Garni Hotel Leopold I ★★★★★

As Serbia was a country we had never visited before, we decided to hire a car and drive the 70km from the airport in Belgrade to Novi Sad and the Garni Hotel Leopold I so that we could make the most of our time in the country and explore as much as possible. The journey should have only taken an hour, but we couldn’t resist leaving the motorway to see more of the countryside and stop at a couple of towns and villages on the way. Our protracted route meant that it was mid-afternoon by the time we reached Novi Sad, and we were glad of the free car parking at the hotel which meant that we didn’t have to drive around searching for somewhere to leave the car.

The welcome we received when we arrived was so warm it was as if we were being greeted by an old friend, and we felt instantly at home. We were shown to our room which had a beautiful view over the Danube. We hadn’t come to Novi Sad just to look out of the window though, so after quickly freshening up we set off to explore.

The Garni Hotel Leopold I is in a fantastic location for exploring the city. It is actually part of the Petrovaradin fortress complex (nicknamed Gibraltar on the Danube) so we decided that we should make touring the citadel our first stop, and the museum offered an interesting insight into the history of the site. We then took a pleasant stroll across the river to visit Republic Square and Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George. The iconostasis with its 33 icons was especially beautiful. We returned to the hotel for dinner and dined on the terrace while enjoying a wonderful view of the city. Our waiter was delightful and was keen to share his knowledge of the city, giving us several recommendations of places to visit during our brief stay.

The following afternoon, we decided to take on board his suggestions and set off to the rather oddly-named Chinatown, Novi Sad’s up-and-coming creative district. It was here, in a secret kafane (a local bistro) that we had our first taste of Rakija, a particularly potent brandy-esque spirit that is the national drink of Serbia. The name derives from the Arabic word for sweat, and after just one shot it became apparent why! Slightly light-headed we returned to the hotel, where we decided to take it easy in the spa to recover.

There’s so much to see and do in Novi Sad, and the Garni Hotel Leopold I is a great location from which to explore this bright, vibrant city. It was refreshing to visit a European city that was still relatively undiscovered, and unspoilt, by tourists, and we left feeling as though we had stumbled upon something rather special.