During my city-break in Novi Sad, I was advised by many Serbians and travellers to visit Sremski Karlovci, a charming and seducing town not far at all from Novi Sad. It is indeed the case, it is just under 20 minutes away by bus. I arranged my meeting with Sara, who kindly volunteered to be my guide on this small trip that lasted only an afternoon.
It is 1.20pm and it is pouring rain in Novi Sad, I’m walking around trying to find a bus to Sremski Karlovci. I’ve been advised to go to the bus stop before the bridge. But I went to the one under the bridge! I felt lost but with the help of Sara over the phone, I find my way. She told me to take bus 61 stopping at Sremski Karlovci where she will be waiting for me. Few minutes walk, I get to the bus stop at 1.30pm which is normally the departure time, I was afraid I missed the bus by few seconds! Luckily, I’m in Serbia where a 10 minute delay is acceptable and okay. So the bus finally arrived at 1.40pm.
On the bus, I ask a local commuter to tell me when to get off. I just concentrate that way on watching the pretty landscapes from the window while relying on the guy to tell me when to stop. I spot Petrovaradin Fortress from the window and get to observe locals inside the bus too, whilst the pouring rain just intensifies.
Luckily, on arrival I meet Sara who kindly shared her umbrella with me. And so we start our walk around. Of course, I totally rely on her guidance. We start our tour from the central square.
I quickly observe the cute baroque style buildings still looking authentic since 19th century. Our walk then took us on a climb up to what is called the Chapel of Peace from where Turks and Austro-Hungarians made a historical peace agreement. This Catholic chapel is very pretty with its yellow bright colours and cute inside setting. It is rare to see a Catholic religious site in Serbia but I did find one in Vojvodina finally. This region has an interesting blend of people where more than 10% of the population is Christian Catholic and where the majority of Serbia is Christian Orthodox.
To have a visual story of my trip to Sremski Karlovci, watch the video below:
To end my small day trip, I take a late Serbian lunch with Sara. I had a delicious piece of Turkey with blue cheese and mushrooms. This half-day trip is enough to see how beautiful Sremski Karlovci is, and also how authentic it remains until now.
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