Just reserved my room in Belgrade for the Monday abd Tuesday. Its in the centre and I dont have to pay until I arrive . Si this means Ive got Saturday night and all of Sunday in Budapest which is a boss city. Iam not sure on my travel arrrangments yet to get to Belgrade. Ive seen coaches that only take 5 hours but 44 quid one way seems a bit steep. The train takes ages for someone reason which means it stops at every little town en route which usually means gypos get on for a few stops and try their luck especially on the night trains. I may hitch but as hitched in these parts before but most probably will be feeling a bit rough on the Monday morning so not sure.
Hi - I lived in Belgrade for years, have done the Budapest-Belgrade trip a few different ways. The one I always swerved was the train. A v-e-r-y slow experience from Zagreb-Belgrade was enough, thanks. When they finish the Budapest-Belgrade track reconstruction in a couple of years, it will be great - but now it'll be 8 hours
if you're lucky. And the trains themselves are... rustic. Plus, the overnight trains have a reputation (whether deserved or not) for being a thieves' playground.
So your other options are:
- minibus. Someone mentioned Gea Tours up the thread. I used them to Budapest airport and they were fine. But I've had other sub-optimal experiences with them. So have a look round - there will be options. They all cost about €25/way. But it can take some time at the start and end of trips as they do pick ups/drop offs, so about 5 hours total.
- private transfer. I got one from AutoTurist Novi Sad a couple of years ago. Nice big Merc, €200 one way. Find a couple of people to share the ride... I'm sure there are other companies offering similar. Will take about 3.5 hours.
- ride share. Blablacar is big in the Western Balkans. Never tried it though.
- fly. Belavia (the airline of Belarus) flies direct from Budapest to Belgrade. Costs about €100 one way or €160 return for a 45-minute flight. There's a flight into Belgrade on Monday morning; the return isn't until Thursday though.
Somebody also mentioned phones up the thread... Get a local SIM. They're on sale next to the baggage carousels at the airport. Or you can buy them from any kiosk in town. There are a few local networks and they're all OK. Just make sure you ask how to get a data package, as that isn't necessarily automatic.
Have a great time in Belgrade - I'm sure you'll love it.