Mistakes everyone makes in Niš
Serbia isn't in the eurozone, Felix Romuliana closes earlier in winter, and the city day and the spa day aren't the same day — mistakes that cost time or money here.
- Money
- The dinar (RSD) is the only legal tender
- City transport
- Free for everyone, no ticket
- Felix Romuliana in winter
- Last entry an hour before the 4 pm close
Most mistakes in Niš aren't about missing something but about how the time gets spent — dinars mistaken for euros, the same bus line ridden twice, or the city day and the spa day squeezed into one. The seven habits below cost the most, and knowing about them in advance is all it takes to dodge them.
Niš as a stop on the way
Two hours between motorways is enough for the fortress and the Skull Tower, not for Mediana and the Crveni Krst camp as well — both close in mid-afternoon and need their own time, not an add-on in passing.
Euros in your pocket, not dinars
Serbia is not in the eurozone: the dinar (RSD) is the only legal tender, and smaller kafanas in the old bazaar and along Kazandžijsko sokače often don't take cards for small amounts. Arrive with only euro cash, and you lose time looking for somewhere to change it.
Looking for a bus ticket that doesn't exist
City and suburban transport in Niš has been free for everyone since 1 July 2025 — there's no counter, machine or app for a ticket. Anyone looking for where to buy a fare before boarding just misses the bus.
The Skull Tower before Mediana
Both sights sit on line 1, but in opposite directions from the centre. Start at the Skull Tower and you ride line 1 over the same stretch twice to reach Mediana; start at Mediana and you simply get off at the Skull Tower on the way back.
Felix Romuliana late on a winter afternoon
From April to November the site is open until 8 pm, but in winter it closes at 4, with last entry an hour before. Leave Niš after lunch on a winter day and you reach a locked gate, not the imperial palace.
The city and the spa on the same day
The fortress, Mediana, Crveni Krst and the Skull Tower already fill one day in the city; Niška Banja and the Jelašnica gorge are a second, not an afternoon add-on to the first. Try both at once and you rush through both.
Kazandžijsko sokače as the only place to eat
The street is the most attractive to walk through, not necessarily the cheapest for dinner — the same grill and the same čorba turn up in kafanas beyond it, at the same average price.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Does Niš take euros, or only dinars?
Not directly — the dinar is the only legal tender; cards work in many places, but not everywhere.
Why avoid going from the Skull Tower to Mediana?
Both sit on line 1, but in opposite directions; starting at Mediana avoids riding the same stretch twice.
Does Felix Romuliana keep the same hours in winter as in summer?
No — in winter it closes at 4 pm, with last entry an hour earlier, instead of the summer 8 pm.
Ready for Niš?
Where to next
Niš in 1 day
→Museums in the morning, because they close early; the fortress and a kafana in the evening — a day in Niš…
Sokobanja · 36 km
→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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