Novi Sad sights
Updated: 2026-10-24
Novi Sad is Serbia's second-largest city and the capital of Vojvodina — calm, green, with Austro-Hungarian architecture and the wide Danube. It grew up at the end of the 17th century opposite Petrovaradin Fortress and became the "Serbian Athens": home of Matica Srpska, the first Serbian theatre and grammar schools.
The highlights can be walked in a day: the old centre around Liberty Square and its pedestrian streets, then across the bridge to the fortress. Spend a second day in Fruška Gora with its monasteries or in the wine town of Sremski Karlovci, 20 minutes away by bus. Below are 21 places with a map, walking time from Liberty Square and the nearest bus lines.
Old town
1. Liberty Square and City Hall
The heart of the city and the starting point of any walk. On one side stands the neo-Renaissance City Hall (1895) with sixteen statues, on the other the neo-Gothic cathedral, and between them Ivan Meštrović's monument to politician Svetozar Miletić. Fairs, concerts and New Year celebrations take place here, surrounded by café terraces.
Free · open 24/7
1 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Bul. Mihajla Pupina - Pothodnik (207 m) 1 3 4 6 8 12
2. Name of Mary Church
The city's main Catholic church, built in the 1890s in neo-Gothic style. Its 72-metre bell tower is the tallest in Vojvodina and visible from almost anywhere in the centre. The roof is covered with coloured glazed Zsolnay tiles; inside are stained-glass windows and an organ. Free entry.
Free entry
1 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Bul. Mihajla Pupina - Pothodnik (260 m) 1 3 4 6 8 12
3. Dunavska and Zmaj Jovina streets
Two pedestrian streets of the old town that start at Liberty Square and lead to Danube Park. Dunavska has one of the oldest houses in town, "At the White Lion" (early 18th century), the city library, galleries, souvenir shops and cafés; Zmaj Jovina has street musicians and the best terraces. Peek into the courtyards and side streets such as little Trg Mladenaca.
30–60 minute walk
4 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Bul. Mihajla Pupina - Pothodnik (412 m) 1 3 4 6 8 12
4. Bishop's Palace
The residence of the Orthodox Bishop of Bačka and probably the most photogenic building in Novi Sad. Built in 1901 in the Serbo-Byzantine style — red brick, ornamental masonry, domes and turrets. The interior is usually closed, but the façade and the garden with a fountain are worth seeing, especially when lit at night.
View from outside
5 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Bul. Mihajla Pupina - Dunavski park (450 m) 3 6 9 60 61 62
5. St. George's Cathedral
The city's main Orthodox church, next to the Bishop's Palace. It was badly damaged in 1849 when the town was shelled from the fortress and rebuilt in the early 20th century. Outside is a pale pink Baroque façade; inside a rich iconostasis and paintings, some by the famous Serbian painter Paja Jovanović.
Free entry · active church
6 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Marka Miljanova - Kosovska (491 m) 11B
6. Synagogue
A large synagogue on Jevrejska Street, built in 1909 to a design by Budapest architect Lipót Baumhorn and one of the finest in the region. Today it is used mostly as a concert hall with excellent acoustics; you can get in for a concert or on open days.
Open for concerts and tours
7 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Uspenska - Šafarikova (228 m) 10 12
7. Danube Park
A small (about four hectares) and very pleasant park at the end of Dunavska Street, laid out over a century ago — a pond with an island, ducks and turtles, old trees, shady benches and monuments to poets. Concerts are held here in summer.
Free
7 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Bul. Mihajla Pupina - Dunavski park (135 m) 3 6 9 60 61 62
Museums and galleries
8. Gallery of Matica Srpska
One of Serbia's oldest art collections — thousands of paintings and prints from 17th-century Serbian icon painters to 20th-century modernists, including Paja Jovanović and Uroš Predić. Across the square is the Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection of 20th-century Serbian art. Museums are usually closed on Mondays.
About an hour · usually closed on Mondays
5 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Žarka Zrenjanina - Opština (117 m) 1 4 8 9 12 18A
9. Museum of Vojvodina
The region's main history museum — archaeology, ethnography and the history of Vojvodina from prehistory to the 20th century. Its stars are the gilded 4th-century Roman helmets found at Berkasovo, among the most valuable finds of their kind in Europe. The Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina on Dunavska Street is nearby.
1–1.5 hours
8 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Bul. Mihajla Pupina - Dunavski park (256 m) 3 6 9 60 61 62
10. Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina
Founded as a gallery in 1966, the museum collects Yugoslav and Serbian avant-garde, conceptual art, video and photography; its temporary shows are among the liveliest in the country.
About an hour
11 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Beogradski kej - Miloša Bajića (148 m) 6 11B
11. Danube quay and Raid memorial
The long Danube embankment with views of the fortress is the favourite place for evening walks, runs and cycling. At its start stands Jovan Soldatović's "Family" monument to the victims of the January 1942 Raid, when Hungarian occupation forces killed more than a thousand citizens, many on the frozen Danube.
Free
15 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Maksima Gorkog - Kej (105 m) 11A
Petrovaradin Fortress
12. Petrovaradin Fortress
The symbol of Novi Sad and one of Europe's largest fortresses, the "Gibraltar on the Danube". The Austrians spent almost a century building it, from 1692 to 1780, on a rock on the right bank where fortifications stood in Roman times. The Upper Fortress has viewpoints with the best views of the city and the Danube, artists' studios, cafés and restaurants. Entry is free around the clock; allow at least two hours and come at sunset.
Free · 24/7 · 2 hours
24 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Preradovićeva - Lovački dom (309 m) 3 3A 9 69 71
13. Clock Tower — the "drunken clock"
Novi Sad's best-known postcard. The hands are "reversed": the hour hand is longer than the minute hand so that boatmen on the Danube could read the hour from afar — the minutes mattered less. Hence the nickname "the drunken clock".
Free
21 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Beogradska - Lisinskog (149 m) 3 3A 9 60 61 62
14. City Museum and underground galleries
The City Museum occupies former barracks on the fortress. It runs guided tours of the underground military galleries — about 16 km of tunnels on several levels, part of which is open to visitors. It is cool down there even in summer.
Ticket · scheduled tours
22 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Beogradska - Lisinskog (264 m) 3 3A 9 60 61 62
By the Danube
15. Strand beach
A roughly 700-metre city beach with sand, lawns, cafés, playgrounds and sports courts — one of the best-known on the Danube. A small entry fee is charged in season. The Danube has a strong current: swim only in marked areas.
Season June–September
34 min walk from Liberty Square
Stop Štrand - okretnica (336 m) 1 8
16. Fishermen's Island (Ribarac)
A peninsula west of Strand with floating houses, fishing boats and Šodroš beach. People come for fish: the local inns serve fish soup and fiš-paprikaš, a spicy paprika fish stew cooked in a kettle.
Fish restaurants
43 min walk from Liberty Square
17. Kamenica Park
A large historic park on the right bank of the Danube in Sremska Kamenica, around a former manor. Lawns, woods, paths to the river and almost no tourists — the best place in the city for a quiet walk.
Free
3 km from the centre
Stop Sremska Kamenica - Petra Kočića 53 (275 m) 69 71 76 77 78 79
Day trips
18. Sremski Karlovci
A small Baroque town 12 km from Novi Sad. The Treaty of Karlowitz was signed here in 1699, and the Serbian Church was governed from here: the Patriarchal Palace, St. Nicholas Cathedral, the oldest Serbian grammar school (1791) and the Four Lions fountain all stand on one square. Try bermet, a traditional dessert wine, in a family cellar. Buses from Novi Sad run often and take about 20 minutes.
Half a day · bus ~20 min
9 km from the centre
Stop Sremski Karlovci - Karlovačka Gimnazija (169 m) 60 62
Timetables Novi Sad – Sremski Karlovci: 74 departures on weekdays, from 14 min
19. Fruška Gora and Iriški Venac
A national park 20 minutes from the city — low forested hills (highest point Crveni Čot, 539 m), once an island in the ancient Pannonian Sea. Trails, lakes, vineyards and wineries; at the Iriški Venac pass there is a viewpoint and the 1951 Freedom Monument.
Full day · best by car
11 km from the centre
20. Fruška Gora monasteries
Sixteen Orthodox monasteries from the 15th–18th centuries survive on the slopes of Fruška Gora — the "Serbian Mount Athos". The best-known are Krušedol, founded in the early 16th century by the Branković despots, Grgeteg and Velika Remeta.
Full day · by car or tour
17 km from the centre
21. Kovilj Monastery
A working monastery on the left bank of the Danube, 25 km from the city. Tradition holds it was founded by St Sava in the 13th century; the present church dates from the mid-18th century. Nearby is the Kovilj-Petrovaradin Marsh nature reserve.
Half a day · suburban bus
16 km from the centre
Timetables Novi Sad – Kovilj: 14 departures on weekdays, from 43 min
Good to know
- How long: one full day covers the centre and fortress; spend a second day in Sremski Karlovci or Fruška Gora.
- When to go: April–June and September–October are best. Summer can exceed 35 °C — save the fortress for the evening.
- Getting around: walk in the centre; take JGSP city buses to the fortress, Strand and suburbs. All timetables are on our Novi Sad transport page, and the Ajda navigator plans a route to any place.
- Churches: free entry; cover shoulders and knees. Museums are usually closed on Mondays.
Getting to Novi Sad
- Beograd → Novi Sad 85 departures on weekdays, from 48 min
- Subotica → Novi Sad 23 departures on weekdays, from 47 min
- Zrenjanin → Novi Sad 16 departures on weekdays, from 50 min
- Sombor → Novi Sad 15 departures on weekdays, from 1 h 49 min
- Niš → Novi Sad 4 departures on weekdays, from 4 h 45 min
FAQ
What to see in Novi Sad in one day?
Morning — Liberty Square, the Name of Mary Church, Dunavska and Zmaj Jovina streets, the Bishop's Palace and Danube Park; afternoon — the Matica Srpska Gallery or the Museum of Vojvodina; evening — cross the Varadin Bridge to Petrovaradin Fortress for the "drunken clock" and sunset.
How much is entry to Petrovaradin Fortress?
Entry to the fortress grounds is free, 24/7. Only the City Museum and the underground gallery tours charge a fee.
How to get from Belgrade to Novi Sad?
By the "Soko" fast train or a regional train in about 40–80 minutes, or by bus from Belgrade bus station (BAS) in about 1 h 15 min, with several departures an hour. See the "Belgrade — Novi Sad" timetable page.
What to see near Novi Sad?
Sremski Karlovci (20 minutes by bus), Fruška Gora National Park with Krušedol and Grgeteg monasteries, Kovilj Monastery and the Danube marshes; further — Subotica and Lake Palić (1.5 hours).
When is the Exit festival?
Exit was held at Petrovaradin Fortress every summer since 2000, usually in July. In 2025 the organisers announced the festival would leave Serbia — check exitfest.org.
For your trip
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