First hour in Novi Sad
How to arrive, get around, and not overpay on day one.
How are you arriving?
Getting around
Everything walkable. City bus 65 RSD, ride-hailing under €4.
The centre is entirely walkable — you won't need transport for the tours in this guide. For the fortress, cross the Varadin Bridge on foot (10 minutes from Freedom Square). City buses are run by GSP; a paper ticket bought from the driver is ~65 RSD, or use the JTS app for cheaper fares. Ride-hailing (CarGo, Yandex Go) is cheap and reliable — a cross-town ride is usually under €4.
Prices
Espresso ~€2, kafana lunch ~€10. Cards fine, decline DCC at ATMs.
Novi Sad is cheap by European standards. Espresso 180–250 RSD (€1.50–2), a proper lunch in a kafana 900–1400 RSD (€8–12), a craft beer 350–450 RSD (€3–4). Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but keep some cash for the green markets, bakeries and older kafanas. ATMs are on every corner — use bank-branded ones (Raiffeisen, OTP, ProCredit) and decline the DCC conversion.
Getting around
The centre is entirely walkable — you won't need transport for the tours in this guide. For the fortress, cross the Varadin Bridge on foot (10 minutes from Freedom Square). City buses are run by GSP; a paper ticket bought from the driver is ~65 RSD, or use the JTS app for cheaper fares. Ride-hailing (CarGo, Yandex Go) is cheap and reliable — a cross-town ride is usually under €4.
Prices
Novi Sad is cheap by European standards. Espresso 180–250 RSD (€1.50–2), a proper lunch in a kafana 900–1400 RSD (€8–12), a craft beer 350–450 RSD (€3–4). Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but keep some cash for the green markets, bakeries and older kafanas. ATMs are on every corner — use bank-branded ones (Raiffeisen, OTP, ProCredit) and decline the DCC conversion.
About
Novi Sad at a glance
Novi Sad is Serbia's second city and the calm, elegant counterpoint to Belgrade. Baroque squares, an Austro-Hungarian old town, a river beach on the Danube and a giant Habsburg fortress across the water — all packed into a walkable centre. It's the kind of place where you can knock out the highlights in a morning and still have the afternoon free for coffee, a long lunch and a wine bar. Selected European Capital of Culture in 2022, the city is proud of its multi-ethnic history - Serbs, Hungarians, Slovaks, Ruthenians and more all left something behind in the streets you'll walk.
Walks worth taking in Novi Sad
Old town, fortress and nightlife — pick your pace.
