One day in Pristina, from the bazaar to the bell tower

A day is plenty for Pristina if you order it well. The trick is that the part of the city you’ll care about fits along one axis of little more than a kilometre, from the historic centre in the north to the National Library in the south, and you see most of it from the pavement. This is the route I’d take, without a car and without rushing.

Morning in Ottoman Pristina

I’d start at nine at the Imperial Mosque, whose inscription gives the year 1461. People still pray here, so cover up and give anyone praying plenty of room. From the courtyard you can already see the 26-metre clock tower, and close by is the Great Hammam, placed by the Ministry of Culture in the 14th or 15th century and still being restored.

From there, wander down to Pristina’s old bazaar. Don’t expect a market; it’s what survived the demolitions of the 1960s. You’ll find the Stone Mosque, the Jashar Pasha Mosque, the marble fountain and the Kosovo Museum building. Before lunch I’d give a good hour to the Emin Gjiku Ethnological Museum, a group of houses round two courtyards that is, for me, the loveliest stop of the morning. I couldn’t find opening hours from an official source, so I wouldn’t leave it until late in the day.

Lunch on the café streets

The Municipality’s leaflet gives bars and cafés a section of their own as part of how Pristina lives, with whole streets of terraces serving fast food and traditional dishes alongside the drinks. It’s time to sit down. You’ll find ideas in restaurants in Pristina.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Pristina before prices climb.

Afternoon in 20th-century Pristina

After lunch, head down Mother Teresa Boulevard, closed to cars since the mid-2000s. At its top, on Skënderbeu Square, is the former Hotel Union of 1927. Further down you reach the Newborn monument, the giant 2008 letters outside the Youth Palace, with the tower of the Grand Hotel next door.

The National Library of Kosovo is a short walk on. I’d circle the whole building before going anywhere else, because the domes and the mesh of cubes change with every angle. About 250 metres away, according to OpenStreetMap, stands the Mother Teresa Cathedral, whose bell tower opened in 2014 according to the Municipality and gives the best view in town.

What if I only have half a day?

Then pick a half. The morning gets you the Imperial Mosque, the bazaar and the Ethnological Museum; the afternoon gets you the boulevard, the Library and the cathedral. If I had to choose, I’d keep the afternoon, because the Library is unlike anything you’ve seen. With a second day, don’t spend it in the capital. Go to Gračanica and Ulpiana instead, both in my day trips from Pristina. With three days, the split I suggest in 3 days in Kosovo adds Prizren and the west.

If you’re catching a flight the same evening, leave the taxi to the end of the day and book it. gov.uk recommends sticking to registered taxi companies, whose fares are regulated, and ignoring drivers who tout for business on the street, who may be unlicensed and charge too much.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Pristina and choose by the reviews.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Pristina before prices climb.