So you jumped on your bike, ready to leave the city centre to explore Novi Sad? Stay in the centre a bit longer, it’ll take you through the history of the city! We recommend bike routes, tracks and paths to get to know the city, find more about its history and fall for its charm.
One of the advantages of the city and a well-known sentence citizens of Novi Sad often like to say, goes a little something like this Everything’s within 5-minute reach. That’s why the city is suitable for bicycle lovers, and there are more and more people who are starting to use bikes as their main means of transportation.
Bikes are ideal for city tours, gems and sightseeing, as well as for those who like to stay active during a holiday too, with over a 90-kilometre-long bike path across the city.
All you need is a bit of free time and a bike, of course. Thanks to the amazing crew from the Novi Sad Cycling Initiative and Eco Courier (sr. Eko kurir), we bring you recommendations in terms of great bike routes according to your interests.
Heart of the city that preserves history and culture
Recommends: Marko Mazalica, Novi Sad Cycling Initiative
One of the most interesting bike routes in Novi Sad is definitely the one that starts in the city centre, goes across the Quay and Liberation Boulevard, all the way to the Railway Station. This route has plenty of cultural-historical monuments and important pieces of architecture; it’s a route that at the same time speaks of the past, the present and the future of Novi Sad.
In the Liberty Square, you can see the Name of Mary Church, also known as cathedral among the citizens of Novi Sad. In the same square, there is a monument dedicated to Svetozar Miletić, the most significant leader of Serbian people in the Habsburg Monarchy, politician, lawyer and the first mayor of Novi Sad. The monument was built in 1939, only to be removed during the Second World War and then put back in 1944. Right next to the monument, there is one of the most important and impressive buildings – the City Hall. It was built in 1895 as a copy of the city hall in Graz, designed by György Molnár. Except for Modena and Njegoševa streets, riding bikes is prohibited along Zmaj Jovina Street since it’s a pedestrian zone, so you’ll have to walk here. But don’t you worry, walking with your bike by your side will allow you to sightsee some of the beautiful architecture in the very centre of the city. One such piece of architecture is the Bishop’s Palace at the very end of Zmaj Jovina Street. It was built in 1901 and represents a residential palace of the Serbian orthodox bishop of the Eparchy of Bačka. The next monumental building, equally important, is the monument to Petar I Karađorđević in the Republic Square. This monument was built in 2018, marking 100 years since Banat, Bačka and Baranja joined the Kingdom of Serbia.
When you pass the Republic Square and walk Miloša Bajića Street down to the Belgrade Quay, you’ll continue to go right, towards the Raid Victims Quay and the monument to the Victims of the Raid. This monument was built in 1971, and has been an immovable cultural heritage of exceptional importance since then. It was built in remembrance of everyone killed in the Novi Sad raid during World War II.
When you continue to walk along the Sunny Quay, there is Bike Oasis (sr. Bici oaza) in the University Park on the Euro Velo 6 route. The Eco Courier community, together with the support of the ‘Novi Sad 2021 – European Capital of Culture’ Foundation and the University of Novi Sad, implemented the project in 2018. It’s a place for cyclists to rest and enjoy the ecologically arranged natural environment next to the Danube. In Bike Oasis, you can find the equipment and tire pumps if you need to fix a tire or tighten a bike chain. There’s also a fountain if you want to freshen up and a board with tourist information about Novi Sad, as well as a map board. Keep walking and you’ll bump into the future Creative District, which is right next to the Štrand beach and Liberty Bridge, and which is currently being transformed into contemporary art and creation hub. Liman Park is right across the district, where you can also rest and chill for a while.
And now you’ve found yourself on the Liberation Boulevard. In the continuation of the boulevard, across the Liman Park, there is the NIS building (Petroleum Industry of Serbia). It was built in 1998, representing one of the most modern and famous symbols of Novi Sad, while the citizens of Novi Sad call it ‘Karingtonka,’ according to popular television series Dynasty. Furthermore, on this route, you’ll pass by the Karađorđe stadium of the Vojvodina football club. This stadium was built in 1924 with the seating capacity of 14, 853. There are cafes and restaurants with charming summer gardens along the entire Liberation Boulevard. At the very end of the boulevard, there’s another very important building to the people of Novi Sad – the Railway Station. This modernist piece of architecture was built in 1964 and designed by Farkas Imre.
For a pedalling family
Recommends: Nikola Veselinović, Novi Sad Cycling Initiative
A track on the border between Novo Naselje and Detelinara is an excellent and safe bicycle route in Novi Sad for families and kids. The route starts on the Boulevard of Europe, encompasses Vojvode Stepe Boulevard, Bate Brkića Street, Jovana Dučića Boulevard and Momčila Tapavice Street, which is the final destination and a beautiful part of the city where you can relax after a fun and exciting ride.
There are a lot of interesting places for kids on this route, with lots of things to see as well. Along the Boulevard of Europe, there is a wonderful cycling path with Novi Sad’s old marshalling yard next to it, built in 1911. Or, if you’re enjoying your ride across the wonderfully green Novo Naselje neighbourhood, you’ll find various events organised by the Novo Kulturno Naselje Association in Bate Brkića Street. In Dušana Danilovića Street, you can pay a visit to one of the best ice creams in this part of the city, which is a great spot for both kids and adults. After you’ve treated yourself to some ice cream, go to a park in Šarengrad (part of Novo Naselje), which is ideal for relaxing after biking for around three and a half kilometres.
Escape from the city and the beauty of its surroundings
Recommends: Nina Raletić, Novi Sad Cycling Initiative
Instead of the standard route Novi Sad-Futog-Begeč, you have two ferry boats taking you over the Danube to the Srem side, where you can find a bunch of small local wineries. If you decide to stay on the Srem side of the river, there is a great number of csárdas (fish restaurants next to the Danube) where you can relax, drink or eat something. If you happen to be there, it’s absolutely necessary to try their fish soups and stews! There is a cycling path the whole way from Begeč to Novi Sad, except when passing the weekend settlement Kamenjar. When you go down the dam, you’ll pass by the old city shipyard and navy, where you’ll loose the bike path again, but only for a short while. There, you’ll have a choice – you can either continue pedalling on the Sunny Quay, or if you’re a fan of the city hustle and bustle, you can go through the Liman neighbourhood in order to get to the city centre.
Continuing across Euro Velo 6, the road takes us to the suburbium of the Petrovaradin Fortress, also known as the Danube’s Gibraltar. It’s one of the biggest and most preserved places in Europe from that time period. It used to be the frontline against the Turkish military, while today it preserves a very rich cultural heritage and an imposing history, and it’s also the host to one of the best European festivals – the EXIT festival, as well as Gradić Fest. We recommend setting aside an hour or two to breathe in and get to experience the overwhelming history of the Fortress and its suburbium. During your bike ride through Petrovaradin, a historic town older than Novi Sad, you’ll enjoy the view of the Danube Swabian houses. Unfortunately, there is no bike path here, but that shouldn’t change your mind about visiting this part of the route.
If you’re up for cycling on Fruška Gora and a bit of off-road cycling, after you’ve passed all the houses in Petrovaradin, turn right and head towards Bukovac, a suburb which has a Bike park. Or, you can stay on the road of Petrovaradin and head towards Sremski Karlovci, where the great Turskish war ended in 1699. Sremski Karlovci is a place where the first Serbian grammar school was formed in 1791, a place where the famous Treaty of Karlowitz was signed, a place that will enchant you with its impressive locations and monuments. It’s impossible to just pass it by. There are a lot of restaurants to freshen up and relax in both Sremski Karlovci and along the Danube.
Biking through the diversity of street art and activism
Recommends: Dejan Vlaški, Eco Courier Novi Sad
The Street Art Bike Tour Novi Sad project is a new cyclo-tourist concept that gathers people, connects them and shows them the cultural, artistic and ecological sights in public spaces across Novi Sad.
Street art bike tour Novi Sad is a bike tour that includes visiting murals in Novi Sad by both local and world renown street artists, meeting the authors, hearing interesting stories related to the murals and the motives for making them, the incredible messages that they communicate and many other interesting and useful information.
Eco Courier offers three different bike tours on the territory of the City of Novi Sad:
– Serbian Athens – the emphasis is on the murals of famous people, visiting the city’s historical heritage and legacies, cultural sites and the old town of Novi Sad.
– Dunavska – the emphasis is on the murals along the Danube and parts of the city next to the river, visiting urban green oases, discovering small, hidden coastal nooks of the city, international biking route.
– Novi Sad’s – the emphasis is on the murals painted not only in the old town, but across the city’s broader centre, on the main streets and cosy passages, visits to traditional and modern sites as well as decentralised cultural microlocations.
The tours last for about 3 hours, they are not physically demanding, you ride around 5 kilometres and get to visit approximately 15 murals. The participants are provided with personal protective equipment, professional tourist guide services, a souvenir and water. And those who don’t own a bike can rent it here too! The tours are circural, the starting and the ending point are both in the city centre, while you get to visit other parts of the city and sights in the meantime.
Novi Sad got street art tours in 2018, when Eco Courier created them according to trends in big European cities (Amsterdam, Barcelona, València, Berlin, Vienna, Paris, Lisbon) and since then, it has organised more than 20 promo bike rides with more than 250 participants from 16 different countries.
Author: Milana Milovanov
Photo: Jelena Ivanović, Vladimir Veličković, Eko kurir
