I get the impression that some people think that there is nothing to see or do in Pristina, but that is absolutely untrue, which is why I am writing this now. I visited for work and by the end of the five day trip I really regretted not extending my visit and taking a holiday there.
Perhaps as a result of the underservedly low tourist numbers, not everything is listed on Google Maps, or in the guidebooks (which are only likely to have a couple of pages on Pristina). Below is my own Google Map; I placed quite a few of these markers myself using the pindrop feature either before I went (using Google Street View or photos of other things with identifiable landmarks) or after I got back, from memory. I found everything I looked for using this map, but the scale is so small that it is quite easy to walk past things! The sights are organised in this post in geographical order, moving down the pedestrianised Mother Teresa Boulevard, the main street in Pristina. At the end is a list of sights 1-2hours away.
Key: blue, I have been to this location myself - purple, I haven't been there but I'm pretty sure X is here based on my research - orange, I have eaten/had drinks here.
As far as sights go, Pristina has more to offer rhan meets the eye. To fully understand the city, I recommend reading about it's history and famous inhabitants before you go; to help with this I've provided links with more information about those with statues, monuments or graffiti about them.
You should also enjoy their wonderful macchiato coffee and truly excellent food, but most other guides seem to cover that stuff!
Sights
- The ethnographic museum is meant to be really good when you're shown around. Unfortunately when I arrived one lunchtime there was no one to give me a tour; there's no written information anywhere so I didn't really know what I was looking at, though the upstairs in particular was very beautiful. To find the museum, go to what looks like the entrance, and keep wandering through a little courtyard until the end of the enclosure where you will see a small white house.
- Fatih Mosque was decorated to look like the Blue Mosque in Istanbul (this was apparently paid for by the Turkish government). You can go inside this mosque, but if you're a woman you'll have to go and look at it from the gallery upstairs - don't forget your headscarf!
- There is an interesting clock tower here, too. Next to the clock tower, Jashar Pasha's Mosque is also worth a quick look outside, as it has lovely wooden pannelling (I didn't go inside)
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| Ethnographic museum |
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| Fatih Mosque |
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| Clock tower |
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| Jashar Pasha's Mosque |
- The Monument of Brotherhood and Unity was created many decades ago to honour the people who fought against the fascists in WW2, under the aegis of Communist Tito's 'brotherhood and unity' philosophy. It's history as a monument is rather interesting (since around 2010 there have been discussions about taking it down or relocating it), and you can read more about it here.
- Near the monument is the Kosova Republike graffiti that I had seen so many times during my reading for this trip. On the same wall is the phrase 'Ku është Ukshin Hoti?' which means 'Where is Ukshin Hoti?'. A Kosovar Albanian scholar of law and philosophy, as well as an activist, Hoti was detained many times during the early 1990s, and just as he was released in May 1999, he disappeared. This phrase, along with his image, can be seen on many of the walls in Pristina, acting as a reminder that people are still affected by the war today.
- The Kosovo Museum seems to be closed by all accounts on Tripadvisor. I walked past it on the way to Fatih Mosque and couldn't see anyone inside, and it didn't look open at all. No idea when it's set to re-open!
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| Monument of Brotherhood and Unity |
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| An interesting statue at the foot of the monument |
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| Kosova Republike graffiti |
- Pristina
also has several interesting statues of people who were important to
its past. Former president Ibrahim Rugova stands watchfully over Mother
Teresa Boulevard. A large poster bearing Rugova's image also adorns the
main 'square' a bit further down (have a look, you can't miss it). A fascinating man, determined to practice peaceful methods of resistance and making a political comeback after he fell out of favour with the people, I recommend reading the obituary written for him by the Guardian newspaper.
- Next to the Rugova statue is a giant yellow Lego block, which represents Kosovo as the missing piece of Europe.
Scanderberg (an Albanian national hero) sits 50 metres away from Rugova, on his horse, overlooking a nice fountain, which is particularly lovely at night when it's lit up.
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| Ibrahim Rugova statue |
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| Lego near Rugova |
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| Scanderberg statue |
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| Fountain near Scanderberg statue |
- Independence House (which I didn't get to) is a small museum dedicated to Kosovar independence near the City Stadium. It is the former home of Ibrahim Rugova and contains a copy of the constitution.
- There is apparently a statue of Mother Teresa on Mother Teresa Boulevard, but I didn't see it (I've marked where I think it is using Google Street View).
- Varrezat e Dëshmorëve is also known as the Martyr's Monument, and it commemorates those who died in the recent conflict. Read more (and see pictures) on the Anjci All Over blog.
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| Election time in Pristina |
- Zahir Pajaziti,
the first commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army is memorialised with a
statue in the heart of Pristina, opposite the Grand Hotel.
- Sort of opposite the Zahir Pajaziti statue is a huge piece of graffiti, of a yellow smiling cat above a Mexican restaurant, named M Chat, or Monsieur Chat, appearing in many cities across the world. Visible from the fountains beside the cat is another huge piece of graffiti (you can't see it from the main square). More about the street art scene in Pristina can be found here.
- Professor Fehmi Agani,
'a highly respected political thinker and strategist, an astute
negotiator, and a voice of conciliation in an intensely faction-ridden
environment', has a statue in the garden of the Philosophy department
(openly accessible, just across the road from Mother Teresa Cathedral).
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| Zahir Pajaziti statue |
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| Cat graffiti above a Mexican restaurant |
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| Graffiti near the cat |
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| Fehmi Agani statue |
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| Newborn monument |
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| Palace of Youth and Sports |
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| Heroinat Monument to women |
- The Kosovo National Library is an interesting building - I actually quite like it, but lots of people think it's ugly (like my favourite taxi driver, Toni). You can also go inside, which looks very pretty, but I didn't have time - this post on Concrete and Kitsch has a few pictures, and this post from Bibliotqeue Bound is also interesting.
- Next to this is the unfinished Christ the Saviour Cathedral. It's a 'relic of the turbulent 90s', started as a Serbian Orthodox church, and now there are calls to pull it down.
- You can get a great view of both from the tower of the beautiful Mother Teresa Cathedral. I can't easily find the opening times online and forgot to ask, but it was still open at around 6pm when I visited. It costs 1Euro to take the lift to the top, just go to the bottom of the tower and pay the person just inside/outside the door. The inside of the Cathedral is pretty, too.
- A bit more of a walk away is the famous Bill Clinton statue with the massive hands, but I only saw that from the road as I was staying at the opposite end of town.
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| The National Library |
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| Christ the Saviour Cathedral |
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| View from Mother Teresa Cathedral tower |
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| Mother Teresa Cathedral |
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| Inside the Cathedral |
Near Pristina: Gračanica monastery (pronounced grat-chan-itsa, I think)
This beautiful monastery is about 10km from Pristina and is well worth a visit - we spent about an hour there. I wasn't too sure what to expect given that there isn't a huge amount of practical information about visiting, but it was all very easy. Just go straight in through one of the wooden doors, and walk into the monastery - they expect visitors (they have had about 30,000!) and there was a guide there who approached us when we got inside, giving valuable commentary. We arrived a little before 6pm and at 6 was the call to prayer, performed by a nun, who walked around the grounds tapping a large plank of wood with a hammer. The monastery is open 6am to 7pm, and I get the impresssion that you could arrive at any time. There is a gift shop which sells religious artefacts and cute fridge magnets with a hand-painted picture of the monastery on them for 3.5Euros. Take a taxi, which should be about 7Euros one way. Some people say that you need to take your passport to gain entry; we weren't asked to show ours, but take yours anyway, as it's better safe than sorry!
Bonus: If you go to Gračanica monastery there is an archaeological site not far away, called Ulpiana. Sadly I didn't have time to go, but I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to get there if you download an offline Google map (and keep a keen eye out for the entrance), or get a taxi straight there from Pristina. Read some Tripadvisor reviews here.
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| Gracanica Monastery |
Getting to Skopje, Macedonia
You can read about this on my other page - it takes 2hours and is very easy.
Things near-ish Pristina that I didn't get to see (1-2hours drive away):
Taxis are cheap in Pristina, so Gracanica, the bear sanctuary and Germia Park would be easy, though you might be able to negotiate a good rate to go elsewhere. Some of the other places are apparently accessible by bus for about 5Euros one way, with relatively regular timetables though no one seems to want to put these online (not so good for me, as a non-spontaneous person).
- Pristina bear sanctuary
- apparently restaurants used to keep bears in cages until 2010.
Charity Four Paws rescued these bears and the government gave them 16 hectares of
land to roam around, which can be visited (30minutes)
- Dečani Monastery (2hours)
- Germia Park (the G is a hard G, as in 'grand' - 10m)
- Mitrovice, a town divided in two (read more about it in this blogpost, in which the author does an interesting job of discussing their visit to places that have been affected by conflict - 1h)
- Novo Brdo fortress (1h)
- Patriarchate of Peć, Peja (1h 45m away)
- Prizren, described as the most beautiful place in Kosovo (1h 15m)
- Rugova Valley (1h 45m)
