Changes

==== Bus lines around the city ==== To help you to navigate around the city and to take necessary buses to your hitchhiking spot, here is the map of the bus lines (September 2021)https://www.jgpnis.rs/linije/gradske-linije/ ==== Toll gates ====There is a [[are 3 toll station]] gates around the city: Niš South - https://goo.gl/maps/HutQubncm5K1MLJQA | Niš North - Nais, just before https://goo.gl/maps/kU4kYyKBpThLBtaQ6 | Niš, if you're coming down south East - https://goo.gl/maps/fADyXt17D34D3ZqCA | Additionally there is one more toll gate around 10 km from direction of Belgrade using the motorway. There you can get rides straight to [[Sofia]], or rides south towards [[Skopje]] and further on towards [[Greece]], without entering into the citycalled Niš Malča - https://goo.gl/maps/QoJByKXJLMCvxQFb7

'''Option 1 (highway):''' You need to get to the toll gate called "Naplatna stanica - Niš istok" and it's which is located here https://goo.gl/maps/4WTEMmG5PphHWGjc8

To get there, take a city '''bus number 42''' from the city center. Ticket Bus ticket costs 60 dinars or 0.5 euros and the a ride will take around 10-15minutes (9-20 minutes10 stops). Follow GPS on your phone and when get off the bus crosses just before intersection of "Knjazevacka Knjaževačka street" and "Matejevacki Matejevački put". Walk 300 meters more until intersection and turn left to "Matejevački put", get off street ''(btw. you can also come to the same intersection by taking a '''busnumber 4''' from the city center)''. Keep walking in the same direction for 1.5 km. If you feel like not walking so much, you can try to hitchhike until the toll gate right after you cross intersection of "Matejevacki Matejevački put" and "Somborska street" (when 6 lanes boulevard becomes 2 lane street). Most of the cars go to the villages along the road and some to the highway (same direction). You may get lucky and save your legs of 1 km walking. If not, just keep walking to the toll gate. Make At the toll gate make sure with the driver that he goes to the direction of Bulgaria or Pirot at least. Car should go over the bridge to join the highway. Don't make a mistake and take a road to the right side before crossing the overpass. You will get lost in the highway intersections and it will be difficult to come back. If you don't find anyone going directly to the border, you can accept rides going to Pirot. From there the border is much closer and you will have better chances.

You can also take a '''bus number 5''' from the city center. Same price for the bus ticket, but it could be slightly faster ride because the route is shorter. Get off at the last stop at "Somborska street". From the last stop walk 2 km to the hitchhiking spot explained above. Note this: "Somborska street" has changed name in January 2020, but on Google maps it's still has the old name. If the new name ever gets updated on Google maps, don't get confused if you don't find "Somborska street" but instead you find "Bulevar svetog Pantelejmona".

'''Option 2 (local road):''' This option used to be the best one before the highway was completed in November 2019. Now mostly local traffic goes there and international traffic uses the highway, trucks especially because they are not allowed to use local road anymore. Personally I wouldn't take this This route, but if you is not advisable as there are into more picturescue road through Sićevo gorge, you can use few examples of hitchhikers coming back to the city after unsuccessful day of hitchhiking at this optionspot.

Take a city '''bus number 1''' from the central square to Niška Banja. One-way ticket costs 80 RSD, which is about 0.70€. Conductors will charge it once you get on the bus. No need to buy ticket in advance. After about a 15 minutes journey, get off the bus on the second-to-last stop, just before roundabout (before bus crosses over the railroad tracks). There is a roundabout and you can thumb after the roundabout. Here, you may catch some traffic driving out of the city to your direction. After the highway was completed, most of the people take use highway and this road is mostly used for local traffic nowadays. Stillto the nearby villages and maybe even city of Pirot, you can find a ride which is on the way to Pirot or even the border as the . The road is free and in good condition, so some people choose this road instead of paying for the highway.

Take a '''bus number 3''' from the city center. The bus ticket is 60 dinars or 0.5 euros. Bus ride will take around 10 minutes or less. Get off at the last stop. You will see a small roundabout after the bus stop. Keep walking further for 900 meters until you reach toll gate called "Niš North" https://goo.gl/maps/22qEprCexNWg9KHp8Just This info is just for your orientation I will write that - you have to pass under the highway overpass on your way to the toll gate. From there you can easily hitchhike to Belgrade. You may even catch some traffic going to Bulgaria or south to Macedonia. Probably not direct rides to those countries, but for sure some cars go to nearby cities. All traffic on this toll gate will be from the city.

* I donIt't advice thiss not advisable, but if in some almost to impossible situation you don't find a direct ride to Belgrade, you may accept a ride to "Pojate toll gate" or "Batocina toll gate". Those two are on the intersection with the road coming from western and central part of Serbia and you have higher chances to get a ride than if you go to any other city on the way. I know people People want to help hitchhikers, but please don't accept rides which will make you stuck on some small toll gate without any traffic.

* Don't ever Try not to accept a ride to Smederevo because it's a dead end since most drivers will use the south toll gate "Kolari" to enter the city, but people going to Belgrade will never use it because they use southwest toll gate called "Vodanj". I One hitchhiker stuck in "Kolari toll gate" once and had to hitchhike back to "Požarevac toll gate" to get a ride to Belgrade form there. If your driver is going to Smederevo, you can kindly ask him if he is willing to take you to "Vodanj" toll gate. It will be 7 km more for him, but will save you from being stuck in a wrong toll gate.

Walk back 10 meters. Motorway Local road going South will take you to [[Leskovac]]. If you want to go further, better take the highway. Walk direction North for another 1.5 km (or you can try to hitchhike even there instead of walking). There will be another roundabout on your way. Go left there and you will see the toll gate. Note that you motorway local road will probably not take you far, but highway could take you even to the border with Macedonia.

If you are going to '''Kosovo''' get off at the last bus stop (same bus number 10 as described above) and then hitch/walk about 6 kilometers further as this road merges with the actual road leading to Kosovo and you can get more traffic coming from the highway. Road to Kosovo is fairly easy to hitch on because it isn't officially s a motorwaylocal road. You can use sign [[Prokuplje]] as it's the first city on your way or [[Kuršumlija]] which is the last town before border with Kosovo. Don't go to Kuršumlija center. Get off the vehicle before the road goes towards the city. You will see it on GPS.

=== Northeast towards Zajechar[[Zaječar]], [[Vidin]], [[Romania]] ===Depending where your location is, you need to catch bus no.number 2 (also labeled as "Bubanj - Donja Vrežina"), towards Donja Vrežina neighborhood. The bus ride should cost about 50 costs 60 RSD. Hop Get off at the last bus stop. You will easily recognize it by suburban atmosphere. Once you're are there, you can start hitchhiking, as visibility is very good at that point. Have in mind that international and transit traffic, and good percent of locals use motorway highway rather than this road. However, some general experiences are that about 50% of the locals going into your way are passing here. For the other half of a local traffic, you would have to hitch on the motorway, and it's not too easy to get on the city/motorway intersection for this route by public transport. Once you hitch a ride, don't worry if the driver doesn't go all the way. All you need is to get a ride for next 6 km to the intersection near the village of Malča where highway and local road merges together. Vehicles must pass there, and there's no other intersection road, so you can't miss the place. Once you get there, thumb. There is a good hitchhiking spot right at the crossroads. From the intersection you will see the "toll gate Malča" located here https://goo.gl/maps/utSoEu6QkfcH92Bf9 and you can even hitchhike there if you prefer to ask drivers face to face instead of just waiting on the road. On this spot you are catching almost 100% of traffic going towards Zaječar and further.

Once you hitch a ride, if the driver doesn't go all the way you need, it is recommendable Another option to get out of the car some 8 km away at the motorway intersection near the to Malča village or even further instead of Malchahitchhiking is to take a suburban bus number 16 or 17. Vehicles must pass there, Bus number 16 is going to village Vrelo and there's no other intersection road, so you can't miss ride that bus until the placelast stop and hitchhike from there. Once If you take a bus number 17, make sure to get there, thumb. There off the bus before it goes to the village which is a good hitchhiking spot right at off the crossroadsmain road. You Check on Google maps where those villages are catching almost 100% of traffic going toward Zajechar and further, located and visibility see what is goodthe best option for you.