bakeries and burek shops open early in the morning, and burek with yoghurt is the classic local breakfast. It is cheap, filling and easy to find in every part of town.

Kalemegdan park is open all day, and the paths along the fortress walls are quiet in the morning. It makes a good first stop, with a view over the confluence of the Sava and the Danube.

Cafes, museums and shops open later, and their hours differ from place to place. If you plan to go inside somewhere, check its hours on the day.

A 4-hour tour with your bags locked in the van

Our airport to hotel city tour was made for exactly this situation. The airport transfer is free when combined with a 4- or 6-hour tour, and the whole vehicle is for your group, never shared.

Our drivers give you basic information along the way, but they are not guides. If you want the full story of the places you see, add a licensed guide for 120 € for up to 4 hours. Travelling with a lot of luggage? See the vans in our fleet and tell us how many suitcases you have.

Here is how the day goes:

• Your driver follows your flight and waits at arrivals with a name sign.
• Your suitcases go into the van and stay locked in it, with the driver, for the whole tour.
• You spend 4 or 6 hours in the city: Kalemegdan, the centre, Saint Sava Temple and more. See the 4-hour city tour for the route.
• At check-in time, we drop you and your bags at the hotel door.

Check-out day: the same idea in reverse

On your last day, the problem turns around. You check out before noon, and your flight leaves in the evening.

We collect you and your bags at the hotel at check-out time. The suitcases stay locked in the van while you see the city, and the tour ends at the airport in time for your flight. The airport transfer is free with a 4- or 6-hour tour, the same as on arrival.

If you only have a long wait between two flights and no hotel night, read our Belgrade layover guide or see the layover tour. To plan your day, write to us on WhatsApp or Viber at +381 61 732 6261, or use the contact page.