April 10, 2025 – Munich to Belgrade
Goodbye Munich, Hello Belgrade – With a Quick Lesson in Taxi Shenanigans
We were up bright and early, groggy-eyed but excited, as we packed up and made our way to the subway for our ride to Munich Airport. And let me just say—Germany, you beautiful punctual beast—everything was seamless. Trains on time, connections a breeze, and before we knew it, we were at the airport, through security and passport control, and chilling at the gate like seasoned pros.
The flight? A short and sweet hour and a half. And our first look at Belgrade? Total Eastern European Brutalist vibes—concrete, angles, and a whole lot of “we mean business” architecture.
✨ HOT TIP: If you’re heading to Belgrade anytime soon, this next part is for you.
We do a lot of research before our trips—not just the big picture stuff but the little logistical things too. And one thing we were ready for was the taxi situation from the airport to our hotel, Mama Shelter Belgrade.
Now here’s how it’s supposed to work: taxi fares from the airport are set by zones. Sounds super organized, right? You go to the official taxi stand inside the airport, tell them where you’re going, and they give you a printed ticket with the set fare. Easy peasy. Foolproof, even.
Except… not quite.
As we approached the counter, a taxi driver swooped in like a hawk. Asked us where we were headed, relayed it to the ticket stand employee before we even got there, and boom, the fare ticket was slapped on the counter. Before we could blink, the driver snatched it, stuffed it in his pocket, and told us to follow him. Um, sketchy much?
Ron, ever the voice of reason, asked how much the fare would be. “5600 dinars,” the driver said—which is about $75 Canadian. That stopped us cold. We asked to see the ticket, and he flashed a crumpled mess of paper at us like it was a backstage pass. Wouldn’t even hand it over.
Here’s where that earlier research saved the day: we had already looked into local ride-share options and found out CarGo is the go-to app in Serbia. The same ride on the app? 1800 dinars. That’s less than a third of what this guy was trying to charge.
We bailed. Politely but firmly. Cue the taxi driver getting all huffy, telling us we’d be waiting forever, and that the pickup spot was complicated. Spoiler: it wasn’t.
Another cabbie swooped in, trying to lowball the first guy with a 4000 dinar offer (still way too much). Again, super pushy and not happy we weren’t falling for it. But we stood our ground.
So here’s how it actually works:
📍 After baggage claim, go up one level, head outside, and turn left.
🚶 Walk past the line of taxis (don’t make eye contact), and then cross the street to the designated ride-share pick-up area.
We found our CarGo driver easily, and he turned out to be awesome—full of stories about Belgrade and his own travels. He was shocked at the fare we were nearly charged and told us to avoid cabs altogether—not just in Belgrade, but pretty much anywhere in Europe. Rideshare apps all the way.
We rolled into Mama Shelter Belgrade, our base for the next three nights. It’s part of the Accor group and sits on top of a high-end shopping mall—think sleek, modern, and a bit funky, with a rooftop bar and restaurant that gives you a killer view of the city.
After a little stroll to get our bearings, we settled in for dinner at the hotel bar. We asked for a table for two and were immediately hit with:
“Smoking or non-smoking?”
Wait, what? What year is it again?
Anyway—cocktails and wine, check. A DJ spinning 80s tracks in the corner? Also check. Ron went with BBQ ribs and, hands down, they were the MVP of the night. I went classic with Cevapi (a traditional Serbian dish)—good, but didn’t knock my socks off. Still, the vibe was great, the service even better, and we’ll definitely be back for drinks before we head out.
