Welcome to Kosovo!

Looking back at our Kosovo trip, it’s hard to immediately define the Kosovo highlights. After all, there weren’t too many Kosovo highlights listed when we were planning our trip… Perusing our guidebook on the first morning of our holiday and looking for something to do in Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, I was wondering if our holidays had become too alternative.

However, watching toddler H run around on the pedestrianised Bill Clinton Boulevard made me realise I didn’t need established tourist sites to visit. H was having a great time and I was enjoying seeing him interact with the locals – pensioners and other toddlers mainly. Feeling Zizi kicking occasionally inside my tummy, the relaxed ambience of confident Pristina was rekindling my spirit of adventure.

DID YOU KNOW? Historically, Kosovan society was very patriarchal but that is changing. The Pristina Principles of 2012 were drafted by world leaders to establish female equality across politics, economics and justice. The summit was hosted by Atifete Jahjaga, the sitting female President of Kosovo. Formerly head of the police, upon election to office as the first non-partisan candidate, she became Kosovo’s first female President plus the world’s youngest female elected head of state. This shows modern Kosovo can be progressive on women’s rights.

Some Great Family Kosovo Highlights

Kosovo Highlights #1: Pristina was an evolving city, helping to re-build post-war Kosovo’s economy. There were still reminders of the war, scarred on many buildings. These scars contrasted with a wider air of confidence in the city.

Kosovo Highlights #2: The cultural heart of Kosovo is Prizren’s old town. Whilst many buildings were crumbling, people-watching around the bridge and river offered an intriguing glimpse into the Kosovan culture.

Kosovo Highlights #3: The marble caves at Gadime were great fun with toddler H. He had never been into a cave system and was enthralled by the white stalagmites and stalactites.

Kosovo Highlights #4: The region is famous for monasteries and Vesoki Decani is definitely worth visiting. Not only is the monastery picturesque and containing historic frescoes, but the military guarded approach is an experience in itself!

Kosovo with kids travel tips

• Be careful when driving and keep to the speed limits. Whilst they may seem overly slow at times, this is because the quality of the roads can change quickly. A kindly policeman explained this to Rhino after pulling us over for speeding (no fine!).
• Kosovo has an interesting but unfortunate recent past around the Balkan war. So, to meet the locals and learn more use the kids as an ice-breaker. The Kosovans were extremely friendly to our toddler H.
• Kosovo is a small country and all of the sights can be visited from a single location. Consider hiring a car to take a day trip or two out to other places like Gadime caves.

Finding this interesting? Need a guidebook? We used this guidebook throughout our Kosovo holiday, which included the Kosovo highlights above.  If you are thinking about a Kosovo holiday then CLICK THROUGH to purchase (note – I am an Amazon affiliate member and will receive a small commission if you do buy, but it won’t cost you any extra. Thanks!)

Our day by day Kosovo itinerary

In a week’s holiday from the UK, we visited Kosovo and Macedonia. We flew into Pristina and out of Skopje with an extra stop at Lake Ohrid in the middle. The itinerary below covers both Kosovo and Macedonia, and includes the Kosovo highlights described above.

Accommodation Type/s: We stayed in 2 bedroom apartments in Pristina, Ohrid and Skopje, all organised through booking.com

Transport used: Our holiday was a road-trip and we hired a car at Pristina airport, dropping it off at Skopje airport.

Day 1: We spent the day in Pristina, starting at pedestrianised Bill Clinton Boulevard. Much of the morning was spent here, watching the street scenes cafe hopping and chatting with locals. After lunch, we explored the city more widely but mainly by wandering aimlessly without fixed destinations – this felt the right approach as we wanted to absorb as much of Pristina’s vibes as we could.

Day 2: In the morning we drove to Prizren, the cultural heartbeat of Kosovo. I loved meandering through the hilly backstreets of the old town. Around one corner would be historic mosques, around the next would be crumbling buildings or children playing in the street. After lunch near the picturesque bridge, we drove through the rain to the Vesoki Decani monastery. It’s a heavily guarded by NATO due to a turbulent past and approaching the blockade is daunting. But once you get through, Vesoki Decani monastery is a tranquil delight and one of the monks stopped to give H some chocolate.

Day 3: We left Pristina and drove to South to Lake Ohrid. The highlight on the way was the marble cave complex at Gadime. A bit of a struggle to find, but once we were in the lovely, patient guide showed us spectacular white tunnels and marble formations. On to Lake Ohrid where we had our first seafood of the holiday.

Day 4: A day around Lake Ohrid, mainly in the old town. We walked up to the amphitheatre and along to see views of the spectacularly architected Church of St John at Kaneo. Afterwards, we continued our walk around the lake where I had one of my most enjoyable ever lunches. The seafood was excellent but it was the views over the deep blue lake that took my breath away.

Day 5: Albania was only a few miles away and it was too much to resist. Rhino drove us clockwise around the lake with a few stops. First up was the Bay of Bones museum where prehistoric ancestors lived in a stilted village on top of Lake Ohrid. Unexpected! Next was the gorgeously located Sveti Naum monastery with an abundance of peacocks to admire (although a bit scary for toddler H at times). We dined on the lake in the Albanian town of Pogradec before driving back to Ohrid.

Day 6: On our way to Skopje, we stopped at Treskavec Monastery. It’s very remote and perhaps not worth the drive for the decrepit building, which was pretty unsafe for toddler H. But the panoramic views were sensational! We had dinner in Skopje and noticed a statue or two straight away…

Day 7: An incredible day in Skopje. I was blown away by Skopje and would certainly recommend a visit. It’s a slightly bizarre city with huge contrasts of old and new. Plus the ‘new’ is designed to look old. Basically, millions have been spent renovating the city and a lot of the architecture is borrowed from other styles and geographies. Much of it is Greco-Roman and this means a LOT of statues. To get the most of the city, including the Old Bazaar (definitely worth a visit), take a walking tour. We did and found it absolutely fascinating.

Day 8: Our final day before flying home from Skopje airport. We managed to squeeze in a trip to Skopje zoo. Nothing exceptional to mention… Except that the zoo sold cheesy puffs to feed to the animals… Weird!! And, I’m guessing, not good for the animals so we resisted.

“Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.” Atifete Jahjaga

Comments Welcome! Help other families have a great time in Kosovo.

Welcome to the World for a Girl community. Please share your own ideas and thoughts about Kosovo family travel. Do you agree with our Kosovo highlights or do you have others to add? Did you do a similar Kosovo itinerary or could you recommend an alternative one? What tips do you have for other Kosovo family travel?