Local information

1.     FOOD AND DRINK

Novi Sad is well-known for the abundance of good food and top-ranked gastronomic restaurants. The most popular specialties include grilled meat (you must try Leskovački ćevap (pronounced Lehskovachky chevap)). Another local feature is Karlovački Bermet, red wine which was highly acclaimed at the Viennese Court.

There are many restaurants in Novi Sad which serve international and national cuisine, Italian specialties, Chinese food, fish and vegetarian food. The average price for a meal per person is €3 to €10. Local beer costs around 1.2€, imported beer is €1.5 to €2.5, a cup of espresso coffee costs from €0.8 to €1.2 and juices are 1 to 1.5€. Most restaurants close at 11pm. Numerous fast food restaurants and grill stands are open 24 hours a day, and the average price for a meal is 1.4€. We hope you will enjoy your food here!
 
2.     PHONE

Serbia is a 3G zone

You can easily reach any part of the world from Serbia, using telephone connections. Mobile telephones and public telephone booths are at your disposal. Pay-phone cards, 060/061/062/063/064/065/069 cell phone SIM cards as well as electronically prepaid airtime to any value you wish are available at most of the kiosks around the city.
 
3.     INTERNET

The city centre, where most people hang around during festival days, is a wireless internet zone, so you will be able to get online from there provided that you have your laptop with you. The username and password are usualy both "gost" (without the quotation marks), but you'll be able to find a sign with the username/pass parametres at the following hotspots in the city:

Trg slobode
Katolička porta
Laze Telečkog
Trifkovićev trg
Zmaj Jovina - Vladičanski dvor
Gimnazijska ulica
Dunavska ulica
Dunavski park
Petrovaradinska tvrđava
Skejt park
SPENS
Železnička stanica
ŠTRAND
Kej
Cafes around the town can have either public Internet, or their own (some do not have any). Ask the staff to give you the parametres.
 
4.     CURRENCY

The currency in Serbia is the 'Dinar' (or codenamed: RSD) - this is hard to come across in the UK as most banks don't stock the currency. You can buy your currency at Belgrade airport when you arrive.

Dinar banknotes are available in units of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000 and 5000. Mastercard and Visa are generally accepted in shops, cafes and restaurants. ATM machines are available all over the city of Novi Sad.

For the current exchange rate click here.

Rough ideas on prices:
Beer can = from €0.8
Cigarettes = from €1
Taxis = up to €3 from Novi Sad centre to the festival site
 
5.     TOURIST INFO CENTRES

Tourist Organization of Serbia,
Dečanska 8a/v 11000 Belgrade
+381 (0) 11 3342521
http://www.serbia.travel/

Tourist Information Centre,
Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 9, 21000 Novi Sad
+381 (0) 21 421811

Tourist Organization of Vojvodina,
Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 6, 21000 Novi Sad
+381 (0) 21 452910

NS CENTAR
Corner of Zmaj Jovine and Modene, Novi Sad
Tel +381 (0) 21 4724864
 
6.     LANGUAGE

Official language in Serbia is Serbian, with Ekavian and Iekavian dialects. The official scripts are both Cyrillic and Latin.

Some Serbian pleasantries:

Hello   -   Ciao (universally) or Zdravo.
Goodbye   -   Ciao (universally) or Doviđenja.
Pleased to meet you   -   Drago mi je.
How are you?   -   Kako ste? (formal way) or Kako si? (informal way)
Well thanks   -   Dobro, hvala.
Where are you from?   -   Odakle ste? (formal way) or Odakle si? (informal way)
I'm from...   -   Ja sam iz...
Yes / No   -   Da / Ne
Excuse Me   -   Izvinite (formal way) or Izvini (informal way)
Sorry   -   Pardon or Izvinite
Please   -   Molim
Thanks   -   Hvala
Many Thanks   -   Puno hvala
You're welcome   -   Nema na chemu
I'd like a ...   -   Zelim...
Beer   -   Pivo
I'd like a beer please   -   Molim vas pivo.
Where are the toilets?   -   Gde su toaleti?
How much is it?   -   Koliko koshta?
I don't understand - Ja ne razumem.
Do you speak English? - Govorite li engleski?

Numbers:

1    -    jedan
2    -    dva
3    -    tri
4    -    četiri (chetiri)
5    -    pet
6    -    šest (shest)
7    -    sedam
8    -    osam
9    -    devet
10   -    deset

7.     VISAS

EU citizens, citizens of EU membership candidate countries, Croatia, the USA and Canada do not need visas for Serbia.
However, you do need your passport, so please do not forget to bring it.
Please find more detailed information about visas at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia website.
 
8.     CLIMATE AND WEATHER

The climate in Serbia is moderately continental and the summers are usually very hot, although there is the risk of rainstorms that can catch you by surprise. The temperature in July is often over 30°C and the average temperature of the Danube is around 24°C. We highly recommend that you visit the famous Danube river beach in Novi Sad - Štrand.