
All About KOSOVO
Discovering Pristina and Beyond
The inclusion of Kosovo as a country in our site is sure to irritate some people. While we know that Kosovo is not a UN member nation, we also recognize that 102 out of 193 UN member nations (53%) consider it a country. Furthermore, the country we are both from, the US, has considered Kosovo a country since 2008.
We acknowledge our stance is not uniform throughout the Balkans and is a sore subject for many. However, we consider it a country due to the fact that there are separate passports and passport stamps, distinct visa rules, a different currency, and a different majority language. Whatever you think about Kosovo’s status, there is no denying that traveling Kosovo is not the same as traveling Serbia and requires different considerations when it comes to
Political disclaimer aside, we strongly encourage you to visit Kosovo, no matter your politics. This country is warm and inviting with a hospitality that needs to be experienced to be believed. It has an incredibly off the beaten path feel and tourists are often warmly welcomed (and friendlily interrogated) by curious residents who are proud people are coming to visit their countries after many years of Kosovo being a ‘no-go’ zone.
Pristina is the heart of modern-day Kosovo, with over 200,000 of the country’s 1.7 million people calling the capital home. It’s a fun and vibrant city, not the most beautiful but full of amazing brunch spots, unique street art, surprisingly authentic international food, wonderful cultural events, great cafés and bars, and quirky museums and places to visit. While most people write off Pristina as warranting nothing more than a quick fly-by, we both think it’s a fantastic place to while away a few days, getting lost in the culture of the city.
Prizren, Gjakova, and Peja are three more compelling reasons to visit Kosovo, as are the stunning monasteries that make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Gracanica and Decani). The nature in the area around Peja, especially Rugova Canyon, is an off the beaten path hiker’s dream, so give yourself a bit of time to truly do Kosovo justice and you’ll thank yourself for it, we promise.
ALL KOSOVO POSTS
Enjoy Cultural Winter in Prizren at the Prizren Christmas Market
Headed to Kosovo in December and wondering how to celebrate the winter holidays here? Head to beautiful Prizren, where you can enjoy a European-style Christmas Market in the middle of this beautiful medieval town! The event, named Cultural Winter, is the perfect blend...
How to Get to Prishtina to Skopje by Bus
The capital city of Kosovo, Prishtina, is finally starting to feature on tourists' radars, and many people are now including this fun city on their multi-country Balkan itineraries. I've written about how I got between Prishtina and Tirana, but how about leaving...
How To Easily Get from Tirana to Prishtina By Bus
One of the reasons we write these articles is how woefully wrong information on the internet can be when it comes to traveling by bus in the Balkans. The Balkans are changing rapidly: new highways constantly being developed that shorten driving times, new bus lines...
21 Seriously Awesome Things to Do in Pristina, Kosovo
There's a serious lack of travel information about Pristina available online, but that oversight has less to do with the city and more to do with how travel writers constantly seem to skip over Kosovo. W hether due to (mostly misplaced) worries about the political...
7 Instagrammable Places in Pristina, Kosovo’s Funky Capital
Pristina (also written Prishtina) is not often regarded as a very photogenic city. It certainly doesn't have the glamor of Paris or Prague, but it has a funky, gritty spirit of its own. Pristina is all about funky cafés and bars, offbeat bazaars, street art, and tiny...
7 Steps to Cancel or Postpone Your Trip to the Balkans
Do you need to cancel or postpone your trip to the Balkans? Canceling a trip that you've already spent money on can be stressful, but if you travel frequently then it will probably happen at least once or twice! Allison and I have both had to cancel multiple...
5 Best Places to Visit in Kosovo
Whether you consider it a country or not (we consider it separately as a country on our list of Balkan countries as it has its own currency and passport rules), one thing is undeniable: Kosovo is beautiful. From the little-discovered hiking trails around Rugova Canyon...