Belgrade sits where the Sava runs into the Danube, a strategic spot that has been fought over for more than two thousand years, by Celts, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, Habsburgs and others, and the city has been destroyed and rebuilt dozens of times. The fortress of Kalemegdan, on the ridge above the meeting of the rivers, is where that long story is easiest to see, with its walls, gates and gardens giving a wide view across the water to the flat plain of Vojvodina. The park below is where the city strolls on Sunday afternoons.
The old centre runs from the fortress along the pedestrian Knez Mihailova street, full of shops and cafes, and out to Skadarlija, a cobbled bohemian street of old taverns where musicians play tamburica in the evenings. The great white Church of Saint Sava, one of the biggest Orthodox churches in the world, stands on a hill in the south and took decades to finish. The city is loud, warm and sociable, and nightlife is a local specialty, with bars and clubs on boats along the rivers. In daytime the grilled meat and burek from a bakery are the usual lunch, with a thick coffee to follow.
Leaving Belgrade by motorcycle takes some care, as traffic is dense and drivers are quick, but the countryside opens soon enough. North across the Danube lies the plain of Vojvodina, flat and fertile, and to the north-west the low wooded ridge of Fruška Gora, with monasteries hidden in the hills and vineyards on the slopes, makes a pleasant day. South of the city, the hill of Avala has a tower and a view, and the roads to the east follow the Danube toward the gorge of the Iron Gates. Surfaces are variable, with new motorways and roads in good condition, but also stretches of potholes in towns and villages, and police are strict on speeding.
Fuel is on every approach road and plentiful across Serbia, with the big stations on the motorways open all hours. Remember that foreign registration needs the right paperwork at borders, and the green card for insurance is worth carrying. The river banks at Ada Ciganlija, an island with a lake, are good for a swim in summer, and cafes on the quays are busy until late, which makes a ride back into the city in the evening a lively end to the day.