Novi Sad



Novi Sad (Serbian: Нови Сад/Novi Sad) is the capital of Vojvodina, the northern Autonomous Province of Serbia, and the second largest city in Serbia. Situated on the Danube River between Budapest and Belgrade, it is a treasured regional and cultural centre.

Understand
Novi Sad is a growing regional center with a population of over 300,000 people. It is architecturally (and, to an extent, culturally) different from other larger cities in central and south Serbia such as Belgrade and Niš, since it was not under the Ottoman influence but instead, that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The buildings in the city centre resemble the ones in Vienna and Budapest.

It is a university town, with more than 40,000 students attending the University of Novi Sad, which is on a beautiful green campus near the Danube. Because of the abundance of young people, Novi Sad has many bars, "hipstery" places, and is generally more open-minded than the rest of Serbia.

The people of Novi Sad are known to be relaxed and easy going, sometimes a bit too slow-paced for the other Serbians from the central and south of Serbia (their accent is one example of this).

The city is very flat (which makes it suitable for biking), with wide streets and lots of trees. For those who love hiking, there is a mountain, Fruška Gora, less than 15 km away, which is a national park featuring beautiful nature and many old monasteries.

Tourists that come to Novi Sad are usually impressed the most by Serbian cuisine, very low prices by Western standards, and by the hospitality of Serbian people. Many tourists come to Novi Sad for the Exit Festival which takes place on the Petrovaradin fortress in early July.

History
The area of Novi Sad was inhabited since the distant past - the found remains of old settlements date back to the Neolithic period (5000 BCE). Before the middle ages, the region was inhabited by different tribes, including Celts, Romans, and Huns. Slavic tribes (including Serbs) settled the region around Novi Sad mainly in the 6th and 7th century. The region was under the medieval Kingdom of Hungary in the 11th and 12th century and afterwards under the Ottomans from 1526 until 1687, when Habsburg Monarchy took over the control.

The settlement was declared a "free royal city” by the Habsburg empress Maria Theresa in 1748, and it gained its present names Novi Sad, Újvidék, and Neoplanta, meaning “new plantation” in Serbian, Hungarian, and Latin, respectively. For much of the 18th and 19th centuries, this was the largest Serb-inhabited city in the world, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I in 1918, when it became part of Kingdom of Serbia. During World War II, it was under Hungarian occupation.

After the World War II, the city went through rapid industrialization and its population more than doubled in the period between World War II and the breakup of Yugoslavia after the fall of the Soviet Union. Devastated by NATO bombardment that lasted 78 days during the Kosovo War of 1999, Novi Sad was left without any of its three Danube bridges, and with significant damage to its infrastructure including communications, water, and electricity. Residential areas were cluster-bombed several times while its oil refinery was bombarded daily.

Novi Sad has mostly recovered from the 1990s and it has grown strongly since 2001, shifting its economy from industry-driven to the tertiary sector. It is home of the national headquarters of numerous banks, third largest insurance company in Serbia, and major energy companies. Novi Sad is also a growing information technology center in Serbia.

Climate
Novi Sad has a continental climate, with four distinct seasons. The best weather is generally between April and September.

Winters are cold, with temperatures being below zero for a couple of weeks per year, often accompanied with snow (which stays for a couple of days or more at a time). The first snow usually falls in late November/early December.

Springs are short and rainy. On the first warm and sunny day after the winter, usually in March, the people of Novi Sad come out to the city centre to have a drink in a cafe in Zmaj Jovina street, or take a walk on the promenade next to the Danube.

Summers often arrive abruptly, with temperatures above 25°C being very common, starting as early as May. If the weather becomes too hot, you can have a swim at Štrand, a well-maintained public beach on the river Danube, popular with the locals. If you want to have a proper swim, the outdoor pool at Spens is an option. Go early in the morning to avoid the crowds. Short heavy rains occur from time to time in the summer, cooling the air for a couple of hours. The weather remains warm until the middle of September or later.

Autumns arrive usually by the beginning of October, and are not too cold, with the temperatures between 10 and 20°C. Rain is not uncommon in this period, however there are many sunny days too. The leaves changing colours and falling from the trees make Novi Sad quite beautiful, especially in the parks and on the promenade next to the Danube.

By plane
The nearest airport is Belgrade 70 km southeast, less than an hour ride from Novi Sad. Some taxi companies run regular cars between Belgrade Airport and Novi Sad, e.g. Autoturist tel. +381 63 504 587, Belgrade Airport Transfer, inexpensive for foreign standards. Belgrade airport is the most convenient for coming into Novi Sad (and Serbia) not only because it is the closest, but also because the transport from other airports includes land border crossings, which can sometimes take hours to cross (the busiest are the ones coming from/to Hungary).

Other airports with low-cost flights are Budapest 250 km north, and Timisoara 130 km northeast. There are also taxi companies offering regular cars from these airports, e.g. Autoturist.

By train
Novi Sad is on the railway line between Budapest (6 hours), Subotica and Belgrade. The line between Novi Sad and Belgrade has been upgraded to a high-speed line, greatly reducing trip time. The high speed "Soko" trains are non-stop and more expensive, but get to Belgrade in 36 minutes on a good day.



Timetables are available on SrbijaVoz website and prices are available in the SrbijaVoz app. Regional train tickets from Belgrade cost RSD393 and Soko train tickets cost RSD483. Beware that the ticket seller may charge you an extra RSD120 for sitting on the upper deck of Soko train. The Soko trains are rarely full and train conductors do not check if you're sitting in your assigned seat.

By bus
Novi Sad has buses to all the other major cities in Serbia. Buses for Belgrade run every 15 minutes; the quickest zip along the motorway in 90 mins but others take roundabout routes, so the next departure might not be your quickest option.

There are buses to Sofia in Bulgaria, Budapest in Hungary, Zagreb, Vukovar, and Osijek in Croatia, Sarajevo and Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Budva, Tivat, Podgorica, Herceg Novi in Montenegro. Connections from elsewhere across Europe usually mean changing in Budapest.

For local and long-distance bus timetables in Serbian and English, visit the web site of JGSP Novi Sad, the city public transport company.

The bus station is on Bulevar Jaše Tomića 6, next to the railway station. There's ticket kiosks and a cafe, plus adjacent "Mekdonalds".

By car
E-75 between Belgrade and Budapest skirts Novi Sad 5 km north. The toll for a standard car from Belgrade is RSD 240.

For Zagreb and Ljubljana, get onto E-70 highway some 40 km southwest of Novi Sad.

By bike
The cycling route EuroVelo 6 connects Novi Sad to Hungary and to Belgrade along the Danube.

On foot
The city centre is quite small and most of the interesting sights, bars and hotels are all within easy walking distance. There are plenty of street maps, especially in the centre, so you can find your way easily.

By taxi
Taxis are not overly expensive (by Western standards), the minimum fare varies between RSD 80 and 100, with a cross-city trip typically costing RSD 150-200. It helps to have the address written out although many taxi drivers speak fair, sometimes even excellent, English. However, be careful of taxis unaffiliated with one of the major firms (especially at the train station), or you may pay up to four times more than your fare should be. Some good taxi companies: Pan, Vojvodjani, SOS, Delta, Novus, Naš, Lav.

By bus
Novi Sad has an excellent bus service. A single ride (no transfers) is RSD 65. Tickets can only be purchased from the driver, using cash. Most of the bus lines operate only during the day, from 04:30 until 00:00. Since the bus network plan is not incorporated into Google Maps, it is best to ask a local how to get from point A to B, they will be happy to help out. Yandex app has bus schedules in real time.

The town center has two main bus stops - one after the underpass in Mihajla Pupina and one in Uspenska by the theatre. You can get from the railway/bus station to the town center with bus lines 4, 10, 14 and 15. 10, 14 and 15 stop in Uspenska, and 4 stops by the underpass. To get to the Štrand beach, take numbers 1 or 8 from either of the stops in the town center. Number 3 will take you from either of the stops to the Petrovaradin fortress - get off on the first stop after the bridge.

One should also keep in mind that the timetable shown on the bus stops and the website is the timetable for the bus leaving from the starting bus stop of that route, not the current bus stop. However, the timetable can give an idea on how frequent are the buses around a certain part of the day (it varies from every 10 minutes or less during the middle of the day, to every half an hour late in the evenings). If you want real-time information, download the free NSmart app that is, for the most part, pretty accurate.

By car
There are three parking zones in the city: red (53 RSD per hour, SMS: 8211), blue (44 RSD per hour, SMS: 8212) and white (30 RSD per hour, SMS: 8218). A daily ticket can be obtained in all white zones and some blue zones for 95 RSD (SMS: 8215). (Prices as of Mar 2022.) You should send and SMS to the corresponding number and type your vehicle's license plate in capital letters and without spaces in the body of the message. More information on the parking service's website. Map of the parking zones.

By bike
Novi Sad is flat, and has dedicated cycle-paths along most of its avenues (as in most of Europe, sidewalk cycling is not allowed), which makes it an exceptionally bicycle-friendly city for regional standards. There is a public bike-share scheme with a fair number of bike stations around the city (maintenance of the bikes leaves something to be desired however), but it's also possible to get a private bike rental, for a higher quality or more specialized bicycle; this also doesn't limit to you moving between bike stations.

See
Novi Sad has a relatively small city centre, with some charming old architecture within the pedestrian area in the centre. The main pedestrian streets are Dunavska street and Zmaj Jovina street, the latter includes the main square (Trg slobode). There are also nice green areas and parks around Novi Sad, such as Dunavski park, Limanski park, and the campus around the University of Novi Sad. The promenade next to the Danube river stretches over around 5 km and is also nice to walk along. Around the middle of the promenade (the part closest to the city centre) there is a square dedicated to the victims of the raid during the World War II (Trg zrtava racije). It offers a place to sit and enjoy the view over the Petrovaradin Fortress, which is across the river. On the other hand, Petrovaradin Fortress provides a beautiful view over the city, especially around the sunset. You can end your sightseeing day by enjoying some food with a view from one of the restaurants at the top of the fortress.



Green areas








Do

 * A stroll around the city's imposing boulevards and along the Danube river, for example the route Kralja Aleksandra - Trg Slobode - Zmaj Jovina - Dunavska - Beogradski Kej - Kej Žrtava Racije
 * If the weather is nice, sit down at one of the cafés around Spens and enjoy
 * Go to the beach in this distinctly land-locked country: the Strand is a sand beach on the Danube riverbank, usually open mid-May to mid-Sep.
 * Football: Novi Sad has two soccer teams in SuperLiga, the country's top tier. Vojvodina and Proleter both play at Karađorđe Stadium (capacity 14,500) southwest side of city centre.
 * Go to the beach in this distinctly land-locked country: the Strand is a sand beach on the Danube riverbank, usually open mid-May to mid-Sep.
 * Football: Novi Sad has two soccer teams in SuperLiga, the country's top tier. Vojvodina and Proleter both play at Karađorđe Stadium (capacity 14,500) southwest side of city centre.
 * Football: Novi Sad has two soccer teams in SuperLiga, the country's top tier. Vojvodina and Proleter both play at Karađorđe Stadium (capacity 14,500) southwest side of city centre.

Buy

 * Coats good quality (particularly for the harsh winter) and very cheap.
 * Leather goods at the Manual Company, a modern franchise based on high quality luxury leather, handmade at affordable prices. Various shops, one at Zmaj Jovina 18
 * Quality goods, especially sportswear, can be found at Spens
 * Merkur
 * NewNork (renovated shopping mall at the city center across the street from the Opera House)
 * Futoška pijaca and Riblja pijaca are two open-air markets in the city center where you can buy cheap clothes, local fresh produce and some groceries imported from Hungary.
 * NewNork (renovated shopping mall at the city center across the street from the Opera House)
 * Futoška pijaca and Riblja pijaca are two open-air markets in the city center where you can buy cheap clothes, local fresh produce and some groceries imported from Hungary.

Eat
After a hearty breakfast with meat, Serbians traditionally work eight hours straight before having their "lunch" between 15:00-18:00. This is by far the biggest meal of the day, with huge quantities of soup, roasted meat and potatoes, and a pickle salad as a side dish. Restaurants are typically open until 22:00. Vegetarian options are going to be noticeably hard to find, as the Serbian diet is very meat-heavy.

Budget
Lots of cheap food (pizza, hamburger, pancakes etc) around Bulevar Oslobođenja leading from the station, Braće Popović near Novi Sad Fair, Zmaj Jovina, and Futoški put. Further out there's another collection around Vojvodina stadium.

Mid-range
The (Fisherman's Island) has a slew of riverside restaurants and cafes. (updated Sep 2022)



Drink
As a university town, Novi Sad has a lively bar scene. Many bars are in the small streets to the west of Zmaj Jovina, around Njegoševa and Grčkoškolska streets.
 * Absolut, Zmaj Jovina 12 is a quiet place for coffee or cocktails.
 * Pivnica Gusan, Zmaj Jovina 12 - one of the best pubs
 * Absolut, Zmaj Jovina 12 is a quiet place for coffee or cocktails.
 * Pivnica Gusan, Zmaj Jovina 12 - one of the best pubs
 * Pivnica Gusan, Zmaj Jovina 12 - one of the best pubs

Go next

 * Sremski Karlovci is an attractive small town 8 km from Novi Sad with well preserved architecture. A wine festival is held there in September.
 * Fruška Gora National Park is south of the Danube facing Novi Sad; upland scenery and many monasteries.
 * Fantast Dvorac Dunđerski is a well-preserved old castle 40 km north of Novi Sad.
 * Palic is a spa resort on a lake.
 * Sombor near Novi Sad has delightful old architecture.
 * Belgrade the capital is a fascinating cosmopolitan city.
 * Subotica on the border is a miniature Hungary. Then cross to reach Szeged, Pécs and of course Budapest.
 * Romania's Timișoara is another regional centre in the Pannonian Basin, sharing some of the similar architectural styles