This post was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
A younger energy pervades Kosovo. Europe’s youngest nation is likewise home to the area’s youngest population, with 55% under 30. In the 20 years given that the Kosovo War of 1998 to 1999, which culminated in the country’s 2008 declaration, Ottoman-era towns have actually been reconstructed, Byzantine fortresses have actually been brought back and nature tourist has actually removed, with activities centred in the range of mountains Kosovo show its Balkan neighbours.
Prizren, the nation’s cultural centre throughout the duration of Ottoman guideline (1455 to 1912), stays Kosovo’s a lot of captivating city. A 90-minute drive north, smaller sized Peja’s appeal depends on its place at the foot of the Rugova Canyon. Sculpted over centuries by a pulling away glacier, the canyon has actually been main to the city’s renewal as an experience center. These contrasting cities provide a well-rounded taste of the nation– among Europe’s only Muslim-majority countries– within simple reach of the capital, Pristina. Euros extend even more here than practically anywhere else in Europe, and while Kosovo’s tourist facilities is still establishing, a trustworthy bus network makes navigating a breeze.
Day 1: Culture & & food in Prizren
Early morning
Prizren is home to an interesting clutch of museums ignoring its name river’s undulating northern bank. Begin at the Archaeology Museum, home to numerous artefacts uncovered around the city. The collection is housed in a 15th-century previous Ottoman bathhouse, set underneath a clocktower dating from 1912. Climb its 100-odd stairs for sweeping views over the Old Town before proceeding to the Ethnographical Museum on Bujar Godeni Street. Embed in among the city’s couple of staying Ottoman period homes, its diverse display screens of clothes, furnishings and curios use a window into 19th-century Prizren, then ablaze with extreme concepts. For more insight, visit the Complex of the Albanian League of Prizren, the website of a 1878 assembly that saw regional leaders initially propose an unified Albanian state that would have included what is now Kosovo.
Afternoon
Cross the 16th-century stone bridge covering the river and tuck into a conventional lunch at Ambient, a dining establishment with tables spread out along the waterside. Work off your tava(a casserole-style meal prepared in a clay pot) with a brief however high raise past the Old Town’s lofty hillside church to Prizren Fortress. Initially developed by the Byzantines and broadened by a succession of Serbian kings and Ottoman rulers, the fortress website has actually remained in usage given that the Bronze Age. Harmed throughout the Yugoslav Wars, the stronghold has actually considering that gone through a significant repair, providing a glance of its previous magnificence. Do not miss out on the primary structure’s display screens of Neolithic pottery and Ottoman-era antiques, and make sure to time your see for sundown, when the city listed below handles a golden color. The fortress sometimes hosts performances in the summertime.
Evening
Prizren’s Old Town coffee shops swell as night falls.