Zmaj Jovina Street

Zmaj Jovina — named after the 19th-century poet Jovan Jovanović Zmaj, who was born on this street — is the connective tissue of the old town. It links Freedom Square to Vladičanski dvor (the Bishop's Palace) and is lined with two-storey Austro-Hungarian houses now filled with cafés, ice-cream shops and independent bookshops.

Look up: the ornamental facades are the reason the whole zone was declared a spatial cultural-historical unit under state protection. Halfway down, the bronze Bogdan Mimica statue of Jovan Jovanović Zmaj on a bench is the city's favourite selfie spot.

The street is fully pedestrianised — take it slow, do the shop fronts, then double back for coffee.