Home

10%

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

Hints & Tips on how to spend your time in Krupanj & Novi Sad in Serbia

By Mario & Melissa Saliba

September 6^th, 2023

Krupanj

Take a walk through the streets of Krupanj, and in a few minutes and regardless which route you take, you will find yourself surrounded by a predominantly lush greenery, white cottages with red sloping roofs, streams of water running through the city, beech trees, and more, providing an ideal escapade from everyday routine.

If planning to rent an apartment, as we did, try to find one with an outside terrace from where you will have the luxury to enjoy picturesque scenery at any hour of the day.

Have a bath in the emerald waters of the Drina River and largest tributary of the Danube, in the height of the Serbian summer. Though the river currents do not allow for a good swim, yet a dip in the river’s shallow waters is refreshing and a balm to the skin and soul.

If staying in Krupanj in summer, spend a couple of hours at the outdoor public pool (depending on how much time you have in Krupanj), which is very well-maintained and which, according to locals, is also filled with river water. Though I couldn’t verify this, yet it did feel different to swimming in the usual chlorine pools, and has that clean feel to it as if immersing yourself into a spa bath.

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

Get a taste of the burek, which is a type of thin, crunchy and oily pastry with meat, cheese, potatoes or vegetable filling, and which is the ideal Serbian breakfast together with their thick drinkable yogurt or ‘kiselo mleko’. Do not, however, get into an argument with a Serbian as to which is the tastiest type of burek, as it is still controversial amongst the Serbs as to which is the authentic burek, even though today you will find also sweet burek pastries.

Other recommended Serbian dishes would include the Serbian Mese which is a platter of assorted meats and cheese and the Pljeskavica or the Serbian hamburger but made of real meat, and with a side of ‘kajmak’, a fresh cream-like cheese.

Before leaving Krupanj, also dip into some of its history by taking a trip to the Mačkov Kamen Peak at 923meters of heights, and which was scene to an atrocious and bloody battle during World War 1. Today, you will find a small niche-like chapel on top of the hill in remembrance of the fallen soldiers who lost their lives on that doomed day.

*However, after do take a short walk through the pine trees, to take some good pictures of the majestic array of mountains and border to Bosnia Herzegovina, and which looked misty and distant in the tepid noon sunshine.

I particularly envied the owners of the sporadic cottage-like summer houses in the area, and who wake up to such a stunning view everyday!

On our way back to Krupanj centre, we also stopped briefly at the Monastery consecrated to the the tri-hand Mother of God, and the taxi driver also directed us to a place just nearby where we tasted some juicy black and red raspberries right off the bush.

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

Novi Sad

Go for a stroll along the riverfront of the Danube and the main street of Novi Sad, and take in the large, natural reservoir of flowing water ornated with floating rainbow bridges, and speckled with boats, yachts and river-cruise ships, and while flanked on the other side with cafes, restaurants, the casual stroller or rushing pedestrians, cars, city noise and the occasional klaxon, allowing for the sublime experience of nature in the city.

Do not miss the baroque-style Petrovaradin military fortress looming majestically over the right bank of the river.

For those who love shopping, find some time to go to the Panorama in Novi Sad, which is the typical shopping mall as we know it, three storeys high, and which offers a wide selection of clothes, cosmetics, electronics etc. from various contemporary brands.

For a more local experience, drop in at the Futoška Pijaca, a traditional open-air morning market, which sells a variety of goods including clothes , and mainly produce at affordable prices.

I was particularly taken in by the appealing assortment of a variety of Serbian flowers on the doorstep of the market as nature once again colours and invigorates life within the urban city walls. I would describe it as the sunflower bending towards the sun in a field of alabaster white, rose-pink, a dark pastel blue, lavender and orange petals.

Other places to visit in Novi Sad would include Liberty Square where you will find the gothic-style Name of Mary Church, with its pointed spire rising up to 72 metres

Also keep a look out for the street art in Novi-Sad, which contributes to the town’s youthful and dynamic vibe. The hostel where we stayed in Novi Sad was also quaint and artsy, with an outdoor cafeteria with stylish seat cushions and painted tabletops, photo memory walls, a light-blue coloured bicycle laden with a casket of flowers close to the door, and a mural painting in our room displaying a bird on top of a set of black buildings and against a starry backdrop, bidding us to catch our luck!

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

For Travel Lovers - A Serbian Interlude

Locals also tend to be friendly with tourists, with a couple more than willing to guide us as to the best spots to bathe in the Drina River to avoid the stronger currents. IMP: However, only have a swim if you do feel comfortable to do so, as river flows might change.

Also the taxi-driver who took us on our trips in Krupanj, even though he could not speak a word of English, yet he was more than willing to provide background to the tour and its landmarks through the use of Google translate by speech and always with this big and affable smile on his face.

Though I was travelling with my husband, during this trip, we were also part of a larger table tennis group representing HITT Table Tennis Academy Malta practising their sport at a training camp in Serbia, and who all made me feel at home and also made the trip more fun and memorable.

A special thanks goes to Sandra Genovese, the wife of Mario Genovese and founder of the HITT Table Tennis Academy Malta, with whom I went on a couple of trips in the area of Krupanj while the rest of the sports group were training.

Last but not least, do not forget to take one or two shots of Rakia for a complete Serbian experience!

Footnotes

Written by Melissa Saliba

FootNotes

Written by Melissa Saliba

© 2026 Mario & Melissa Saliba

10 Best Places to visit in the Island of Gozo, Malta.

February 2^nd, 2024

Ephemeral Summer

January 17^th, 2024

Snippet from short book out soon

December 2^nd, 2023

CONCLUDING THE FRENCH TRILOGY

Romance at Versailles

August 21^st, 2023

Loading, please hold on.