--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Novi Sad, Serbia | Wimup" description: "Ten ranked things to do in Novi Sad, from Petrovaradin Fortress to the Fruška Gora monasteries, plus food, transport, costs and when to go." url: https://wimup.com/city/novi-sad type: City guide updated: 2026-10-21 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Novi Sad Novi Sad, Serbia · Europe · By Wimup Editorial, 12 min read Novi Sad is Serbia's second city and the easiest way into the country: a Habsburg grid of pastel facades on one bank of the Danube, a vast fortress on the other, and the Fruška Gora vineyards behind it. It was European Capital of Culture in 2022 and still feels underbooked. ## Quick answer Give Novi Sad two days. Day one is the old town: Liberty Square, the museums on Dunavska, then over the bridge to Petrovaradin Fortress for the swapped-hand clock and the view back at sunset. Day two goes out of town, to Sremski Karlovci for bermet and the Four Lions fountain, then the Fruška Gora monasteries. Nights belong to Laze Telečkog. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** May · Jun · Sep - **Ideal length:** 2–3 days - **Budget per day:** $45–95 - **Language:** Serbian - **Getting around:** Walking & buses - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://novisad.travel/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Novi Sad ### 1. Climb Petrovaradin Fortress at sunset Landmark · Petrovaradin, across the Varadin bridge The citadel above the Danube went up between 1692 and 1780 and is one of the largest in Europe. The clock on its tower runs its hands swapped, long for the hour, so boatmen could read the time off the river. The upper plateau is open and free, and the terrace bars face straight back at the city. - **Time:** 2 hrs - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Sunset - **Tip:** Twenty minutes on foot from Liberty Square Links: [Website](https://novisad.travel/en/novi-sad-petrovaradin-fortress/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. Go under the fortress with the City Museum Tour · Petrovaradin Fortress, upper plateau Sixteen kilometres of anti-mine galleries run four storeys deep beneath the fortress, finished in the 1770s. The City Museum guides about a kilometre of it, past loopholes and mine chambers. Tours are guided only and it is cold down there in any month, so take a layer. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Guided only - **Best at:** Any time - **Tip:** Take a jacket, it is cold year round Links: [Website](https://museumns.rs/en/underground-military-galleries/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 3. Take Liberty Square and the Name of Mary Church Square · Trg slobode, Stari Grad The city's front room: City Hall on one side, the neo-Gothic Name of Mary Church on the other, Svetozar Miletić in bronze between them. The church was built between 1860 and 1880 and its spire finished in 1905. Everything else in the old town is five minutes from this square. - **Time:** 30 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Early evening - **Tip:** Cafes fill Zmaj Jovina behind it ### 4. Read the province at the Museum of Vojvodina Museum · Dunavska 35–37, Stari Grad Around 500,000 objects across two buildings, running from the Paleolithic to the 20th century. It is the clearest single explanation of why this province is Serbian, Hungarian, Slovak and Rusyn at once. Allow ninety minutes, and do the second building rather than skipping it. - **Time:** 1–2 hrs - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Two buildings, one ticket Links: [Website](https://novisad.rs/eng/museum-vojvodina?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 5. See Serbian painting at the Gallery of Matica Srpska Gallery · Trg galerija 1, Stari Grad Founded in 1847, this is the deepest collection of Serbian art anywhere: three floors from 18th-century icons to the interwar moderns. Two more galleries sit on the same small square, so the square is worth a half day rather than an hour. - **Time:** 1–2 hrs - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Three galleries on one square Links: [Website](https://www.galerijamaticesrpske.rs/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 6. Swim at Štrand, the city beach Beach · Sunčani kej, Liman A genuine sand beach on the Danube, open since 1911 and about 14 hectares, half sand and half grass. In high summer it takes 20,000 people a day and still works. The view runs to the fortress one way and the Fruška Gora ridge the other. - **Time:** Half day - **Cost:** Seasonal entry fee - **Best at:** June to September - **Tip:** Liberty Bridge crosses right above it ### 7. Walk Dunavska Street into Danube Park Walk · Dunavska ulica to Dunavski park The prettiest street in the old town runs from Liberty Square to the park gates, with both Dunavska museums on it. The park is small, formal and shaded, and Izlet at the entrance is where the city takes its coffee. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Coffee at Izlet by the park gates ### 8. Book a night at the Serbian National Theatre Theatre · Pozorišni trg 1, Stari Grad Founded in 1861 and the first theatre of the South Slavic peoples, still running opera, ballet and drama. Seats cost a fraction of what the same night costs in Vienna. Buy from the theatre box office rather than a reseller. - **Time:** Evening - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Evening - **Tip:** Check the programme before you travel Links: [Website](https://www.snp.org.rs/english/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 9. Drink bermet in Sremski Karlovci Day trip · Sremski Karlovci, 11 km downriver A baroque town that was the seat of the Serbian church and its schools for two centuries. The Four Lions fountain of 1799 anchors the square, the Chapel of Peace marks the 1699 treaty signed here, and the cellars pour bermet, a spiced dessert wine made nowhere else. - **Time:** Half day - **Cost:** Bus fare - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** City buses 61 and 62 go from Novi Sad Links: [Website](https://karlovci.org.rs/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 10. Drive the Fruška Gora monasteries Day trip · Fruška Gora National Park The ridge behind Petrovaradin has been a national park since 1960 and holds sixteen working Orthodox monasteries, most of them 15th to 18th century. Krušedol and Grgeteg are the pair to take if you only have a morning. This is the one trip where a car earns its cost. - **Time:** Half day - **Cost:** Free to enter - **Best at:** Spring or autumn - **Tip:** Krušedol and Grgeteg first Links: [Website](https://vojvodina.travel/en/experiences/fruska-gora-national-park/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Best museums & galleries in Novi Sad Six collections, and four of them sit within a two-minute walk of each other. 1. **Museum of Vojvodina** (History · Dunavska 35–37 · Stari Grad): Eight millennia of the Pannonian plain, about 500,000 objects over two buildings. [Website](https://novisad.rs/eng/museum-vojvodina?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Gallery of Matica Srpska** (Serbian art · Trg galerija 1 · Trg galerija): Founded 1847, and the deepest collection of Serbian painting anywhere. [Website](https://www.galerijamaticesrpske.rs/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 3. **City Museum of Novi Sad** (History · Petrovaradin · Petrovaradin): In Mamula's barracks on the fortress plateau, and the desk for the tunnel tours. [Website](https://museumns.rs/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 4. **Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection** (Modern art · Trg galerija 2 · Trg galerija): One collector's 20th-century Serbian painting, in a building designed around it. 5. **Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina** (Contemporary · Dunavska 37 · Stari Grad): Post-1950 art from the province, next door to the Museum of Vojvodina. 6. **Rajko Mamuzić Gallery** (Modern art · Small · Stari Grad): Post-war Yugoslav painting in a quiet villa a street off the museum square. ## Best restaurants in Novi Sad Six tables, from Danube fish stew to the one room the city books for an occasion. 1. **Project 72 Wine & Deli** (Modern · Book ahead · Stari Grad): Modern small plates and a long list. The city's special-occasion room. 2. **Fish i Zeleniš** (Fish & vegetarian · Stari Grad): Fish and vegetarian cooking, small room, short menu that changes. 3. **Sokače** (Serbian · Live music · Stari Grad): Vojvodina classics under antique clutter, with live music most nights. 4. **Plava Frajla** (Vojvodina · Stari Grad): Old Novi Sad on the plate: sarma, paprikaš, a period dining room. 5. **Čarda Aqua Doria** (Danube fish · Riverside): A riverside čarda, which is where fiš paprikaš is cooked properly. 6. **Toster Bar** (Burgers · Casual · Stari Grad): Burgers and pljeskavica from local beef, and the breakfast is the tell. ## Best bars & cafes in Novi Sad One short street takes the nights. The mornings are spread across the old town. 1. **Laze Telečkog** (Bar street · Stari Grad): A dozen bars on one short street, and the whole city's night out. Come early for a table. 2. **PUBeraj** (Pub · Laze Telečkog 12 · Stari Grad): Beer, home cooking and a barber's chair, halfway down the strip. 3. **Cuba Libre House** (Cocktails · Late · Stari Grad): Cocktails and late music on the same street, and just as loud. 4. **Izlet** (Coffee · Danube Park · Stari Grad): The cafe at the Danube Park gates, and the best coffee stop in the centre. 5. **Pogon** (Specialty coffee · Dunavska · Stari Grad): A small industrial room on Dunavska pouring the most serious coffee in town. 6. **Kombinat** (Cafe · All day · Stari Grad): All-day cafe with a real kitchen, for when coffee turns into lunch. ## Best churches & landmarks in Novi Sad Six buildings that explain how a Habsburg border town became a Serbian capital. 1. **Name of Mary Church** (Catholic · Trg slobode · Stari Grad): Neo-Gothic, built 1860 to 1880, spire finished 1905. You navigate by it. 2. **Novi Sad City Hall** (Civic · Trg slobode · Stari Grad): The neo-Renaissance pile facing the church across Liberty Square. 3. **Petrovaradin clock tower** (Free · Petrovaradin · Petrovaradin): Hands swapped so the hour reads from the river. Locals call it the drunk clock. 4. **Serbian National Theatre** (Theatre · Pozorišni trg 1 · Stari Grad): Founded 1861, the first theatre of the South Slavic peoples. [Website](https://www.snp.org.rs/english/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 5. **Novi Sad Synagogue** (Concert hall · Jevrejska · Stari Grad): Hungarian Art Nouveau on Jevrejska, working today mostly as a concert hall. 6. **Bishop's Palace** (Orthodox · Zmaj Jovina · Stari Grad): The Orthodox bishop’s residence, closing the far end of Zmaj Jovina. ## Best parks & riverside in Novi Sad The Danube is the city's other main street. 1. **Štrand** (Beach · Liman · Liman): Fourteen hectares of river beach since 1911, and 20,000 people a day in July. 2. **Danube Park** (Free · Stari Grad · Stari Grad): Small, formal and shaded, with both Dunavska museums a minute away. 3. **Fisherman's Island** (Free · Ribarsko ostrvo · Riverside): A green spit into the Danube, quieter than Štrand and closer to the water. 4. **Futoški Park** (Free · Futoški put · Futog): The residential city's park, useful if you are staying west of the centre. 5. **The Kej** (Free · Riverside · Liman): The quay under the Liberty Bridge, and the flattest run or ride in town. ## Best neighborhoods in Novi Sad Four quarters, and only one of them is across the river. 1. **Stari Grad** (Central · Walkable · Centre): The old town. Everything in this guide is a walk from Liberty Square. 2. **Petrovaradin** (Across the river · Petrovaradin): Across the bridge under the fortress, quieter and steeper, with the views. 3. **Liman** (Riverside · Student · Liman): Sixties blocks along the Danube, the university campus, and Štrand at the end. 4. **Podbara** (Residential · Podbara): The low-rise quarter just north of the centre, residential and cheaper. ## Best day trips in Novi Sad Five trips, and three of them are under half an hour from the centre. 1. **Sremski Karlovci** (11 km · Bus 61 or 62 · Downriver): Baroque square, the 1799 Four Lions fountain, and bermet in the cellars. [Website](https://karlovci.org.rs/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Fruška Gora National Park** (Park · Monasteries · The ridge): A park since 1960, sixteen working monasteries, and the wine road under them. [Website](https://vojvodina.travel/en/experiences/fruska-gora-national-park/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 3. **Čenej salasi** (10 km · Farmstead lunch · North): Working farmsteads ten kilometres up the old Subotica road. Lunch is the point. 4. **Subotica and Palić** (~100 km · Art Nouveau · North): Serbia's Art Nouveau city and its lake, now on the fast line north. 5. **Belgrade** (36 min · Soko train · South): Thirty-six minutes on the Soko, and a completely different Serbia. ## Festivals & annual events in Novi Sad (2026) - **International Agricultural Fair** (May): One of the largest farm fairs in Europe, at the Novi Sad Fair grounds. The 93rd edition runs 16 to 21 May. - **Sterijino pozorje** (May): Serbia's national theatre festival, held at the Serbian National Theatre since 1956. - **Zmaj Children Games** (Jun): The country's biggest children's literature festival, across the city in the first half of June. - **Cinema City** (Jun): Eight days of film, music and talks, with screenings spread across the old town. - **EXIT Festival** (Jul): Four nights inside Petrovaradin Fortress, on more than 40 stages. Book beds months out. - **Novi Sad Jazz Festival** (Jul): The 28th edition runs 3 to 5 July 2026, moved from its usual late-November slot. - **International Literature Festival** (Aug): Readings and translation panels across late August and early September. - **Festival of Street Musicians** (Sep): Street performers take the old town for a weekend at the start of September. ## Must-try dishes in Novi Sad, Serbia - **Fiš paprikaš**: Danube catfish or carp stewed red with paprika. Order it at a riverside čarda. - **Sarma**: Sour cabbage rolled around minced pork and rice, cooked slow and eaten all winter. - **Gulaš**: Thick paprika beef stew, a straight inheritance from the Habsburg century. - **Ćevapi**: Grilled minced-meat fingers with raw onion and kajmak. The default late plate. - **Burek**: Layered pastry with cheese or meat, sold by weight and best before ten in the morning. - **Punjene paprike**: Peppers stuffed with pork and rice in tomato, the other half of the sarma tradition. - **Knedle sa šljivama**: Potato dough around a whole plum, rolled in sweet crumbs. A late-summer dessert. - **Štrudla**: Poppy seed or walnut strudel, the constant in every Vojvodina pastry shop. ## Novi Sad transport & airports - **Belgrade Nikola Tesla** (BEG): Novi Sad has no passenger airport of its own. Belgrade Nikola Tesla sits about 80 km south, roughly an hour by road, with scheduled buses, private transfers and a train connection via Belgrade. [Website](https://beg.aero/eng?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Soko high-speed train** (Rail): Belgrade Centar to Novi Sad takes about 36 minutes at up to 200 km/h. Since the 2024 station canopy collapse, trains terminate at Petrovaradin rather than the closed main station. [Website](https://srbijavoz.rs/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **City buses** (City): The centre is walkable end to end, so buses matter mostly for Liman, Petrovaradin and Sremski Karlovci, which lines 61 and 62 reach. Carry dinars in cash. - **Taxi and ride-hailing** (Road): Metered taxis are cheap and easy to find, and app-hailing works across the city. Check the meter is running before you set off, and keep small notes for change. ## Novi Sad at a glance - **Country:** Serbia - **Region:** Vojvodina, South Bačka District - **Population:** 260,438 in the settlement, 368,967 in the city area (2022 census) - **Founded:** 1694, made a free royal city in 1748 - **Nickname:** The Serbian Athens - **Language:** Serbian, with Hungarian, Slovak and Rusyn also official in the city - **Currency:** Serbian dinar (RSD) - **Time zone:** CET (UTC+1), CEST in summer - **Calling code:** +381 21 - **Airports:** Belgrade Nikola Tesla (BEG), about 80 km south - **Power:** 230V, 50Hz, type C and F plugs - **Emergency:** 112 general, 192 police, 193 fire, 194 ambulance ## Interesting facts - The fortress clock runs its hands swapped, long for the hour, so boatmen could read it off the river. - Sixteen kilometres of anti-mine galleries run four storeys deep under Petrovaradin, finished in the 1770s. - Maria Theresa named the town Novi Sad, meaning new plantation, when she freed it in 1748. - Novi Sad was European Capital of Culture in 2022, the first Serbian city to hold the title. - Bermet, a spiced dessert wine, is still made only in Sremski Karlovci, eleven kilometres downriver. ## Novi Sad travel FAQ ### How many days do you need in Novi Sad? Two. One for the old town, the Dunavska museums and the fortress at sunset; one for Sremski Karlovci and the Fruška Gora monasteries. A third day buys you Štrand in summer or Subotica up the fast line. ### How do you get from Belgrade to Novi Sad? The Soko high-speed train from Belgrade Centar takes about 36 minutes at up to 200 km/h. Since the 2024 canopy collapse closed the main station, trains terminate at Petrovaradin, a short ride from the centre. Buses run all day as well. ### Is Novi Sad worth visiting outside EXIT? Yes, and it is a different city. Off-festival the old town is calm, the galleries are near empty and beds cost a fraction of July. May, June and September give you the terraces and the Danube without the crowd. ### What should you eat in Novi Sad? Vojvodina cooking, which is Serbian with a Habsburg accent: fiš paprikaš from the Danube, gulaš, sarma, stuffed peppers, strudel after. Eat the fish stew at a riverside čarda rather than in the centre. ### Do you need a car in Novi Sad? Not in the city, which is walkable with buses for the rest. A car earns its cost only for the Fruška Gora monasteries, which are spread along the ridge. Sremski Karlovci is reachable on city buses 61 and 62. ## Nearby guides - [Szeged](https://wimup.com/city/szeged.md): Hungary · 10 picks - [Timișoara](https://wimup.com/city/timisoara.md): Romania · 10 picks - [Pécs](https://wimup.com/city/pecs.md): Hungary · 10 picks - [All of Europe →](https://wimup.com/europe): 156 cities Part of the [Serbia guide](https://wimup.com/country/serbia.md) · [Europe](https://wimup.com/europe.md) ## Sources - [Novi Sad tourism board](https://novisad.travel/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Climb Petrovaradin Fortress at sunset (official site)](https://novisad.travel/en/novi-sad-petrovaradin-fortress/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Go under the fortress with the City Museum (official site)](https://museumns.rs/en/underground-military-galleries/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Read the province at the Museum of Vojvodina (official site)](https://novisad.rs/eng/museum-vojvodina?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [See Serbian painting at the Gallery of Matica Srpska (official site)](https://www.galerijamaticesrpske.rs/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Book a night at the Serbian National Theatre (official site)](https://www.snp.org.rs/english/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Drink bermet in Sremski Karlovci (official site)](https://karlovci.org.rs/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Drive the Fruška Gora monasteries (official site)](https://vojvodina.travel/en/experiences/fruska-gora-national-park/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [City Museum of Novi Sad (official site)](https://museumns.rs/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Belgrade Nikola Tesla (official site)](https://beg.aero/eng?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Soko high-speed train (official site)](https://srbijavoz.rs/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.