Novi Sad was founded in 1694 by merchants and craftsmen who settled across the river from Petrovaradin Fortress, and it bought its status as a free royal city from Empress Maria Theresa in 1748. In the 19th century it was the cultural heart of the Serbs under Habsburg rule — the “Serbian Athens”. Today it is a relaxed university city of some 370,000 people and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina.
For visitors to Fruška Gora it is the obvious base: fast trains and buses from Belgrade, plenty of hotels and restaurants, and the hills on the horizon from the Danube quay. In 2022 it was a European Capital of Culture.
Top things to do: Novi Sad
Liberty Square and the pedestrian streets
Trg slobode is framed by the neo-Gothic Name of Mary Church (1895), whose spire tops 70 metres, and the City Hall opposite. From here Zmaj Jovina and Dunavska streets, lined with cafés and pastel façades, lead past the Bishop’s Palace to Danube Park.
Museums and galleries
The Gallery of Matica Srpska holds the finest collection of Serbian painting from the 18th to the 20th century, including many icons and portraits connected with the Fruška Gora monasteries. The Museum of Vojvodina displays late-Roman gilded helmets found in Srem.
The Synagogue
Built in 1909 to designs by Lipót Baumhorn, the synagogue on Jevrejska street is a Secession landmark now used mainly for concerts, thanks to its acoustics.
The Danube: quay and Štrand
Locals walk, run and cycle the long river promenade. Štrand, a sandy river beach laid out in 1911 beside Liberty Bridge, is the city’s summer living room (small entry fee in season).
Cross to Petrovaradin
The fortress is a 20-minute walk from the centre — go up for sunset.
How to get to Novi Sad
- By train from Belgrade: Soko fast trains cover the route in roughly 35–40 minutes, with slower regional trains in between. Arrangements at Novi Sad’s main station have changed more than once since the canopy collapse of November 2024 — check srbvoz.rs for the current timetable and station.
- By bus: frequent coaches from Belgrade’s main bus station, about 1 h 15–1 h 30.
- By air: the nearest airport is Belgrade Nikola Tesla (BEG), about 75 km away; a private transfer takes around an hour.
Insider tips
- City buses 61 and 62 go to Sremski Karlovci; services towards Popovica and Sremska Kamenica reach the edge of the forest.
- Novi Sad is flat and has bike lanes — renting a bicycle is a good way to reach the quay and Štrand.
- Try Vojvodina cooking: goulash, paprikaš, strudel with poppy seeds or walnuts, and the cured kulen sausage of Srem.
- During EXIT (July) prices jump and rooms vanish; book months ahead or avoid those dates.
Best tours & tickets: Novi Sad
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Novi Sad:
Walking tour from €33 Novi Sad: City Centre and Petrovaradin Fortress Walking Tour
The best-reviewed way to get your bearings in Novi Sad: a guided walk through the old centre and over the bridge to the fortress. Inexpensive, flexible and a natural pairing with an afternoon in Karlovci on your own.
- Liberty Square, Zmaj Jovina and Dunavska streets
- Matica Srpska and Danube Park
- Up to Petrovaradin Fortress and its clock tower
Day trip from €65 From Belgrade: Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci Tour
A long-running, highly rated alternative to the bestseller with the same winning formula — Karlovci, wine, the fortress and Novi Sad — and hotel pickup in Belgrade. Handy when the other tour is sold out or you prefer this departure time.
- Views from Petrovaradin Fortress over the Danube
- Guided walk through central Novi Sad
- Local wine tasting in Sremski Karlovci
Small-group day trip from €69 Novi Sad and Petrovaradin by High-Speed Train
A full guided day in Novi Sad and Petrovaradin that swaps the motorway for the Soko express. Few reviews so far, all excellent. Choose it for a relaxed city day; choose a Karlovci tour if wine matters more.
- Soko train at up to 200 km/h
- All the main sights of Novi Sad
- Petrovaradin Fortress
Private transfer from €89 per group Private Transfer: Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport ⇄ Novi Sad
Not a tour but a useful shortcut: a private car between Belgrade’s airport and Novi Sad for a fixed price per vehicle. It saves a detour into central Belgrade, especially with luggage or a late flight.
- Door-to-door in a private car
- Fixed price per vehicle
- Free cancellation
