Kosovo in all probability doesn’t high the listing of high locations to go in Europe for many individuals. It’s a slightly obscure and unknown a part of the continent the place its main declare to fame is the Kosovo wars of the Nineties. Nonetheless, if you end up on this a part of the Balkans, I’d extremely suggest stopping into the second latest nation on the planet. These days, there are quite a few direct flights from European capitals into Pristina making the nation a straightforward weekend stopover for a lot of.
I got here right here on a highway journey across the South Balkans visiting Albania, North Macedonia, and Kosovo. I really tried coming to Kosovo awhile again as an extended weekend journey from Frankfurt however the airline in query went bankrupt and the journey by no means got here to fruition!
For the aim of this publish, I’ll go into element about my expertise touring by way of Kosovo in addition to how you can plan your individual itinerary. If you’re planning to go to the close by international locations as nicely, be certain to learn my South Balkans publish intimately. If you’re planning to go to Kosovo by itself or simply wish to see some fairly footage of the nation, then this publish might be for you!
Historical past of Kosovo
Usually I don’t write an excessive amount of about histories of locations I am going. This topic may be significantly better articulated on Wikipedia and sometimes instances it simply will get means too repetitive and a bit boring. That is usually as a result of historical past facilities itself round occasions that occurred tons of of years in the past with wig carrying males. Nonetheless, Kosovo which after all has attention-grabbing historical past largely tied to that of Albania, warrants dialogue as a result of it’s its current historical past that makes it so attention-grabbing.
Everybody over the age of 30 in all probability remembers one thing concerning the Kosovo wars within the Nineties. Regardless that I used to be barely a teen, I bear in mind it being on the information continuously. Kosovo was prat of Serbia throughout for a lot of the twentieth century and was a part of Yugoslavia. When all hell broke free within the Nineties, Kosovo was additionally on edge as nearly all of Kosovo is speaks Albanian, and is Muslim whereas Serbians communicate a special language and are Orthodox.
Kosovo wished to separate as a result of that’s just about what everybody was doing and Serbia was not joyful as I realized they noticed Kosovo as an ancestral homeland, and loopy leaders simply wish to broaden their empire. After the Bosnian genocide, issues turned to Kosovo with Serbs on the verge of doing the identical factor once more within the late Nineties. The large powers that be noticed what occurred in Bosnia and Rwanda and stated no extra, and intervened in Kosovo a lot earlier. Though a lot of folks nonetheless died and struggle occurred, the worst final result was largely prevented. A lot of the primary cities had been destroyed and quite a lot of what you see in Pristina is newly constructed.
These days, the large situation is recognizing Kosovo as its personal official nation. If you happen to take a look at Google Maps, Kosovo’s borders with Serbia should not a stable black line, however slightly dashed. It’s because many international locations on the planet nonetheless don’t acknowledge Kosovo’s declare for independence. In fact you possibly can count on Serbia to refute this declare very strongly in addition to international locations like Russia and China. Many of the EU accepts Kosovo as its personal nation however there are detractors like Spain who doesn’t wish to fire up extra Catalonian independence sentiment than it already has.
Lease a automobile or take a bus?
Getting round Kosovo is kind of simple. The nation itself isn’t so huge and the sights you’re concerned about are fairly near the capital. If you wish to do quite a lot of mountaineering or drive into Albania or Macedonia subsequent door, a automobile may be prudent. Nonetheless, in case you’re solely in Kosovo for 3-4 days and are planning to solely see the sights in Kosovo, there in all probability is not any want.
There are common bus connections that join Pristina and Prizren and Peje. If these are the primary locations in your listing, then I can suggest simply taking a bus your entire means. You will get from Pristina to Prizren for €4 or so.
The place does this itinerary go?
Kosovo doesn’t have as many sights to see as different international locations I’ve been to. You actually need not more than per week within the nation and I feel 4-5 days is greater than sufficient. I targeted totally on the three most important cities of Kosovo in Pristina, Peje, and Prizren (the three Ps).
The distances between these locations are quick and with the gorgeous new highways of Kosovo, you may get round fairly shortly. Right here is the map of the place you can be going.
Pristina
The capital of Kosovo, Pristina is a city with a small however rising inhabitants of simply over 200,000 folks. It’s possible the place you can be beginning off your journey.
Pristina was additionally a lot completely different than my expectations. Having gone by way of a heinous struggle solely 25 years in the past, I simply figured the town would nonetheless be recovering from the consequences of that. As Kosovo consists largely of Albanian folks, I figured the town could be extra grungy like Tirana.
Nonetheless, I used to be mistaken. The town feels way more constructed up and trendy than I figured. It was surprisingly clear and extra orderly than different Balkan capitals, particularly when in comparison with Tirana. The town isn’t very “charming” so far as European cities go. The outdated components of city are virtually non-existent and for a Muslim nation, even the Mosques aren’t that grand right here.
I solely stayed right here for a day so I didn’t get to discover it intimately but it surely additionally felt like there was barely much less character than the hip neighborhood of Blloku in Tirana for instance or the remnants of its outdated city compared to Skopje.
Stroll down Mom Teresa Boulevard
The Mom Teresa Boulevard is the primary pedestrian avenue of Pristina and it is stuffed with eating places, motels, and cafés. Strolling underneath the pouring rain, we might solely think about how energetic the terraces should be in summer season and spring.
It’s the greatest place to observe folks and have one of many fabulous Kosovar espresso. It’s undoubtedly the place to look at native life.
The Mom Teresa Boulevard has some statues that signify nice residents of the previous and different buildings which can be important to the Kosovar self-conception as a nation. Statues embody the personalities of Mom Teresa, probably the most cherished saint in Kosovo and Ibrahim Rugova, first President of the younger Kosovar nation.
Pristina free strolling tour
I additionally took the free strolling tour in Pristina which I can suggest. There actually aren’t a complete lot of “should see” sights in Pristina as a lot of it was destroyed and a lot of the metropolis is kind of new.
Nonetheless, what me in Pristina was not its medieval historical past however slightly its trendy historical past. I realized fairly a terrific deal speaking to my information concerning the Kosovo struggle. Because it was so current, anybody over the age of 30 remembers in nice element precisely what went down within the late 90s. He recounted how life was in these darkish instances which actually put it in perspective, much like my tour information in Kiev speaking concerning the revolution in 2014.
A number of the issues that you could see (and can see on this tour) are the next:
- The New child Signal – As mentioned already, Kosovo previously declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The New child signal was created upon independence and was an emblem of the progress Kosovo has made. It’s an indication that’s grow to be synonymous with the cit.
- The Invoice Clinton Statue: If you happen to’re American, whether or not you’re Democrat or Republican, you’ll wish to go to this statue if not only for the pure leisure worth. Like him or hate him, Invoice Clinton is among the most revered figures in all of Kosovo as a result of he was the President that orchestrated the intervention within the struggle. He has his personal little statue and his personal avenue in Pristina (and different components of Kosovo) known as Bulevardi Invoice Klinton (with a Okay sure).
Consuming and Consuming in Pristina
Kosovars like to occasion exhausting and also you’ll discover no scarcity of nightlife in Pristina. Persons are out and about in full drive all all through the evening in the primary sq. in addition to the Fehmi Agani avenue. As nicely, the meals in Kosovo was the perfect I had on the journey. If you’re on the lookout for scrumptious grilled meats and crispy burek, you’ll get the perfect of each in Kosovo!
For cocktails, I’d extremely suggest a go to to Soma which is an industrial wanting constructing with a wooden heavy inside design. They made the perfect cocktails I had within the Balkans.
Peje and the Rugova Valley
From Pristina, it’s a straightforward bus to get to the mountain city of Peje. Peje is the third greatest metropolis in Kosovo and is ready on the background of the gorgeous Rugova mountain valley.
The town of Peja displays the completely different kinds which dominated Kosovo. The Serbs constructed a number of the most necessary monasteries within the Orthodox church. Beneath the Ottoman rule, Peja took on a extra oriental character with the development of slender streets, old-style Turkish homes, and mosques. There are even traces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire within the early twentieth century with spectacular buildings within the metropolis middle. Lastly, you can even spot a number of large socialist buildings and house blocks.
The principle metropolis middle of Peje is an enormous Bazaar like neighborhood crammed with outlets and eating places, much like that of the one I noticed in Skopje. I heard it will get fairly energetic right here throughout summer season months but it surely was not a lot the case in early Could. Nonetheless, the town enjoys a phenomenal mountain backdrop.
The mountains listed here are stunning. There’s ample mountaineering to be completed right here in addition to zip-lining. Nonetheless, on this itinerary might be a go to to the Valbona and Theth mountain ranges in Albania. If you happen to’re visiting Kosovo solely, then undoubtedly make it out to this a part of the nation. Nonetheless, if you’re going to Valbona, I’d give Peje and Ragova a skip even whether it is only for a half day. As an alternative, focus your vitality on Prizren.
From Peje, you possibly can merely simply take a cab out to the valley for €15-20 for an hour or so.
Prizren
Prizren is the outdated and conventional city of Kosovo. It was the capital throughout olden instances earlier than shifting to Pristina. It’s a slightly giant city however with a small and historic outdated city the place you’ll possible spend most of your time in.
The outdated city is picturesque and contains a huge mosque and an outdated Ottoman bridge that actually jogs my memory of the Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This can be a good spot to take pictures particularly round sundown.
As for the outdated city, there actually isn’t a lot to discover. It’s fairly tiny and you may stroll from one finish to the opposite in 5 minutes.
The streets are lined with bars, eating places, and shisha lounges. At evening, it turns into an enormous occasion because it looks like the entire city descends into it. Blended with vacationers, and you might be assured an enormous evening out each evening.
Hike to the fortress of Prizren
Sitting atop the hill overlooking Prizren city is the outdated fortress. It’s a fast 15 minute hike from the outdated city and is value it for the panoramic views over the city. The fortress itself could be very spectacular. Constructed throughout Byzantine instances, it was additional developed throughout the Serbian and Ottoman empires. There is no such thing as a entrance price.
Alongside the way in which, you’ll go by way of an outdated Serbian Orthodox church perched up on the hilltop overlooking the city. It’s an unfinished church which I’m positive was began someday throughout the Yugoslavian instances. I’m positive there isn’t a scarcity of debates about what to do with it among the many Kosovars.
What to eat in Prizren
There are tons of eating places in Prizren together with numerous Qebaptores (grill homes), Furra (bakeries), and bars. The perfect restaurant on the town is undoubtedly the restaurant on the Tiffany lodge. This restaurant serves very conventional oven baked Albanian dishes that I didn’t discover anyplace else throughout my journey. Make certain to attempt the Elbasan lamb!
Costs in Kosovo are quantity the most cost effective I’ve ever seen in Europe. So low-cost that I didn’t even trouble with bank cards as a result of it felt foolish to pay just a few euros with a bank card. An espresso on the fashionable Gatsby bar subsequent to the Bridge is €0.50 euros and a lunch of Qebapa is €2-3 euros.
Kosovo has a number of the greatest burek within the Balkans so be certain to cease in on the Sarajevo Bakery within the outdated city proper within the entrance. It’s unassuming however they make scrumptious meat and cheese bureks.
Persevering with on After Kosovo
From Kosovo, it’s simple to proceed on in the direction of Albania or North Macedonia you probably have further time. I’d suggest going from Prizren to the city of Shkoder in Albania to proceed onwards to the well-known Lake Koman Ferry the place you should have the perfect mountain views of your life.
From there, it’s a straightforward bus experience to the Valbona Nationwide Park. There are day by day buses that go from Prizren to Shkoder.
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