17 Great Things to Do in Novi Sad, Serbia

In this article, you will find all the best things to do in Novi Sad (Serbia) – a vibrant and underrated city in the Balkans – as well as practical information about visiting Novi Sad that will help you plan your trip to this amazing place.

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The first time I had a chance to visit Novi Sad, Serbia was by accident really. I didn’t know much about the city, didn’t prepare at all. It was the most obvious stop between Belgrade and Subotica (where I was about to stay overnight) and I figured I can as well stop in the city and see what are the best things to do in Novi Sad.

And I was enchanted! It was mid-November but felt more like spring with sunny weather and warm yet crispy air. Outdoor cafes were full, people were slowly strolling around and the vibrant atmosphere of Novi Sad took me by surprise. Not to mention there were so many Novi Sad attractions that kept me really busy during my short stop there.

I spent a few hours in Novi Sad, knowing I will be back there eventually. And I was, a few years later! This time I spent three days in the city, not only doing well-needed Novi Sad sightseeing but also simply enjoying the city and its vibe. And I loved it even more! This is definitely one of the best places to visit in Serbia and you can’t miss it during your Balkan trip.

And so today I’m sharing with you what to do in Novi Sad, the third-largest city in Serbia and a real Balkan highlight.

Where is Novi Sad, Serbia

Novi Sad, the capital of the Vojvodina region in Serbia, is located at the Danube river in the northern part of the country, some 90 km away from Belgrade. It is also close to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary and Romania.

Why visit Novi Sad

There are so many Novi Sad attractions that you will be busy for at least two days. You can find there a beautiful old town, some interesting museums and, across the Danube river, there is one of the largest fortresses in Europe – Petrovaradin.

There are also plenty of cultural events taking place in the city, especially since Novi Sad got the title of European Capital of Culture in 2021 (it was eventually postponed to 2022). It is also one of the most multicultural cities in the region, where, besides Serbian inhabitants, you can also find Hungarian or Ruthenians communities.

Novi Sad can be also a good base to explore the interesting yet overlooked Vojvodina region with all it has to offer.

A brief history of Novi Sad

First settlements in the area of Novi Sad date back to the Stone Age but the town was founded at the end of the 17th century when the new Petrorvaradin fortress was being built. It got its current name in 1748 when the inhabitants bought the title of the “free royal city” from the Habsburg Monarchy. Novi Sad developed really quickly and shortly after there were a brewery and a few factories located in the city.

In the 18th and 19th century, this was the largest city in the world inhabited by Serbs and a cultural and political center of the nation (back then Serbians didn’t have their own country), therefore Novi Sad is often called ‘Serbian Athens’. In 1849, during the Spring of Nations Revolution, Novi Sad was bombarded and badly destroyed, most of the buildings were in ruins.

In 1918 the Vojvodina region was proclaimed to join the union with the Kingdom of Serbia and, with a short break during WW2 when it was again under Hungarian rule, has been part of the Serbian country till today.

How to get to Novi Sad

Getting to Novi Sad is actually very easy. There are very frequent bus connections with Belgrade, the journey takes around 1,5 hour. Normally there are also trains connecting these two cities but since the train station in Belgrade was moved outside of the center it makes more sense to use a bus.

If you land at Belgrade Airport and want to go directly to Novi Sad you can use the private transfer – click here for details.

There are also direct trains from Budapest (Hungary) to Novi Sad as well as from Subotica in northern Serbia.

If you travel by bus you can get to Novi Sad from many destinations in Serbia as well as from abroad (Zagreb, Sarajevo, Budapest and more).

In Novi Sad, the bus and train stations are located next to each other, some 2 km away from the central part of the city. You can take the local bus to get there.

How much time in Novi Sad

You can visit Novi Sad as one of the day trips from Belgrade and see some of the highlights of the city. But I personally think you need at least two days for Novi Sad, to visit all the attractions properly and to enjoy the laid-back atmosphere of the place. If you want to explore Vojvodina add a few more days to your itinerary.

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Would you like to take on your trip the ad-free PDF version of this guide? You can purchase it, together with the offline map, by clicking here or on the photo below.

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Things to do in Novi Sad

And now, let’s talk about all the best things to do in Novi Sad. You will see how much this city has to offer! They are listed below in no particular order because they all are pretty great.

Wander around the old town

The first thing you should do when visiting Novi Sad is to wander aimlessly around the central part of the city to get a feel of the place. It’s small but really pretty, with beautiful houses in the typical Central European style known in the whole former Habsburg Empire (like the stunning Central Credit Institute Building at the corner of Mileticeva and Grckoskolska streets). The old town was rebuilt after the 1849 bombing hence this style.

Most of the old town is a pedestrian zone and you will be joined by many local people who enjoy spending time here too. And if you want to just sit down and do people watching, there are plenty of sidewalk cafes to do so.

The main streets of the old town are Zmaj Jovina and Dunavska (one of the oldest streets in Novi Sad) – you will definitely end up on both at some point of your Novi Sad sightseeing!

Marvel at the Main Square

When exploring the Old Town stop for a little longer at the Main Square – Trg Slobode (Liberty Square). You will find many of Novi Sad attractions there, including the beautiful NeoRenaissance town hall built in 1895 and the Name of Mary Church dating to the same time, the tallest church in the Bačka region on the border of Serbia and Hungary.

While these two buildings will catch your attention right away there are more sights you can’t miss here. On one side of the Trg Slobode, you will see the beautiful building of Vojvodjanska bank. In the past, it used to serve as a luxury hotel, the most popular venue for fancy balls, and a meeting place for local politicians (in here, in November 1918, the annexation of Vojvodina to the Kingdom of Serbia was proclaimed).

Another interesting building is Hotel “Vojvodina”, on the other side of the square. It’s been a hotel since the beginning, over a hundred and fifty years ago, and was another popular place for fancy balls and celebration or even a theater (unfortunately this part burnt down before World War 2). Hotel Vojvodina was also a favorite accommodation of many famous guests from Serbia and abroad.

On the edge of Trg Slobode, you can see one building that doesn’t really fit into the fine architecture of the square but fans of modernist architecture will surely appreciate it. Tanurdžić Palace was built in 1934 for the local merchant and philanthropist Nikola Tanurdžić.

Right in the middle, you will find a monument dedicated to Svetozar Miletic, the most important 19th-century Serbian politician and a former mayor of Novi Sad. The monument was made by the famous Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic (you might have seen his works in Zagreb or Split).

Enjoy local cafe scene

Both, the former Austria-Hungary and the Balkans are known for their splendid cafe culture and Novi Sad, as a perfect combination of these two legacies, has a wonderful cafe scene. Whenever you want to sit down for a cup of coffee you won’t need to look for a fine place as in the central part there are good cafes around each corner really.

You might sit down in the outdoor cafe and watch the street life around, you might relax in some cool places with a great interior, you might hide in the passages and visit a quirky cafe located in the tram – the choice is really wide!

I can’t name all the great cafes I visited in Novi Sad, there are so many of them and I’m sure you will quickly find your favorite one too!

Find beautiful hidden gems

When wandering around the old town follow your intuition and don’t be afraid to enter the gates – you might be surprised how many gems you can find there, hidden from the street view.

I managed to discover a few beautifully decorated passages (some of them had small exhibitions on the walls, like with old pictures of Novi Sad) or a stunning art-nouveau staircase. And I’m sure this was just a foretaste of what Novi Sad hides behind the main facades!

Visit H&M store

This might seem like a weird thing to do in Novi Sad but even if you don’t plan any shopping trust me, you want to visit the local H&M store. It is located near the Trg Slobode, at Kralja Aleksandra 3, and looks already beautiful from the outside. But the interior is really mindblowing!

The beautiful townhouse from the turn of the centuries kept its original decor with tiled floors, amazing frescos on the ceiling, a beautifully decorated staircase, and an iron door. Only the clothes don’t really fit there. I was walking around with my jaw dropped, literally.

I was so happy I randomly entered the shop, if it wasn’t for the umbrella I had to buy (the weather forecast for my next destination, Vukovar in Croatia, suddenly has changed and I wasn’t prepared for heavy rains there) I would have missed such a gem! (Then I remembered my friend Emily mentioned this H&M store but I was still surprised when I visited it)