Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona - where next?

If you're into clubbing holidays and have done the usual suspects, Serbia's capital Belgrade has come on to the radar quickly in recent years, developing an exciting, ever-changing cobweb of clubs and bars.

The music scene caters to all-comers, from rock and jazz clubs to Balkan beats and turbo folk - a curious mix of electronic beats and gypsy or Turkish-influenced folk singing that's worth experiencing at least once.

You can also find the best in underground electronica, techno and house music, with venues tempting a regular stream of international guest DJs and artists.

Serbia shines for the EXIT festival

There's plenty to do in this resurgent nation as 50,000 revellers turn out for a four-day party

Nightlife guide to six party cities

Time Out writers paint the town red in Paris, Milan, Amsterdam, Berlin, Belgrade and New York

• Hitting Amsterdam's dancefloors

Serbia's coolest festival

It's one of the coolest parties in Europe. Put your hands in the air for Serbia’s Exit festival

• Six of the best music festival websites

Related Internet Links

• Research 87 articles in Music and Travel

Related Links

• Serbia shines for the EXIT festival

Belgrade is different enough to enjoy daytime around the city before hitting the town for an evening of revelry.

Wandering the city offers a welcome change to the pristine facade of Europe's chocolate-box old towns, with the faded grandeur of the few pre-20th century buildings sitting awkwardly alongside concrete communist-era structures.

The recently completed marble exterior of the huge St Sava Orthodox church glistens next to other buildings while the National Theatre, Old Royal Palace, university buildings and National Museum (closed for renovation) provide some older highlights.

High on a hill at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, the Kalemegdan Fortress dates back to pre-Roman times - the current walls were contructed to the 15th and 16th centuries. The views are tremendous and it houses a beautiful park, one of many green spaces across the city.

The Hotel Moscow, open but currently being refurbished to 5-star standards, is one of the most beautiful art noveau buildings, dating back to 1906. It sits near the pedestrianised Knez Mihailova Street with its plethora of designer clothes shops attesting to the emergence of the nouveau-rich, thought the country is still economically crippled.

The good news for tourists is that the city is incredibly cheap by our standards. Main courses in the best restaurants are £5-£10, killer cocktails in the coolest bars are £2.50-5, while a beer should set you back between £1 and £1.50 depending on the venue. And the local brews (try Jelen Pivo or neighbouring Montenegro's Nikšicko) tend to be far superior to and cheaper than the foreign imports.

While the people are some of the friendliest in the world, the one complaint I heard is that they are still being punished after suffering enough because of Slobodan Milosevic. Economic sanctions were accompanied by travel restrictions, many of which are still in place - it's very hard for residents to obtain visas to visit the EU, for instance.

To try to simplify the situation in one of the world's most historically complex countries would be foolish - it's best not to engage in political conversation, plenty blame the West for 1999, but visitors receive a very warm welcome.

Times recommends

• Dubai cheaper than Doncaster as room rates tumble
• World Cup 2010 - how to follow England
• Copenhagen: Europe's greenest city