NATO Bombing Belgrade Tour: Tracing the Scars of the 1999 Air Campaign

Trace the 1999 NATO bombing of Belgrade through the buildings and places that still carry its marks.

Tour at a Glance

What to Expect From the Tour Scars of NATO Bombing in Belgrade

Standing in front of the damaged Ministry of Defense complex, you immediately see why this building became one of the defining images of the 1999 air campaign. As the route continues across the city — from the preserved ruins of the RTS broadcasting building to the site of the Chinese Embassy bombing — the story of those seventy-eight days begins to connect through places rather than headlines. Along the way, your guide shares photographs from the time and personal memories of how the nights of air strikes were experienced in Belgrade, gradually revealing how those events still shape the city today.

Travelers who prefer a lighter introduction to Belgrade’s culture, landmarks, and everyday life may prefer our Belgrade for Beginners Private Tour.

Highlights

• Visit the actual bombing sites across Belgrade:
  Seeing the damaged or rebuilt locations in person provides spatial context that photos alone cannot convey. It helps connect historical events with the modern city.
• Perspective from a local guide:
  Your guide shares firsthand observations and explains how the war was experienced locally, offering insight beyond headlines or simplified historical narratives.
• Original photographs from the time of the bombing:
  Archival images help reconstruct how each location looked during the air campaign, allowing you to compare the city today with the reality of 1999.
• Private format with time for open discussion:
  Because the tour is private, guests can ask direct or difficult questions and explore the topic at their own pace without the constraints of a group schedule.

Tour Flow

#YourSerbiaHost will pick you up from your address in the city (usual start time 10am) and he’ll take you to the first stop of the tour, RTS – Radio Television of Serbia.

RTS – Radio Television of Serbia

Here you’ll hear the story about the night when 16, mostly young people, got killed during the night shift. There is an original building still standing on the site, unrepaired, as a memorial to this disastrous event.

Ministry of Defense

This is the most common site on various photos related to NATO bombing in Belgrade. The Ministry of Defense is still reminder on the night of 29th of April 1999 when many military objectives were hit. As a consequence of this action one person lost its life and many civilian buildings in the vicinity were damaged.

Central Committee of Communist Party of Yugoslavia

Business center Ušće stands today on the same skeleton of the original construction and with the same appearance of the original building of CK of Communist Party of Yugoslavia. You’ll learn why this building was NATO missile proof back in 1999.

Chinese Embassy

Probably the most controversial bombing site in Belgrade from the ’99 campaign. The Embassy was allegedly bombed as a result of an intelligence mistake, but it’s suspected it had a completely different purpose. Whatever the reasons were, four Chinese citizens died on the night of 7th of May 1999.

Hotel Yugoslavia

The hotel was once the pride of Yugoslavian hospitality industry. Completed in the late 60s it was the biggest and most luxurious hotel in the region. On the same night when the Chinese Embassy was hit, Hotel Yugoslavia was bombed with three missiles in order to eliminate the seat of the paramilitary group. It eliminated one guest of the hotel.

Currently this site is under reconstruction and the old hotel was completely rundown in November 2024. For the tour we’ll take a convenient spot around the construction site and through the photos and stories evoke this historical spot.

Air Force Command Building

Final spot on the tour is the Command Building of Yugoslavian Air Force at the time. This 1935 edifice represented a pearl of Yugoslavian and Serbian architecture. As a strategic objective it was hit with two missiles on 5th of April 1999.

Once the formal itinerary is completed, we will take you to one of Zemun’s cafes to summarize impressions (optional). After the tour, you’ll be taken to your drop-off point.

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