How to spend 2 Days in Pristina, Kosovo 

The Republic of Kosovo is a landlocked country on the Balkans peninsula. It has borders with Serbia, Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia. The Balkans peninsula is on the south east of mainland Europe.

Kosovo was part of the Roman Empire and has a rich and complex history traced back to the first century. It was ruled by the Ottoman Empire for five centuries until 1912. After the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) Kosovo became an autonomous province within Yugoslavia. There continued to be tensions within this province between the Albanian and Serbian communities. This resulted in the Kosovo War of 1998 and 1999. The Yugoslavian army left the province then. The United Nations Security Council oversaw the region for several years. 

On February 17th 2008 Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. 104 of the 193 UN member states now recognise Kosovo as an independent state. Serbia does not.

I was very excited to visit such a young country that is actually very close to where I live in Italy. I remember watching the news of the Kosovo War in the 90’s. It seemed very close to Ireland where I grew up. Over the following decades I have watched the Balkans change and several “new” countries be declared. Thankfully now these various ethnic communities and countries live side by side in harmony. Several are part of the EU. 

Kosovo is only recognised by 22 of the 27 European Union (EU) member states as a Republic. It has applied to become a future member of the EU and has already adopted the euro as its official currency.

Pristina is the capital of Kosovo and is close to the center of the country. It has a population of just under 200,000 people, the majority of which are Albanian. While Albanian is the official language, English is widely spoken here.

I travelled to Pristina from Milan, Italy and the flight was one hour and forty minutes. Pristina International airport is about 35 minutes from the city center. There is a local bus service from the airport to the center, leaving every two hours and it costs €3 each way. I had just missed a bus and I didn’t want to wait for two hours so I got a taxi. The prices are all displayed by the taxi rank and the driver pointed them out to me. I had researched this previously and knew it should cost €25.00, which is what the driver charged me. 

My hotel was on “Boulevard Nina Tereze” (named after Mother Teresa of Calcutta, probably the most famous person from Kosovo). This is the main street and it’s pedestrianised, so the driver took me as close as he could and pointed out where the hotel was.

I spent my first evening walking around and getting a feel for the city. My initial observations were as follows:

• It felt very safe
• There didn’t appear to be many tourists around
• I wondered why there were so many dogs lying on the street
• There were lots of cafes and restaurants
• It seemed a walkable city
• The locals must like ice cream
• The locals must read a lot  
• There are lots of Kosovo flags flying but also lots of Albanian ones
• There are lots of American flags flying  
• There was no public wifi 
• Lots of people smoke and cigarettes are sold everywhere (including out of cases on the streets) 

Over the next two days I walked around the whole of Pristina. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit but I don’t think this is a city everyone will like. I think it will attract a certain type of tourist and I’ll provide more detail as I share with you what I did. 

The first thing I want to share with you is you must have cash. Most places only accept cash. Food, beverages and attractions are extremely cheap as you will learn. This is not the country to visit if you don’t like carrying or paying with cash. 

The second thing is you must be patient and flexible. You will learn why as you read this and the other posts I plan to write about my time in Kosovo.

Statues and Monuments 

There are lots of statues and monuments in Pristina. They really should arrange a walking tour of them. There were some great signs at most of them so I was able to understand their significance.

Mother Teresa Statue 

Kosovo’s most famous person St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta has a beautiful bronze statue on Boulevard Nina Tereze. It’s in a small area which has some plants and seats around it. The statue is very lifelike and depicts beautifully how I think the World knew her. She has a small child by her side.

The cathedral is also called after Mother Teresa and I’ll tell you about that later in this post.

Tribute to Reading

There are lots of stalls filled with books on Boulevard Nina Tereze. I immediately noticed these and when I looked at them, lots of topics appeared to be covered. None were in English but some looked like novels and some looked like academic books. There are also two large book shops on the boulevard. I went into the largest one as I like to buy a guide book when I travel. I wasn’t able to find one and asked for help. The cashier brought me to a section which contained some Lonely Planet and Berlitz guides. However, they didn’t have any on Kosovo or Pristina. I bought a really great map of the city for €2.00 instead.

Right on the boulevard, there is a beautiful white marble statue of an open book. One page is in Albanian and the other in English. It contains various quotes on the importance of reading. I am an avid reader so I loved this. 

Boulevard and Monument of Dr. Ibrahim Rugova

Ibrahim Rugova, was the first president of Kosovo. He was an Albanian politician and writer. He is credited with leading the populist struggle and he always advocated for a peaceful resistance to the Serbian regime. Rugova is often called “The Gandhi of the Balkans”. 

He founded the first Democratic Political Party of Kosovo in 1989 . Rugova became the first president in March 2002, when the UN was overseeing Kosovo. He died of lung cancer in 2006. There is also a lovely mural of him just before the start of Boulevard Nina Tereze. I thought it was extremely sad that he didn’t live to see Kosovo become a Republic.

Triangle of the Brotherhood and Unity

Just to the right of Boulevard Nina Tereze in a square, stands a 22m high white obelisk. This was erected in 1961 and is called the “Triangle of the Brotherhood and Unity”. 

Three large white square poles symbolise the three main communities now living in Kosovo – Albanians, Serbs and Montenegrins. Eight bronze sculptures are beside it to symbolise the Partizans. 

This monument commemorates the Yugoslavian nationals who died during WW2 when resisting against Fascist occupation. It has been quite controversial due to the breakup of Yugoslavia and the impact on Kosovo. At one stage the eight bronze statues were painted with the National flags of countries that supported Kosovo. It’s very poignant that this sculpture is so controversial as it’s situated in a beautiful square and lots of locals spend time here.

Missing People Monument 

At the top of Boulevard Nina Tereze, there is a large square. If you continue straight ahead, on the left between some trees, you will see the Missing People Monument. There were several bouquets of flowers in front of it when I visited.

This monument is to represent all the people that went missing during 1998-1999 in the Kosovo War. It is estimated that 160,000 ethnic Albanians were killed by Serbian forces and buried in mass graves during this time. This again was a poignant reminder of this country’s past and it’s really not very long ago. I found this particularly moving as I remember seeing news reports suspecting this was happening, but nothing was substantiated. 

Skenderbeg

Just after that, you arrive at Skenderbeg Square. This statue is of a military person in full armour on a horse. They both clearly look as if they are ready for battle.

This statute represents, George Castriot, a key Albanian medieval figure. As a young boy, he was taken from his family and forced to work at the Ottoman court. His name was changed there to Skender-beg, meaning Alexander the Great. When he was older he would serve as an Army General. He led a National and Christian uprising against the Ottoman Empire.

This statue shows how the diverse religious communities now live peacefully together. The current population is mainly Muslim, yet this Christian leader stands in a prime location in the city.

Boulevard of Zahir Pajazita

At the other end of Boulevard Nina Tereze, it meets the Boulevard of Zahir Pajazita. A very life-like monument stands here of a rather good looking man. Zahir Pajazita was one of the commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army. They were also known as the “First Gun of Freedom”

Zahir was considered to be one of the best known personalities of Kosovo’s recent history. He was killed at the beginning of the war. His statue was the first one to be erected in the center of Kosovo. It was commissioned by his co-fighters and is much loved by the locals. Both the flags of Kosovo and Albania fly over Zahir.

NewBorn Monument 

This is the most famous monument and you will often see this in promotional material for Pristina. It was installed on 17th February 2008, the day that Kosovo declared its independence. The letters “NEWBORN” are in capital letters and it signify’s the birth of a new nation.

The letters are 3m high and 24m long, situated on a Drintan Hooxha, opposite some bus stops. It’s a short walk from Boulevard Nina Tereze. Originally the letters were all painted yellow but they now get painted a different colour or design every year. As you can see the letters are currently in different colours and they had some images of iconic European sites. 

There was unfortunately some graffiti on it. The words “UCK” were written on the W. UCK was an ethnic Albanian liberation group which wanted Kosovo to be separate from Serbia.

Madeleine Albright 

A bronze bust of Madeleine Albright, who was the US Secretary of State, in the 1990’s, is just down from the New Born monument. Mrs. Albright was extremely supportive of Kosovo gaining independence and played an pivotal role at the World stage, during the 1990’s. 

Heroinat Monument

Just across the street from the New Born monument is the Heroinat (Heroines) monument. It is made from 20,000 medals and depicts a female face. This monument honours the women of Kosovo during the Kosovo War (1998-1999). 

There is a sign beside it and it’s extremely upsetting. It explains that 20,000 Kosovar women are estimated to have been raped during this time. Rape was used as a weapon of war. No-one has been tried for these crimes and lots of victims either died or remained anonymous. As a female who was living in a safe country not too far away, when this was happening, it certainly made me shudder ! Again, I remember news reports speculating this was happening at the time. 

Bill Clinton Statute

The Kosovar people have a great love and affection for the United States of America. Bill Clinton was very vocal in his support for Kosovo during the Balkan Wars. A bronze statue of him now stands on Bill Clinton Boulevard in the Dardania district. Clinton is waving to people and a huge billboard is hanging behind it. It contains an American flag, a photograph of Bill Clinton and the Kosovo flag.

Cathedral of St. Mother Teresa

I visited the Cathedral on my first morning in Pristina. It looks extremely new so I wasn’t surprised to discover it was constructed in 2016. It sits in a prominent place just near the square at the top of Boulevard Nina Tereze. 

There was some controversy about this large cathedral being built, as there are not that many Catholics in Kosovo. It also was built on the site of a school, which was considered one of the best in the country. However the president Dr. Ibrahim Rugosa, who was a Muslim, was supportive of it being built.

The cathedral is the highest building in Pristina. You can get an elevator to the top of the bell tower for the pricey sum of €1.50. I highly recommend going up as the panoramic view of the city and the surrounding countryside is spectacular. I was glad I went on my first full day of sightseeing as it helped me plan what areas to explore on that day. 

Designed by Italian architects the interior is quite sparse. The stained glass windows are one of the highlights. You will see several modern day figures depicted in them including Mother Therese herself, Pope Francis and Pope Benedict (a unique image as it was the first time to have two popes).

The wooden seats have beautiful carvings of eagles on them and the large columns are quite spectacular. 

Museum of Ethnological

I went to the museum on three occasions and it was third time lucky as it wasn’t open on the first two times. I am so glad I finally got to go inside as it was the only museum in Pristina I was able to visit. The others were closed for renovations or for a reason not displayed. The museum is situated in a courtyard in a busy part of the town. There are four buildings inside – two date back to the 18th century and two to the 19th century. They have recently been privately purchased and are being restored.

One of the owners was there and he showed me around. He is, quite rightly, extremely passionate about this project. To date only one house has been restored and you can visit three rooms inside it. Along with his business partner, they plan to continue the restoration. The goals is to display local artefacts and to recreate how the house would have looked like previously. 

The original owners were an extremely wealthy Turkish family who lived here for almost 250 years and they left in 1959. 

The first room you enter is the kitchen and it has a great chimney. While the family usually sat on the floor to eat their meals, some traditional (extremely low) seats from that period called “Sofra” now surround a traditional table. Lots of ornate pots, pans and jugs, which have been collected from all over Kosovo, are displayed on the shelves. 

You then climb the stairs into a large room which was really the main living and sleeping area. It also has some great artefacts displayed including a traditional cradle, a large jewellery box and a dowry box. There are animal skins hanging on the walls which were used for insulation back in the day.

The third room is also the largest and this is the guest room. Apparently out of respect, your guests stayed in the largest room. Some high seating is under the windows, as guests were always seated higher than the owners, to show respect. A really amazing wooden built in cupboard is along one wall. The guest room was an ensuite and a shower room, with distinctive green tiles, is off to the side. Unfortunately the toilet used to be outside so it doesn’t have one. They have some traditional clothing and an old ten string traditional musical instrument displayed in this room.

You don’t pay an entrance fee but donations are gladly received. A couple were on the tour when I arrived and another arrived just before I left. A group of three people walked through when I was there and said they didn’t want the tour. I think they really missed out and I highly recommend you take the tour if the opportunity arises. 

The owner and I had a great chat and he told me about an English author who is a friend of his and has written some books about Kosovo. Her name is Elizabeth Gowing and I plan to read some of her books. 

He also told me that the extremely run-down building just beside the gate to the Museum is the American Art Museum. He said I should knock on the window and see if the owner would let me in – so off I went ! 

American Art Museum

I would never have imagined that anything was on show in this building as it’s extremely dilapidated and there is lots of graffiti on the walls. I duly knocked the window and after a few minutes a lady came to the door. I explained why I was knocking and she immediately invited me in. 

I was brought into a square room which originally was used as a boxing club. The lady explained it was a new museum and she had lots of future plans to develop it. These include showcasing the work of some local artists and having public showings. Currently she has reproductions on display from mainly American artists like Jackson Pollock and/or owned by Peggy Guggenheim. Most of the originals are on display in MOMA in New York. They are all displayed really well with great signs and other information including letters and photographs. 

Again this owner was extremely passionate about her future plans. She asked if she could photograph me for her social media and I have seen some photographs of myself on her facebook page for May 10th. I asked if she’d like me to pay an entrance fee or leave a donation and she declined my offer. I really enjoyed speaking to her and seeing this interesting little museum. 

I think it would be very interesting to visit this and the Museum of Ethnological in a few years time and see how they have developed. After speaking to both owners, I’d be surprised if they don’t flourish. 

National and University Library of Kosovo

Just across the street from the Cathedral is the National Library. It has a very distinctive roof and windows. There are ninety nine different sized domes across the roof. They are designed to allow natural light into the building. Metal grids are then around all the windows which are meant to look like honeycombs. They are certainly an unusual architectural feature. 

The building was designed by Andrea Mutnjakovi, a Croatian architect. It first opened in 1982 and has had many uses over the years. In 1989 it was used to house refugees from Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, who were fleeing the war. During the Kosovo War the Yugoslavia army used it as a command center. Unfortunately they destroyed a lot of the furniture and materials. 

There was a large group of small school children getting class photographs taken on the steps when I arrived. The children all smiled and waved at me and I felt quite like a dignitary.

I walked through the rather unassuming doors and approached a lady at a desk. She told me there really wasn’t anything to see but I could wander around if I wanted to. 

The interior looks older than the exterior. Stone walls are along the staircase. The large lobby area has wooden floors, a high ceiling and an interesting dome. It is currently used to host cultural events. 

I went into a large reading room but there were just lots of empty desks haphazardly spread around. I wondered if they are used for lectures or classes. I also went into one of the auditoriums. It has very unusual wooden shapes on the walls. This clearly is where some official business takes place.

My main observation is that I didn’t see any books on display. There were a few young people sitting in quiet areas with books and computers so I presume it is used as a study or reading area. 

The Orthodox Church of “Christ the Saviour”

Just to the left of the building is a very distinctive derelict building. It is surrounded by a park with lots of seats around it.

This is the Serbian Orthodox Church and construction started in 1992 but was stopped in 1998. It was never finished due to the war and it’s a controversial building due to the tensions with the Serbian regime during the War. 

The building now stands in a prime position in the city but is subject to much debate. Currently the city is reviewing four options – preserve it as-is, demolish it, upgrade it and turn it into a museum, or upgrade it and use it for student and cultural events.

This is another building I would love to see in a few years time and see what becomes of it. 

Clock Tower 

The Clock Tower dates back to the 19th Century. During the Ottoman Empire rule it was used to tell people when you meet, when to pray etc. It’s 26m high, but the original tower was damaged during a fire and it has been restored. The bell disappeared from the tower in 2001 and hasn’t been found.

It’s quite sad to see the state of this distinctive and historic tower and I wonder if it will be restored and maybe opened in the future. 

Mosques

Over 90% of Kosovars are Muslim. There are lots of beautiful mosques throughout Pristina. You can see the minarets across the skyline in all directions. I only heard the call to prayer a few times, which surprised me. It’s usually much more evident in Muslim countries. 

I didn’t go into any of them as I wasn’t sure if non-Muslims were allowed. 

The Jashar Pasha Mosque dates back to the 16th century. As well as the normal stone building most of the Mosque were made from, this one has a lovely wooden entrance. It was recently renovated, is one of the oldest in the city and is considered one of the most important to the Islamic community.

The Bazaar Mosque was the first one built in Pristina. It dates back to the 15th century. It has been restored several times throughout its life. The most recent renovations work was completed at the end of 2021. 

Final Thoughts 

I really enjoyed my visit to Pristina. However, I don’t think this is a city every tourist will enjoy. If you like things very organised, this isn’t the place to visit. If you are not interested in recent conflicts and history, this isn’t the place to visit.

If you like wandering around at your own pace and have a flexible attitude to your routine, you will love it. You will note, how little money I spent on admissions and viewings. I would like to return in about 10 years time and see how much, if anything, has changed.

I will have two more posts about my time in Kosovo, so please look out for them. One will be about the areas I visited outside of Pristina. The other will be about the food, beverages, markets, shops and other services.

To finish – regarding my initial observations :

• It felt very safe

It was extremely safe and people were very helpful. I sat in cafes at nighttime having a beverage and reading. I was made to feel welcome everywhere and no-one questioned why I was travelling alone. 

• There didn’t appear to be many tourists around

I met very few tourists and didn’t hear many foreign accents. I didn’t see any other guests in my hotel. The few tourists I did meet were solo travellers also and several were touring the Balkans. 

• I wondered why there were so many dogs lying on the street

I asked about these at my hotel and was told that most have been abandoned either when people move away or they can’t afford to look after them. I was told that while some are harmless, others are quite vicious. Most seemed to be just lying sleeping in the sun. I did wake up at nighttime on two occasions to hear some dogs barking loudly and fighting though.

• There were lots of cafes and restaurants

There are lots everywhere and locals patronise them. It’s extremely cheap to have a beverage or a meal in Pristina – more details to come in a future post. 

• It seemed a walkable city

It is, I walked everywhere and each day had over 25,000 (16 km approximately) steps on my Fitbit. 

• The locals most like ice cream

There was a few ice cream sellers on Boulevard Nina Tereze. Also, several cafes and restaurants had ice cream fridges on the patio. People were purchasing cones to eat while walking and others were having some served in bowels at the tables.

• The locals must read a lot  

I didn’t manage to confirm this but someone must be purchasing these books as there are so many stalls selling them ! The book sculpture in pride of place on the main boulevard signified their love of reading. 

• There are lots of Kosovo flags flying but also lots of Albanian ones

There are lots of government buildings in the center of the city with Kosovo flags flying over them. Also, Kosovo does have a very cordial relationship with Albania. As I have explained some of the monuments and statues are in honour of shared respected figures. 90% of the current population are Albanian. 

• There are lots of American flags flying

Several senior US politicians, including Bill Clinton and Madeleine Albright played an important role supporting Kosovo’s independence. Several locals I spoke to asked me if I was American, when I spoke English to them. The locals have a lot of respect for the United States.

• There was no public wifi 

There isn’t any public WIFI. You can purchase sim cards for approximately €6.00. I didn’t bother as I had read that google maps isn’t reliable within the city. I bought a really good map and went old school and thankfully never got lost ! It was actually quite nice not to be checking social media or reading the news during the day. I read lots on my kindle and my guide book (yes I eventually got one with a little help from another tourist, who you will learn about in a future post).

• Lots of people smoke and cigarettes are sold everywhere (including out of cases on the streets) 

Lots of people smoke and I don’t like smoking. Thankfully smoking is banned in-doors so isn’t an issue inside restaurants. However, on occasions some patios were covered on top and at the side and I didn’t initially realise they were considered outdoors. I made a mistake twice and sat at a table in a smoking area. On both occasions when I asked if I could move inside, the servers seemed pleased to help me move. It seemed a lot more popular to sit outside than inside.

On several occasions sellers came into restaurants selling cigarettes. Also, there were lots on sale in the markets. I didn’t think they are regulated as much as they are in other countries. This is something I would expect will change over time – to increase exchequer revenue and for health reasons. 

As always, thank you for reading and I hope this blog has either inspired you to visit or educated you that this isn’t the city for you currently.