Guide · Practicalities
Where to live in Belgrade if your child goes to an international school
Which neighbourhood each school is in, how the buses actually work, and why choosing the school before the flat saves a year of driving.
Updated August 2026 · schools' own pages read 24 August 2026
Almost every international school in Belgrade sits in one of three adjoining neighbourhoods — Dedinje, Senjak and Banovo Brdo, all within the municipality of Savski Venac and its edges. That is why families with school-age children concentrate there, and it is the single most useful thing to know before you sign a lease. Vračar is the practical middle option. Novi Beograd has the largest overall international community and the most modern family housing, but only two of the schools in this guide — Westbridge and the state Deseta gimnazija — so living there usually means a commute.
Which schools are where
| Neighbourhood | Schools | Which ones |
|---|---|---|
| Senjak | 5 | Brook Hill, DSB, PRIMA, ISB, EFB |
| Dedinje | 4 | Brook Hill, Chartwell, EDUCA, IPS |
| Banovo Brdo | 2 | Crnjanski, Ruđer Bošković |
| Vračar | 2 | Brook Hill, International School |
| Novi Beograd | 2 | Tenth Belgrade Gymnasium Mihajlo Pupin, Westbridge |
| Košutnjak | 1 | Ruđer Bošković |
| Savski Venac | 1 | Chartwell |
| Ada Ciganlija | 1 | Green School |
| Voždovac | 1 | BIS |
| Žarkovo | 1 | Crnjanski |
Some schools run several campuses in different neighbourhoods and appear more than once. Brook Hill describes all four of its campuses as being in Dedinje; two of them are in Vračar and Senjak. Check the address of the campus your child will actually attend, not the school's head office.
The neighbourhoods, honestly
Dedinje and Senjak
The diplomatic quarter and the streets around it. Most of the schools, most of the embassies, most of the international families, and the highest rents in the city. Quiet, green, and residential to the point of being sleepy — you will drive or take the trolleybus for most things. If your priority is that a child can walk or take a short bus to school and to friends' houses, this is the answer.
Banovo Brdo and Košutnjak
Ruđer Bošković and Crnjanski are here, and Green School by Chartwell is on Ada Ciganlija nearby. More space and more greenery than Dedinje, somewhat lower rents, and the large Košutnjak forest park on the doorstep. Further from the centre, which matters more to parents than to children.
Vračar
The practical compromise: a proper city neighbourhood with cafés, markets and parks, close enough to Dedinje for a short commute, and considerably more alive than the diplomatic quarter. Brook Hill's primary campus and International School Savremena are here.
Novi Beograd
The largest concentration of international residents overall, modern flats with lifts and parking, and good infrastructure for families. But of the schools in this guide only Westbridge and the state Deseta gimnazija are here, and ISB's bus covers only parts of the municipality. If you are drawn to Novi Beograd, settle the school and the bus route before the lease.
Zemun
Riverside, characterful, cheaper, and popular with families who want a neighbourhood rather than a compound. No international schools, so it is a commute in every case.
How the school buses actually work
| School | School bus |
|---|---|
| BIS | Runs a service |
| Brook Hill | Nothing published |
| Chartwell | A directory reports that transport is arranged and charged directly with an outside provider rather than run by the school. Not confirmed with Chartwell. |
| Tenth Belgrade Gymnasium Mihajlo Pupin | Nothing published |
| DSB | Nothing published |
| EDUCA | Runs a service directory figure |
| Green School | Nothing published |
| IPS | Nothing published |
| International School | Runs a service directory figure |
| Crnjanski | Nothing published |
| PRIMA | Runs a service |
| Ruđer Bošković | Runs a service directory figure |
| ISB | Covers Dedinje, Senjak, Diplomatic area in Banovo Brdo, parts of New Belgrade, parts of Downtown |
| Westbridge | Nothing published |
| EFB | Nothing published |
Two things are true of school transport across the whole city, and neither is obvious from any school's own page.
- No school publishes a price. Every bus service in Belgrade is optional and billed separately, and you will only find out what it costs by asking.
- Coverage depends on who else lives near you. ISB creates a new route only when at least seven pupils live in the same area, and plans routes at the start of the year from the applications it has received. So the honest question is not "do you run a bus" but "do you cover this street, this year" — and if you are applying late, the answer can change.
Questions families ask
Where do international school families live in Belgrade?
Overwhelmingly in Dedinje, Senjak and the surrounding streets of Savski Venac, because that is where almost all the international schools are. Banovo Brdo and Vračar are the next most common. Novi Beograd has the largest international community overall but only two of the schools in this guide, so living there usually means a commute.
Which Belgrade neighbourhood is best for families with children?
For school-age children at an international school, Dedinje and Senjak are the practical answer because the schools are there and the commute disappears. Vračar is the compromise if you want a livelier neighbourhood and a short journey. Banovo Brdo suits families who want more space and green. Novi Beograd has the best modern family housing but the worst school geography.
Do Belgrade international schools have school buses?
Several do, all optional and charged separately, and none publishes a price. Only the International School of Belgrade describes its coverage publicly — Dedinje, Senjak, the diplomatic area in Banovo Brdo, parts of New Belgrade and parts of downtown — and it creates a new route only when at least seven pupils live in the same area.
Should I choose the school or the flat first?
The school. Belgrade's international schools cluster in three adjoining neighbourhoods, bus coverage depends on where other families in that school live, and places depend on your child's specific year group. Settling the school first turns the housing search into a small problem; doing it the other way round can mean a year of driving across the city twice a day.