A day trip to Prizren from Tirana.
When I first visited the Balkans, I based myself in Sofia and explored nearby North Macedonia and Serbia. I really wanted to visit Kosovo, but the bus times from Skopje just didn’t work for me. So when I booked flights to Albania, I was excited to plan a visit. I settled on a day trip to Prizren from Tirana, as the photos of it looked beautiful. The bus goes all the way to Pristina, so if you want to go there instead it’s easy enough: you’ll just have less time to explore.
Getting a bus ticket to Prizren
There are multiple buses a day from Tirana to Prizren, operated by a number of different companies. I travelled with Arditi Tours, as their times worked best for me. It’s cheaper to get a return with the same company, rather than getting two singles. I booked my tickets online using Gjirafa, as they seemed to be the best website when I looked up bus times.
You don’t need to book in advance though, as you can pay on the bus itself. When I visited in 2024, it was cash only. If you book online, you need to print off the PDF. You couldn’t use a digital version on your phone. They took my printout, and gave me a physical ticket to use on the return journey.
Be very careful when booking your tickets, as there are several bus stations in Tirana and you don’t want to end up at the wrong one! Public buses also don’t start running until around 6am, so take that in mind if you’re considering an early bus. I ended up taking a taxi to get to the bus station, as the bus I wanted to get didn’t turn up.
The bus station in Prizren is located a short walk away from the old town area, so it’s very convenient for exploring.
The Old Town
Prizren is a very small city, so the entire area is easily walkable. Near the bus station, I found a sign showing a cultural route that you can take to explore the city, visiting most of the historic locations. I didn’t fully explore the whole blue route, but I did have a nice time wandering around the old streets, and just enjoying the atmosphere. My main goal was to get a nice photo of the stone bridge, and climb up to the fortress to get views across Prizren.
Prizren Stone Bridge
One of the reasons I chose a day trip to Prizren over the capital Pristina was the fact that all the photos I saw online of the Stone Bridge just looked so pretty. I knew Pristina was very new, so I wanted to visit the more historic city. Prizren did not disappoint; the views looking towards the mosque from the Stone Bridge were fantastic. I walked along the river for a while before reaching it, and it was a lovely little walk.
The bridge can get quite busy, with lots of people taking photos. If you want a photo with nobody in it, then you’ll either have to wait a while or turn up really early. The best photos are taken on the bank opposite the mosque, so that you can have them both in the photo and have the fortress in the background. I took the featured image for this post beside the wooden electric pole in the image above.
Sinan Pacha Mosque
The beautiful Sinan Pacha Mosque dominates the skyline of Prizren. It’s free to visit, but I forgot to bring a headscarf with me to go inside. I’ve been told they have ones at the entrance that you can borrow if you wish to visit. The architecture is beautiful and you can enter the grounds where there are several souvenir shops. Even though I didn’t go inside, I was still able to admire it. It was built in 1615.
Prizren Fortress
The highlight of my visit was without a doubt, Prizren Fortress. You definitely musn’t skip this when visiting! There are two routes to get there, called the Journey of the Stone and Marash Trail. The first one is short and steep, taking 30 minutes and is marked as challenging on the maps. The longer route is 90 minutes and marked as easy. If you are short on time, then definitely just take the quick but steep option. I’m really bad when it comes to climbing hills, but I didn’t find it that challenging. I definitely did take quite a few rests for photos, but even then it didn’t take me 30 minutes.
The Fortress
Once you reach the top, the fortress is free to enter and you are able to wander around. There are several information boards up there, but they were quite faded when I visited. There are several wooden walkways in parts of the fortress and these were also in quite poor condition. When I visited they were working on improving the path there, so hopefully they’ll keep improving it. There are some toilets there, but don’t expect toilet paper to be available!
The views of Prizren from the walls of the fortress are definitely worth the climb. What was even better, though, was that I arrived just before the call to prayer. I was able to look out over the city and listen to the adhan sound out across the city. It was such a peaceful and beautiful moment. If you have the chance, I definitely recommend trying to time it so that you’re up there for a call to prayer.
After exploring, I then found a comfortable spot to sit in the shade of a tree and just relaxed with my book for a while. It’s such a peaceful spot and I could have spent ages just sitting, enjoying the views and the atmosphere.
Marash Trail
I decided to take the Marash Trail back down, which leads you through a gentle sloping path downwards through the forest. It takes a lot longer, as you end up walking away from Prizren for quite a bit before the path slowly turns back towards the town. As most people take the shorter route, it meant this was a really quiet option. I often was the only one on the path, and as I was there in late May, it was just so lush and green. At the end of the route, you end up walking alongside the river, which is where it started to get a little busier but still nice and peaceful. I loved this walk, and I would definitely recommend taking this route down if you have the time.
Lunch
On my way back to the old town, I decided to stop for lunch at Restaurant Marashi. It had good reviews on Google Maps and most importantly for me, they served Shopska Salad (Spelled Shope) which I fell in love with when I was in Bulgaria. I ordered the salad as my starter, and as my main I got steak cooked on a hot stone. Or rather, I got the steak and the hot stone, and then got to cook it myself. Along with this, I also got some bread which was delicious. The price was really reasonable, and I would happily go back if I’m ever in Prizren again.
Albanian League
After lunch, I made my way to the Albanian League. This is a small museum that costs only 1 Euro. There are two buildings – one is a small building which focuses on the history of the Albanian League, while the larger building displays traditional items such as clothing on the ground floor and paintings on the second floor. I imagine the building itself is also historical, however sadly there was a distinct lack of informational signs throughout the place. I got some information about some of the exhibits as guided tours went past which was interesting, but it would have been much better to have some more signs. Still, it’s cheap enough so still worth visiting.
Other Sights
I made my way back to the old town of Prizren to wander for a bit before I needed to head back to Tirana. There are a lot of souvenir shops and restaurants near the mosque, but as you get further away there are a lot more empty shopfronts and it seems a bit run down, which was a shame as it seems like such a lovely place. On my way back to the bus station, I bought some fresh fruit from a stall near the river to eat as I walked alongside the river.
Street Art
I love street art, and although I didn’t see that much, there is still some to spot in Prizren. My favourite was spotted on my way to the fortress. I then saw some more while exploring the old town and on the walk back to the bus station. I’ve heard that Pristina has lots of amazing street art. Next time I’m in the Balkans, I might need to give it a visit!
Returning to Tirana
For my return journey to Tirana, the bus company provided a small shuttle bus. This brought us to the outskirts of Prizren where you then switch to the larger coach coming from Pristina. At the bus station in Tirana, there are fixed price taxis that can take you to the city centre. There is a bus, but I waited quite a while and none turned up. I ended up just getting a taxi, as they weren’t too expensive and had signs telling you the price upfront.
Have you taken a day trip to Prizren or elsewhere in Kosovo? What did you think? Let me know!
