How to plan a weekend in southern Kosovo, where Europe's newest adventure scene is blossoming

A youthful energy pervades Kosovo. Europe’s youngest country is also home to the region’s youngest population, with 55% under 30. In the 20 years since the Kosovo War of 1998 to 1999, which culminated in the nation’s 2008 declaration of independence, Ottoman-era villages have been rebuilt, Byzantine fortresses have been restored and nature tourism has taken off, with activities centred in the mountain ranges Kosovo shares with its Balkan neighbours. 

Prizren, the country’s cultural centre during the period of Ottoman rule (1455 to 1912), remains Kosovo’s most charming city. A 90-minute drive north, smaller Peja’s appeal lies in its location at the foot of the Rugova Canyon. Carved over millennia by a retreating glacier, the gorge has been central to the city’s rebirth as an adventure hub. These contrasting cities offer a well-rounded taste of the country — one of Europe’s only Muslim-majority nations — within easy reach of the capital, Pristina. Euros stretch further here than just about anywhere else in Europe, and while Kosovo’s tourism infrastructure is still developing, a reliable bus network makes getting around a breeze. 

Day 1: Culture & cuisine in Prizren

Morning
Prizren is home to an intriguing clutch of museums overlooking its namesake river’s undulating northern bank. Begin at the Archaeology Museum, home to hundreds of artefacts unearthed in and around the city. The collection is housed in a 15th-century former Ottoman bathhouse, set beneath a clocktower dating from 1912. Climb its 100-odd stairs for sweeping views over the Old Town before moving on to the Ethnographical Museum on Bujar Godeni Street. Set in one of the city’s few remaining Ottoman era homes, its eclectic displays of clothing, furniture and curios offer a window into 19th-century Prizren, then ablaze with radical ideas. For further insight, pay a visit to the Complex of the Albanian League of Prizren, the site of a 1878 assembly that saw local leaders first propose a united Albanian state that would have included what is now Kosovo.

Afternoon
Cross the 16th-century stone bridge spanning the river and tuck into a traditional lunch at Ambient, a restaurant with tables spread along the waterfront. Work off your tava(a casserole-style dish cooked in a clay pot) with a short but steep hike up past the Old Town’s lofty hillside church to Prizren Fortress. Originally built by the Byzantines and expanded by a succession of Serbian kings and Ottoman rulers, the fortress site has been in use since the Bronze Age. Damaged during the Yugoslav Wars, the fortification has since undergone a major restoration, offering a glimpse of its former glory. Don’t miss the main building’s displays of Neolithic pottery and Ottoman-era relics, and be sure to time your visit for sunset, when the city below takes on a golden hue. The fortress occasionally hosts concerts in the summer months.

Evening
Prizren’s Old Town cafes swell as evening falls. Most of the locals stick to coffee and cigarettes (macchiatos are a popular choice), although traditional food and booze is also served. Try the wine; the vineyards of Rahovec, Kosovo’s main wine-producing region, are just 19 miles away. For a break from the meat-heavy dishes that dominate most local menus, seek out Noja Kuzhine. A homely vegetarian restaurant run by a welcoming grandma and her small team, its daily menu could include anything from a delicately spiced falafel wrap to a generous plate of pasta made with local cheese and dill. Turn in at the timber-framed Hotel Prizreni, a chalet-style property in the heart of the Old Town. For views onto cobblestone streets and the gushing river, upgrade to a balcony room.

Day 2: History & nature in Peja

Morning
Rise early and make for the city of Peja, in the mountainous Rugova region. Its Old Bazaar, which was razed to the ground during the Kosovo War, has since been rebuilt and is worth a look. Follow your nose to the Saturday cheese market in the nearby marketplace before visiting the Museum of Peja, which is set in the restored former home of a merchant. Inside, artfully reconstructed rooms transport visitors to bygone eras. On the ground floor, displays of shimmering ceramics, local textiles and everyday items like coffee grinders and cooking pots give an intimate insight into the region. A 10-minute walk west from here, the Art Design restaurant straddles a gurgling mountain stream, making for a relaxing lunch stop. Traditional bites include meaty stuffed peppers known as speca dollma.  

Afternoon
Seven miles north of Peja, the White Drin Waterfall plunges 82ft from the tip of a rocky outcrop on a mossy mountain gorge. From the modern resort at its base, follow a paved pathway through a forest to the foot of the falls, then up a steep flight of stairs to its gushing brink. On your way home, stop off in the nearby village of Radavc to peek inside Bërdynaj Mill. Thought to have been built over 300 years ago, the stone flour mill has been owned by the same family since 1925 and still relies on the river to power its hulking millstone. Back in Peja, pick up a cultural trail map from the tourist information centre opposite Hotel Dukagjini and stroll the town in search of historical relics, from a crumbling former hammam to the 16th-century Kursumli Mosque, one of the oldest buildings in the city. 

Evening
Wind down with drinks at any of the convivial bars on William Walker Street. Keep it local and order a belly-warming shot of rakia (fruit brandy) or try a glass of Birra Peja’s Crudo beer, brewed with water from the mountain spring-fed White Drin River. Wine lists tend to be dominated by bottles produced by Stone Castle Vineyards and Winery, Kosovo’s largest winery, but keep an eye out for drops by boutique operations such as family-run Daka Wine. For dinner, soak up Peja’s architectural heritage at the Hotel Kulla e Zenel Beut, a renovated homestead serving traditional food from its ground-floor restaurant. Characterised by beautiful masonry and narrow, arched windows, the Kulla harks back to a time when homes were built to protect occupants from enemy invasion.

Outdoor adventures to try

Prizren and Peja are ideal gateways for exploring southern Kosovo’s wild and rugged landscapes. Here’s where to sample the region’s best outdoor pursuits — and savour its most breathtaking views.

Via ferrata 
The Accursed Mountains have become a hotspot for via ferrata (climbing via a metal rail bolted into the mountain). Around Peja, you’ll find four routes up Rugova Canyon. Mat, the lowest and shortest, is best for kids. Nearby, Ari and Shpellat follow the same route before splitting halfway, with the latter weaving through a series of caves to a summit around 200 metres above the canyon floor. Completed in 2021, Marimangat is Kosovo’s newest and most challenging route. Often slippery due to its shady location, it takes three hours to complete. Outdoor Kosovo and Balkan Natural Adventure run guided tours and rent gear.

Hiking
Rising up behind Prizren, Sharr Mountains National Park is one of Europe’s newest protected wilderness areas. Infrastructure is minimal, so you’ll need to contact Prizren-based Sharri Ecotour, Balkan Natural Adventure or Outdoor Kosovo to organise a guided hike among the park’s alpine lakes and wildflowers. Peja, located at the gateway to the Accursed Mountains, is a more established jumping-off point for single- and multi-day hikes, including the famed Via Dinarica, which links seven countries. Day hikes include trips to Gjeravica — at  2,656 metres, Kosovo’s highest mountain — and a scenic trek to a pair of turquoise lakes high above the village of Kuqishtë. 

Caving
Outdoor Kosovo’s Fatos Katallozi has played a pioneering role in exploring the vast limestone cave systems of the Peja region, making their surreal formations more accessible to the public in the process. His company offers tours of the cathedralesque Sleeping Beauty Cave, a web of subterranean canals a mere stone’s throw from Peja’s White Drin Waterfall, as well as the more challenging Great Canyon Cave in the Rugova Canyon. Caving experience isn’t required for either tour, although you will need to be fit enough to undertake up to four hours of scrambling along underground river passages on the Great Canyon Cave Trekking tour.