Prizren

A complete opposite of Pristina,  Prizren has the charm of a Turkish-influenced European town with its main square nested next to a picturesque scene of arch bridges  crossing over the river which runs through the city.  This part of the city gave me the feeling of returning to Sarajevo.    Prizren brings about  an immediate sense of serenity in contrast to the noisy and dusty Pristina.  If you have to choose only one city to be in Kosovo,  pick Prizren.

Trip brainstorm

- Check out the empty Serbian quarter which was completely destroyed during the war.  This area is left in a horrible condition: broken doors, burned walls, roofless buildings.  The nearby Orthodox church can be seen from far away and down below in the city. It isn’t guarded by UN KFOR  anymore as the guard-post was completely empty and showed no sign of any human inhabitant.  What’s there to guard anyway?
- From here, you can walk further up hill to the ruin of Prizren’s castle. However, there is nothing to be seen there. The only remains are the foundation and stoned walls of the castles. This is a huge open space where you can take a rest and have a paranomic view of the city . When I was there, I ran into a large group of high-school students who were on a school assignment to find plants, flowers and leaves for their biological class.
- Have dinner at one of many restaurants at Shadervan, the city’s main square.  This square is prettier and livelier during the night.

Food

Kosovo is probably one the few remaining countries you can eat well and pay less. Everything cost a fraction of the prices typically seen in Western or even other Eastern European countries.  During my time here in Kosovo, I eat pretty much 3 things: burek, cevapi and home-made salad. I was told that Albanians made the best burek. These delicious Balkan pies have different variations: meat, cheese, spinach or potatoes though in Kosovo you will find mostly meat or cheese. They are cheap too, cost only €0.6 and can make the best choice for breakfast, light lunch and light dinner. If you prefer met, definitely try cevapi/Balkan kebab sold everywhere. When I became too full with burek and cevapi, I bought fresh vegetables from the market and prepare mixed salad for dinner.

You probably won’t find anywhere in Europe where  a dinner at for 2 portions of  Balkan cevapcici, salad, a special kind of cheese and yogurt at a restaurant at the main square looking over the river cost less than €5.  A pizza, tea and wine for 3 cost also €5.

Accommodation

Sample cost

Transportation

I didn’t notice any public transportation here. You won’t need them anyway. The bus is close to the city center and Alvida, a budget hotel where you might stay.