Novi Sad and Beyond: 13 Must-sees In and Around, Novi Sad, Serbia (B)

Serbia’s second-largest city officially became the European Capital of Culture on January 13th this year after a yearlong delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This designation highlights the city as a cultural hotspot in Serbia, and hope is that it will bring an influx of tourists to the area. There has never been a better time to visit Novi Sad!

My first visit to the city was in October last year, after a two-week archaeological project further north in Serbia. Before leaving the country, I settled in Novi Sad for three days to explore the city and go hiking in the nearby Fruška Gora National Park. I returned to the city twice this March during another two weeks at the archaeological project, so I feel like I know the city pretty well by now.

Last year, when I first arrived in the city, I felt strange being alone all of a sudden after two weeks of constantly being around other people, and it left me feeling rather empty. Yes, I was feeling sad in Novi Sad. But the city itself isn’t sad, despite what it’s name might imply (ok, “sad” in Serbian actually means “plantation”!). A walk into the city centre that same night proved this to me. While Novi Sad is not one of the prettiest cities I’ve seen, it has a good share of beautiful and interesting sights to see, and – on top of that – a wonderful view from a historic fortress. It’s definitely worth spending a night or two in! ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).