City centre
First-timersAround the City Hall and the pedestrian Korzo: the architecture, cafés and most of the beds.
Subotica city guide
Things To Do In Subotica
On the Hungarian border, with the most extraordinary Hungarian art nouveau architecture in the Balkans — a town hall, a synagogue and a palace that look like nothing else in Serbia.
1
Hostels in the city
9.4
Average, from 98 reviews
1910
The City Hall completed
1902
The synagogue built, in Hungarian art nouveau
8 km
To Lake Palić, a belle époque spa resort
A Hungarian art nouveau town that ended up in Serbia
Subotica sits ten kilometres from the Hungarian border and was, until 1918, part of Hungary. It has a large Hungarian community still, street signs in several languages, and an architecture that belongs to Budapest rather than Belgrade.
At the turn of the twentieth century the town was wealthy and built accordingly, in the Hungarian variant of art nouveau — curving facades, glazed tiles, folk-inspired ornament and a great deal of colour.
The City Hall, finished in 1910, is the showpiece: a vast, towered building covered in decorative detail, with stained glass inside. The Synagogue, built in 1902 and long left to decay, has been restored and is among the finest art nouveau synagogues in Europe. The Raichle Palace, the architect's own house, is a riot of curves and tiles that now serves as an art gallery.
Eight kilometres out is Lake Palić, a belle époque spa resort with wooden villas and a lakeside promenade.
It is small, calm and very cheap. One or two days.
Where to stay
A compact art nouveau centre, with a lake resort just outside.
Palić
Lakeside and quietThe spa resort 8 km out: wooden villas, the lake promenade and guesthouses.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 1 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Subotica
Start with the City Hall. Finished in 1910, it is enormous, towered and covered in Hungarian art nouveau detail, and a guided tour of the interior, a few hundred dinars, includes the ceremonial hall with its stained glass. Climb the tower for the view if it is open.
The Synagogue, built in 1902 in the same style and restored after long neglect, is one of the finest art nouveau synagogues in Europe and a moving building given the fate of the town's Jewish community in 1944. Entry is a few hundred dinars.
The Raichle Palace, built by the architect Ferenc Raichle as his own home in 1904, is the most exuberant building in the town and now holds a contemporary art gallery.
Walk the Korzo, the pedestrian street, and look up at the facades.
Then take the bus to Lake Palić, eight kilometres out, for the belle époque villas, the Water Tower and the lakeside promenade.
Free things
Free things to do in Subotica
The facades are free. The City Hall exterior, the Raichle Palace, the Synagogue from outside and the art nouveau houses along the Korzo and the surrounding streets cost nothing to see.
The pedestrian Korzo is free to walk and is the centre of town life.
Lake Palić's promenade and park are free, and the villas are best seen from the lakeside path.
The market is free to browse and good for the region's produce, including paprika and the local sausages.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Subotica
Hungarian and Vojvodina food. A main is 800 to 1,400 RSD (€7–12).
Fish soup, paprikas and goulash reflect the Hungarian heritage, alongside Serbian grilled meat.
Palić has lakeside restaurants that do fish from the region.
The local wines from the sandy Palić and Horgoš area are pleasant and inexpensive.
A beer is 200 to 350 RSD (€2–3), and palinka and rakija both appear.
Indoor smoking is common.
Nightlife
Going out in Subotica
Quiet. Subotica is a small town and the evening is a terrace on the Korzo and a meal.
A beer is 200 to 350 RSD (€2–3).
There are a handful of bars and a few later venues, and a summer film festival at Palić adds some life in July.
It is a town for architecture and calm rather than nightlife. Novi Sad, ninety minutes away, and Belgrade have the bigger scenes.
Getting around
Getting around Subotica
The centre is walkable, and local buses run the eight kilometres to Lake Palić.
Trains and buses from Novi Sad take about ninety minutes, and the high-speed line has been extended northwards to Subotica, cutting journey times from Belgrade.
Szeged in Hungary is about forty-five minutes by bus, and the Hungarian border is only ten kilometres away. It is an EU and Schengen frontier, so there are passport checks and occasional queues.
Budapest is around three hours.
Costs
What Subotica costs
Very cheap. Beds are 1,100 to 2,300 RSD (€9–20), a main 800 to 1,400 RSD (€7–12), and a beer 200 to 350 RSD (€2–3).
A day is €22 to €40.
You pay in dinars. Cards work in the centre; carry cash for Palić and small places.
The architecture is free to see, and the City Hall and Synagogue cost a few hundred dinars each to enter.
Because Subotica is off the main tourist route, it has no tourist premium.
Safety
Staying safe in Subotica
Subotica is a safe, quiet town and crime against visitors is low.
The Synagogue tells the story of the town's Jewish community, most of whom were deported and murdered in 1944. Treat the building with that in mind.
The Hungarian border is close. It is an EU and Schengen frontier, and you should cross only at official checkpoints.
Lake Palić is shallow in places and supervised swimming areas are limited; take care.
Emergency numbers are 192 for police and 194 for ambulance, with 112 also working.
Day trips from Subotica
A lake spa, a Hungarian city across the border and a Habsburg town south.
Lake Palić
A belle époque spa resort with wooden villas, a water tower and a lakeside promenade.
Szeged, Hungary
A Hungarian city rebuilt after an 1879 flood, with an open-air festival in summer.
Novi Sad
The Petrovaradin fortress and Fruška Gora.
Budapest, Hungary
Hungary's capital, a straightforward trip north.
What's on
What is on while you are there
A film festival by a lake, and two Christmases.
July
Palić European Film Festival
Lake Palić
A long-running film festival with screenings by the lake.
August
Dužijanca
Subotica
A harvest festival of the Bunjevac community, with a traditional procession.
25 December and 7 January
Christmas
Citywide
Marked on both the Catholic and Orthodox calendars.
May to September
Palić season
Lake Palić
When the lakeside is at its busiest.
Year-round
Art nouveau tours
City centre
Guided tours of the City Hall and the architecture.
Hostels
Where to stay in Subotica
A small scene in the centre and at Palić. Live from Hostelworld.
When to go
April to June and September to October. July brings the Palić film festival.
Jan
Cold and quiet
Feb
Cold and very quiet
Mar
Improving
Apr
Excellent. The facades in good light
May
Very good. Palić at its best
Jun
Warm and long evenings
Jul
Hot. Palić film festival
Aug
Hot
Sep
Superb. Harvest in the local vineyards
Oct
Excellent value
Nov
Grey and cooling
Dec
Cold, with Christmas celebrated on both calendars
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. As a mixed Catholic and Orthodox town, Subotica marks Christmas on both 25 December and 7 January.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros — you will pay in dinars, at roughly 117 to the euro.
Shown in euros for comparison; you pay in dinars. The doing line is small because the architecture is free to see.
—
- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Subotica travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Why does Subotica look so different from the rest of Serbia?
Because until 1918 it was part of Hungary, and it was built during a wealthy period at the turn of the twentieth century in the Hungarian variant of art nouveau. It still has a large Hungarian community and belongs architecturally to Budapest more than Belgrade.
What should I see first?
The City Hall, finished in 1910 and covered in art nouveau detail, then the restored Synagogue of 1902 and the Raichle Palace. All are within a few minutes' walk of each other.
What is Lake Palić?
A belle époque spa resort eight kilometres out, reached by local bus, with wooden villas, a water tower and a lakeside promenade. It hosts a European film festival each July.
Is it easy to cross into Hungary?
Yes, at official checkpoints. Szeged is about forty-five minutes by bus. The border is an EU and Schengen frontier, so there are passport checks and occasional queues.
How long do I need?
One or two days — one for the town, and a half day for Palić.
How cheap is it?
Very. Beds 1,100 to 2,300 RSD (€9–20), a main 800 to 1,400 RSD (€7–12), and a day around €22 to €40.
Which languages are spoken?
Serbian and Hungarian are both widely spoken, and Croatian and Bunjevac are also used. Signs are often in several languages.
Say yes to hostels, meet the world
Compare Subotica hostels — live prices, real reviews and free cancellation on most bookings. Then meet the people already there in the app.
Get the App.