Old town
First-timersAlong the Bistrica river: the mosque, the stone bridge, the cafés and most of the beds.
Prizren city guide
Things To Do In Prizren
Kosovo's most beautiful town: Ottoman houses on a river under a fortress, a mosque, an Orthodox church and a Catholic cathedral within a few minutes of each other, and a film festival that takes over the whole place in August.
3
Hostels in the city
9.2
Average, from 583 reviews
1615
The Sinan Pasha Mosque, on the riverbank
1307
The frescoes at Our Lady of Ljevisa, UNESCO-listed
August
Dokufest, when the town becomes a cinema
The prettiest town in the country, and the most layered
Prizren sits where the Sharr mountains meet the plain, with a river running through the middle of it, a stone bridge across, and a fortress on the hill above. It was the capital of the medieval Serbian empire and later an important Ottoman town, and both left a great deal standing.
What makes it unusual is the density of it. Within a short walk you have the Sinan Pasha Mosque of 1615, the Orthodox Church of Our Lady of Ljevisa with frescoes from 1307, a Catholic cathedral, a Turkish bathhouse and a Serbian Orthodox monastery on the slope. Albanian, Turkish, Bosnian and Serbian are all spoken here.
That layering is not uncomplicated. Several Orthodox sites were damaged in riots in 2004 and have been restored under international protection, which is part of the town's recent history rather than a footnote to it.
In August, Dokufest turns the town into an open-air cinema — screens in the fortress, on rooftops and in the river itself.
Two days, and more if you walk into the Sharr.
Where to stay
A small old town along a river, with the fortress above it.
Below the fortress
Views and quietThe slope above the old town: guesthouses on stepped lanes with the valley below.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 3 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Prizren
Walk up to the fortress. Kaljaja sits above the town, it is free, the climb takes about twenty minutes on a stepped path, and the view takes in the whole old town, the river, the minarets and the mountains behind. Go at the end of the day.
The Sinan Pasha Mosque of 1615 dominates the riverbank and is open to visitors outside prayer times — dress modestly and remove shoes.
The Church of Our Lady of Ljevisa is the UNESCO site, with frescoes from 1307. It was damaged in the 2004 riots and restored, and access can depend on the day and on whether a caretaker is present, so ask locally rather than assuming.
The League of Prizren complex, where Albanian nationalists organised in 1878, is a small museum in a walled Ottoman compound for a couple of euros.
The stone bridge, the hammam and the old Ottoman houses along the river are free to walk among, and that walk is really the point of the town.
Free things
Free things to do in Prizren
The fortress is free, including the walls and the view, and it is the best thing in the town.
The old town, the stone bridge and the riverbank are free to walk, and the whole centre is small enough to cover in a morning.
The mosques are free to enter outside prayer times, with modest dress expected.
The Sharr mountains rise directly behind the town, with marked trails starting close to the centre and no fees.
During Dokufest in August, a number of screenings and events are free or very cheap, and the town's transformation into an open-air cinema costs nothing to witness.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Prizren
Cheap, with more Turkish influence than Pristina. A main is €4 to €9.
Grilled meat is the staple — qebapa, sudzuk, pleskavica — with bread, ajvar and salad, and it rarely costs more than €6 or €7.
Turkish influence shows in the sweets: baklava, tulumba and kadaif are everywhere and cost a euro or two.
Flija, the layered pancake, appears here as across Kosovo, usually at weekends.
Coffee is the institution as it is nationwide, at about €1 for a macchiato, and the riverside terraces are where the town spends its afternoons.
A beer is €1.50 to €3, and raki — the local fruit spirit — is strong, often homemade and offered generously.
Nightlife
Going out in Prizren
Quieter than Pristina and centred on the riverbank terraces, which fill from late afternoon and stay busy into the evening.
A beer is €1.50 to €3 and cocktails €4 to €7.
There are a handful of bars in the old town and a small number of later venues, but this is a town of around eighty thousand and the evening is social rather than nocturnal.
August is the exception entirely. Dokufest brings screenings, concerts and parties across the town for about a week, the population swells, and the nights run properly late.
Outside that, the pattern is coffee, then dinner, then a terrace by the river, then bed.
Getting around
Getting around Prizren
The town is small and entirely walkable — the old town, the bridge, the mosques and the foot of the fortress are all within ten minutes of each other.
The fortress climb takes about twenty minutes on a stepped path from the old town.
Buses from Pristina take about ninety minutes and cost around €4, running frequently through the day.
Tirana is about four hours by bus, and Skopje around three, which makes Prizren a reasonable stop on an overland route through the region.
For the Sharr mountains, trailheads are close to town and Brezovica ski resort is about an hour away.
Note the Serbian border situation described in our Pristina guide before planning a route that includes Serbia.
Costs
What Prizren costs
As cheap as anywhere in Europe. Beds are €8 to €20, a main €4 to €9, a coffee €1, and a beer €1.50 to €3.
A day is €20 to €40.
Kosovo uses the euro directly, so these are the prices you pay with no exchange involved.
The fortress, the old town and the mountains are free, and the paid sites cost a couple of euros, so the doing line is almost nothing.
Dokufest in mid-August is the exception: beds book out well ahead and prices rise noticeably for the week.
Carry cash. Cards work in some places but far from all, and small cafés and buses are cash only.
Safety
Staying safe in Prizren
Prizren is a safe town and visitors are treated well.
The religious sites need a little awareness rather than caution. Several Orthodox churches and monasteries in Kosovo were damaged during rioting in 2004 and some remain under international protection, with restricted or supervised access. Ask locally about opening arrangements rather than assuming, dress modestly at all religious sites, and photograph the buildings rather than worshippers.
The fortress path is steep, uneven and unlit, and the ruins at the top have unfenced drops. It is a daylight walk.
In the Sharr mountains, stay on marked trails. Some remote border areas of Kosovo remain flagged for unexploded ordnance left from 1999, and while the hiking routes around Prizren are cleared, wandering off them is not sensible.
Raki is frequently homemade and much stronger than it tastes, and refusing hospitality is difficult. Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Prizren
Mountains, monasteries and an Ottoman bazaar.
Sharr mountains
Marked trails, alpine meadows and Brezovica ski resort, with a national park on the Macedonian border.
Gjakova
A restored Ottoman bazaar, among the largest in the Balkans, rebuilt after being burned in 1999.
Peja and Rugova
The UNESCO-listed Patriarchate of Pec and a gorge with via ferrata and hiking behind the town.
Pristina
The capital, and easy in either direction.
What's on
What is on while you are there
A film festival that screens in the river and on the fortress.
Mid-August
Dokufest
Citywide
A documentary and short film festival with open-air screens in the fortress, on rooftops and in the river itself. The biggest cultural event in Kosovo, and beds book out well ahead.
December to March
Ski season
Brezovica, an hour away
Kosovo's main ski resort in the Sharr mountains, cheap by European standards.
May to October
Hiking season
Sharr mountains
When the trails above the town and along the Macedonian border are clear.
17 February
Independence Day
Countrywide
The anniversary of the 2008 declaration, marked across Kosovo.
April to October
Riverside season
The Bistrica
When the terraces along the river are open and the town lives outdoors.
Hostels
Where to stay in Prizren
A small scene of guesthouses and hostels in the old town, which fills completely during Dokufest. Live from Hostelworld.
When to go
April to June and September to October. August is Dokufest and the town fills.
Jan
Cold. Skiing at Brezovica an hour away
Feb
Cold and very quiet
Mar
Improving. Riverside terraces reopening
Apr
Excellent. Warm, green and quiet
May
Very good. Mountains accessible and town pleasant
Jun
The best month. Long evenings on the river
Jul
Hot. Little shade in the old town at midday
Aug
Dokufest mid-month. Hot, full and the best time to be here
Sep
Superb. Heat breaking and crowds gone
Oct
Excellent value. Autumn in the Sharr
Nov
Cooling and wetter. Very quiet
Dec
Cold. Ski season starting in the mountains
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. Prizren sits lower and warmer than Pristina, and the old town holds heat at midday in July and August — the riverside and the fortress are cooler than the streets between them.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros — which is what Kosovo uses.
Kosovo uses the euro directly, so these are the prices you will actually pay. Dokufest week in August runs well above them.
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- Beds—
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- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Prizren travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
What is Dokufest?
A documentary and short film festival held in mid-August, with open-air screens set up in the fortress, on rooftops and in the river itself. It is the biggest cultural event in Kosovo, the town fills completely, and beds book out well in advance at higher prices.
Can I visit the Orthodox churches?
Usually, but ask locally rather than assuming. Several Orthodox sites in Kosovo were damaged during rioting in 2004 and some remain under international protection with supervised or restricted access. Our Lady of Ljevisa, the UNESCO-listed one with frescoes from 1307, may depend on a caretaker being present. Decani monastery, an hour away, requires a passport at the gate.
Is the fortress worth the climb?
Yes, and it is free. About twenty minutes up a stepped path from the old town, with the whole town, the river, the minarets and the Sharr mountains laid out below. Go towards the end of the day. The path is steep and unlit, so do not leave the descent until after dark.
How does it compare to Pristina?
Prizren is the prettier half of Kosovo and Pristina is the more interesting one. Prizren has the Ottoman old town, the fortress and the mountains; Pristina has the energy, the architecture and the politics. They are ninety minutes apart and you should do both.
How cheap is it?
As cheap as anywhere in Europe. Beds €8 to €20, a main €4 to €9, a coffee €1, a beer €1.50 to €3, and a day around €20 to €40. Kosovo uses the euro directly so there is no exchange involved.
Do I need cash?
Yes. Cards work in some places but far from all, and small cafés, buses and many guesthouses are cash only. There are ATMs in town.
What about travelling on to Serbia?
Read the border situation carefully before planning it. Serbia does not recognise Kosovo's independence and entering Kosovo from a third country can result in being refused entry to Serbia afterwards. Check your own foreign ministry's current guidance before routing a trip that includes both.
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