Heading to Kosovo? | Things to consider
Where is Kosovo?
Kosovo is located in Southeastern Europe. To the north and east, it borders Serbia, to south Macedonia, to west Albania, and to northwest Montenegro.
The country declared its independence on 17 February 2008 and is recognized by 114 countries until now.
The total area of the country is 10.908 square kilometers, and the total population (2016 est.) is 1,782,000.
The capital city is Pristina (Prishtina in the Albanian language).
What are the languages spoken in Kosovo?
There are two official languages: Albanian and Serbian. Other languages, such as Turkish, Roma, and Bosnian, are official at the municipal level if the municipality has more than 10% citizens of that community. Moreover, most of the Kosovo citizens speak other languages such as English and German, so language won’t be an issue.
What is Kosovo’s currency?
The newest European country is not part of the EU nor EuroZone; however, Euro is the official currency since its launching. In case you need to exchange money, you can do this at banks or exchange offices.
What not to forget when planning a visit to Kosovo?
If you’re thinking of visiting Serbia AFTER Kosovo, you might want to reconsider that. Serbia doesn’t allow anyone with a Kosovo stamp in their passport to enter through its crossing points with Kosovo (as it doesn’t recognize the country). Therefore, you can go through Macedonia (Kumanovo), or through Montenegro.
What are the MUST SEE-s in Kosovo?
You have probably heard of Prizren as all tourists go there when visiting the country, which is understandable considering Prizren is an old and beautiful city. It is also the city with most of the pictures you see when Google-ing Kosovo cities (alongside with Prishtina).
However, other MUSTs include visiting the NewBorn monument, which was erected in honor of the independence from Serbia (2008) and it is located in front of the Palace of Youth and Sports. NewBorn changes its theme and colors depending on the “hot topic” of the momentum. This year (2017) NewBorn depicts the message of No Walls, referring both to Trump’s wall and to Mitrovica’s wall.
Other MUST visit is the city of Gjakova. The small cafes at Çarshia are a perfect place to spend some time. On a sunny day, these little cafes are great for meeting friends over for a drink, or just having your best friend with you, a book, and relaxing in the sunshine. The colorful places give you a harmonious and welcoming feeling and it feels like you can’t leave the place.
Kosovo is famous for its mountains, and more so for its ski resort in Brezovica. Winter season gets so busy up there and the queue sometimes is so long that people walk to the top. This winter was so crowded and it will get more and more each day as Brezovica becomes a place to go for more people.
Hey, if you’re not a “winter” type, like I am not, you can go there in spring, or summer, or autumn. It’s good at any season. The view is beautiful and the mountains are so inviting. Don’t you believe me? Check out this picture I took when I visited last summer.
Where to stay in Kosovo?
There are many options to book accommodation. I usually use Booking when traveling and I recommend you to do the same.
25 Comments
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Great post on Kosovo especially on the tip on visiting Serbia after Kosovo. I’m sure a lot of travelers will find this very helpful when planning their trip. I’ve heard a little bit about Kosovo and reading this definitely has heightened my curiosity. 🙂
Thanks, Marvi.
It is great to get to know more about Kosovo from a local. I want to visit as many countries in Europe as possible. Therefore, I wish I can visit Kosovo one day. I know there are areas that are popular but I would like to stop by less visited areas.
Hey Ruth,
Sometimes the less popular areas are even greater. That’s what I discovered also in my last visit to Jordan. When in Petra, I discovered also a desert called Wadi Araba which is only 40minutes away and was mindblowing.
This is such a great go-to guide on a country I’d never have thought to visit before, love this article! Thanks for sharing your must-do activities, I especially love the outdoor NewBorn installation. And who can resist those stunning mountains?!
Hey Suzy,
Thank you. Yes, Kosovo has a lot to offer. I’m slowly putting more info about other places too. Keep an eye on it.
Kosovo is not a European destination that’s been on my radar. I’d love to give it a chance!
Hey Victoria,
Let me know when you plan to visit 🙂
I am a brown immigrant in USA and so I loved seeing the NewBorn monument and it’s theme. In an extremely divided world, art gives me hope for a better humanity.
Hey Paroma. Yeah, art is a good way to raise your voice against injustices.
These are very interesting facts! I had no idea about the euro and inability to go to Serbia with the Kosovo stamp. I also think the languages used are very cool as they’re so diverse. Kosovo is definitely not at the top of many’s bucket list, but keep promoting it!! 🙂
Thanks, Selam.
Please check out my other posts and maybe you change your mind and put Kosovo at the top 😉
This is such a great post. Very detailed! You have hit the nail on the head with most of the points and the border point with Serbia, I would never have known that if it wasn’t for this post!
Thank you Louise. Yeah, the border point is one of the most discussed/asked about at various travelers forums.
I love all of your photos! They really help you see the culture of the place! Thank you!!
Thank you, Sarah!
Love this post — I’ve been considering doing an Albania/Kosovo/Serbia trip, but have been unsure about approaching it. Can you cross the border into Kosovo from Serbia if you go to Serbia first?
The Newborn monument is so interesting — it led to some research for me on Mitrovica, I had no idea Serbia was trying to build a wall at the bridge.
Thanks for such an informative post and for getting my brain working!
You can come to Kosovo from Serbia without any issue 🙂
Never heard of Kosovo. Thanks for posting. Crazy about Serbia and the pasport stamp. Wow!
Thank you, Sujenne. Yeah, hopefully, the matters with Serbia will solve someday soon!
Wow..loving place. I have never heard of Kosovo before. I wouldn’t mind visiting prizren and the newborn monument.
Thank you, Mariam. You should definitely visit Kosovo.