Travel: The Serbian melting pot

In Novi Sad, Serbia’s second largest city, life is slow and beautiful

In the Serbian language, the word ‘Sad’ means a garden, yard and bed of flowers – my first impression of Novi Sad is a city of gardens and well-tended green spaces. The second largest city in Serbia, located in the province of Vojvodina, Novi Sad once belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and later became part of Yugoslavia. Many turbulent years later, Serbia is an independent nation, and I have arrived here taking advantage of a visa waiver for Indians!

The Petrovaradin Fortress, designed by a French architect, was built by the Habsburgs to control the land along the river and block the Ottomans(Kalpana Sunder)

Danube Park is lined with busts of prominent Serbians and holds more than 600 trees of different species (Kalpana Sunder)

The Vojvodina Museum showcases Roman ceremonial helmets, wooden houses, furniture and clothes from the past

The pastel-coloured facades of old town are a visual delight (Kalpana Sunder)

The gargantuan Freedom Square is framed with a wealth of stately buildings (Kalpana Sunder)

Many Belgraders have weekend homes in Novi Sad – they love fishing and relaxing here by the Danube

Pick up these cutesy souvenirs while in Novi Sad (Kalpana Sunder)

Open air cafés near the Bishop’s Palace are perfect for chilling (Kalpana Sunder)

Tucked into a quiet street, the Fish & Zeleniš restaurant boasts quirky décor, murals on walls and trinket-filled shelves (Kalpana Sunder)

At Salas 137, you can sit back, sip wine and listen to the melodies outed by folk musicians (Kalpana Sunder)