Where to stay in Novi Sad

Novi Sad is the second-largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannonian Plain on the border of the Bačka and Syrmia geographical regions, lying on the banks of the Danube river, and facing the northern slopes of Fruška Gora.

Novi Sad is a growing regional center with a population of over 300,000 people. It is architecturally (and, to an extent, culturally) different from other larger cities in central and south Serbia such as Belgrade and Niš, since it was not under the Ottoman influence but instead, that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The buildings in the city centre resemble the ones in Vienna and Budapest. It is a university town, with more than 40,000 students attending the University of Novi Sad, which is on a beautiful green campus near the Danube.

Getting in

The nearest airport is Belgrade 70 km southeast, less than an hour ride from Novi Sad. Some taxi companies run regular cars between Belgrade Airport and Novi Sad, e.g. Autoturist tel. +381 63 504 587, Belgrade Airport Transfer, inexpensive for foreign standards. Belgrade airport is the most convenient for coming into Novi Sad (and Serbia) not only because it is the closest, but also because the transport from other airports includes land border crossings, which can sometimes take hours to cross (the busiest are the ones coming from/to Hungary).

Getting around

The city centre is quite small and most of the interesting sights, bars and hotels are all within easy walking distance. There are plenty of street maps, especially in the centre, so you can find your way easily. Taxis are not overly expensive (by Western standards), the minimum fare varies between RSD 80 and 100, with a cross-city trip typically costing RSD 150-200. It helps to have the address written out although many taxi drivers speak fair, sometimes even excellent, English.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.