Prizren was the capital of the former Ottoman Province of Kosovo. At times included present day Macedonia and the Novi Pazar Sandzak in now modern Serbia where I had also visited on this trip. This is the historic jewel of Kosovo and tourist hub of the country. I had visited on my first big Balkan trip in 2013 and was looking forward to coming back. [See 2013 Blog Entry - http://v2.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/londone7/27/1381264715]
Having been delayed with two stops today at Gracanica Monastery and the town of Gjakove I didnt arrive until about 3pm. I had planned on spending the whole day here as a highlight or even an overnight but had too many things in my itinerary.
Driving there were snow covered mountains in the distance but hard to photograph. Travel between cities is slow on buses and it was still an hour from Gjakove to Prizren.
Along the way we pass along an old Turkish bridge I had no idea about and is not marked on google maps.
Arriving in Prizren I finally had nice weather and had my walking route planned out. First was a large Serbian Orthodox Church I had not visited in 2013.
This appears to have been burnt in the ethnic riots and is now completely closed off with a security presence. There were no tourists here though I had visited other Serbian Monasteries that had a security presence too in Peja and Decani
There were Mosque Minarets on almost every street. This was the former Ottoman capital so was more developed than the other old towns of Peja and Gjakove.
Towards the river was the old Hammam (Turkish Baths) which have been restored from my last visit
A bit further down river is the Prizren League house from 1878. I did not come here in 2013 because I did not think it was that interesting at the time but this is an important cultural historical location
Entrance was 1 Euro to the two buildings. The first square two story building houses historical artefacts from the struggle for independence, along with a map of the Albanian peoples in the Balkans
The second longer building was an ethnographic museum of various types of folk dress
The second half of the building was a gallery of various historical figures and the resistance struggle
For only 1 Euro it was actually quite interesting and maybe better than the National Museum in Pristina which I wasnt able to visit. A lady was shooting a music video outside but not sure how famous she was as there was no crowd watching.
Back along the river is the old Turkish Stone Bridge and the Sinan Pasha Mosque. This is actually the screensaver I have had on my devices from 2013.
The Sinan Mosque was busy with tourists and had detailed decorations as had the other Kosovo Mosques
Behind is the long climb up to the fortress. It is not paved well and can be slippery
At the top there were no railing in 2013 but they have now been added to the fortress walls. You have a very good view across the city and surrounding country. You could even hear the prayer calls from the many Mosques
Part way down is the Old Serbian church which is in ruins and not accessible. Back in the town centre is a large Serbian Church again with a security presence. There were some visitors it appears from Serbia. Kosovo is still considered part of Serbia and their independence is not recognized by the former state.
I wanted a final meal before I left. Some restaurants were too touristy or selling hamburgers or pizzas, not something I came all this way to Prizren for. I found one less crowded and got kebabs with baked bread for only 3 Euros
As I had a very early morning flight I had to get back to Pristina and could not afford to get stuck in Prizren. I rushed to the bus station to catch the 6pm bus back for 5 Euros.
The bus took two hours driving thru local towns. It reminded me a lot of Korea how it had developed very fast with highways and apartment towers but still kept a lot of its local customs. Although I barely saw any older men in local dress and headgear as I had in 2013.
It was a shame I only had less than 3 hours in what was expected to by the highlight of my visit to Kosovo and finale but I was trying to do three towns on my last day and forgot how slow the intercity buses are. If I do come back for a third visit perhaps I will make an overnight stay
See also Vlog of Kosovo [Pristina - Decani - Peja - Gracanica - Gjakove - Prizren] (36 mins) - https://youtu.be/hgjHvoR_7KQ
2025-05-22