Kosovo is one of the smallest countries in Europe, and because of that, the travelers who do find themselves venturing to this underrated Balkan gem typically head to the same places. Of those, the most common are Pristina, the capital and largest city, and Prizren, the 2nd-largest city.
But Pristina and Prizren have much different vibes, particularly in the touristic spots. It’s important to get an understanding of what each city will offer so you can set expectations accordingly.
I spent two days in Pristina and two in Prizren during my recent trip to Kosovo. If you have sufficient time to include both in your trip to Kosovo, I’d do so. But if you’re wondering which to prioritize, keep reading as I’ll grade each city in different categories and try to help you with your decision.
Things to See and Do
Neither Pristina nor Prizren are cities that are meant for checking attractions off a list. They’re instead best experienced through spontaneity and simply blending in with the locals. I didn’t really have an agenda for either city.
Still, there are a handful of places you should see in both cities.
Pristina
The places you should prioritize seeing during a visit to Pristina are:
- NEWBORN Monument
- Mother Teresa Boulevard
- Mother Teresa Cathedral
- National Library of Kosovo
- Skanderbeg Statue
- Heroinat Memorial
Pristina has a few spots well outside of the city center that are very much worth visiting. Pristina Mall is the largest in the Balkans. I spent half a day there and bought a ton of affordable clothes. The mall is stunning.
Pristina Bear Sanctuary is where you’ll find bears that were rescued from being kept on display at restaurants. You can get guided tours for 5 Euro. Germia Park is a huge city park about 15 minutes from the city center with great walking trails, a huge swimming pool, basketball courts, and more.
Rating: 3/5
Prizren
The Prizren bazaar and its stone houses are beautiful, and the city has loads of history, but the sheer number of iconic landmarks is a bit limited.
However, those few can’t-miss places when visiting Prizren are more traditionally gorgeous and photogenic than Pristina. Those spots include:
- Prizren Fortress
- Old Stone Bridge
- Sinan Pasha Mosque
It’s also worth visiting the Albanian League of Prizren Museum, where the League of Prizren was founded in 1878, an important moment in the history of Albanian nationalism.
The Sharr Mountains on the doorstep of Prizren have some fantastic hikes. You can also go ziplining, mountain biking, and ride ATVs. However, these are more dedicated activities, and I’ll talk about them more in the “outdoors” section.
Rating: 3/5
History & Culture
I don’t think there’s a clear winner here, because it depends what you’re after. One city is best to immerse yourself in Kosovo’s tumultuous recent history with Serbia, while the other is the best to get a sense of a much more distant past, dating back centuries.
Pristina
Pristina is the cultural and political heart of modern Kosovo. I’d confidently give it the nod over Prizren if you care most about the recent history of Kosovo’s fight for independence. You’ll find monuments commemorating that turbulent recent history all over the city, including the NEWBORN Monument, which was unveiled when Kosovo declared independence in 2008.
The city also has important religious and cultural landmarks, including the National Library, Mother Teresa Cathedral, and the Imperial Mosque.
Pristina doesn’t have the preserved historic center that Prizren does, but it gives you a much better understanding of modern Kosovo and what the country has become since the Kosovo War and declaration of independence.
Rating: 4/5
Prizren
Prizren has arguably the richest history of any city in Kosovo. The old town is the country’s most famous, and for good reason. Nowhere else in Kosovo can you get a sense of the distant past like you can in Prizren. The bazaar remains filled with Ottoman-era buildings, famous mosques, stone bridges, and traditional stone houses. You can see layers of the city’s history simply by walking around.
The Albanian League of Prizren Museum is also worth visiting. The museum is housed in the complex where the League of Prizren was founded in 1878, an important moment in the history of Albanian nationalism.
Rating: 4/5
Safety
Kosovo is one of the safest countries in the world. You should feel completely safe in both Pristina and Prizren. Even petty crime like pickpocketing is essentially nonexistent, and studies have shown that the overwhelming percentage of the population says they feel very safe walking alone at night. With that said, both cities get a perfect score for safety.
Rating: 5/5 for both
Food
Albanian cuisine surprised me. While it was generally meat-heavy as expected, there was enough diversity to keep me happy for the duration of my two-week trip.
There’s a clear winner for me when it comes to food between these two cities, though
Pristina
As the capital city and by far the largest city in Kosovo, Pristina takes the cake as having a better restaurant scene. There’s simply more variety, especially as it comes to more upscale places and international cuisine.
Some of the best restaurants in Pristina include Tiffany, Shpija e Vjeter, Liburnia, and SALT.
Rating: 4/5
Prizren
If you’re in Prizren for two or three days, there will be enough quality restaurants to keep you satisfied. My favorite was Hani iVjeter, which was honestly better than anywhere I ate in Pristina. It’s a family-run Albanian restaurant with a traditional, inviting interior, great service, and most importantly, great food.
I had some good burek as a snack at Burek Sarajeva. Te Syla was another good spot and a local favorite.
Rating: 3/5
Nature & Outdoor Activities
There’s a clear winner when it comes to which city is better for adventurers.
Pristina
Though Kosovo is generally a very mountainous country, Pristina doesn’t have the same access to adventure that Prizren can claim.
Pristina does have a small set of mountains (that are more like hills) directly east of the city. Germia Park and Pristina Bear Sanctuary are two spots located in this area, so if you want to escape the concrete jungle, those are two good spots to do so.
However, Pristina doesn’t have any epic hikes or thrilling adventures within an hour of the city. For that, you have to go the Sharr Mountains next to Prizren or the Rugova Mountains next to Peja.
Rating: 2/5
Prizren
As mentioned, Prizren sits at the base of the Sharr Mountains. This range divides Kosovo from North Macedonia, and is home to a few beautiful glacial lakes and rugged peaks. I did a full day hike to Jazhince Lake and it was breathtaking.
There are some fantastic hikes that you can start within 15 to 45 minutes of the Prizren center. You can even start a nice hike right from the bazaar if you head up to the Prizren Fortress and just keep going past the fortress.
I spent a morning riding ATVs up in the mountains and had a blast. There’s also a zipline a 10-minute drive from the Prizren center, and plenty of mountain biking trails as well.
Given this, Prizren is one of the best cities in the Balkans to use as a base for hiking and other outdoor adventures.
Rating: 5/5
Getting Around
I’m not going to lie, Pristina and Prizren as a whole aren’t the most walkable cities in Europe.
Pristina
You definitely don’t need a car to see the main sights of Pristina. Public transportation is mediocre, but it’s easier to just get around by foot.
With that said, Pristina’s attractions are a bit spread out. The NEWBORN Monument, Mother Teresa Cathedral, and National Library of Kosovo are generally central, but you’ll still be doing some decent walking. Germia Park and the Bear Sanctuary are a taxi ride away, as is Pristina Mall.
You’ll have sidewalks everywhere, but the infrastructure isn’t amazing. I was walking through active construction sites on a couple occasions! I personally didn’t really mind that as I embraced the chaos and grittiness.
Rating: 3/5
Prizren
Not only is Prizren smaller than Pristina, but the old bazaar is generally the only area tourists occupy. The bazaar is pedestrian-only and not too big, so getting around by foot is super easy.
If you want to explore the newer parts of Prizren that aren’t quite as polished, getting around will require more walking, a taxi, or a car. The same goes for exploring the mountains behind the city.
Rating: 4/5
Nightlife
If you’re coming to Kosovo expecting wild Balkan nightlife, you’re honestly probably going to be a little disappointed. Neither Pristina nor Prizren is a party destination, but both have enough going on and offer so much hospitality that you’re bound to have a fun night.
Pristina
Pristina has the better nightlife scene of the two cities if you’re looking for trendy bars, cafes, and fine dining restaurants.
There are also plenty of bars around the city center, and the atmosphere can get pretty vibrant.
However, don’t expect massive clubs or an all-night party scene. Pristina’s nightlife is much more about socializing casually than going crazy until 4 a.m. Plus, Pristina’s bars actually shut down and stop serving alcohol at midnight as part of a recent effort to reduce noise in the early hours. So if you do want to have a late night, you only have a couple of nightclubs to choose from.
Rating: 3/5
Prizren
Prizren has a much more relaxed nightlife scene. The main place to be is around Shadërvan Square and the old bazaar, where you’ll find plenty of cafes, restaurants, and bars packed into a relatively small area.
It’s a great place to grab a beer or cocktail and sit outside while watching people wander through the old town. The setting definitely makes the experience more enjoyable than your average night out in Pristina.
But if you’re looking for clubs or a big nightlife scene, Prizren probably isn’t the place for you.
Rating: 3/5
Instagram-Worthy
Alright, this category might be pointless to some, but there is significant enough of a difference that I think it warrants a mention.
Pristina
Pristina isn’t particularly beautiful in the truest sense. It’s a gritty, developing capital city with plenty of concrete, construction, and still Soviet-era architecture. Its infrastructure quickly improving and it’s come such a long way in just 20-25 years, but it lacks any real “old town” or prototypical European “charm”.
There are still a handful of cool spots to photograph. The National Library of Kosovo is probably the most obvious, while the NEWBORN Monument and Mother Teresa Cathedral are also worth checking out.
But Pristina isn’t a city where you’ll constantly be stopping to take pictures of beautiful sights.
Rating: 2/5
Prizren
Prizren is a completely different story thanks to its well-maintained old bazaar. The rows of stone houses, mosques, river, bridges, and mountains all come together to make for some of the most photogenic backdrops in not just Kosovo, but all of Europe in my opinion.
The view from Prizren Fortress is stunning. You get a panoramic view of the entire old town with the Sharr Mountains in the background (I recommend being up there for sunset!). The view of the city from the Old Stone Bridge is another classic and the best spot for that lead photo for your IG dump.
Even just wandering around the streets around Shadërvan Square will give you plenty of opportunities to take pictures.
Rating: 5/5
Day Trips / Base for Exploring
This one is a little more complicated because both cities can work as bases for exploring Kosovo, but in different ways.
Pristina
Pristina is located roughly in the center of Kosovo, which makes it seem like it would be a great base for exploring the country.
The problem is that Kosovo’s public transportation network isn’t exactly the easiest to navigate as a tourist, and many of the country’s best natural attractions aren’t particularly close to Pristina. You can get to other cities easily by bus, but you’ll need to do some planning if you’re going elsewhere.
The best day trips from Pristina include Gračanica Monastery, the Bear Sanctuary, and the Adem Jashari Memorial Complex, but you’ll need to rely on taxis, tours, or a rental car for all of those. You’re not too far from Gjakova (one hour) which might actually be my favorite city in Kosovo.
Rating: 3/5
Prizren
Prizren is a much better base if your idea of exploring Kosovo involves mountains and outdoor activities. The Sharr Mountains are right next door, which means you can spend multiple days exploring them if that’s your thing.
Gjakova is also about one hour from Prizren. You also have Skopje, North Macedonia, just over an hour away if you have a rental car or guide to drive you.
It’s not necessarily the most convenient base for everywhere in Kosovo, but for the southern half of the country, it’s hard to beat. And I’m giving Prizren the nod over Pristina as a home base solely because I’m a big hiker and the mountains are right there.
Rating: 4/5
In-Summary: Pristina vs. Prizren
| Category | Pristina | Prizren |
|---|---|---|
| Getting Around | 3 | 4 |
| Things to See & Do | 3 | 3 |
| Safety | 5 | 5 |
| Nature & Outdoor Activities | 2 | 5 |
| Nightlife | 3 | 3 |
| Instagram-Worthy | 2 | 5 |
| Food | 4 | 3 |
| Day Trips / Base for Exploring | 3 | 4 |
| History & Culture | 4 | 4 |
| Total | 29/45 | 36/45 |
Tallying up the points, Prizren is the winner. However, it makes sense to look at the ratings by category and decide what you prioritize most. If you prefer the “big city” feel and want to go somewhere with trendy bars and restaurants, you may enjoy Pristina more. If you want the charm of an old town and quick access to the outdoors, you should prioritize Pristina.
While Prizren is the more tourist-friendly city thanks to the compact and attractive bazaar, I do still recommend spending a day in Pristina if your itinerary allows you! The hospitality was fantastic, which isn’t always the case for the larger capital cities in Europe. It’s less trendy to visit than Prizren right now, which I noticed walking around the two cities.
Still, you are bound to have a great time no matter where you go in Kosovo. The people are incredibly warm and honest, the scenery is underrated, and you can get a real sense for the country in just one trip since it’s such a small nation.
