Hotels near Day Trip to Novi Sad and Petrovaradin Fortress

Novi Sad, 80 km north of Belgrade, is the capital of Vojvodina and Serbia's second-largest city. Locals nickname it the 'Athens of Serbia' for its late-Habsburg architecture and university tradition. The compact Old Town clusters around Trg Slobode and the neo-Gothic Name of Mary Church, with the pedestrian Zmaj Jovina street running east to the Bishop's Palace. Soko high-speed trains from Belgrade Centar (Prokop) station take about 35 minutes; check fares before you travel.

Across the Danube looms Petrovaradin Fortress, built by the Habsburgs between 1692 and 1780 to guard against Ottoman advance. It is one of the largest star-shaped fortresses in Europe, covering 112 hectares with 16 kilometres of underground tunnels. The upper terrace holds the iconic clock tower (with hour and minute hands reversed so bargemen could read time from the Danube) and the small Museum of Novi Sad. From 2000 to 2025 the fortress hosted EXIT Festival every July; the festival left Serbia after its 2025 edition. The Novi Sad Cathedral and the Serbian National Theatre are back on the north bank.

Pro Tip: Take the 09:00 train from Belgrade Prokop for a full day. Combine the fortress with lunch in the pastel-yellow Petrovaradin lower town, then cross the Varadin bridge to Zmaj Jovina for coffee. On the way back, add a stop at a Fruska Gora monastery like Krusedol.