novi sad
Arriving in Serbia/Novi Sad:
Welcome to Serbia! A Beautiful country in the center of the Balkans with many wonderful cities to explore! To start this itinerary off, we landed around noon in Belgrade and headed over to pick up our rental car. From there it was about an hour drive to the second largest city in Serbia, Novi Sad. With pastel building lined streets, a vibrant, young culture, and located right on the Danube River, there is plenty to love about this city!
Explore Novi Sad:
Novi Sad's Stari Grad is smaller and easily walkable, so enjoy a stroll through the city and down Dunavska Street, take a break in Dunavski park or explore beautiful architecture at the Name of Mary Church and Saint George's Cathedral. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants to enjoy, but one thing you cannot do is miss Project 72 for Lunch or Dinner! The food is amazing, fresh, and local, and you can opt to do a wine pairing that the knowledgeable staff will be happy to tailor to the dishes you order. It is a perfect way to experience local food at it's finest and the prices are very reasonable for the amount of food you get.
Petrovaradin Fortress:
A great way to get around, outside of Stari Grad, is to rent bikes as the city is very bike friendly. We used ours to head over to the Petrovaradin Fortress, crossing Danube via the Varadinska Bridge. Once across the bridge, head straight and you will run into a cobblestone road that will lead you up to the backside of the fortress. It will wind up the hill along the wall and once at the top, you should be able to lock your bikes along a fence and proceed to explore the fortress by foot. There are sometimes people there offering tours of the tunnels and they can provide additional history of the fortress, unfortunately, or you can walk around on our own, checking out the Drunken Clock Tower and the view over the city.
The Strand:
During the day, the Strand is a section of beach on the Danube River, where locals and tourists alike can soak up some sun and cool off in the water, but at night, it turns into quite the party, full of beach bars, music, and dancing. Riding your bike or taking a cab are the best ways of getting to the Strand. Once there, you will find bar, food stalls, public restrooms, and beach chairs to make your visit relaxing without the need to leave. While the beach can be accessed year round, the above description aligns with the summer months.
Must see sites
- Petrovaradin Fortress
- Varadinska Bridge
- Drunken Clock Tower
- Dunavska Street
- Name of Mary Church
- Saint George's Cathedral
- Dunavski Park
- The Strand
fruska gora
Day 3: Day Trip to Fruska Gora
Just a 30 minute drive (or 45 minute bus ride) outside of Novi Sad is the undisturbed natural paradise of Fruska Gora. This national park is full of beautiful scenery, monasteries, and wineries to provide you with a full day or more of exploration. Deuric Winery, is an great place to start the day, where you can sit on their patio and enjoy a charcuterie board for lunch along with their wine pairings, which are delicious!
Jazak & Krušedol Monasteries:
Jazak Monastery is a beautiful and peaceful monastery maintained by a sisterhood and everyone there is very kind. Some of the Nuns spoke English and could provide some history of the monastery, so feel free to ask questions or for a mini tour. They also produce their own Rakija there and if you are lucky, they will have a batch available for you to taste. We were one week too early and definitely disappointed, but they were happy to tell us about the process of how they make it.
Krušedol Monastery, is one run by a brotherhood. This one feels slightly more touristy but still great to see. Both require appropriate clothing for entering the cathedral, but if you don't have some on hand, they will loan you a cover up to enter.
Sremski Karlovci:
Sremski Karlovci is an old medieval town nestled between Fruska Gora and Novi Sad, and fun to check out for an afternoon while heading back to Novi Sad. You can make a stop at Kiš Winery for a smaller, more intimate family winery experience where the host is extremely knowledgeable and happy to share the history of the winery and wines. Then, you can pop into town to see the beautiful architecture of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, tour the Patriarchate Court or hike up to the viewpoint. There are also plenty of restaurants or cafes to enjoy some refreshments.
must see sites
- Wineries
- Jazak Monastery
- Krušedol Monastery
- The Town of Sremski Karlovci
nis
Travel from Novi Sad to Nis:
It is a 3 hour car ride from Novi Sad to Nis (pronounced niche) passing through Belgrade along the way. As the third largest city in Serbia, Nis offers plenty of sites to explore, however, while Nis is a beautiful city, there is more to see and do in and around Novi Sad and Belgrade so if you are shorter on time, it might be worth saving yourself the 5-6 hours of driving and just enjoy those two cities.
The Fortress:
Just across the Nišava River, and after passing through King Milan Square (another highlight of the city), you will find the large fortress with impressively preserved walls and structures. You can easily spend a few hours meandering around, looking at all the different ruins, reading the history, and taking in the beauty. There is even a little train that circles the perimeter if you prefer to sit back and relax or if you have young children.
Once back across the river, you will find a selection of bars with outdoor seating and sometimes live music in the evenings. This is a great spot to take a break and enjoy the scenery. We recommend Irish Pub Crazy Horse for a fun place to stop.
Tinkers Alley:
This is the most popular street for bars and restaurants in the city! It is not to be missed as there are plenty of options for local cuisine, which the city is praised for. Simply walk down the street and pick a place that looks best. At night, the street comes alive with locals and tourists alike, enjoying good company under an array of lights. It is a great place for lunch and to end the evening!
Skull Tower:
The tower is the result of a Serbian uprising to take their country back from the Ottoman Empire in the early 1800's. Their failure resulted in many casualties and it was then that the tower was built to ward off other invaders. Originally it contained 952 Skulls, but over the years, many of them were stolen or fell out. This tower is about 1.5 miles outside of the city center, so its either a longer walk or there is a bus that runs along the Vozda Karadorda and Bulevar Doktora Zorana Dindica that you can catch to get there in less than 10 minutes. It is definitely worth the visit! There is a 300RSD entrance fee and the tower is open Tues-Fri: 9a-7p, Sat-Sun: 9a-3p, and closed on Mondays.
must see sites
- The Fortress
- King Milan Square
- Tinkers Alley
- Skull Tower
belgrade
Traveling from Nis to Belgrade
There is a 2.5 hour drive from Nis to Belgrade. If you have rented a car and Belgrade is your last stop, we recommend returning it so that you do not have to worry about parking in the busy city. You can then follow the instructions from the airport to the city center above.
Exploring Belgrade
Belgrade is a large city full of history, so a great place to start would be finding a free walking tour. Not only will you get to see a majority of the must see sites in the city, but you will gain a better understanding of the history behind them at the same time. Our tour began in Republic Square in the heart of the city center (you can ask your hotel which tour they recommend or you can check out some options here). On this 2.5 tour we were able to check out the Church of Saint Sava, St. Mark's Church, the Old & New Palaces, and many more sites.
Knez Mihailova street:
This is the main shopping and walking only zone in Belgrade. Here you will find plenty of entertainment, ranging from street performers, local artists, special events, and plenty of people watching! This will of course be a much more touristy area of the city, so avoid eating at restaurants along here if you don't want to overpay for average food. It is great for a coffee break and people watching though!
The fortress:
Perched upon a hill overlooking where the Danube and Sava Rivers meet, this is a beautiful place to explore and enjoy an almost panoramic view of the surrounding area. There are food vendors there so grab yourself a beer and snack, find a seat on the wall and just take it all in!
There are also plenty of activities to keep the whole family entertained for a few hours or an entire day if you wish. You can check out animals at the zoo, explore the military museum, and appreciate the architecture of Ružica Church. Don't forget to walk over to the Victor Monument before you head out.
Nightlife/Neighborhoods/Skadarlija Street:
While there are plenty of historical sites to keep you busy throughout the days, Belgrade is also known for their infamous nightlife, and it definitely does not disappoint. For a more mellow experience, head on over to Skadarlija Street, an adorable cobblestoned street lined with bars and restaurants, often with live music. This street used to be a local hangout and has since turned more touristy with slightly higher prices than what you would find in other areas of the city, but it is definitely worth a visit for a meal or a stop at one of the bars (Red Bar was our personal favorite). If you want a slightly more local experience, you can head a few blocks over into the Dorcol neighborhood. Trattoria Pepe and Podrum Wine Art are great options or either a nicer Italian dinner or a wine bar with small bites. Don't forget to stop at Crna Ovca for the best Ice Cream in the city!
The neighborhood bars and restaurants are fun, but if you truly want to experience the famous Belgrade nightlife, you will want to head on down to the River banks and the Splavlovi (river barge bars) that line them! No matter which you choose, you are sure to have the full club experience with great crowds and fun DJs to party the night away!
must see sites
- Republic Square
- Church of Saint Sava
- St. Mark's Church
- Old & New Palaces
- Knez Mihailova street
- The Fortress
- Skadarlija Street
- Splavlovi (river barge bars)