Novi Sad

No place in Serbia has the vibrancy of Novi Sad’s brimming outdoor cafes,
nor the beauty of its gardens and patchwork architecture ...
TNT Magazine

About Novi Sad

Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia with the population of about 300 000. It is the capital of the northern region of Serbia called Vojvodina. It is situated on the left bank of the great river Danube.

Novi Sad has great history, even greater beauty and is a cultural center of Serbia which is why people often call it the "Serbian Athens". By its charm, culture and nightlife, Novi Sad is similar to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, but because it is smaller, there is more a personal tone to everything in a laid back environment. That is why Novi Sad is considered to be a perfect combination of urban sophistication and bohemian relaxation. A multiethnic (Serbs, Croats, Hungarians, Slovaks, Gypsies etc.) foundation on which Novi Sad was built, makes it a very tolerant, peaceful environment with a specific charm to it.

Across from Novi Sad, on the right bank of the river Danube, is the small town of Petrovaradin. Novi Sad and Petrovaradin are considered to be twin cities. They are separated by the Danube but connected by 3 bridges which are of essential importance for these two towns. However the most outstanding feature on the right bank of Danube is the Petrovaradin Fortress. Often called “Gibraltar on the Danube”, Petrovaradin Fortress dates back some 600 years and is a maze of alleys, trenches, gates, underground tunnels and galleries. Every July, the Fortress also hosts the EXIT music festival, which turns Novi Sad, into a music capital of Europe for the duration of the festival.

Getting around

Downtown of Novi Sad is actually quite small so that most of the sightseeing can be done by foot. Alternatively one can use public transportation – blue city busses where tickets are bought onboard, or one of the taxi services which are very cheap. It is important to note, however, that besides a very cheap ride with one of the big taxi associations there are quite a few freelancer taxis around that charge double! To be sure that you would not be over charged for a taxi ride, the safe thing is to have the clerk at the front desk of your hotel call a taxi for you, or you can use one of the following big taxi associations: Lav Taxi, Naš Taxi, Crveni Taxi, VIP Taxi, Beli Taxi, Novus Taxi etc. The minimum taxi fare is 80-100 dinars, while the average city ride costs about 150-250 dinars (1 euro is about 100 dinars).

What to see

Orthodox cathedral and Bishops Palace

The Novi Sad Orthodox Cathedral - Church of St.George (srb. Saborna crkva svetog Georgija) was erected on the place of an older one, which dated from 1734, and which had been burnt during the shelling of the city in 1848/49. The restoration of the almost destroyed temple lasted 20 years, from 1860 until 1880. Inside the temple there are 33 icons on the iconostasis, historical pictures above both choirs, as well as two large throne icons, painted by painter Paja Jovanovich, which are considered to be his best ecclesiastical works. Right next by the Orthodox Cathedral there are also Bishop’s Palace, the building of the Eparchy of Backa, Platoneum and the second Serbian grammar school.

Synagogue

This is a well known landmark in the city of Novi Sad. It is located in Jevrejska (Jewish) Street in the city center. The synagogue building is the 5th building erected at the same place since 18th century. Today, it is not used anymore for religious ceremonies but is instead a cultural center where lots of music concerts are held.

Danube Street

This is one of the oldest streets in Novi Sad. It is also probably the most beautiful one too. Danube street is located in the very center. On one end there is Danube (Dunavski) Park – the most beautiful park in Novi Sad, while on the other end there is Zmaj Jovina Street – the main street for walking, shopping, sitting and relaxing in one of the street cafes. Both Danube and Zmaj Jovina Streets are closed fro traffic.

City Hall, Freedom Square and the Catholic Virgin Mary Church

The old City Hall is one of the most magnificent buildings in Novi Sad. It is located on the Freedom Square (Trg Slobode) in the very center of Novi Sad. In the middle of the square there is a big statue of Svetozar Miletic – a great Serbian politician who was also a Mayor of Novi Sad. Actually, it is very seldom that you would hear one of the local residents refer to this square as the Freedom Square. Mostly they just refer to it as “a square next to Miletic”. On the other side of the Square, opposite to the City hall, there is a Catholic Church, often referred to as just a Cathedral.

Petrovaradin Fortress

The fortress also known as "The Danube Gibraltar" built from 1692 to 1780 on the site of Medieval Hungarian - Turkish fortification. The most modern plans of the famous French architect, Marquis Sebastian Voban, of that time, were used for building this fortress. The trademark of the Fortress is certainly the Tower Clock with its uniqueness - in order to see the time from greater distance, the small watch hand shows the minutes and the big one shows the hours.

Where to eat

The most typical thing about the Serbian cuisine is that meat is the key ingredient, where pork is the most favorite. The downside is that it’s quite difficult to find a vegetarian restaurant. A thing to note is that people in Serbian in general have a late lunch between 15:00-18:00.

Fast food

Typical fast food consists of “pljeskavica” – a full-flavored burger, usually eaten with onions of some other vegetable and or/salad and “kajmak” – a creamy dairy product typical of this region. Sandwich is the second favorite fast food, especially the “Index sandwich” which is a trade mark of Novi Sad where it was invented. Some good fast-food places are:
Bubi Grill – excellent grill place; Located close to Novosadski Sajam (Novi Sad Fair) or at the Vojvodina football stadium; Recommended order: “špikovana pljeskavica” (burger stuffed with cheese and bacon) with “kajmak”.
Jefta Grill – another excellent grill place that serves traditional “Leskovački roštilj” (meat grilled the Leskovac style); Located on the corner of Liberation Boulevard (Bulevar Oslobodjenja) and Petar Drapšin Street, and on Temerinska 32a Street.
Vanessa – excellent place for sandwiches; Located next to Bazaar shopping mall in the very center; recommended order: Index Sandwich.
Green House - vegetarian snacks, sandwiches, muffins, cakes;  Address:  Vojvode Knicanina 1.

Restaurants

After sight-seeing, Novi Sad offers myriad restaurants featuring the unique cuisine of Vojvodina, influenced by Serbian, Hungarian, Romanian and Slovakian spices and tradition. Many restaurants serve these specialties to the accompaniment of a tamburitza orchestra.
Zlatiborsko Prozorče - etnic ambient and cuisine; Located at the Vojvodina football stadium.
Sokače – very plesent etnic ambient and cuisine; Address: Zitni Trg 5.
Plava Frajla – large menu of excellent dishes typical of Vojvodina region; Located within SPENS (Sport and Business Center) building – address: Sutjeske Street 2.
Salaš 137 – excellent, very pleasant with amazing ambiance and even more amazing food typical of Vojvodina region; This is a country house located few kilometers away from Novi Sad.
Greenich– Mediterranean and international fine cuisine with excellent selection and fish, sea food and vines; located close to SPENS, address: Vase Stajića 27.
Mediteraneo - Italian and Mediterranean restaurant in center of Novi Sad (behind Dunavska Street) .
Chicken Tikka – nice and popular restaurant; located on the Vojvodiina stadium, near building SPENS.
Disney – pancakes; Address: Car Lazar Boulevard.

Nightlife

As a university town, Novi Sad is known for a lively bar scene. There are lots of nice bars in the small streets to the west of Zmaj Jovina, mainly in Laze Telečkog Street, and around Njegoševa and Grčkoškolska Streets. Also popular is the outdoor drinking (in summer) at Zmaj Jovina/Dunavska (slightly more relaxed) and at café’s around the sports stadium. Some of the popular places where you can have a drink and some fun are:
Martha's Pub – The best honey rakija in town and one of the most popular pubs with an upstairs bar and patio and downstairs bar. A "must go" to try the honey rakija; located in Laze Teleckog Street.
Cuba Libre - cool and relaxed atmosphere, nice interior, good selection of music from Cuban, to reggae, to r’n’b to electronic sound with top local DJ’s; located in Laze Teleckog Street.
Trema (Stage fright) - Probably the largest bar in Novi Sad, musical events, mixed audience. In the Serbian national theatre. Behind the entrance, take the stairs to the left.
Absolut - cozy relaxing café with large selection of coffee’s and tea’s;  located in one of the upstairs apartments in Zmaj Jovina Street 12.
Pivnica Gusan - one of the best pubs with great selection of bottled and draft beers; located in the basement of Zmaj Jovina Street 12.
The Pub – recently opened, very popular, very friendly atmosphere and true Pub-like interior; located at the corner of Bulevar Oslobodjenja and Maksima Gorkog Street.
Irish Pub - the closest you can get to an Irish pub.
ROUTE66 - international live concerts, great DJ music, lounge feeling, video performance, garden, promotions, company parties, birthday parties, program for kids with animation, happy hour for coffee, internet & WLAN for free, open for all kind of events... Every time smiling staff; Address: Despota Stefana 5 Boulevard

Shopping

Most of the shopping can be done in Zmaj Jovina Street or in one of the popular shopping malls: Bazaar and NewNork located in the very center, Merkator located on the corner of Bulevar Oslobodjenja and Bulevar Cara Lazara.