Prizren

Understand

thumb|350px|Old town of Prizren

Clinging to the slopes of the lush Sharr Mountains, and divided by the river Lumbardh, Prizren, including its modern suburbs, was home to about 180,000 people in 2011, making it the second largest city in the country, after Pristina, the capital. The majority of the population is ethnic Albanian. Kosovo's Turkish, Bosniak and Gorani community is focused in Prizren as well. As such, the standard bi-lingual street signs in Albanian and Serbian are complemented here by Turkish, which can be freely used particularly in the old town, and with other Albanians. The local Serbs vacated the city in the aftermath of the Kosovo War of 1998–99, when Kosovo was de facto detached from Serbia, with their charred houses standing derelict on the upper streets leading to the fortress.

Prizren is also where the Albanian national awakening began, as the League of Prizren, a political organization for defending the rights of the Albanians, was founded here in 1878.

See

thumb|350px|Shadervan Square thumb|347x347px|Kino Lumbardhi There are other Orthodox churches in Prizren. thumb|341x341px|Prizren Fortress thumb|339x339px|Albanian League of Prizren

Do

thumb|Gazi Mehmet Pasha Hamam|282x282px

Drink

There are plenty of coffee shops, bars, and pubs in the downtown Shadervan.

Sleep

There are a number of places to stay in Prizren.

Room availability may be rather limited in August for the Dokufest film festival.

Go next

Kosovo: Shishtavec – A village in Kukës County in eastern Albania that represents rich unique folklore, endless varieties of customs, traditions, stories, songs, legends and inspiring landscape. Rahovec – Kosovo's wine country Pristina – There are buses every 30 minutes until 19:00. The price is €5 and it is paid on the bus, leaving from the main road out of town. Gjakova – The closest city in Kosovo with the largest Ottoman-era bazaar in the Balkans. €2.50 paid on the bus, leaving from the bus station. 36 km and 45 min away.

Albania: Kukës – A small town in northeastern Albania, last one to the Kosovo border. It is the only town in the world that has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Kukës received this honour in 2000 for receiving hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Kosovo War. Tirana – Albania is generally considered a safe country to visit. The buses stops at the kiosk outside the bus station at 06:30, 7:30, 9:00, 12:30, 13:30, 15:30, 16:00, 17:30 and 23:55. €15 one away, €20 return ticket. Shkodër – There is only one bus that leaves everyday at 10:00 from the bus station, for €15.

North Macedonia: Skopje – Buses leave at 09:00, €10.

Montenegro: Ulcinj – Closer to and during the summer you can also get buses to here.

Turkey: Istanbul – Bus tickets are around 40 to 45€.