When I was planning my trip to Kosovo, I knew I wanted to visit more than just Pristina (the capital city). I decided to do a daytrip from Pristina to Prizren. Prizren has a much more historic feel than Pristina, and it’s a gorgeous city to visit. It’s certainly doable as a daytrip from Pristina, but it is a long daytrip (with lots of time spent on buses). Here’s how to do a daytrip to Prizren from Pristina in Kosovo!

Getting to Prizren From Pristina

Buses leave Pristina for Prizren every 20 minutes, from the main bus station. You pay on board the bus, and it costs €5 per person. The journey there takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. I would definitely recommend starting your day early to make a daytrip to Prizren. I got a bus at 10:20am, but if you were really motivated you could get an earlier bus, just to give yourself more time there. That being said, I felt like I had plenty of time to see what I wanted to see in Prizren! The scenery is beautiful.

What to See in Prizren

Prizren is a beautiful city, with a lot of historic buildings and architecture. The city has a lot more “European Old Town” vibes than Pristina does, so it was really nice to visit both places. Here’s what to see in Prizren!

Bistrica River (and Bridges)

The Bistrica river runs through the center of Prizren. It was pretty low when I visited at the height of the summer heat. But there are a lot of historic bridges crossing the river, some of which are completely pedestrianized. Some of the best photos of town are by the river!

Sinan Pasha Mosque

This mosque is the main mosque in Prizren. While I loved admiring it and photographing it from the outside, the interior is also stunning as well! I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and thankfully the mosque has shawls and skirts—a lady there helped me cover up. Don’t forget to look up when you’re inside, the ceiling is stunning!

Main Square

This bustling square is the happening place to be in Prizren. There are a load of cafes, bars, and restaurants, as well as a fountain in the middle which has drinking water! You’ll pass through here if you visit Prizren. I definitely recommend getting a burek at Sarajevski Burek—one of the best bureks I had on this trip to the Balkans!

I also really loved sitting back and relaxing at Prince Coffee House along the river.

Prizren Fortress

A steep walk up from town is the fortress. There are signs along the route up to the fortress, both with maps and also with information on places of interest. The views from the fortress over Prizren are amazing. You don’t really get a feel for how big a city is until you see it from above! I loved seeing all the minarets dotted around, as well as the mountains surrounding it. There isn’t much left of the fortress, it’s mainly just a shell—but it’s free to visit, so don’t miss it!

You also walk past Church of the Savior on the way up. This church is also a shell (most of the roof is gone), but it really makes you realize how different religions co-existed so peacefully in this part of the country.

Our Lady of Ljevis Church

Unfortunately, this church is usually closed to the general public. The only way to gain entry is by appointment (a guided tour), which you’ll need to do in advance. Our Lady of Ljevis Church is one of four Orthodox religious places in Kosovo that make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you’re visiting Prizren, you should definitely stop by—if you’re organized enough, I’m sure a tour of the site would be fantastic.

NATO Monument

I hadn’t heard about this in any other blog posts or seen any photos of it, but there is a big monument to NATO in Prizren! It’s located about a 15-minute walk from the river. If you’re getting the bus from Pristina, load up Google Maps on your phone and try to get off the bus before the bus station—it’ll save you the walk. There really isn’t any information I can find online, but as NATO was instrumental in ending the Kosovo War in the late 1990s, I can imagine that Kosovo wanted to commemorate their involvement!

Ethnological Museum of Prizren

Unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to make it to this museum, and I’ve heard it’s pretty tricky to find. However, it’s meant to have some good information, as well as a killer view from the tower over the Our Lady of Ljevis Church nearby! This is one of Prizren’s main museums so if you’re interested in ethnography and local Kosovan handicrafts and culture, try to stop by.

Getting From Prizren Back to Pristina

The bus station in Prizren is located about 10 to 15 minutes away from Our Lady of Ljevis church by foot—so it’s quite central. You can generally wait along the river as well, as the buses to Pristina go back along that way and you can just hop on. I got a bus at 3:30pm from the bus station. It was the same cost as my bus to Prizren, €5. This took slightly longer than getting to Pristina—it was about 2.5 hours on the bus. I think this was mainly to do with rush hour traffic in and around Pristina.

Planning Your Trip

I based myself in Pristina for my three nights in Kosovo, and stayed at Oda Hostel. I visited Prizren for one day. You can search for hostels in either Pristina or Prizren here, and for hotels/B&Bs in Pristina or hotels/B&Bs in Prizren!

 

Booking.com

Pristina Airport doesn’t have a huge range of flight options. It might be easier to fly into Skopje or another airport, and get a bus to Pristina from there. I always use Skyscanner to find the best deals on flights. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more. Interested in a tour to Prizren? Check out these options!

 

Prizren is a beautiful city. If you’re visiting Kosovo, I definitely recommend spending a day in Prizren! It’s definitely doable to visit as a daytrip from Pristina, and there’s plenty to keep you busy for a day. I hope this helps in planning a daytrip to Prizren!

Have you been to Prizren or another destination in Kosovo? Share your experience in the comments below!

You might like my other Kosovo posts:

The Best Cafes And Bars In Pristina, Kosovo

What To See In Pristina: One Of Europe’s Coolest Cities

How To Visit Gračanica As A Half-Daytrip From Pristina

Hostel Review: Oda Hostel, Pristina

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