Northern Serbia: Novi Sad & Sremski Karlovci Tour

Your trip will begin with pickup from your accommodation in Belgrade, and we will head to the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina.

For an hour of our ride, we will enjoy the colorful landscapes of the Pannonian Plain and hear stories about the area’s turbulent history.
Home to more than 25 ethnic groups and six official languages, Vojvodina represents a level of diversity unmatched in the rest of the country.
Fine chernozem soils make Vojvodina the agricultural heart of Serbia, and the region supplies much of the country’s wheat and corn (maize). They have a saying in Vojvodina: “If you drop a button into the ground, next spring, you will harvest a full coat.”

FRUŠKA GORA: We reach Fruška Gora, the only mountain in this region, covered with woods and filled with vineyards on the lower slopes, one of 5 National parks in Serbia but also one of the oldest and best wine regions. The thick Lyndon forests served as ideal hiding places for 17 medieval Orthodox monasteries nestled within them.

Krušedol Monastery

Fruška Gora, often referred to as “The Serbian Holly Mountain,” is home to 17 active Orthodox monasteries. The monasteries were founded during the wars and migrations caused by the Ottoman occupation. They became vital communities that ensured Serbian identity and Orthodox faith would survive difficult times. Founded in the early 16th century, Krušedol is likely the most important. Despite extensive damage on several occasions, some original paintings remain on the dome’s pillars, while frescoes and icons date back to the mid-1700s. The church contains the remains of many members of the Serbian noble Branković family, as well as King Milan Obrenović (died 1901).

Sremski Karlovci

A quiet, Baroque town where time has stopped will impress you with its small houses, Baroque churches, palaces, gardens, and fountains. It also has an impressive history: in 1699, a peace treaty between Christian European forces and the Ottoman Empire was signed here, ending the Ottoman conquest of Europe.
The town served as a religious and educational center for the Serbs for more than 250 years, making it one of the most significant places in Serbian history.
First, we will visit the Chapel of Peace, where the peace treaty was signed. Then we’ll stroll through the streets of Karlovci down to the main square. Here we will see the Four Lions Fountain, the Karlovci Gymnasium (High School), the Town Hall, the Roman Catholic Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, the Patriarchy, and the Serbian Orthodox Theological Seminary. In one of the oldest wine cellars in the city, we’ll taste the most famous product of the area: the Bermet wine.

BERMET WINE TASTING: Our next activity will be Bermet wine tasting, for which this area is widely renowned. This picturesque town has a wine-making tradition dating back more than 250 years, so it is a perfect opportunity for us to get acquainted with Bermet, a Serbian wine that even made it onto the Titanic.
Bermet is a unique, locally produced aromatic dessert wine. Its delightful sweetness is easy to overlook, even though it contains about 15-18% alcohol. Primarily produced as red wine, it was popular among European royal families in the 15th century and was exported to the United States in the late 19th century. Even mighty Maria Theresa was fond of it.
We’ll hear stories about the history of wine-making in Sremski Karlovci, discover the secrets about Bermet production that every family keeps for themself, and we will learn why they say that Bermet is “the best wine for men, but when ladies drink it”.

Petrovaradin Fortress

Next, we’ll visit the mighty Petrovaradin Fortress, nicknamed ‘Gibraltar on the Danube.’ One of the largest preserved strongholds in Europe still covers 100 ha. Built by the Austrian Empire in the 17th and 18th centuries, it played a significant role in defending the Middle European countries from Ottoman attacks. We’ll walk through the fortress, pass through some of its gates, and see the most exciting places on top of it, like the City Museum, Old Military Barracks, and the Clock Tower. We’ll enjoy the view over the Danube and the city of Novi Sad.

Novi Sad

Novi Sad is the second-largest city in Serbia, with a typical Middle European appearance and a proud history as a cultural and intellectual center of the Serbs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, for which it earned the nickname Serbian Athens. Here we’ll see the most famous sights: the Museum of Vojvodina and Dunavski Park – the largest green area in the city, and the beautiful Neo-Romantic Serbian Orthodox Bishop’s Palace. We will not miss the 18th-century Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. George, with its valuable iconostasis painted by the renowned Serbian painter Paja Jovanovic. We’ll walk along the main street, enjoying the 18th- and 19th-century architecture and the endless rows of cafes and restaurants, until we reach Liberty Square, a central point in the city. Here we’ll find the Town Hall, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, the Finance Palace, and the Neoclassical edifice of the oldest city hotel, Vojvodina. Finally, we’ll pass the Serbian National Theater and reach the city Synagogue, a beautiful Hungarian Secession-style building and one of the largest preserved synagogues in Europe.

Free time / Lunch break

After that, we’ll take a break, and you can enjoy your free time in Novi Sad. Perhaps take your guide’s advice: have a traditional Serbian lunch (at your own expense), go shopping, visit the Museum of Vojvodina, or wander the streets of Novi Sad. At the scheduled time, return to the vehicle and proceed to Belgrade.

Your tour concludes with transportation back to your hotel/accommodation in Belgrade, where we’ll arrive in the afternoon. End of services.

• Pick-up will be 15-30 minutes before departure. We’ll email or WhatsApp you the pickup details the day before the trip, no earlier than 6 pm.
• Pickup from any hotel, Airbnb, pension, or Belgrade Port within 5 km of Republic Square is free of charge.
• For pick-up locations more than 5 km from Republic Square, please contact us directly.
• Important note: Depending on the traffic conditions, location of your hotel/Airbnb, the number and the positions of the pick-up locations on the day of your trip, we may ask you to walk to the closest pick-up point (never more than 7-8 minutes of walking from the place where you’re staying).

09:00 – 09:30 Hotel pick-ups
09:30 – 10:30 Tour start & travel through Northern Serbia
10:30 – 11:00 Krušedol Monastery
11:30 – 12:00 Winery visit, with “Bermet” wine tasting
12:00 – 12:30 Sremski Karlovci walking tour
12:45 – 13:15 Petrovaradin Fortress walking tour
13:30 – 14:00 Novi Sad walking tour
14:00 – 16:00 Free time in Novi Sad
16:00 – 17:00 Driving through Northern Serbia, towards Belgrade
17:00 – 17:30 Arrival in Belgrade and hotel drop-offs (approximate time, depending on the traffic conditions)

• Confirmation will be received at the time of booking.
• Travelers should have a moderate level of physical fitness.
• The minimum number of guests required to operate a shared tour is three.
• At least 16 hours before the trip, we will inform you in case there are not enough guests on the tour, and we will offer a choice between:
  1) canceling the tour with no fees applied;
  2) changing the tour date;
  3) moving to another available tour.

We apply very simple rules. If you cancel the tour up to 24 hours before, you’ll get a 100% refund. If you cancel the tour less than 24 hours before the trip, you will not receive any refund.