Overview of Prizren
Prizren is one of the most important cities in Kosovo, being second only to the capital, Prishtina. It is situated in the southwest of the country, not far from Albania and North Macedonia. Nearby lies the Sharr Mountain National Park (Parku Kombëtar “Malet e Sharrit” or Bjeshkët e Sharrit), which offers a wild nature with breathtaking landscapes. The city has a rich culture and history, making it even more attractive to tourists. We´re going to get back to these features of the city as we go through the post.
The official language is Albanian, but of course, English is well-received and spoken by the locals. By getting in touch with them, you can learn a lot about the city.
The topics included in this Travel Guide are as follows:
- When to visit
- How to go there?
- How to get around?
- What to do?
- What to eat?
- Last remarks
When to visit?
Depending on the preferred activities, you can visit Prizren anytime throughout the year. To enjoy the city itself and to visit all the historical and cultural sites and/or buildings, it is a good choice to visit in the period May-October when the weather is mostly clear and sunny.
If you want to engage more in winter sports at the Sharr Mountain National Park, then normally visiting during the winter would be great. Throughout the year you will find reasonable prices in Prizren and even though there are a lot of visitors, there´s a place for everyone.
How to go there?
Prizren has a very good location and therefore it´s reachable from several countries and directions. An overview of possible connections is as follows:
- By plane to Prishtina International Airport. Then it´s possible to take a taxi directly to Prizren or take the bus to Pristina Bus Station and from here a bus to Prizren.
- By plane to Kukës International Airport. Then it´s possible to take a taxi to the city of Kukës. From Kukës you can take a bus to Prizren or a cab.
- By plane to Tirana International Airport. Then it´s possible to take a taxi directly to Prizren or take the bus to Tirana and from here a bus to Prizren.
- By ferries to Durrës Port. Then it´s possible to take a taxi to Prizren or the bus directly to Prizren. The Bus station is just a few minutes walk from the Port.
A car rental is also an option, available at the airports, in Prishtina, Durrës and Tirana.
How to get around?
Once you´ve gotten to Prizren, chosen a place to stay and freshen up, it´s time to plan the activities there. An important aspect is moving around the city, so we´ll give some valuable information about it:
- There is the service of public transportation, but in recent times there have been changes so it is advisable to get the newest information while you are there, for example from the Tourist Info Center.
- Taking a taxi is also a fast solution, they are easy to find or call them directly on the web.
- Car rental can be a solution, but more meaningful if you want to visit places outside the city.
- Getting around with a bicycle or just strolling through the city will be practical and fun since the city is not big and is a way to explore the cobblestone streets that are to be found all over Prizren.
What to do?
There are a lot of activities to enjoy in Town, just make sure to have enough days to do as much as possible.
From our experience, we can give the following recommendations:
- Take a guided tour of the city from the locals, before exploring it for yourself. You can find information on the Internet on this website or at the Tourist Info Centre.
- Visit the most famous bridge in town: the Old Stone Bridge (Ura e Vjetër e Gurit). It crosses the river Lumbardhi (that means White River in Albanian)
- A tour outside and inside the famous Museum of Prizren´s League (Muzeu i Lidhjes së Prizrenit) is a must. Here is the place to live the history of the city yourself:
- Walk along the charming waterfront and also visit the other bridges along the river.
An interesting one is the bridge with Love Locks. At the Waterfront, there are also little Cafes to relax and freshen up.
- Just after crossing the Old Stone Bridge, you reach the square “Shadervani” (meaning Fountain) because of the drinking fountain there. Here you find a lot of cafes and restaurants.
- While taking a break, enjoy the traditional cuisine in the restaurants all over the city.
- Visit Sinan Pasha Mosque (Xhamia e Sinan Pashës).
- A little 700m east of the Old Stone Bridge we find another historical monument, Prizren Fortress (Kalaja e Prizrenit). This is also a great chance to get an overview of the city.
- For sport and nature lovers there is now the possibility to engage in various ones like hiking, kayaking, mountain biking etc. You can find information about it on this website.
All the sites or buildings mentioned above are part of the Cultural Monuments of Kosovo.
What to eat?
The obvious choice is to try the local food and drinks. Traditional dishes of Prizren are flija, çervish me qofte (casserole with meatballs), peppers with cottage cheese (cottage cheese = gjizë), Prizren casserole (tavë Prizreni), dollma or japrak (rice or meat filled grape/cabbage leaves), beans (fasule), goulash (gullash), burjan (casserole with meat, rice) etc.
For desserts, we find in Prizren some very tasty ones such as sheqerpare (a kind of cooky), tespishte (a kind of cake), bakllava (layered pastry pie filled with walnuts), sytliaç (dessert with rice and milk), tullumba (fried dough, similar to churros) and hallva.
To drink
- dhallë or ajran (soft drink made of yoghurt, water and salt) is very popular there and very refreshing. It´s a must!
- local beer made in Kosovo.
- local wine from the nearby region of Rahovec.
- to try of course the coffee and tea made in the local style.
During our visit to Prizren, we tried and enjoyed the following:
- Flija (a traditional pie with a unique taste, made of several thin buttered layers of dough)
- Salad with vegetables and local white cheese (djathë i bardhë)
- Locally made meatballs (qofte)
- Locally made sausage (Suxhuk)
- locally made breads like pogaçe, local flatbread (lepinja), a kind of pancake (petulla) etc.
- To drink, some good old-fashioned yoghurt drink (dhallë) and local beer.
Of course, to get the most, it helps to get in touch with the locals, they are the only ones to know the real stuff.
Last remarks
At last, we can say that Prizren will turn out to be a surprising place. There´s so much history and culture to discover and a lot to visit. Take the time you need to experience it to the fullest, there is no fear of regret! We hope that our guidance will enrich your visit to the city and its surroundings.
If you have any questions, drop them in the comments below and we’ll be more than happy to answer! Happy Travelling!