In northern Serbia, on the banks of the Danube River, sits Novi Sad. This colourful, welcoming city was ranked seventh in the European Best Destination 2016 list, as voted for by hundreds of thousands of travellers. It's easy to see why: rich with history and greenery, this charming city has something for everybody. From mountaineering to monasteries, and museums to music festivals, there's no shortage of things to see and do, no matter what time of year you visit.

Novi Sad has been nicknamed the 'Serbian Athens' thanks to its rich cultural heritage, and it became the first Serbian city to be named a European Capital of Culture—a title it had to wait a year to take on due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The title of European Capital of Culture 2022 recognises the excellence of the city's ever-expanding offering in arts, gastronomy and culture, and its sustainable tourism. It's also become popular for providing high-quality, low-cost medical care, and attracts a growing number of health tourists.

Cultural Stations

Novi Sad's eight cultural stations are authentic, accessible spaces allowing everyone to engage in artistic and cultural content across the city, including children. They offer activities focused on the arts, education, and humanitarianism. The idea is to hasten the process of decentralisation of the cultural sector from official institutions and into the field of local self-organised civic activism. The City's Tourism Development Programme (2018-2022) prioritised the adaption of all cultural spaces for people with disabilities, not only removing physical barriers but also improving access for all visitors, regardless of their sensory or mobility limitations and needs.

Svilara: The Cultural Content Factory

One of the city's oldest neighbourhoods, Almaš, is home to the Svilara cultural station: the Cultural Content Factory. Once a silk-dyeing factory, the factory and the distinctive chimney now help to preserve Svilara's history of spawning economic and social development in Almaš.

Svilara's programme is varied, with exhibitions often rooted in history and tradition. In June, it hosted the acclaimed 'Ester – a Graphic Novel in Holocaust Education' as part of the project 'From Raid to Auschwitz: Novi Sad – the City of Remembrance'. This unique exhibition featured a collection of educational graphic novels about the lives of real, predominantly young people before, during, and after the Holocaust, together with a wealth of archival source material that inspired the novels. November saw the start of the 'The Other Side of the Image' exhibition, looking at concepts and creative processes behind the work of significant representatives of the progressive Romani culture. Projects like these are helping to increase the city's reputation as a cultural hotspot.

Novi Sad's Liman Creative District and its Cultural Station

Novi Sad's Creative District is close to the University of Novi Sad campus, on the bank of the Danube. Here, a derelict, long-disused collection of former tool-making factories covering 11,000 square metres, formerly known as the Chinese Quarter, has been transformed. Now, it's a thriving Creative District that fosters contemporary culture and creativity, while preserving its architectural and industrial heritage. Progressive ideas that arose from the area in the first decades of the last century have contributed to the sense of contemporary progressive thinking that now pervades throughout.

The District hosts diverse events such as Female Thread, an international tapestry exhibition, and Drawings Travel through Time, an exhibition of children's drawings from the Centre for Art Education of Children and Youth of Vojvodina. It's also home to many artists' studios and a variety of cultural organisations, including:

• the French Institute in Serbia, housed within the old factory 'Petar Drapšin'
  
  
• Fabrika, the Student Cultural Centre of Novi Sad. Focusing mainly on musical, artistic and cultural programmes, it was refreshed as part of the transformation and provides a flexible event space and capacity for a large number of visitors.

Unsurprisingly, then, Liman Creative District was the ideal location for one of Novi Sad's new cultural stations. The Liman Cultural Station (The Centre of Youth Creativity) includes a 'one-stop' youth centre managed by and for youth organisations and young people. It's a multi-functional, well-equipped space where everyone is welcomed, and an essential space for youth workers and activists.

Caravan: Culture on Wheels

Yes, you read that right: this cultural station is in a caravan. The caravan has become a mobile cultural station that aims to decentralise cultural events, bringing them to areas away from the city centre and instead into surrounding areas such

as Sremski Karlovci.

Equipped with a proper sound and lighting system, the caravan stages small plays, concerts, film screenings, workshops and discussions. It's also engineered to use solar panels as an alternative source of energy, making it more sustainable too.

Other cultural stations are:

• Egység: Place for Cultural Stories. Based in a former sports association hall, it's now being used for dancing, literature, workshops and education.
  
  
• Bukovac: Cultural Oasis Within City Reach. Created in a former cultural centre, this station offers all kinds of events, and the use of large green spaces and sports courts, to citizens interested in ecology, sport and culture.
  
  
• Mlin: Where Culture Grows. Founded in a former pasta factory, this station focuses on the programmes for children.
  
  
• Rumenka: Tradition and Modern Creation. Sited in the heritage-rich and historic Vojvodina suburb, this station's programme responds to the exceptionally ethnically diverse local population. Focusing on cultural heritage, art and creativity.
  
  
• Barka: Culture on the Outskirts of the City. This cultural station is set to become the new centre of events for the city.

A Sustainable Stay

To enjoy a more eco-friendly and socially responsible stay in Novi Sad, our recommendations are:

Travel There by Eco-Friendly Transport

The most picturesque way to travel to the city is via the Danube Cycle Path. Stretching from the Black Forest in Germany to the Black Sea in Romania, it's one of Europe's most famous cycling routes and passes through the heart of beautiful Novi Sad. If cycling isn't an option, choose the bus or train for a sustainable trip. Regular bus lines link Serbia's cities with all neighbouring Balkan countries and most Central and Western European countries, and Novi Sad is a stop on the international Vienna-Budapest-Belgrade-Istanbul route. This year, a high-speed double-decker intercity train called 'Soko' began running between Belgrade and Novi Sad, offering an even quicker and more comfortable journey.

Choose Greener Accommodation

More sustainable accommodation choices include:

Centar Hotel, in the city centre, scores 8.6/10 on ETIC's Ethical Hotel Standards, earning it the ETIC Gold Certification. It offers 51 very spacious rooms, breakfast, and a bar and lounge. Community involvement and fair, sustainable employment practices are key here.

The Hotel Leopold I has an ETIC Silver Certification. It's a grand baroque building in the heart of Petrovaradin Fortress. There are 59 luxurious rooms, all offering wonderful views of the Danube and the city. Its restaurant serves international dishes with a local touch, and other restaurants and bars are on the doorstep. Guests have free access to a Wellness and Fitness Centre that includes a jacuzzi area, a Finnish sauna, and a relaxation area with heated loungers.

Hotel Prezident has earned the ETIC Silver Certification. Close to the city centre, on the trade fair grounds, it has 46 rooms. Facilities include a fitness centre, rooftop terrace, bar/lounge, spa, a restaurant serving seasonal menus, and indoor and outdoor pools.

Apartment Zeravica is 200 m from the city centre and can sleep up to five people in two rooms. Breakfast with organic or local ingredients is provided, and the apartment is fitted with energy-saving lights, water flow reducers, and a rainwater recovery and reuse system.

From Freedom Square, stroll along Zmaj Jovina Street, one of Novi Sad's oldest streets, to the Bishop's Palace. The Orthodox Bishop's Palace was first built in 1741 by Bishop Visarion Pavlovic, but was rebuilt after it was destroyed by bombing during the 1849 riots. This remarkable, peach-coloured palace features an eclectic mix of styles: romantic, secessionist, neo-gothic and byzantine, to name a few!

Other architectural masterpieces across Novi Sad include the Roman Catholic Parish Office (Plebanija), built in 1808, with both baroque and classic elements. The ground floor houses church archives, as well as a ceremonial hall. The building is one of only a few to survive the 1849 riot without damage.

The Novi Sad Synagogue is one of the biggest synagogues in this part of Europe and an important historical and religious landmark. This three-nave building, built in a secession style, features a 40-metre-high central dome and an ornamented facade. In 1944, it served as an assembly place for Jews who had been arrested prior to deportation to concentration camps.

Dunavski (Danube) Park is a protected green space and one of the oldest parks in Novi Sad. There are hundreds of trees and plants here, including rare species. Take a walk around the lake, with its island, fountain, ducks and swans, for a moment of calm in the city. During the winter, the Park is transformed into the magical' Ice Forest', illuminated with thousands of sparkling Christmas lights. There's a skating rink, a skating track through the trees and around the lake, and booths selling local gifts, delicacies and street food.

Enjoy the City's Green and Blue Spaces

The Green Spaces Development Strategy (2015-2030) prioritises protecting biodiversity, adaption to climate change, improving sustainability, and reducing emissions. Novi Sad recognises the importance of preserving green spaces and seeks to select climate change-resistant plant species, reduce herbicide and pesticide use, and raise awareness of the need for organic and bio-ecological food production. The government's guidelines are increasing green spaces across Novi Sad, with rooftop gardens, vertical greenery and more green areas around public buildings. As for outdoor activities, Novi Sad offers numerous choices throughout the year, from hiking to horseback riding, and cycling to skiing.

Futoski Park is the ideal place to escape the bustle of the city. It's dog-friendly and family-friendly, featuring playgrounds and a cafe. Just a short walk from the strand beach, you can enjoy the vast green spaces of Limanski Park. Its flower displays and tree-shaded paths make it ideal for a summer stroll, and it has a skate park and street basketball courts too. On the opposite bank of the river sits Kamenica Park, Novi Sad's largest park, with its picnic spots and ponds. Once a castle garden, it's known for its interesting sculptures such as Pet Glava (Five Heads). Historians are unsure if these heads are the castle owners or have some other meaning. Between Kamenica Park and Fruška Gora is a popular picnic area, Popovica, which is the start/finish point of the Fruška Gora mountaineering marathon held in April.

Fruška Gora, one of Serbia's great national parks, sits just 24 km from Novi Sad between the Danube and Sava rivers. Once an island of the Pannonian Sea, this naturally beautiful and fertile green space covers 26 km². It includes forested areas, rare plants and wildlife, nature reserves, 14 lakes, and around 800 km of marked paths and mountain trails. There are also 17 Orthodox monasteries within the Park, founded between the 15th and 18th centuries.

Outdoor adventure enthusiasts can enjoy hiking, biking or orienteering, enjoying the meadows, lakes, vineyards, orchards and forests along the way. You might spot one of the deer, boars, or other wildlife that call Fruška Gora home. Relax for a bite to eat at one of the picturesque picnic spots such as the Stražilovo, Iriški venac, Hopovo, Zmajevac, or Hajdučki breg. While it's a lovely place to walk in summer, the park also looks magnificent when its colours have turned to the oranges, reds and golds of autumn—and from November, a winter wonderland awaits, with wintry trees and snow-covered monastery rooftops.

The Danube Delta is the second largest river delta in Europe, passing through or alongside 10 countries before flowing into the Black Sea. In the summer, swim in the cool water, and cycle along the beautiful bike path (part of the Danube Cycle Path) in the spring and autumn. To experience the river properly, though, spend time on it rather than just beside it. Sail, row, canoe, or water ski on the river for a different perspective on the city.

The beautiful Štrand (pronounced "Shtrand"), is a well-maintained beach on the riverbank that's perfect for a quick dip to cool down in the summer. There are also special nature reserves along the river, such as the Коviljsko-petrovaradinski marshes, where you can spot more than 45 species of birds!

Fit in a Festival

Whenever you arrive, there's always something going on in Novi Sad. Spring offers Sterija's Theatre Festival, the oldest and most renowned festival of national drama and theatre in Serbia, held annually at the end of May, and Zmaj's Games for Children. In summer, you can enjoy the Opens Youth Fair and the EXIT Festival. Originally a protest festival, EXIT has become one of Europe's top music festivals, held at the Petrovaradin Fortress every July. EXIT 2022 featured Calvin Harris, Iggy Azalea, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and Sepultura. Autumn features the Festival of Street Musicians and Kaleidoscope of Culture. In winter, join visitors flocking to Novi Sad's Christmas Market, Christmas and New Year concerts, and the Christmas Magic Festival, which also celebrates New Year and lasts well into January. The Doček Festival sees in the New Year with performances and events that bring together the arts and sciences. There are also numerous music and dance festivals—particularly jazz festivals—and night bazaars throughout the year.

Try Local, Authentic Cuisine

Make sure you sample a traditional Serbian delicacy such as sarma (ground pork or beef mixed with rice-rolled cabbage leaves) or gibanica (egg and cheese pie made with filo dough). In winter, warm yourself up with a bowl of paprikaš or gulaš soup. For a hearty meal, try jarađorđeva šnicla, a rolled veal or pork steak stuffed with kajmak (fluffy, unripened cheese) and then breaded and fried. Pair these dishes with one of many Fruška Gora wines or the national drink, rakia. Rakia is the collective name for the traditional fruit brandies of the region, such as plum or pear brandy. Along the Danube, you can also find 'čardas' fish restaurants offering local fish dishes such as fish stew, soup, catfish, carp, and fried perch.

The Novi Sad area offers some of Europe's finest wines, so ensure you take a wine-tasting tour. Just 8 km from Novi Sad is Sremski Karlovci, a small, pretty town surrounded by vineyards and wineries. Tour the vineyards, sample local wines and enjoy locally-produced ham and goat's cheese to soak it up! You should also visit the Museum of Beekeeping and Wine Cellar Zivanovic for a fascinating look at the history of beekeeping and winemaking, and a taste of the delicious honey and wine produced by the Zivanovic family. Why not stop at a Salaš farmstead for a leisurely, traditional lunch? Savour the moment and enjoy your meal under the shade of the orchard trees, as the locals do.

The vegetarian and vegan movement hasn't gained as much traction here as it has in cities further west or north, but you will find a few meat-free and vegan restaurants, and suitable options are available in most eateries. Novi Sad's Ananda Restaurant was Serbia's first vegan restaurant, and its fresh, seasonal ingredients come from the market or the restaurateur's own land in Bukovac.

Health, Wellness and Medical Tourism

As well as breathing in the fresh air of Fruška Gora, prioritise your health and well-being at one of Novi Sad's spas. One is actually in Fruška Gora, in the historic town of Vrdnik. Here you will find the Termal resort, offering five pools with thermal water: an open Olympic pool, open children's pool, and indoor recreational, children's, and therapeutic pools. There are also 96 rooms here, two restaurants and an aperitif bar. Terraces offer the ideal place to relax, and the local area offers a historic ruined fort and the natural beauty of Fruška Gora. For those wanting to mix business and pleasure, the resort also has a business centre with a 500-seat congress hall and a meeting room for up to 25 people.

In Novi Sad itself, you can enjoy massages with chocolate, gold, or the warm, scented oil of candle at the LuxSpa to feel relaxed and refreshed. And at the Atrium Hamam & Spa, you can find hammams: Turkish public baths based on the tradition of Roman baths. A hammam is a steam bath where benches, floors, and walls are heated, the air temperature is around 50ºC, and the humidity is around 100%. You will leave glowing!

Serbia is also a key destination for medical tourism. People can receive high-quality European standard professional medical treatment for around 10 times less than the global average price, and at five times less than the price in neighbouring countries. Clinics offer aesthetic surgery, fertility treatments, weight loss procedures, and sophisticated dental and orthodontal treatments and surgeries.