Pristina: My Experience Visiting the Capital of Kosovo

This is from a trip back in 2021. I never finished the couple report posts I started to draft, but given that I greatly enjoyed my time visiting Pristina, Kosovo, plus other areas of the country, I decided to wrap it up. I hope to return next year for a second visit. 

When I mention Kosovo, many people don’t know where it is. If they do, they immediately associate it with the war at the end of the 1990s. Although the country has been stable for a couple decades, it’s not a typical tourist destination. Small, landlocked, and without any postcard-worthy city skylines or well-known history, it has only a few hundred thousand foreign visitors each year.

I have friends who moved to Pristina — the capital city of Kosovo — several years ago as Christian missionaries to the country. They’ve helped to open a coffee shop, and have been serving there for the past few years. I’ve known them for years and decided to make the trek to visit them, and to see this unique country. I’d spend the days there seeing Pristina, visiting with them, and taking a couple days trips to see other parts of Kosovo.

Arriving in Pristina, Kosovo

After a trek across the Atlantic in SAS business class, plus two more shorthaul flights, I was on the exhausted side as the plane touched down in Pristina, Kosovo. And the arrival didn’t go as initially planned. As it turns out, my friend and I hadn’t plugged our schedules together correctly, and they were wrapping up a few days away when I arrived. No matter. I was happy visiting Pristina, Kosovo solo for a day.

The upside was that he did arrange transportation for me. A Kosovar friend of his picked me up at the airport and helped me find a hotel for €40 per night. Normally, I would have done some research and planning ahead of time, but plans shifted at the very last minute. I was appreciative for the help. All I wanted to do at that point was grab a quick dinner and collapse into bed. But…there were still a few hours of daylight. 

The Newborn monument was just short ways down the road from my hotel. I headed by there first. Unveiled on the day that Kosovo formally declared its independence from Serbia, it symbolizes the birth of the state as a new country. I find it odd that they chose an English word. But it fits. And it likely helps their press around resolving the conflict. 

Behind the Newborn monument is a strange building. It was the first of a handful I’d see while in Kosovo. It’s a relic from when Kosovo was part of the socialist state of Yugoslavia. Brutalist at its core, it has an appeal, at least one of odd fascination. But there’s no beauty to it, in the true sense of the word. There are a couple other Yugoslav structures in the capital, most notably the national library. This one? It’s now a youth recreation center.

From there I headed to the main square and then along the pedestrian street that runs through the middle of the city. Lots of people out enjoying the evening. There are many kids riding on bikes, often a bit too fast around the people out walking. It surprised me how many kids between the ages of eight and ten were out alone—a reminder of what life was like 20+ years ago.

I only made it until about 7 o’clock. The sun was creeping down by then as I headed back to the hotel. I tried reading for another hour but found it nearly impossible for my eyes to concentrate on the words. Queuing up a podcast clip instead, I hoped to get to the 8 o’clock mark, my arbitrary minimum bedtime.

I woke up about 10 minutes after 8:00 PM, remembering nothing of what I had supposedly listened to. But then it was really time to sleep.

Beginning My Day of Exploration

The next morning started early for me, as is typical for my first few days Europe. The jet lag always results in waking in the wee hours of the morning. I’ll be exhausted and fall asleep just fine. But getting a full night of sleep is impossible. But compared to other trips, getting six and a half hours of uninterrupted sleep is a dream. I’ll take it.

Due to the heat, I’d left the window of my hotel room open. The city was eerily quiet at 3:00 AM when I woke. Which makes sense when there’s a curfew in Pristina from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM in Pristina. 

I knew I have another brutal day of jet lag, but after a bit of exercise, showering, and some reading, I was feeling great. As soon as there was a reasonable amount of light in the sky, I headed out. 

Pristina is almost deserted at 5:45 in the morning. The temperature was pleasant, as it had cooled down quite a bit overnight. I passed by the Grand Hotel and headed through the central square. The statue present caught my eye. Later, I’d learn he was a central figure to Kosovo’s fight for independence from Serbia. 

I continued along the same pedestrian street Bulevardi Nënë Tereza. It’s deserted, except for a handful of dogs wandering about. I continued my walk to the north, making a slow, meandering loop as the city came alive around me. By the time I’d returned to the pedestrian street, it was time for breakfast. Well, at least coffee.

I found a café close enough to the public Wi-Fi signal and sat down to enjoy a latte while I read, glad for the Kindle app. Breakfast was unique. A chicken-salsa sandwich is the best description I can offer. But it was honestly quite good.

Clinton, a Cathedral, and a Cheap Lunch

Heading back to the hotel, I took a brief break and worked for about an hour and a half. I shouldn’t have slowed down, as it allowed the jet lag to hit. The mid-morning wall that you hit can be brutal sometimes. But such is intercontinental travel. 

As I was in Kosovo to see friends, I hadn’t done more than a cursory review of things to see or do in Pristina. The city (or country) really isn’t on the travel map. After looking for things to see, I settled on a museum or two and noted down a couple other landmarks. Much of the time I just enjoy wandering a new city, and that is basically how I planned to continue my day visiting Pristina, Kosovo. I’d also end up out at Gërmia Park. 

I wandered in the opposite direction from Hotel Pejton, meandering through the neighborhoods. Eventually I come to the first stop on my list—a statue of our 42nd president. Whatever you think of him, he is well loved in Kosovo for his part in resolving the conflict. The statue is located along the aptly named Bulevardi Bill Klinton. 

Following Bulevardi Bill Klinton back toward the center of Pristina, I made my way to my next stop: the Mother Theresa Cathedral (Katedralja Nënë Tereza in Albanian). It is very new, rather small, and quite plain compared to nearly all others I’ve seen. But it is beautiful in its own way. It is a Roman Catholic Church, not Eastern Orthodox. I doubt it would have been finished if it was the latter, given the tension between the ethnic Albanians—predominantly muslim—and the Eastern Orthodox Serbians. 

At the time, I really wasn’t up to speed on a whole lot of Kosovo’s history. I knew of the conflict, and its status as one of the few countries in Europe that isn’t a member of the European Union (although they use the Euro). Since my trip in 2021, Kosovo has been granted new, far greater travel allowances within the Schengen area. The state has also applied for European Union membership. The country is still not a United Nations member, and likely won’t be, given the conflict with Serbia.

I’d find out much of that history later. I looped back north and made my way once more to the main square and pedestrian street. It’s far more alive than even when I ate breakfast. My next stop was the Ethnographic Museum, which, sadly, ended up being closed for renovation. I let myself in briefly, as the door was open. But it was clear work was ongoing in the next section. Unsure what to do next, I headed down the hill and stumbled upon an open air market.

The stalls were lively. Plenty of people were about, buying fresh produce and perusing other wares. A handful of men were sitting at a little café, smoking. I’m not much of a shopper, but I do enjoy seeing markets in other countries. If you’re looking for an authentic local experience while in Pristina, I’d put this on the list. 

Unlike many other markets I’ve been to, made-to-order food didn’t seem to feature. Fruits and vegetables abounded. But as I wasn’t interested in making my own lunch, I wandered until I’d found a place where I could grab a sandwich. Afternoon had just arrived, and I was more than ready to eat.

The prices were what first caught my eye. Amazing what you can get for just a euro or two! Some of the menu items were clear to me: hamburger, qebapa, and pizza among them. But I decided to take a chance by ordering the sandwich përshutë. 

I took a guess that it’d be chicken. Turns out it means prosciutto / ham. Which I guess seems fairly obvious now. It wasn’t what I wanted, but it wasn’t bad. And you couldn’t beat lunch for a single euro. Last time I enjoyed a meal so cheap was during my trip to Istanbul, Turkey. 

From One Side to the Other

At this point, I decided to venture out of the center of the city to a large park east of Pristina: Gërmia Park. I hopped on a bus to get me out there. At the entrance is a large swimming area, but further in it is a long strip of green space with picnic tables, playgrounds, and more for locals to enjoy. There are also some hiking trails and walking path.

Gërmia Park was wonderfully green in September. I enjoyed walking some of the paths and trails, venturing in a long loop through the park. I ended at the Villa Gërmia where I treated myself to an espresso. The tiredness was already leaving, given that it was finally late enough where I’d normally be awake in California. But it’s hard to say no to a coffee, especially when it’s so inexpensive.

Hopping back on the bus, I was soon back to the middle of Pristina. To get back to the central square, I made my way across an open area I hadn’t crossed yet. It contains both a deserted (or never completed?) Serbian Orthodox Church and the National University Library of Kosovo. I have a photo of the former, but not of the latter. No idea why. The National University Library is one of the more unique structures I’ve seen.

I passed through the center of the city once more, headed further north before turning west. I wanted to get a good view of the whole city, and the hill to the west seemed like the best option for doing so. As I ascended along the road, I passed by stacks that seemed out of place, assuming this was once the site of an entire factory. It was now mostly a junkyard mess.

The houses near the top of the hill were among the nicest I’d seen while visiting Pristina, Kosovo. They were newer, more spacious, and had more facilities alongside them, such as basketball and soccer courts. It’s clearly a section of town where there is more wealth and greater safety. I headed along one of the nearby streets and noted that a number of foreign embassies were present.

I spent another half hour or so meandering the streets. This is often how I spend my first day in a new city, usually picking a handful of landmarks I want to visit, but otherwise just roaming. I’m rarely one for structured itineraries. I’d rather serendipity rules much of my travel.

My way back down soon revealed itself—a colorfully painted sidewalk. I followed it back down to the main road and then headed around the opposite side of the soccer stadium I’d seen earlier, eventually making a full loop back to my hotel.

The Next Few Days

My friends arrived back in the city, having enjoyed a few days away in neighboring Montenegro. Their photos of that country had me immediately interested in a visit. It looks lovely.  I enjoyed evenings at their house and we were able to take a couple day trips across Kosovo. I’ll write more on that. We had a particularly excellent day out in the Rugova Mountains.

I also switched things up from the Hotel Pejton. It was sufficient, but there were a couple of oddities, including a less than enjoyable showering experience. So, I ended up getting a Airbnb for my final nights. It worked out great. The place was far more comfortable for about the same price.

Located right along the pedestrian street in the middle of the city, everything was within easy walking distance. And the view wasn’t bad. at roughly 40€ per night, it was an excellent deal.

My friends would clue me into a couple great breakfast and lunch spots in the city. Prices were far higher than the few restaurants I’d already been to. Although I’d miss the 1€ lunch, everything they pointed me to was still quite reasonable when compared to Western Europe. And I was more than glad to pay the prices, as the food was excellent. Of the restaurants I tried, Soma and SONDER were the top two choices.

I’d enjoy some other time in the capital city. My friend Jordan and I headed out to an old railway station and climbed around on the abandoned train cars with his young son. An odd outing, but I was open to anything.

We’d venture out and about on a couple of the other days, with the trip to Peja and the Rugova Mountains by far being my favorite day in Kosovo. I’ll detail more on that separately.

Visiting Pristina, Kosovo: My Final Thoughts

There’s not a lot to draw a tourist to consider visiting Pristina, Kosovo. It’s definitely not Prague or Florence. The country is relatively new, and is still dealing with the aftermath of the Kosovo War around the turn of the millennium. But the country is an interesting one with a handful of cool sights, and a day in the capital city could be worth adding to the itinerary. If you’re visiting Albania or Montenegro, consider adding a couple days in Kosovo.