Difference between revisions of "Niš"

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Therefore, if you don't get a ride you wanted, ask driver to take you to a motorway toll ramps next to hotel Nais ("naplatna rampa Nais - Niš"). All vehicles need to pass there no matter how much they are going to use a motorway. It's only 5km away from your standpoint. Once on Nais tolls, getting a ride is fairly easy, and you'll be sure that you're hitchhiking 100% of the traffic that goes north via this motorway.  
 
Therefore, if you don't get a ride you wanted, ask driver to take you to a motorway toll ramps next to hotel Nais ("naplatna rampa Nais - Niš"). All vehicles need to pass there no matter how much they are going to use a motorway. It's only 5km away from your standpoint. Once on Nais tolls, getting a ride is fairly easy, and you'll be sure that you're hitchhiking 100% of the traffic that goes north via this motorway.  
  
=== Southwest towards [[Pristina|Prishtina]], [[Kosovo]] {{E|80}} ===
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=== South/Southwest towards [[Pristina|Prishtina]], [[Kosovo]], [[Skopje]] {{E|75}}/{{E|80}} ===
  
Take bus no.10 from the central square (the bus stop is next to McDonalds). Get off at the last stop, in a suburban area called Novo Selo (also referenced as "Naselje 9. maj"). The bus ride should cost around 50 RSD. Walk straight on in the same direction and cross a bridge over the motorway. You can hitch from after the bridge.  
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Take bus no.10 ("9. maj") from the central square (the bus stop is next to McDonalds). Get off at the last stop, in a suburban area called Novo Selo (also referenced as "Naselje 9. maj"). The bus ride should cost around 50 RSD. Walk straight on in the same direction and cross a bridge over the motorway. You will come to a roundabout, and the left path leads to the motorway, heading south. You can hitch from here. The E80 and E75 split shortly afterwards, so make sure you're going in the right direction. For [[Skopje]], Leskovac is on the way, so you can accept a ride to that vicinity.
  
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For Kosovo:
 
After passing town of Prokuplje, number of vehicles is getting somewhat lower. You're better taking a lift from vehicles registered to a foreign plates, as not many Serbian registered vehicles cross into Kosovo at all. Considerable number of trucks going into Kosovo also pass here.
 
After passing town of Prokuplje, number of vehicles is getting somewhat lower. You're better taking a lift from vehicles registered to a foreign plates, as not many Serbian registered vehicles cross into Kosovo at all. Considerable number of trucks going into Kosovo also pass here.
  

Revision as of 22:46, 21 October 2011

<map lat='43.35865692013493' lng='21.93244384765625' zoom='11' view='0' float='right' height='300' width='400'/> Niš is a city in southern Serbia with 250.000 inhabitants. It is on the Autoput between Belgrade and Skopje, as well as the highway between Belgrade and Sofia.

Hitching in and around

There is a toll station Niš - Nais, just before Niš, if you're coming down south 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 city.

Hitchhiking out

East towards Sofia, Bulgaria, Turkey E 80

Hitching on the main road going east from central Niš (which runs just below the fortress and a central square) seems to work fine. This city's prime street is called Voždova (Вождова) which continues eastwards by the Skull Tower and Mediana Roman archeological site towards Niška Banja (Нишка Бања) - small neighborhood with spa centers and parks, on the mountain slopes, street changing name into boulevard of Zoran Đinđić and later boulevard of Constantine the Great. Since there are 8 km between the central square and the first hitch point, you better take city bus to Niška Banja from the central square (one way ticket should be some 50 RSD, which is about 0,5 EUR, conductors will charge it once you get on the bus). Get off the bus on the stop before the last one, that is the one right after the bus cross over the railroad lines, and should be some 15 minutes of a ride. There, it is easy spot a traffic roundabout and your hitchhiking position is right after the roundabout, towards the mountains. Here, you may catch 70% of all locals driving out of the city to your direction.

From this point you have to walk 3.5 km further down the road to reach the ideal hitchhiking position in the village of Prosek (Просек), where this road joins the highway and all the other traffic going towards Bulgaria. After 3km down the road, you will notice a small junction where roads merge, and after some 400-500 meters more, you will be standing on the right spot with a couple of well-frequented Turkish restaurants around and some roadside parking area for long distance trucks (most of them again being Turkish). Although it is possible to get a ride at the previous spot, this one in Prosek (Просек) should be your goal for international rides, as you have excellent chances to find a straight ride to Bulgaria or even further towards Turkey.

Alternative and possibly easier way to get to Prosek hitchhiking point is to get one of those suburban buses that go around local villages. Get to the main bus station just around the fortress, don't enter main terminals but find a smaller one with only one ticket selling booth (looks like a bus stop with buses constantly flowing through, just by the street, and not by fortress walls), and get on a bus to village of Prosek (Просек). Ticket should not be more than 1,25 EURO, and these buses depart at every 60 minutes or so. Ask driver to let you know where to get off as this is still a local suburban bus line and stops aren't well marked. Anyway, bus stop where you're getting off has a restaurant meters away with big neon STOP sign, so you can't miss it. Once you get off, walk some 100 meters backwards and there you are, right at the position described above.

North towards Belgrade E 75

Next to the main bus station there's a suburban buses terminal and a bus stop on 'Bulevar 12. februar' street, with "Branković" bakery being right across the street from the bus stop (adding this info for easier orientation). Get on a bus to Donji Komren (number 12 or 12s), and get off at the last stop. Continue walking that way and after few hundred meters, passing by petrol station on your right and under a motorway overpass, you're at the intersection where motorway begins. This way you can hope to get a ride from almost everyone who gets on a motorway from the city, but you aren't catching other vehicles (foreign or local) that come from the motorway or from the south surpassing the city. Therefore, if you don't get a ride you wanted, ask driver to take you to a motorway toll ramps next to hotel Nais ("naplatna rampa Nais - Niš"). All vehicles need to pass there no matter how much they are going to use a motorway. It's only 5km away from your standpoint. Once on Nais tolls, getting a ride is fairly easy, and you'll be sure that you're hitchhiking 100% of the traffic that goes north via this motorway.

South/Southwest towards Prishtina, Kosovo, Skopje E 75/E 80

Take bus no.10 ("9. maj") from the central square (the bus stop is next to McDonalds). Get off at the last stop, in a suburban area called Novo Selo (also referenced as "Naselje 9. maj"). The bus ride should cost around 50 RSD. Walk straight on in the same direction and cross a bridge over the motorway. You will come to a roundabout, and the left path leads to the motorway, heading south. You can hitch from here. The E80 and E75 split shortly afterwards, so make sure you're going in the right direction. For Skopje, Leskovac is on the way, so you can accept a ride to that vicinity.

For Kosovo: After passing town of Prokuplje, number of vehicles is getting somewhat lower. You're better taking a lift from vehicles registered to a foreign plates, as not many Serbian registered vehicles cross into Kosovo at all. Considerable number of trucks going into Kosovo also pass here.

What is important to notice here is the traffic structure on this particular road. Serbian vehicles are in most cases heading not further than town of Kuršumlija and nearby villages. These that pass Kuršumlija in most cases head to Prolom Banja (mineral springs health resort site) or Đavolja Varoš/Devil's Town, natural rock formations site that is a tourist hot-spot nowdays. Both of these are pretty much off the main road. These vehicles going to the border with Kosovo (Merdare village) and further, are very low in numbers.

Therefore, have in mind that if you catch a ride that heads to some of these previously mentioned sites, you may easily get stuck on the road at these last 10 or 15 kilometers before Merdare/Kosovo checkpoint, without much traffic at all.

Route to Istanbul

Niš could be on your route to Istanbul. Check the Istanbul Category Page for more information and tips.