Travel Info
Belgrade
How to reach Astronomical observatory from the Belgrade airport
Belgrade airport “Nikola Tesla” is located about 20 km west of Belgrade. It is currently undergoing extensive renovations and rebuilding, in order to become the largest hub for airtraffic in this part of the world. After passing passport control and picking up your luggage you will find yourself at the international arrival entrance. Exit the building, and to your left you will see bus/coach stop. Buses leading to the city center are operated by the “Lasta” company (white coloured with blue LASTA letters). You may buy the ticket on the bus for 200 dinars per person (about 3 USD or somewhat more than 2 euros). Buses regularly leave the airport on integer hours (5 am, 6 am, 7 am, etc.) from 5 am to 10 pm. After 10 pm they still operate, but they are waiting for the arrival flights before leaving the airport. the endstop of the bus circuit is the Slavija Square, in front of the “Slavija” hotel.
We understand it can be difficult to reach the conference site with heavy luggage. Taxis/cabs are quite frequent at the Slavija Square and the fare to the Astronomical Observatory (Volgina 7) should be 350-500 dinars (about 4-6 euros). Alternatively, you should seek the bus line 65, whose last stop (“Zvezdara”) is quite close to the Observatory.
There are other buses you may choose to reach Belgrade from the airport, notably the line 72 of the city transportation, although it is less conventient for the conference participants. The endpoint of the line 72 is at Zeleni venac bus station, from where you can take the bus 65 to the last stop, near the Observatory.
You can rent a car at the airport (all major car-renting companies, including Hertz, have their offices in the airport building, very close to the arrival entrance). Avoid using taxis/cabs from the airport! They are likely to overcharge you and the bill might as well be over 50 euros, quite disproportional to the distance involved.
Once you reach the last stop of the bus line 65, you need to continue along the street bus used and will reach the main gate of the Observatory in about 150-200 meters.
How to reach Astronomical observatory from the train station
There is no direct connection from the Belgrade train station to the Astronomical Observatory. Taking a cab is by far the easiest way to reach the Observatory, for a fare of 400-500 dinars (4-5.5 euros). NOTE: do not take one of the cabs parked right near the train station, since they are likely to charge you significantly more.
Otherwise, take a tram (lines 2 or 7 coming from your left as you exit the train station) and ride it for 3 stops. The third stop should be the monument of Vuk Stefanović Karadžić (“Vukov spomenik”), at the corner of two large streets, Bulevar kralja Aleksandra and Roosevelt’s street. At Roosevelt’s street, about 50 meters from the tram stop is a bus stop, where you need to catch the line 65, riding to the very last stop. The last stop is about 200 meters from the Observatory.
Taxi in the city:
Pink: 9803
[ more ]
About City of Niš
City of Niš is one of the oldest cities in the Balkans. It is the second largest city in Serbia of more than 250.000 inhabitants, and the center of the Southeastern region of the country.
Situated at the crossroads, City of Niš connects the Balkans to Europe, and Europe to the Near East. That is why it has always been considered a gateway between The East and The West. It is very easy to reach City of Niš either by Constantine the Great airport or by railroad and highway.
The climate of this area is moderate continental. The average temperature is 11.2°C. July is the warmest month of the year, with the average of 21.2 0C. The coldest month is January with the average of 0.2°C. The average annual rainfall is 567.25 mm/m. The average barometer value is 992.74 mb.
City of Niš is one of the most important industrial centers in Serbia, well-known for its industry of electronics and mechanical engineering, and the textile and the tobacco industry. Statistics show that the system of education is quite elaborate in our city: there are 50 000 pupils/students attending 32 primary and 21 secondary schools. There are 14 000 students at City of Niš University composed of 10 faculties. Health facilities in the City are modern and very well developed: there are 30 clinics, medical centres and institutes which are, on the one hand, open to students of the Faculty of Medicine and their obligatory training programs, and, on the other hand, offer the citizens of City of Niš and the Southeastern Serbia a wide range of modern methods and services for the prevention and treatment of their health problems.
City of Niš has celebrated 100 years of having established its first Grammar School, National Theater, Public Library, and the local literary magazine.
The cultural life of City of Niš is shaped by the numerous institutions – the National Theatre, the Public Library, the National Museum, the Symphony Orchestra, the Puppet Theater, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, the University Library, the City Archives, the Gallery of Contemporary Art, Culture Club, the Centre for Culture and Education, several publishing houses, and many amateur organizations in arts and culture. Several famous cultural events have already become part of tradition of City of Niš: the Festival of Actors’ Achievements, Nisville Jazz Festival, Choral Festival, the international festival of amateur choirs, as well as the Art Colony in Sićevo, the oldest of its kind in Serbia.
City of Niš has a lot to offer to tourists. In Niška Banja (Spa of Niš) there are many facilities that can be used for the purposes of recreation or convalescence, as well as for organizing congresses and conferences, or various sports and cultural events. Moreover, there are several popular picnic sites in near the City.
There are more than 40 sports clubs, both professional and amateur ones in City of Niš. People here love sports, no matter if they go in for sports themselves or just cheer the professionals. Some of the sports clubs have achieved remarkable results in Serbia and international competitions. [ read more ]
Official web page: http://www.ni.rs
Tourist information: http://www.nistourism.org.rs
Nis can be reached:
- by highway (E-75) Belgrade-Nis
- by bus from Belgrade Bus Station (departures: about 1-2 hours; price: about 7 EUR);
- by train from Belgrade, and then by a local bus (Serbian Railways)
- by plain: http://www.airportnis.co.yu/
Radio Taxi in the city:
Bingo, phone: 9704 or 9707
[ more ]
The monetary unit is Serbian dinar.
- bills: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 1000, 5000 dinars;
- coins: 50 para (1 dinar is composed of 100 para), 1 dinar, 2 dinars, 5 dinars;
- exchange rate: 1 EUR approx. 95 dinars (changes daily)