Arriving to Novi Sad

If you are arriving to Novi Sad, it is most likely that you will be dropped off at the main railway station - The Ž station. It is called Železnička Stanica (Railway station), but everyone calls it Ž Stanica. The letter Ž is pronounced like "s" in "pleasure. It is the main transportation hub in Novi Sad and it combines a railway station, long haul bus station, tour bus and city's public bus station. There are also taxi services and bicycle rentals. There is a stand with the bicycles for rent (with card operating locking system), but the place where you buy the prepaid cards is miles away. It looks like this system is not aimed at the tourists but for the local commuters.

The station is located at the beginning of the main boulevard which is the transportation spine of Novi Sad and which runs all the way to the Danube river. The station itself was built in 1960s and according to the newspapers of the time, it was very modern and impressive. It looks like it hasn't been updated since the opening. If you visit it, you will have a unique opportunity to appreciate the communist style of art nouveau architectural design.

The walls of the station are still bearing the posters from 1970s and 80s and they serve as an unintentional museum displays. Despite the condition of the station, it very much serves the international trains and direct routes to Wien (once a day) and Budapest (twice a day). To reach Thessaloniki and Istanbul you will have to make a stop in Belgrade. To check the train schedule visit link.

As you exit the station, you are just feet away from the city's public bus station (blue busses) and if you take the bus number 4 you are pretty much ready to cover the most of the town. You might be approached by taxi drivers, but they are far less aggressive or annoying than in other touristic places. Of course, they have the same modus operandi like any other taxis worldwide. No, there's no Uber in Serbia!

If you are coming to Novi Sad for Exit Festival, Fruskogorski Marathon, fairs or any big event - this is the place where all the information boots are set up. There you can pick up all the information, shuttle buses, promos and freebies.

At the entrance of the station are several kiosks where you can buy water, snacks, sandwiches and there’s one very unique kiosk which sells souvenirs of Novi Sad - highly recommended. Of course there is also the unavoidable McDonald’s. You’ve seen one - you’ve seen them all.

Next to the railway station is the bus station, where you can get the bus to every town around Novi Sad, all the major cities in Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and Montenegro. Interestingly, there are also busses to several European capitals and some really really far places - Amsterdam (1920 km), Stockholm (2376 km), Jonkoping (2580 km). I wouldn’t be surprised if they open a direct bus line to Moscow, Ulan Bator or Kathmandu. Check the schedules - link.

The railway station is the best place to start your journey in Novi Sad. It’s well located, easy to connect to the other modes of transportation, convenient and it has that genuine feel of East European communist weirdness. Visit it before it’s gone and Welcome to Novi Sad!