Niš

<map lat='43.35865692013493' lng='21.93244384765625' zoom='11' view='2' float='right' height='300' width='400'/> Niš is a city in Southern Serbia with 250.000 inhabitants. It is on the main highway between Belgrade and Skopje, as well as between Belgrade and Sofia.

Hitching Out

There is a toll station just before Niš. There you can get rides straight to Sofia, which is only 190km further, and south towards Macedonia and Skopje.

East towards Sofia, Plovdiv, Edirne, Istanbul

Hitching on the main road going east from central Niš (which runs just below the castle) seems to work fine. You can just walk down the road for a while until you found a spot you like (perhaps 2 or 3 km). There's plenty of traffic going to nearby villages, and once you get out of the city you also have a chance of getting longer rides to the border for example.

The road from Niš to Sofia is only partly a highway. If you won't end up with a ride straight to the border, at the end of the highway (where the windy mountain-road begins) you will find a well-frequented restaurant with many Turkish truck drivers. If you get there, you have good chances to find a ride to Bulgaria or even further towards Turkey. Be aware that along these windy mountain-road there are not many other good spots until you reach the border.

Route to Istanbul

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