Novi Sad Serbia travel review: Quirky vibe, friendliest welcome and culture better than you can imagine

I spent my days exploring ancient fortresses, visiting the vineyards in the mountains and the traditional farmhouses and at night I danced the night away with the Black Eyed Peas, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello and more at EXIT festival. Even just within the Serbian city of Novi Sad, it felt like it really had everything. If you’d asked me a month ago, Serbia wouldn’t have been a country that I could tell you much about. In fact, whenever I mentioned this trip to friends and family people had a wealth of questions, showing just how much more there is to learn about this country.

The first lesson, that I learnt very quickly, was just how welcoming and friendly the people are. Firstly, there’s the brilliant staff in the Tourist Information Centre of Novi Sad who were ready to share their knowledge and managed to answer all of our questions. Then there’s the hard core partygoers in the city for EXIT festival who were just as helpful. Everyone I interacted with radiated a calm yet friendly energy.

It turns out that in the area of Novi Sad, people are known for their relaxed and laid-back lifestyle. It started with a small group of craftsmen and traders who created the settlement and had to crowd fund for the Austrian Empress to grant the area status as a city. Trade was particularly important with the market taking place in the main square. Known as Trg Slobode (Liberty Square), it’s still worth a visit today - home to the tallest building, cafes and boutiques, and the City Hall. You can spend a good amount of time here, just gazing at the architectural grandeur of the City Hall and there are sculptures of eight Greek goddesses to spot around the building. These are not only fun to hunt for but have been designed to represent the values and traits of the people of the people of Novi Sad.

In the summer months, temperatures rise to between 25°C and 30°C. During my stay we experienced a heatwave, with temperatures of 39°c. Whilst I know some people may wince at the thought of such scorching temperatures, it turned out to be a great time to explore while everyone else was seeking shelter under the AC indoors. We had the streets almost to ourselves.

Cafes and restaurants are well equipped with plenty of shade and many even have a gentle water mist that sprays periodically over the outdoor seating area. This is a joy that I hadn’t experienced before and is surprisingly refreshing! There are also a lot of trees and greenery which help to keep temperatures cooler and make for beautiful photos.

As the heat dropped slightly in the evenings the streets come alive, particularly during the period of EXIT festival.

With the gorgeous weather, it is nicest to sit outside and enjoy the heat – but if you do prefer to eat indoors it’s important to note that Serbia is the only country in Europe that it is still legal to smoke indoors. If you’re used to being in smoke free areas, it’s a shock to try and enjoy your food whilst surrounded by cigarette smoke…

There are lots of local foods and drinks to try. I’d recommend Jelen beer and asking your server for a local wine. Wine region Fruška Gora is not too far out of the city and is best known for its sweet white wines. I visited Deuric Winery to try for myself and enjoyed each of the wines, made better by the beautiful surroundings. I couldn’t help myself in the wine shop, picking up pairings for wine and cheese such as fig jelly, infused honey and other treats.

One thing you cannot miss on any visit is the bread! Arguably the best part of any meal wherever you are but in Serbia every restaurant I visited offered freshly baked loaves that were light, fluffy and melted in the mouth – it is clear this is something that is very important to the locals.

I was warned to prepare myself because they love spicy food and was advised so strongly that I almost didn’t order the dish that I wanted. As I took my first mouthful I waited for the fear inducing spice to hit me, and it never did. Overall, I would describe the food as mild but flavourful, most meals combined meats with fruits and I tried various dishes of pork paired with apples, chicken with cranberry, and turkey with cherries.

The incorporation of fruit also stretched to their brandy and it is traditional to enjoy a small glass of Rakija before your meal. The city of Novi Sad used to be famous for its silk factories. When they closed down, the resourceful population found another use for the mulberries – making brandy. Whilst it is most commonly made from plums I’d recommend tasting the mulberry or apricot versions. It’s worth a try, even if just to marvel at the beautiful shaped glass that the beverage is served in.

To get a real sense of the culture, the top thing on my list would be to visit a traditional farmhouse, or Salaš. There are several well known and tourist-friendly Salaši a short drive away from the centre. I stopped by Salaš 137 and it was a real treat to experience traditional food in a traditional setting. They offer tours of the farm in a horse drawn carriages. Brilliantly traditional.

Religion is very important in the region and you can travel out to visit one of the many monasteries nearby. It’s worth the extra time to stop by Mala Remeta Monastery to experience the modern but classic beauty inside.

Back in the city, you can find one of the largest and best-preserved fortresses in Europe the Petrovaradin Fortress, on the bank of the Danube river. This is host to various cultural events, most notably EXIT festival. One of my favourite moments of the trip was walking the bridge that crosses the river and looking up to see the fortress ahead, the music of the festival drifting down towards us and strobe lights illuminating the sky above.

Though known for its dance arena, the festival opens its arms to attendees from over 80 countries and has 14 stages with a range of genres. Originally founded as a movement fighting for democracy and freedom in Serbia, EXIT has grown into an internationally acclaimed festival - dubbed ‘Europe’s best music festival’. It remains true to its roots, bringing people together and continuing to champion social causes.

There are lots of places to stay throughout Novi Sad. I was at Element Hotel and my first night of the festival - not yet knowing how friendly the culture is and fearing that I had none of the local currency - I made the mistake of walking past the hundreds of taxis and trekking the 60 minutes back. This was a big regret once I discovered how easy and friendly the cab drivers were - pretty much all having card machines and that journey would have only cost a fiver.

Originally built on activism, there was a real community feel and lots families. Tom Morello even had his thirteen-year-old son out on stage with him, rocking the guitar.

Fireworks lit up the sky for John Newman’s set and hearing the Black Eyed Peas live took me back to my teen years. The hardcore party goers stay to watch the sunrise as the festival doesn’t finish until 7am, and even then there is the after party to attend! Novi Sad, Serbia, is definitely one to bump to the top of your travel list, especially if you can visit during EXIT festival.