The Turkish community in Belgrade: a practical guide

The Turkish community in Belgrade: a practical guide

Belgrade and Turkey share centuries of history, a lot of vocabulary, and, increasingly, a growing community of Turkish residents, students and business people. If you have moved from Turkey or simply want to find Turkish food, language and services in the city, this practical guide points you to the places and institutions that matter, from Bajrakli mosque to the fastest flights back to Istanbul.

A long shared history

Belgrade spent long periods under Ottoman rule, and the traces are still visible. The clearest is Bajrakli Mosque in Dorćol, on Gospodar Jevremova street, built around 1575 and today the only working mosque in the city. It remains a focal point for Muslim worshippers in Belgrade, including Turkish and Bosniak communities. You will also notice the shared heritage on any menu and in everyday words: Serbian coffee is made just like Turkish coffee, and dishes and terms that Turks recognize appear all over the local table.

Turkish food in Belgrade

The Turkish and broader Middle Eastern food scene has grown a lot, especially around the centre and Dorćol. For a proper sit-down meal, places such as Restoran Kultura are known for kebabs like Beyti and Ali Nazik, while Meze and Mama Sara are popular for home-style Turkish cooking and street food. For doner and quick bites, spots like Česnili Doner have a loyal following, and Balkan Baklava is a reliable name for baklava and sweets. New Turkish and Syrian grills open regularly, so it is worth asking the community which is currently best. Turkish groceries and imported products turn up in the larger markets and specialist shops.

Language, culture and study

The Yunus Emre Institute (Yunus Emre Enstitüsü), the Turkish cultural and language centre, has run in Belgrade since 2009 and sits at Dobračina 38 in Dorćol. It offers Turkish courses at all levels and a regular programme of cultural events, and it is the natural first stop for anyone wanting to keep up their Turkish or learn it. Turkish is also taught academically at the University of Belgrade, which has a long tradition of Oriental and Turkish studies. If your children are learning Serbian at the same time, our guide to Serbian survival phrases may help the whole family.

Flights between Istanbul and Belgrade

One reason Belgrade suits Turkish residents is how close home stays. The route is one of the busiest in the region:

• Turkish Airlines flies daily between Istanbul Airport (IST) and Belgrade, with a flight time of roughly one hour and 50 minutes.
• Air Serbia also serves Istanbul, including flights to Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side.
• Pegasus operates the low-cost option from Sabiha Gökçen.

With multiple carriers and several rotations a day, you can usually find an affordable same-week fare, and Turkish citizens travel to Serbia visa-free for stays of up to 90 days, which makes short trips genuinely easy.

Turkish-friendly services and community

Practical life is manageable in Turkish. There are Turkish-speaking real estate agents, lawyers and accountants working with the growing number of Turkish nationals who buy property or set up companies in Serbia, and Turkish is increasingly heard among doctors and business consultants in the centre. Turkish state agencies have a presence too, and Turkey has invested in restoring shared Ottoman-era heritage in the region. The Turkish Embassy in Belgrade handles consular matters for citizens.

The fastest way to plug in socially is online: Belgrade has active Turkish community and diaspora groups on social media where people swap recommendations for everything from a halal butcher to a Turkish-speaking dentist, share flight deals, and organize meetups. That informal network, more than any single institution, is what most newcomers from Turkey rely on in their first months.

Settling in

If you are arriving from Turkey to live rather than visit, the same steps apply as for any newcomer. Sort your registration, residence and banking early, and lean on the community for the local knowledge that speeds everything up. Our broader relocation checklist and Serbian food guide are good companions to this one, and between the flights, the food and the shared history, Belgrade tends to feel familiar to Turkish newcomers faster than they expect.