City centre walking tour 1

Obrenovićeva street

Arheological hall of National Museum – The Archaeological Hall of Nis National Museum presents numerous exhibits telling a vivid story of Nis history and culture from Neolithic Age and Roman period to the Middle Ages.

Tinkers alley – Tinkers alley is the last preserved street of the former Nis bazaar.

Orthodox cathedral – Nis Cathedral Temple holds a significant place in the history of Serbian art. The building of the Church commenced on 18th October 1856. and lasted until 1872. It was sanctified after the liberation from the Ottomans in 1878.

Nis Fortress – Nis Fortress, the symbol of the city, located downtown on the bank of the river Nisava, is one of the best preserved and most beautiful Turkish military fortifications in the Middle Balkans. Built by the Romans, Byzantines and Serbs, pulled down and renovated a number of times, the Fortress was given its final shape by the Turks in 1723. Nis is one of few cities in the world with a magnificent fortress in the location which has remained In the core of the city for 2,000 years.

Visit of  Concentration Camp from the WW2 – Nis Concentration Camp is one of  few preserved German Nazi camps in Europe. Even today it provides an authentic testimony of the perils of the Serbian, Romani, and Jewish populations during the German occupation of Nis (1941-1944).

Visit of  Skull Tower, museum (1809.) – A monument unique in the world – the tower made of human skulls.

Visit of  Cegar Hill (1809.) – In the vicinity of Nis, on Cegar hill, the location of the famous First Serbian Uprising battle, there is a monument put up in memory of the courageous soldiers and their commander Stevan Sindjelic. After the battle on Cegar the Ottomans built a Skull Tower from skulls of a parished soldiers.

Lunch and wine tasting at Vine cellar and restaurant “Malca”, village Malca near Nis

Spa of Nis (Niška Banja) – Niska Banja is located 10 km Southeast from Nis, on the road to Sofia. It is situated under the forest covered Koritnik hill, protected from cold, north winds by Svrljig mountains, and it bathes in the sun from the East and the West throughout the entire year.

Jelasnica Gorge – Jelasnica gorge is positioned in the Southwest of Suva mountain, 15 km from Nis. The Jelasnica River cuts its way through limestone rocks of Suva mountain and creates a real rarity of the nature – the Jelasnica Gorge. In the length of only 2 km, many different morphological forms can be seen, as well as a large number of endemic and relict species.

Lunch, ethno restaurant “Brka”

15.00 – Sicevo Gorge – Between the norther slopes of Suva Planina and the southern slopes of Svrljig mountains, the Nisava River has cut the wonderful Sicevo Gorge. The gorge is an impressive part of the Nisava basin, 17 km long. The Sicevo Gorge is a real heaven for all lovers of untouched nature, rafting, alpinism, mountaineering and paragliding.

Departure from parking next to the City hall. Accompanied by an experienced local guide, we head towards east, in the direction of Niska banja, and after a 30 minutes drive we arrive at the gorge of river Jelasnica (2 km long, only 30 m wide) – at the foothill of Suva planina mountain. We start our day adventure from the central area, where there is a picnic area and a cave from which prehistoric artifacts were excavated. Our little adventure is a unique round tour of the magnificent gorge of Jelasnica. We are taking you on a circuit walk to explore the rock formations and enjoy the geomorphological shapes from proximity. From some of the best lookouts, your eyes view will reach the rims of Suva planina mountain and a village Jelasnica situated at gorge’s end. For the end, this small adventure has something new and different for you – everyone will get a chance to try the abseiling technique (a controlled descent down a rock face using a rope) on the steep rocks of the gorge. Sounds interesting? Come along and try! Finally we go to the village to try the local cuisine. The aim of this program is to: visit some well-known landmarks that are gradually getting forgotten; return you to nature to spend some time in it; create adventure by blending a small tourist activity with an exotic destination.

’’If you want to find out why the birds sing- try paragliding’’.

Paragliding tandem flight gives you a unique sense of freedom, raises adrenaline and provides an extraordinary view on natural beauties from ’’the bird’s-eye view’’.

Terrains:

For the beginners we recommend the take-off on Koritnik, 4 km from Niska Banja downtown, 15 km from Nis. By a passenger vehicle it’s possible to reach the start at 550 m, while the landing is on the height of 220 m.

The dare devils can try the take-off Visegrad, 20 km from Nis towards East, over Sicevo village. The road leads to the peak Visegrad- the starting point is on 1.020 m, landing point on 320 m. At this take off the competitions have been organized since 1995.

Interesting facts:

The valley of Nis surrounded by mountain ranges represents an ideal terrain for paragliding. Favorable winds and good climate conditions of the Nis surroundings are fit for organizing European and world competition (National Championship in Paragliding 1997; The Third World Championship 2005; World Cup in Flight in Sicevo, two First category competitions in Landing and Flight in 2008, Paragliding World Cup 2017.)

The best period for flying is from May till September, although it’s possible to fly throughout the whole year.