Important Information for Your Trip to Novi Sad
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR YOUR TRIP TO NOVI SAD TRANSPORT 1. By plane The nearest airport is Beograd / Београд (Belgrade), around 90km from Novi Sad. There is no direct means of transport to Novi Sad from the airport. You first need to get to Belgrade from the airport which can be done in several ways. a. The 72 bus leaves from right outside the airport building, on the left with your back to the airport entrance to departures. It leaves around every 35-40 minutes. Within 45 minutes, after many stops in between, it arrives at the centre of Belgrade at the Zeleni Venac / Зелени Венац bus terminal. From Zeleni Venac / Зелени Венац, you can easily make your way to the bus station on foot. The price of the ticket which can be bought from the driver is 150 RSD. Timetables are displayed at bus stops. b. The A1 shuttle bus (towards Trg Slavija / Трг Славија) leaves from just outside the arrivals lounge with departures every 20 minutes. The cost is 300 RSD. It is quicker compared to the 72 bus, and takes you directly to Belgrade bus station (the journey is around 30 minutes). c. It is possible to also get a taxi, even though it is not recommended due to the cost. A ride to Belgrade rail station is going to be at least 1800 RSD. d. Autoturist provides transport services between the airport and Novi Sad at subsidised prices. Bookings must be made online (http://www.autoturist.rs). e. Unfortunately, the rail link between Belgrade and Novi Sad has been suspended and will continue to be for at least a few years. The only way to travel between Belgrade and Novi Sad is by taking the intercity buses which leave roughly every 15 minutes from Belgrade bus station (http://www.bas.rs). The price varies from 600 to 800 RSD. Journey times are around 90 minutes. f. A taxi directly from Belgrade airport to Novi Sad costs the equivalent of around 60 EUR. 2. By train Novi Sad is linked to Budapest by a daily train and changing trains at the Kelebia border station. Departing from Budapest Keleti at 11:57. Arriving at Novi Sad at 18:42. Departing from Novi Sad at 10:57. Arriving at Budapest Keleti at 18:04. The price of a ticket from Budapest to Novi Sad is from 12 EUR for a single or 20 EUR for a return. IMPORTANT: Outside Serbia, tickets at this price may be bought only in Hungary from the ticket offices MÁV-START or online from www.mavcsoport.hu. Ensure you print your ticket at the machines found at Budapest Keleti station before departure. Within Serbia, tickets may only be bought from the ticket office at Novi Sad train station. 3. By bus There are several linking bus routes to and from Novi Sad. An outline of their timetables cannot be provided here as they are subject to frequent and last-minute alterations. It is advised that you check the following website before travelling: http://www.gspns.co.rs 4. By car Travelling by car in Serbia presents no particular difficulties. You must always have the necessary documents to hand ready required by current legislation, and note the following: – The toll on motorways is paid per kilometer. – Speed checks are frequently carried out. – Fines for parking illegally are commonplace. Car parks are rarely free of charge, the payment for which is mostly made via SMS which deducts the total amount from remaining credit. So, having a Serbian SIM card is essential. – Pedestrians often cross the streets suddenly often without first making sure that there aren’t any approaching vehicles . This causes drivers to often break suddenly, resulting in frequent collisions. 5. City Transport in Novi Sad In Novi Sad, the train and bus stations are next to each other. In order to get to the centre of Novi Sad from either station, taking the number 4 bus for four stops and then getting off at “Centar” is one option. Tickets are bought from the driver and cost 65 RSD per journey. However, another option is to go on foot which takes around 20 minutes. The website for Novi Sad City Transport may be found here. A taxi in Novi Sad is cheaper than in Belgrade. However, you must be very vigilant of illegal taxis, especially in and around the train station. The fare from the train station to the city centre should cost no more than 300 RSD. It is because of this that we recommend you always book a taxi by phone or using an app. Taxi companies: http://www.pantaxi.rs | http://www.nastaxi.com | http://www.crvenitaxi.co.rs EXCHANGING CURRENCIES It is possible to change euros in the exchange offices dotted around everywhere (menjačnica / мењачница). The exchange rate varies greatly depending on where the office is located. At the airport and at the stations the rate is worse in comparison with the rest of the city. If you do not have any Serbian dinars, it is worthwhile changing the exact amount of money required at the airport or at the station and then changing the rest in town. The exchange rate provided by the banks is worse than that by private exchange offices. We recommend the exchange offices in the underpass next to the main post office, on Jevrejska Street and Gajeva Street in Novi Sad. Changing different currencies other than EUR is subject to commission and bureaucratic procedures can be complex. In particular, the changing of USD is subject to heavy commission and identification documents may be required. As a result, it is always best to change EUR only. TELECOMMUNICATION Lines of telecommunication are highly developed in Serbia. WiFi is available free at all hotels and in most bars and restaurants. In some public areas, WiFi is also available there. Both the username and password will be “gost”. Please note that using roaming is not recommended as it can be expensive. We recommend buying a local SIM card which will provide you with a 4G internet connection and cheap calls and texts within Serbia as standard. Discounts for international calls may also be added. The organisers may be reached on the following numbers: Emanuele Marini, +381638588629 SIM cards can easily be purchased at kiosks or carrier offices. Passport or other forms of ID are not necessary for purchase. They usually cost around 300 RSD and come with a small amount of credit to begin with (10-50 RSD if there is a promotion on). Sometimes, internet is included and is free. If not, credit needs to be added, after which internet access can then be activated. Credit can be added electronically at kiosks. The vendor will ask you the telephone number you wish to add the credit to, as well as the amount. If there are any communcation problems, simply write the number and the amount down on a piece of paper and show it to the vendor. IMPORTANT: Due to the high cost of international calls, the organisers are unable to call attendees if they do not have a Serbian telephone number which they can be reached on. That is why we encourage participants to purchase a local SIM card as this will provide you with an excellent 4G internet connection and the ability to make calls. PUBLIC ORDER Serbia is renowned for its hospitality. However, there are certain cultural norms which need to be adhered to. This is why we recommend that the participants adhere to dress codes and never wear garments which may be offensive to locals, especially in the chambers of Novi Sad’s Cultural Centre, as it is an official institution of the city of Novi Sad. Visitors are advised to dress modestly. All attendees are required to have the document they entered Serbia with – such as their passport or ID card – on them at all times. The police may choose to confirm the identity of visitors at random, including pedestrians on the street. You will be issued a copy of your reservation confirmation by your hotel which you must keep with you at all times. The use of drugs is strictly forbidden, as well as disturbing the peace due to intoxication by alcohol, and may be subject to a fine. Making loud noise during night is also considered disturbing the peace. When crossing streets, even at pedestrians crossings, the use of mobile phones and / or wearing headphones is strictly prohibited and may also be subject to a fine. The official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia provides detailed information on the rules applying to foreigners entering the country. In addition, a list of foreign embassies can be found here. BOARD AND ACCOMMODATION The hotels associated with the organisation of the conference are: HOTEL VIGOR - Jožef Atile 2 - Novi Sad http://www.hotelvigor.com Tel. +381216894444 HOTEL ZENIT - Zmaj Jovina 8 - Novi Sad http://www.hotelzenit.rs Tel. +381216621444 HOTEL MEDITERANEO - Ilije Ognjanovića 10 - Novi Sad http://hotelmediteraneo.rs Tel. +38121427135 CITY HOSTEL - Radnička 21 - Novi Sad http://www.cityhostel.rs Tel. +381216447208 The organisers are not able to make any reservations for accomodation on behalf of attendees. Instead, bookings should be made yourself, contacting any of the above hotels directly or independently by booking online. Novi Sad offers a huge number of bars and restaurants, for which we cannot provide details for here given the limited space at our disposal. The Old Town is a pedestrianised area which has recently been improved (Laze Telečkog Street, Zmaj Jovina Street, and Dunavska Street) which look onto many food and drink establishments with a welcoming, friendly, and relaxing atmosphere.