Niš in 1 day
Museums in the morning, because they close early; the fortress and a kafana in the evening — a day in Niš built around opening hours.
- How long
- 1 for the city
- Rhythm
- East in the morning
- Worth knowing
- On Mondays Mediana
A day in Niš is arranged by opening hours rather than by the map: Mediana and the Crveni Krst camp close in mid-afternoon, and on Mondays neither they nor the Skull Tower open. So the morning goes east on bus 1, the early afternoon to the camp, and the fortress — open all day, entry free — waits for the evening.
East in the morning, the fortress at night
Mediana. Bus 1 from Trg kralja Milana towards Niška Banja, as far as Brzi Brod. It opens at 9, and the morning is when you can walk it without the glare: in the hottest weeks of summer the museum cuts its hours, as early as 2 pm.
The Skull Tower, back towards the centre on the same line, stop Ćele kula. The visit is short, and the story of the Battle of Čegar is better known before than after — it is in the questions below.
From the Skull Tower to the centre is about three kilometres, forty-odd minutes on foot or bus 1 again. Lunch in Kazandžijsko sokače.
The Crveni Krst camp, less than a kilometre north of the fortress. It is open until 4 pm on weekdays and 3 pm at weekends.
The Niš fortress until dark: the Stambol Gate, the walls above the Nišava and the Bali-beg Mosque. Dinner in the centre, across the bridge.
A second day
- The Sićevo gorge in the morning — suburban bus 18 to Sićevo or 20L to Ostrovica; half a day.
- Niška Banja and the Jelašnica gorge in the afternoon — bus 1 to the end of the line, then three kilometres to the gorge, or bus 21L to Jelašnica.
- Felix Romuliana instead of both, if you have a car — a full day.
The most common mistake in this schedule is starting at the Skull Tower instead of Mediana, which rides bus 1 over the same stretch twice.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What happened at Čegar?
On Čegar hill outside Niš, on 31 May 1809, the Ottoman army broke into the trench held by Serbian rebels. Their commander Stevan Sinđelić fired into the powder magazine and blew up himself, his men and the attackers, and Hurshid Pasha ordered the skulls of the dead rebels built into the Skull Tower.
How do I get from the airport to the centre?
On buses 34A and 34B, and the ride is free: every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 at weekends.
Ready for Niš?
Where to next
Day trips from Niš
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→The spa town where Prince Miloš officially sent his first patient in 1837
How well does Niš suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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