Despite more than 92 per cent of Kosovo’s population being Muslim, Kosovo is not a Muslim country. In fact, it has no official religion. Kosovo is also one of the Balkan countries that uses the euro despite not being a member of the Eurozone. It made our travel much more convenient, with no last‑minute currency exchanges or fumbling for change.
Getting There from Skopje
If you purchased a bus ticket online, you still had to pay a small terminal fee. We paid about €1 at the ticket office before boarding. The bus from Skopje to Pristina took roughly two hours and fifteen minutes. There was a short delay at the border because one passenger did not have the required visa.
At the bus station, we met two fellow Malaysians, one from Perak and one from Kedah, who were heading to Pristina the next day. I wished them safe travels and warned them about taxi drivers.
They were already cautious and handled the situation well. We also shared the bus with two Chinese travellers, possibly a father and daughter from Kuala Lumpur, who were continuing to Tirana.
Accommodation
We took a taxi from the station to Hotel Gloria, about 3.4 kilometres away, for €12. The hotel was on a slope next to Parku i Qytetit.
Our room cost €45 for one night, without breakfast, and included a small in-room sauna. We had booked directly with the hotel to guarantee the sauna because booking sites such as Agoda and Booking.com were unclear. Although booking directly felt like a gamble since we did not receive an immediate confirmation, everything was ready when we arrived.
As the hotel backed onto the park, it was pleasant to sit outside and enjoy a drink with birds twittering in the background. We paid €5.50 for two 330 ml bottles of Peja beer and a bottle of Coke.
By the way, Mike used the sauna in the room, and it worked fine. It was convenient to have it in the room, as you could use it whenever you wanted. So, yeah, highly recommended!
Places of interest
With only one night, there was not enough time to explore much beyond the immediate area. We managed to walk around the area of the unfinished Orthodox church, the National Library of Kosovo, Mother Theresa Cathedral and the iconic statues – Bill Clinton and Robert Joseph Dole.
Mother Theresa Cathedral – Dedicated to Mother Theresa, who was of Albanian heritage, this modern Roman Catholic cathedral was consecrated in 2017.
Statues and US connections – The Bill Clinton statue, situated in the heart of the city, symbolises Kosovo’s gratitude and acknowledges the pivotal role the former US president played in its journey to independence.
Nearby, the statue of former US Senator Robert Joseph Dole, AKA Bob Dole, is the first you will encounter if you walk from the direction of the cathedral. Look around, and you will also spot a small replica of the Statue of Liberty perched on top of the now permanently closed Hotel Victory.
Food and drinks
Ura Bar was a good place to escape the scorching sun. A cold bottle of Peja beer costs only €1.50. We also had a very pleasant meal at Villa Natyra, about a 16-minute walk from the Bill Clinton statue. Steak, stew and three Peja beers cost €27, and the service was attentive.
Later, we tried Matis Lounge, where drinks were pricier; a bottle of Coke and a Peja beer cost €5. It was cheaper to drink at the hotel!
We finished the night at Bell Taverna, which had a great view of the Mother Theresa Cathedral. For €9 we had peach juice, Baileys and three bottles of Peja.
The taxi back to the hotel cost €3.10. We also arranged a taxi from the same company for our onward trip to Peja at 11.00 the next morning.
Odd encounters
At Ura Bar, an American man approached us, claiming he was on the run from the government and showing us his passport. He did not ask for money or help, and the encounter felt strange but harmless. I still wonder what his endgame was.🤔
