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Kosovo: Prizren & Pristina Day Trip

5.063 Google reviewsDay trip from Tirana, Durrës or Golem

The road from Tirana to Kosovo was rebuilt as a motorway about fifteen years ago and cut the journey from a day to under three hours, which is what makes this trip possible. It runs through the mountains of the north on a road that is one of the most impressive pieces of engineering in the Balkans.

Itinerary

For reference only. Itineraries are subject to change.

  1. 06:00

    Pickup

    From your hotel in Tirana, Durrës or Golem, and north onto the motorway.

  2. 09:00

    Border at Morinë

    Usually quick. Passports checked on both sides.

  3. 09:30

    Prizren

    The old town, the stone bridge, Sinan Pasha Mosque, then the climb to the fortress.

  4. 12:30

    Lunch in Prizren

    By the river. Try the qebapa and the local yoghurt.

  5. 14:00

    On to Pristina

    An hour on the motorway to the capital.

  6. 15:00

    Pristina on foot

    Two hours: Mother Teresa Boulevard, the Newborn monument, the National Library, the old bazaar mosque.

  7. 17:00

    The drive home

    Back through Prizren and down the motorway. Tirana around 20:30, the coast around 21:00.

Experience & Highlights

  • Prizren old town and its Ottoman stone bridge
  • The climb to Prizren fortress for the view
  • Pristina, the Newborn monument and Mother Teresa Boulevard
  • The National Library, Pristina's most argued-about building
  • The Albania to Kosovo motorway through the northern mountains

Full Description

Prizren comes first and is the reason to go. It sits on both banks of the Bistrica under a hilltop fortress, a small Ottoman town of mosques, a stone bridge, a hammam and a Serbian Orthodox church a few streets apart. The climb to the fortress takes twenty minutes and the view back down is the photograph everyone brings home.

Pristina is a different kind of place: loud, young, full of cafés, with the Newborn monument, the brutalist National Library that people either love or find alarming, and a bronze Bill Clinton on the boulevard named after him. We walk it for two hours in the afternoon before the drive home.

What's included

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in Tirana, Durrës and Golem
  • Air-conditioned transport
  • English-speaking guide
  • Border formalities handled as a group
  • Bottled water

Not included

  • Lunch in Prizren
  • Museum entries (optional)
  • Travel insurance

Good to know

  • Bring your passport. ID cards are accepted for EU citizens, but a passport avoids any argument.
  • Kosovo uses the euro, so no currency exchange needed.
  • If you plan to travel on to Serbia later in your trip, ask us first. Serbia does not recognise Kosovo entry stamps in some situations.
  • Runs year-round. The fortress climb is on loose stone and needs flat shoes.

Good questions, honest answers

How long does it take to drive from Tirana to Prizren?

About two and a half to three hours on the Albania to Kosovo motorway, including the border at Morinë. Before the motorway it was closer to seven, which is why this trip only became a day return relatively recently.

Do I need a visa for Kosovo?

EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens do not. Many others do not either if they hold a valid Schengen visa, but the rules vary by nationality, so check before booking. Carry your passport.

Is Prizren or Pristina better?

Prizren, for most visitors. It is an intact Ottoman river town with a fortress and a lot of charm. Pristina is interesting rather than beautiful: a young, busy capital with a few strange buildings. The trip gives Prizren the morning and Pristina the afternoon for that reason.

Plan the rest of your trip

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