Private Yugo Tour Explore Yugoslav History in a Classic Car
Description
Discover the rich history of Yugoslavia on a unique private tour in a vintage Zastava car. This immersive experience allows you to be driven through Belgrade while learning about the architectural and cultural legacy of a nation that has vanished. Visit significant historical sites, including Tito’s grave and iconic brutalist buildings. Perfect for history buffs and those eager to connect with the past, this tour offers a nostalgic glimpse into everyday life during Yugoslavia's peak. - 4-hour immersive tour through Belgrade’s communist heritage - Ride in a classic Zastava car, experiencing a slice of history - Visit key historical sites including bombed buildings and memorials
Tour Options
Itinerary
At the Yugotour HQ you will meet your guide and your car for the day. You can grab some cold water and make a quick toilet-visit if necessary, and off you go!
The tour starts at the beginning: the second world war. The Staro Sajmiste concentration camp was based in the middle of the city and its buildings are now used for living and working. There’s even a restaurant now. You will hear how this place went from a concentration camp to a nice, green area and how Yugoslavia was created out of the devastation of the Second World War.
This tree-lined park is special for two reasons: the trees are planted by famous people, mainly politicians and royalty, who visited Tito in Belgrade. Find the tree of your favorite leader, or the most notorious one! The second reason the park is special is because of the monument for the victims of the NATO bombing of 1999, erected by then leader Slobodan Milosevic. It was supposed to have an eternal flame, but that burnt out pretty quickly, just like Milosevic's power...
The tour continues to what once was the political heart of Socialist Yugoslavia: SIV, or now called the Palace of Serbia. This impressive building and its interior are unchanged since it was built in 1961. Its architecture is symbolic for the politics of the country. How did leader Tito keep together the different peoples of Yugoslavia who during World War 2 were enemies?
From here on we cruise through New Belgrade, completely designed and constructed from scratch as the ideal socialist city. While getting a grasp of the urban planning we’ll arrive at the most iconic of all brutalist buildings in Belgrade and possibly the entire Yugoslavia: Genex Tower. These two imposing towers connected at the top floor with a concrete bridge, and carrying a UFO shaped restaurant on the top of the right tower, this building also is known as the West Gate, welcoming everybody arriving into Belgrade via the Highway of Brotherhood and Unity.
A story about the rise and fall of Yugoslavia has to end at the grave of its leader, Tito. We’ll visit the mausoleum and get to know more about this fascinating character. We will also visit the gallery with a selection of the thousands of gifts he got from leaders and other from all over the world, including an actual piece of the moon delivered to him personally by Neil Armstrong.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The Yugotour Headquarters are in the center, down near the Sava River. You can easily reach it by foot from the city center, you can use tram 2 that stops in front of the headquarters, or take one of the busses stopping at Brankov Bridge and walk 5 minutes from there. You can of course take a taxi too, we recommend Pink Taxi or using an Uber-like app like Car:go. Make sure to mention you need to go to Karadjorjdeva 11 in Stari Grad (the old town), to avoid being brought to the street with the same name, but far away in the Zemun area.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(1)
Being a travel agent, I've taken lots of guided tours worldwide. Some were great, some were regular, some were disappointing. And YugoTour certainly ranked among the best ones, probably in my top 3 guided tours of all times. Luka was our guide, and what a talented, passionate and knowledgeable professional he is! We asked for a mix between the architecture tour and the rise and fall of Yugoslavia tour. Andjela (the lady with whom we exchanged emails before the tour) and Luka went above and beyond to make sure we had the tour the way we planned. Being in one of the famous blocks was very impressive, and listening to all the history told by our guide gave us a deeper understanding of what Serbia is today and what Yugoslavia used to be. The visit to Yugoslavia museum and the House of Flowers worked like a great history lesson. It was a complete and very nice tour. Even with all the heavy history, Luka made our tour very enjoyable and relaxing. We had some great conversations and a nice cultural exchange. And being in a vintage car surely made the tour much more charming. The perfect tour!
