BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN KOSOVO

Kosovo is a safe and beautiful tourist destination. A hidden gem to explore during your next Balkan trip. Especially if you enjoy stunning mosques, orthodox churches, delicious pastries, natural parks, and friendly locals. Keep this Kosovo travel guide handy when preparing your holidays in Kosovo as it includes all the best places to visit in Kosovo. 

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. It has since been recognized as an independent country by over 100 nations. However, this land of 1.8 million inhabitants is not recognised by the UN. Nevertheless, for the purposes of this travel blog and my travels to every country in the world, Kosovo will be treated as a country.

Thus, Kosovo is Europe’s youngest country and along with Moldova one of the least visited spots in the old continent.In Kosovo you’ll find modern airports, brand-new motorways, affordable prices in Euro, and a very young population. In fact, more than 50% of Kosovars are below 25 years of age.

Kosovo awaits visitors with cozy towns, Ottoman mosques, Serbian churches, Byzantine castles, Turkish coffee, and hilly mountains and delicious cuisine. There’s many interesting places to visit in Kosovo and this post has them all.

Best urban places to visit in Kosovo

1. Pristina

Pristina, with 200,000 inhabitants, is Kosovo’s capital and largest city. It offers an interesting cultural mix and balance between the old and the new.

Pristina features a walkable downtown with interesting churches, mosques, markets, food stalls, museums, shopping malls, and parks. The best things to do in Pristina include visiting the Newborn monument, National Museum of Kosovo, and Bill Clinton Statue.

And the National Library, a masterpiece of brutalism much crazier than those in Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, or Georgia. It looks like boxes covered in chains and topped with white domes. Exploring its facades is a must in any list of Pristina things to do. You can see more of them on my Instagram and Tiktok pages.

If you’d like to explore Pristina with a guide, check out these free tours of Pristina and these private tours of Pristina. There’s also day trips to Pristina from Skopje and day trips to Pristina from Albania.

2. Prizren

Prizren is the second biggest city in Kosovo and my favorite for tourism in Kosovo. Home to 95,000 inhabitants, its byzantine houses, 16th century stone bridge and beautiful ottoman mosques will quickly get your heart.

Likewise, the many restaurants and cafes spread among its old town are easy to enjoy and tough to forget. It’s a stunning spot that resembles Mostar is Bosnia Herzegovina.

When visiting Prizren get lost through its old town as if you were exploring an old Medina in Fes or Marrakech. Just make sure to step by Prizren Fortress Kaljaja and Sinan Pasha Mosque.

Looking for a guided tour of Prizren? Check out these tours of Prizren in English and these day trips to Prizren from nearby Skopje, Tirana, and Sofia.

3. Pec / Peja

Known as Pec in Serbian and Peja in Albanian, the city’s name means cave in both languages. This city of 50,000 inhabitants in the Accursed Mountains is one of the best bases for hiking in Kosovo. 

Pec has a nice compact city center home to the Zenel Beg Tower, interesting street art, souvenir shops, and plenty of restaurants. There’s also a great local bazaar where you can buy famous Pec cheese, a delicatessen among food in Kosovo.

Thanks to its mountains, the Ethnological Museum and the Patriarchal Monastery, Pec makes an excellent destination for culture and nature. And is a must add when planning what to see in Kosovo.

4. Gjakova

Gjakova, standing between Pizren and Pec, is home to the biggest bazaar in the Balkans. Extending for over 1 km and hosting more than 500 stalls, Gjakova’s old bazaar makes the perfect spot for shopping, bargaining, chatting with locals, taking photos and people watching. 

In Gjakova you’ll find plenty of Turkish-style houses, old tombs, a clock tower, coffee shops, and 16th century Ottoman mosques. The Saint Paul and Saint Peter church and the city’s ethnological Museum are also worth a visit.

Best remote places to visit in Kosovo

5. Gračanica Monastery

Gracanica is a 14th century Serbian Orthodox Monastery home of stunning wall paintings. It was built by a Serbian King on the ruins of an even older church. And it’s dedicated to the Holy Virgin Mary. 

The place has suffered from several fires, been damaged during the Ottoman times and the Great Turkish War, and bombed twice in 1999 by NATO airplanes.

Nevertheless, the monastery has been restorated and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gracanica is away 10km south of Pristina and its entrance fee is €4. During your visit you’ll get to see multiple tombs, an inner chamber decorated in antique Byzantine style, and its marvelous wall paintings.

6. National Park Bjeshkët E Nemuna

One of the Kosovo things to do that every nature lover will enjoy is exploring the National Park of Bjeshkët E Nemuna. The park offers stunning landscapes, rich flora, and a number of wild animals including reptiles, chamois, lynx, roe deer, gray wolves, eagles, and even brown bears. 

Th is National Park lies at the west of the country, over 130km from Pristina, and shares a border with the Albanian Valbonë Valley National Park. The area is incredibly biodiverse and makes a great spot for trekking, hiking, and mountain climbing.

In fact, it’s home to Gjeravica, Kosovo’s highest peak at 2,656 meters above sea level, so it’s definitely a must visit for mountain lovers. Its rivers and streams are also great for swimming, sunbathing and fishing in the summer months.

7. Sharr National Park

Sharr National Park is one of the best places to visit in Kosovo as it’s one of the biggest and highest in the Balkans.

In this great spot for hiking Kosovo you’ll find glacier lakes, forests, caves, and gorges. Sharr is also home to 1500 types of plants, 200 species of birds, 140 kinds of butterflies and mammals such as deers, gray wolves, lynx, and brown bears.

8. Gazivoda Lake

Gazivoda lake is the largest lake in Kosovo and a great answer to what to do in Kosovo on a hot day. This man-made lake was built in 1977 by river Ibar to provide drinking water and better irrigation to the northern and central areas of Kosovo.

Located near the border with Serbia, the lake is over 100 meters deep on average and has become home to a large variety of fish. 

The magnificent nearby scenery, packed with hiking opportunities, and the artificial lake-beaches perfect for a picnic under the sunshine make Gazivoda the ultimate swimming spot in Kosovo. There’s boats available to renting as well, if you don’t fancy the cool temperature of a mountain lake.

9. Rugova Canyon

Rugova Canyon is the nicest canyon to visit in Kosovo. It’s in the Prokletije Mountains, 90 km from Pristina and very close to Pec. It originated due to the retreating Pec glacier and since 1985 it’s a protected natural heritage area.

It’s 25 km long and has a maximum depth of 1,000 meters, which makes it one of the longest and deepest canyons in Europe. Rugova Canyon is also part of the Peaks of the Balkans trail, which takes over 10 days to complete as it crosses several peaks in Alabania, Kosovo, and Montenegro. 

There’s thirteen traditional villages in the area and plenty of glaciers, lakes, streams, cliffs, peaks, canyons, and caves. Thus, it’s the perfect place for trekking, hiking and mountaineering all year round.

During the summer months Rugova canyon offers a great spot for paragliding, speleology, and rock climbing. To the point it’s home of the only via ferrata in the Balkans.

In winter time, the place transforms into the world’s 4th best skiing resort according to the International Ski Federation and delights local and foreigner skiers and snowboarders.

10. Mirusha Waterfalls

Mirusha waterfalls are a series of 12 waterfalls spread among 13 lakes. A stunning natural phenomena to watch and hear when you visit Kosovo. Located halfway between Pristina and Pec, it’s reachable in a 30min walk from the village of Gremnik.

The waterfalls descend from high white rock cliffs, the highest of them being over 22 metres, and carve several caves and canyons on their way. The are is a great hiking spot and a good place to spot some rate birds. It’s also possible to swim on the lakes.

Recap on the best places to visit in Kosovo

Kosovo is a wonderful country to explore all year round. Here you’ll find beautiful old cities such as Prizren and interesting modern ones such as Pristina, the country’s capital. If you have the time, venture deeper into the midlands and explore the city Pec and its monastery, or the city of Gjakova and its bazaar.

Nature lovers will also have a great time in Kosovo, a landlocked country home of stunning mountains and two national parks: Bjeshkët E Nemuna and Sharr. If you’d like to enjoy the outdoors but are not into hiking, a visit to Gazivoda lake or the Mirusha waterfalls becomes a must when visiting Kosovo.

Take some time to unwind in a local cafe, enjoy some baklava, feast on cevapci and borek, and chat with the friendly locals. A trip to Kosovo is always a good idea. If you need further inspiration visit my Instagram and Tiktok pages for insights on my own trip. Happy travels.