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🛍️ Shopping

Novi Sad for Shopping Lovers — 3 Days of Vojvodina Craft, Bermet & Secession-Era Boutiques

From the honey-and-paprika stalls of Riblja Pijaca to Zmaj Jovina's designer studios and the Bermet cellars of Sremski Karlovci

📍 Novi Sad, Serbia 📅 3-day itinerary

Novi Sad shops small. Green markets sell Vojvodina honey, ajvar and homemade rakija by the jar; Zmaj Jovina and Dunavska hide Serbian designer studios in Secession buildings; and Sremski Karlovci bottles Bermet just 12 km upriver.

Local Markets & Artisan Shops

09:00
🧺 Futoška Pijaca (Futoška Green Market)

Novi Sad's largest green market, open daily 06:00–15:00 (Sun to 13:00). Vojvodina farmers sell paprika strings, homemade ajvar (500–800 RSD/jar), acacia honey (900–1,400 RSD), kajmak and Futog cabbage — the region's EU-protected specialty.

⏱ 2-3 hours 💶 Free entry; ajvar 500–800 RSD, honey 900–1,400 RSD
Arrive before 09:30 — the honey and kajmak sellers along the north wall sell out first, and vendors only take cash dinars.
12:00
🐟 Riblja Pijaca (Fish Market Square)

A compact old-town market square off Zmaj Jovina, ringed by delicatessen stalls and small shops selling smoked river fish, Vojvodina kulen sausage, homemade pasta and pickles. Kulen runs roughly 2,500–3,500 RSD per kilo, vacuum-packed for travel.

⏱ 1.5 hours 💶 Kulen 2,500–3,500 RSD/kg; cheeses 800–1,500 RSD/kg
Ask for kulen to be vacuum-sealed ('vakumirano') — the stalls do it free and it survives a flight home.
14:30
🍯 Etno Kuća Souvenir & Vojvodina Products, Dunavska

Small traditional-goods shops clustered on Dunavska ulica stock hand-embroidered linen, Vojvodina slivovitz and rakija miniatures, opanci-style leather slippers and pirot-pattern textiles. Rakija miniatures start around 350 RSD, embroidered runners near 2,000 RSD.

⏱ 2 hours 💶 Rakija miniatures 350–600 RSD; embroidered linen 1,500–4,000 RSD
17:00
Kafeterija Zmaj Jovina & Old-Town Delikatesa Shops

The pedestrian stretch between Trg Slobode and Riblja Pijaca mixes specialty coffee roasters selling retail beans with delicatessen windows of Vojvodina wine, honey rakija (medovača) and paprika powder in gift tins. Roasted beans run 900–1,500 RSD per 250 g.

⏱ 1.5 hours
Shops on Zmaj Jovina close around 20:00 on weekdays and by 15:00–16:00 on Saturday; Sunday is largely shuttered outside cafés.

Boutiques & Design Districts

10:00
👗 Zmaj Jovina & Dunavska Boutique Strip

The Secession-era main streets house independent Serbian labels, concept stores and jewellery ateliers in ground-floor arcades. Locally designed dresses and knitwear land in the 4,000–12,000 RSD range, handmade silver pieces from about 3,000 RSD.

⏱ 2 hours 💶 Clothing 4,000–12,000 RSD; silver jewellery from 3,000 RSD
Step into the inner courtyards (pasaži) off Zmaj Jovina — several ateliers and workshops sit behind the street façades with no visible signage.
13:00
🛍️ Promenada Shopping Mall

Serbia's largest shopping centre outside Belgrade, opened 2018 on Bulevar Oslobođenja with roughly 200 stores across 48,000 m². International chains sit alongside Serbian brands, a large hypermarket and a cinema. Open daily 10:00–22:00.

⏱ 1 hour
15:00
💎 Bulevar Mihajla Pupina & Trg Slobode Retail Corridor

The boulevard between the Catholic cathedral and the Danube bridge concentrates optical shops, leather goods, watchmakers and mid-range Serbian fashion, plus the classic Novosadski Sajam-era department windows. Leather bags typically 6,000–18,000 RSD.

⏱ 2 hours 💶 Leather bags 6,000–18,000 RSD; shoes 5,000–14,000 RSD
18:00
📚 Bulevar Books, Svetozara Miletića

An independent bookshop-café in the old town stocking Serbian literature in translation, art and design titles, local zines and Novi Sad photography books. It doubles as an evening reading and concert venue with a small courtyard bar.

English-translation Serbian fiction sits on the shelf nearest the café counter — the staff will point you to Vojvodina-specific titles if you ask.

Souvenirs & Hidden Gems

09:30
🍷 Bermet Cellars, Sremski Karlovci

Twelve kilometres upriver, family wineries such as Kuća Vina Živanović and Podrum Došen sell Bermet — the spiced dessert wine served on the Titanic — plus Ausbruch. Bottles run 1,200–3,000 RSD; tastings with cellar tour around 500–1,000 RSD per person.

⏱ 2 hours 💶 Bermet 1,200–3,000 RSD/bottle; tasting 500–1,000 RSD
Bus 61/62 from Novi Sad's Autobuska Stanica runs every 20–30 minutes and costs under 300 RSD — far cheaper than a tour, and cellars are a 5-minute walk from the stop.
12:30
🍞 Karlovci Honey & Beekeeping Shops, Trg Branka Radičevića

Around the main square of Sremski Karlovci, small family shops sell Fruška Gora acacia and linden honey, medovača honey brandy, beeswax candles and propolis. Half-litre honey jars sit near 700–1,000 RSD, medovača bottles around 1,200 RSD.

⏱ 1.5 hours
14:30
🪡 Petrovaradin Lower Town Craft Studios

Below the fortress, the baroque Lower Town streets around Beogradska hide ceramicists, printmakers and jewellery workshops renting cheap studio space. Small ceramics start near 1,500 RSD, signed prints from about 2,500 RSD; most open afternoons only.

⏱ 2 hours 💶 Ceramics from 1,500 RSD; prints from 2,500 RSD
17:30
🎨 Kvartet / Almaški Kraj Antique & Vintage Shops

The Almaš quarter east of the centre, Novi Sad's oldest neighbourhood, keeps a handful of antikvarnica and vintage dealers selling Yugoslav-era enamelware, Socialist-modern glass, old maps and vinyl at prices well under old-town souvenir levels.

Bring small dinar notes and haggle politely — dealers here expect an offer, and most have no card terminal at all.

📍 Route map

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