How To Travel To Prishtina

Content:

Travelling by Car
Travelling by Bus
Travelling by Plane
Notes on travelling through Serbia

By car:

Prishtina is easily accessible by car, that is if you don’t mind driving. Roads are fairly good, and there are no toll tolls within Kosova, even on highways. 

Suggested roads and border crossings:

If you are travelling from or through the geographies of Slovenia, Northern Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, and Rumania:

We suggest you travel through Serbia, past the city of Kuršumlija, towards the border crossing of Merdarë (Merdare). From then on in Kosova, past the city of Podujevë using road M25 towards Prishtina. As an alternative crossing point, we advise the Mutivodë (Mutivoda) crossing, then towards Prishtina using the road 125.

We highly advise against crossing the border at the points of Jarinjë (Rudnica) and Bërnjak (Tabalije) as they tend to close anytime there is some political shitstorm brewing.

Note that June is a season when diaspora tends to come to the Balkans, meaning that there will be considerably more cars on the road and possible congestion in the border crossings, not only in Kosova, but also in borders between Serbia and Croatia and Hungary, therefore plan your trip accordingly. You can find the real time information on border crossing waiting times on the internet.

Also note that when you input Prishtina in the google maps, it shows you the route through Macedonia. In order to fix that, search the crossing of Merdarë or Mutivodë, then when you cross navigate towards Prishtina. In order to understand why google maps shows you a long route, read the part below “Note on travelling through Serbia”  

Some estimates of km and time towards Prishtina

Niš: 120 km – 3h

Belgrade: 351 km – 5h

Novi Sad: 447 km – 6h

Sarajevo: 451 km – 8h

Timișoara: 460 km – 7h

Bucharest: 697 km – 10h

Zagreb: 747 km – 9h

Rijeka: 905 km – 10h

Maribor: 859 km – 9h30’

Ljubljana: 883 km – 10h

If you are travelling from or through geographies of Southern Croatia, Montenegro, Albania:

We suggest to travel through Albania, through the city of Milot (E851), towards the crossing point of Morinë (Vërmicë). From then on use the highway R7 towards Prishtina.

Although it’s a turistic season and tens of thousands of people cross between Kosova and Albania daily during summer months, there is usually no waiting time.

Some estimates of km and time towards Prishtina

Tirana – 260 km – 4h

Podgorica: 257 km – 4h30’

Mostar: 532 km – 8h

Split: 663 km – 9h30’ 

If you are travelling from or through geographies of Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey:

We suggest to travel through Macedonia, past the city of Veles (A1), towards the crossing point of Hani i Elezit (Bllacë). From then on, use the highway R6 towards Prishtina.

Some estimates of km and time towards Prishtina

Skopje: 91 km – 1h30’

Ohrid: 254 km – 3h30’

Sofia: 333 km – 5h

Thessaloniki: 320 km –  4h

Kavala: 456 km –  5h’30

Plovdiv: 489 km – 6h

Ioannina: 542 km – 6h

Athens: 790 km – 9h

Istanbul: 900 km – 12h

By Bus

If you plan to travel by bus, there are some direct lines with cities around the Balkans. Furthermore, there are regular lines with some cities in europe (For ex. Brussels, Vienna, Stuttgart), and some of them pass by some bigger Balkan cities. Below you will find some basic information. 

In this site, you may find information regarding bus lines (note always try to double check the information as the sites may have some inaccurate information): https://travel.gjirafa.com/en 

Direct bus lines (most of them daily):
To and from Tirana

To and from Skopje

To and from Podgorica

To and from Niš

To and from Belgrade

To and from Novi Sad

To and from Zagreb

To and from Ljubjana

Connecting bus lines:

If you are travelling from Bosnia and Rumania: Connect through the bus line that goes from Belgrade. Buses often will stop at some designated point in the highway (like gas pump or entry to a city), taken that you coordinate with the bus company where to pick you up.

If you are travelling from Bulgaria and Greece: Connect through Skopje. 

If you are travelling from the EU: check the bus lines that may be passing through or close to your city.

By Plane

If you plan to come by plane, Prishtina Airport is the most suitable one. Alternatively, Skopje airport and Tirana airport are a bit further away but are much better connected with flights, so consider both those airports as alternatives. 

Prishtina Airport:

Distance and time: 30km – 30’

How to come from the airport

Bus line a1: 

Every hour from 7am – 12 am. See the timetable at https://trafikurban-pr.com/orari-dhe-linjat 

Price: 1.5 Euros (one way)

Taxi: 

We propose that you call a radio taxi from Prishitna and not use airport taxis as they tend to overcharge (especially if you are a foreigner). You can arrange a radio taxi beforehand to pick you up at the airport (usually reachable through viber and WhatsApp).

Price: appx. 15 Euros

Some RadioTaxi numbers (also you can find others online):
Tesla taxi: +38344501501 / +38349501501

Golden taxi: +38344300300 / +38349300300

Urban taxi: +38344151515 / +38344151515

Skopje Airport:

Distance and time: 112 km – 2h

How to come from the airport

Buses:

There is no direct bus line from the Skopje airport to Prishtina. One way to do it is use the airport shuttle to Skopje and then take a bus to Prishtina. Note that the the buses from and to Skopje from Prishtina, start from appx 6am – 6pm, so, depending on the time of your flight, buses may not be suitable.

Bus from Skopje airport to Skopje: 

Price usually about 3.20 Euro (one way). 

Pay in cash only in local currency MKD, or with card

timetable: https://www.wtransporter.com/#timetable 

Bus from Skopje to Prishtina

Price usually about 8.5 Euros (one way). 

Pay in cash only in the bus (MKD or EUR), or buy a ticket at the bus station (only in MKD or card)

Timetable: can be found here https://travel.gjirafa.com/en 

Taxi:

There is a possibility to take a direct taxi from Skopje Airpot to Prishitna. As the airport is often used, the taxis from Prishtina have some good prices overall (the taxis from Skopje or Skopje Airport are much more expensive), especially if you are coming as a group. Just make sure you contact the company beforehand to arrange to pick you up.

Price: appx. 50 Euros – 70 Euros (in July expect the higher price)

Some RadioTaxi numbers (also you can find others online):
Tesla taxi (cheapest offer): +38344501501 / +38349501501

Golden taxi: +38344300300 / +38349300300

Urban taxi: +38344151515 / +38344151515

Tirana Airport:

Distance and time: 240 km – 3h30’

How to come from the airport

Buses:

Buses that travel between Tirana and Prishtina pass by Tirana airport, so you may use those buses for travel to Prishtina. Note that buses start their shift from appx. 6am – 8 pm. 

Timetable: can be found here https://travel.gjirafa.com/en 

Price: usually 15 euros (one way)

Taxi:

There is a possibility to take a direct taxi from Tirana Airport to Prishtina. With this said, taxis from Prishtina are not that cheap, but still do the trick, especially if you are a group. Just make sure you contact the company beforehand to arrange to pick you up.

Price: appx. 110 – 140 Euros 

Some RadioTaxi numbers (also you can find others online):
Tesla taxi: +38344501501 / +38349501501

Golden taxi: +38344300300 / +38349300300

Urban taxi: +38344151515 / +38344151515

Note on travelling from and to Serbia 

As you know, we live in nationalist clusterfuck that makes everything more complicated. There is this curious problem that one may face, depending on the route, if you plan to travel in between Kosova and Serbia. This may seem complex but it’s fairly straightforward. So we will explain in bullet points and wider explanation below:

If you enter Kosova from Serbia: No problem

If you enter Kosova from Serbia and then go back through Serbia: No problem

If you want to enter Kosova from Serbia and continue your journey anywhere else but Serbia: No Problem.

If you enter Kosova from Albania, Macedonia or Montenegro, and after you want to continue to go to Serbia: Problem. You have to go through Macedonia or Montenegro.

So in short, as Serbia does not recognize Kosova, coming from Serbia to Kosova and going back presents no problem as it considers it the same territory. But if you enter Kosova from any other border and wish to continue towards Serbia (for example: you come from thessaloniki to BAB in Prishtina and want to continue to Buchurest), you cannot enter through the crossings between Kosova and Serbia, as Serbia considers that you have entered illegally to its territory. Then the only way is to go out of Kosova and enter through any other border. People usually go from Prishtina to Skopje then onward through Serbia.

Visa Requirements

In order to get to Kosova, comrades holding documents from Balkan countries can enter Kosova without a Visa, with exception of those with BiH documents which need a visa. With this said below you will find some country specific information for the Balkans and beyond.

In any case, if you need any assistance with the visa, information, or anything else feel free to write to us at bab2024@riseup.net

Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia
No visa is required. Entry is permitted with any form of national ID. However, comrades with Serbian documents should note that they cannot enter Kosova with a Serbian passport; only an ID card is accepted.

Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Slovenia
Entry without a visa is possible with a biometric national ID or a passport, for stays up to 90 days. If you lack a passport or biometric ID (notably for Greek comrades), please contact us at bab2024@riseup.net to see what we can do.

Turkey
Visa-free entry is allowed with a passport, with a stay duration of up to 90 days.

Bosnia and Herzegovina
A visa is required. Entry is permitted with a valid passport and pre-obtained visa. However, holders of an EU residence permit or a valid multi-entry Schengen visa can enter for up to 14 days without a visa.

Non-Balkan countries

EU countries
Can enter Kosova visa-free, using a biometric national ID or passport, with a permissible stay of up to 90 days.

Other European countries

UK
Visa-free entry is allowed with a passport, with a stay duration of up to 90 days.

Moldova and Belarus
A visa is required. Entry is permitted with a valid passport and pre-obtained visa. However, holders of an EU residence permit or a valid multi-entry Schengen visa can enter for up to 14 days without a visa.

Russia
A visa is required, entry is permitted with a valid passport and pre-obtained visa. Russian passport holders without an EU residence permit or a valid multi-entry Schengen visa are advised to contact us before deciding to travel.

Other Countries

US and Canada
Visa-free entry is allowed with a passport, with a stay duration of up to 90 days.

Other
The list of countries that can enter Kosova without a visa, can be found here https://ambasadat.net/visas/. If you hold a passport from a country that is not mentioned above, you will need to apply for a visa.

Accommodation

As we have no squats in Prishtina, we have no capacity to offer any free accommodation. We have only a small fund to help individuals, groups or initiatives who cannot afford travel and/or accommodation expenses. Therefore we ask you whether you manage to arrange your own accommodation in Prishtina.

Considering that July is the time when people living abroad come to visit relatives (in huge numbers), we highly suggest you arrange accommodation as soon as possible, as later they may be unavailable and more expensive.

We will update with page with any changes and any potential offers (discounts) we may negotiate, so make sure to check it from time to time.

If you need additional info, assistance or you need some financial support please write to us to bab2024@riseup.net.

Hostels, Hotels, Airbnb

We don’t need to get into details of why we hate Airbnb. Either way, they are fairly expensive, and so are hotels. If you prefer those, feel free to book as you wish. Make sure you check the reviews in the apps.

As the cheapest option, we advise hostels. Prices range from 10 – 15 euros per person per night (depending on the room). We have no opinions on which hostel to book, but check the booking. You can contact the hostel directly via WhatsApp or Viber or if they have social media, write them there to book a room.

For your reference, the venue where the bookfair will take place is the neighbourhood called Dardania (Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/24AZXEhR5XXk6oWm6). Even though Prishtina is not a huge city, and you can get everywhere by foot relatively fast, below we will list some information on some of the hostels, and their distance from the venue. By no means this is a full list, so make sure you do your own hostels best suit you online.

City Park Hostel, Location: Mahalla e Muhaxherve (City park) https://maps.app.goo.gl/acUXYd3y1KtokzLu7, Phone: 383(0)48656669, Email: cityparkhostel@gmail.com, Site: https://www.cityparkhostel.com, Distance from the venue: walking: 30’, Bus 25’. Distance from city Center: Walking: 5’

GOT Prishtina Hostel, Location: Velania (behind the city park), https://maps.app.goo.gl/UBimVk3Ukz7ixu6z7, Phone: 383(0)48140077, Email: no info, Site: no info, Distance: Walking 35’, Bus 35’

Bus Station Hostel, Location: Emshir https://maps.app.goo.gl/hZ3JPFgqdYWKExW27, Phone: 383(0)45629429, Email: no info, Site: no info, Distance: Walking: 5’

Hostel Tuba, Location: Aktash, Salla 1 Tetori https://maps.app.goo.gl/1h9cTpm3hKmMcbBt5, Phone: 383(0)44 955 855, Email: hosteltuba@gmail.com, Site: https://www.facebook.com/hosteltuba, Distance: Walking: 20’, Bus: 15’

Hostel Heimli, Location: Qyteti i vjeter (Old City Bazar) https://maps.app.goo.gl/eudGspeW3hzZNdxC7, Phone: 383(0)49560817, Email: no info, Site: no info, Distance: Walking: 35’, Bus: 20’

ODA Hostel, Location: Center (City Park), https://maps.app.goo.gl/HrJLUvXbvN1X86De8, Phone: 383(0)49888164, Email: oda.hostel@gmail.com, Site: https://www.facebook.com/hosteloda/, Distance: 30’: ,Bus: 25’

Hostel Prishtina Backpackers, Location: Vellusha https://maps.app.goo.gl/RtPiG1tTdCntYa3x8, Phone: 383(0)49910101, Email: no info, Site: no info, Distance: Walking: 35’, Bus: 20’

Alias Hostel, Location: Taslixhe (taukbashqe) https://maps.app.goo.gl/4E5nMeppVJj3nJQQ6, Phone: 383(0)44311022, Email: no info, Site: no info, Distance: Walking: 50’, Bus: 25’

Center House Hostel, Location: Center (Zahir Pajaziti), https://maps.app.goo.gl/W6HTd6SK4ze4oKKt6, Phone: 383(0)43547117, Email: no info, Site: no info, Distance: Walking: 15’, Bus:15’

Moon Hostel, Location: Center https://maps.app.goo.gl/pyhLqdcrmerH5jycA, Phone: 383(0)49196396, Email: no info, Site: no info, Distance: Walking: 15’, Bus:15’

Prishtina Center Hostel & Apartments, Location: Center, https://maps.app.goo.gl/w6sJScrXSuRmQb517, Phone 383(0)44967043, Email: prishtinacenterhostel@gmail.com, Site: https://www.prishtinacenterhostel.com/, Distance: Walking: 15’, Bus:15’

Newborn Center Hostel, Location: Center, https://shorturl.at/cpILP, Phone: no info, Email: no info, Site: no info, Distance: Walking: 20’ ,Bus:20’

Hostel Matteo, Location: center, https://maps.app.goo.gl/VCacWXZDhnQ5DmySA, Phone: no info, Email: no info, Site: no info, Distance: Walking: 20’, Bus: 20’

Hostel Dera, Location: center, https://maps.app.goo.gl/Rts2V2A4bvf7ivUL9, Phone number: 383(0)49 310 041, Email: hosteldera@gmail.com, Site: https://www.facebook.com/hosteldera/, Distance: Walking: 20’,Bus: 20’.

Moonlight Hostel, Location: Velania (Behind the central park), Location https://maps.app.goo.gl/juKpP3bfuATbsTmD7, Phone: 383(0)49480450, Email: no info, Site: no info, Distance: Walking: 40’,Bus: 30’.