One day itinerary for Belgrade and Novi Sad

The new Soko express trains have cut the time to travel from the Serbia capital Belgrade to Novi Sad in the northern Vojvodina region to just 36 minutes. Both Belgrade and Novi Sad deserve a longer visit of course, but if time is tight here’s how to see the best of them both in a single day. 

8.00 Get up for a walk around Kalemegdan Park, the largest park in Belgrade, situated at the top of a 125-metre cliff. Watch the early morning sun over the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, and the tower blocks of New Belgrade beyond them. This was a perfect defensive spot and the site of the current Belgrade Fortress, first built in Roman times and rebuilt many times over the centuries.

9.00 Breakfast at the Bistro Grad Hometown Food, which opens early and offers a creative menu in stylish surroundings.

10.00-10.30 Explore the old Skadarlija neighbourhood, Belgrade’s bohemian quarter. Linger on the cobbled street around the Sebilj drinking fountain, and listen to the strains of traditional live music from the cafes. There are numerous cafes and small art galleries to pop into as well as the Skadarlija market just across Dusanova Street. 

10.30 Take bus no 40 or 41 from Trg Republika to the Museum of Yugoslavia. 

11.00-12.00 The Museum of Yugoslavia is the most visited museum in Serbia. Not only does it tell the fascinating history of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Socialist Yugoslavia, it is also the burial place of the country’s socialist leader Josip Broz Tito.

12.30-13.30 Lunch. Stari Mlin has some of the simplest and the best food in Belgrade, it has excellent service and isn’t far from the station. The downside is it’s very hard to find, even local taxi drivers can struggle!

Or — if you don’t want to take the risk of not finding Stari Mlin and missing your train — the rustic and charming Hyde Park is near the museum and much easier to locate, and has excellent food too.

14.00-14.36 Take the Soko express train from Belgrade to Novi Sad 

15.00-15.30 Get coffee. Try one of the many coffee shops on the way to the city centre — perhaps the quirky Radio Cafe with its relaxed ambiance and friendly cats in the small courtyard. 

15.30-17.00 Explore central Novi Sad. Take a walk along Novi Sad’s main street, Dunavska (Danube) Street, that runs from east to west through the city flanked by beautiful townhouses, painted in creams and pastels. Most of them date from the mid 19th century, after the 1848 revolution. 

Right at the heart of the city is Trg Slobode (Liberty Square), also known as Svetozar Miletić Square in memory of 19th century mayor Svetozar Miletić, whose statue stands in the centre of the square. 

Venture into the Name of Mary Roman Catholic church on Trg Slobode. At 72 metres high and decorated with glazed tiles, the spire is the tallest in Novi Sad. The church was built in 1894, and highlights the city’s time as part of the Austro-Hungarian empire; the stained glass windows are from Budapest and the main altar from the Tyrol in Austria.

17.00-18.00 For an in-depth look at the history of Novi Sad and the Vojvodina Province, visit the Museum of Vojvodina. Housed in a 19th-century palace, the permanent exhibition goes back 8,000 years into prehistory to the present day, including a recreation of an early 20th century street scene.

18.00 Head for the Petrovaradin fortress on a high outcrop over the Danube, a situation that earned it the name ‘Gibraltar of the Danube’. Once held by the Ottomans, Petrovaradin was taken by the Habsburg Empire in 1692, and a new fortress was built to defend the empire against the Ottomans. Today many parts of that fortress are still standing, as are the underground tunnels and catacombs. 

19.00 Dinner on the outdoor terrace at the Terasa Restaurant in Petrovaradin fortress, overlooking the city of Novi Sad and the Danube as the sun sets.