Albania to Kosovo: Shkoder to Prizren Road Trip
If you’ve got a few extra days and a car, a road trip from Albania to Kosovo is an easy trip.
When I drove from Shkoder to Prizren, Kosovo I did it as part of a 10 road trip, with stops at Theth and Lezhe. But Shkoder to Kosovo is only a 3 hour drive. You can easily do an Albania to Kosovo road trip in a couple of days.
There’s one important thing you should know before you make this trip – the Serbia/Kosovo passport stamp issue. It’s easy to avoid if you’re driving from Albania, and I’ll explain how.
Visiting Kosovo from Albania makes a lot of sense. The two countries share the same culture and language. In fact, over 90% of Kosovars are ethnically Albanian.
A Shkoder to Prizren road trip (and back again) is one of the best ways to visit Kosovo without running into the ‘missing stamp’ problem. Because Kosovo’s legal status is disputed, it creates a unique challenge for visitors regarding passport exit and entry stamps.
Important Passport Rules for an Albania to Kosovo Road Trip
Kosovo declared independence in 2008 from Serbia. Even though over 100 United Nation members recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty, Serbia does not.
Serbia considers Kosovo a province of Serbia, and does not recognize its international borders. This creates all sorts of passport stamp problems for travellers.
If you enter Kosovo from Albania, and then drive into Serbia proper from Kosovo, the Serbian border patrol consider this an illegal entry, since they don’t recognize the Albania-Kosovo border.
The same issue exists if you enter Kosovo through Serbia and then exit into Albania, Montenegro or North Macedonia. If you try to re-enter Serbia in the future you may have problems because Serbia does not recognize the international borders around Kosovo. There will be no record of your exit from Serbia in your passport.
Basically, if you plan to visit Serbia and Kosovo in the same trip you must enter Kosovo from Serbia – and return the same way.
That’s one of the reasons I really wanted to do this Albania to Kosovo road trip. I knew it would be the easiest way to visit Kosovo without a passport stamp problem.
Quick Reference for Visiting Kosovo from Albania
- Drive Time: 3 hours from Shkoder
- Border Crossing: Morine, Albania
- Currency: Euro
- Language: Albanian
- Time Zone: CET (Central European Time) – same as Albania
- Recommended Trip Length: 2-3 days
- Connectivity & Sim: An Albanian sim might not work in Kosovo (mine did not). Be prepared to buy a sim in Kosovo.
Is Kosovo Safe?
As a female traveller I did feel safe the entire time I was in Kosovo. Kosovars are friendly and respectful.
Kosovo’s international status is still disputed. There are tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, which flare up from time to time. It is generally recommended to avoid the northern region of Kosovo near the Serbian border.
There are also unexploded ordinances in remote areas. If planning on hiking, seek local advice. I ran into this issue in Bosnia as well. Most routes are perfectly safe – but it’s better to be careful.
Is Kosovo Worth Visiting from Albania?
Yes! It’s one of the best ways to visit Kosovo. If you travel to Kosovo from Albania and back again, you’ll avoid any passport issues because of the disputed borders.
Kosovo is a beautiful country, it has a rich history and culture, and is very affordable. It’s so easy to do from Albania – why wouldn’t you?
This country was also hit hard by the Yugoslav (Balkan) Wars in the 1990s, and visiting supports the local economy and gives visitors insight into the current political situation.
How to Drive from Shkoder, Albania to Prizren, Kosovo
The drive is very straight forward. I actually drove to Prizren from Theth, Albania, but you have to drive all the way back to Shkoder first. Here’s the route I took:
When driving there I had the ‘toll’ option turned off on Google maps and ended up taking a longer route. I’m from Toronto, Canada and the toll fees are astronomically high (like $50 CAD for a one way trip), so I avoid them. I forgot to change my settings in Albania.
This route is just over 180 km and took about 4 hours. The drive through the eastern part of Albania is beautiful.
Here’s the route I took coming back from Kosovo to Albania. This time I used my friend’s phone to navigate and we ended up on the toll road, which was much faster and very cheap, less than $5 USD (paid in local currency, cash).
This route is only a few km longer, and saves at least an hour of driving. It also goes through the Thirre-Kalimash Tunnel, over 5 km long and an engineering marvel.
Crossing the Border into Kosovo from Albania
This was a very straight forward border crossing, despite the international border not being recognized by Serbia. We had to show our passports, but they didn’t ask for anything else. The crossing is at Morine, just past Kukes.
If you’re in a rental car, you need written authorization to take the car over the border and additional insurance from the car rental company. I had both of these, but nobody asked to see them.
I used Discover Cars and picked up the car in Shkoder. I’ve used them many times in Albania and never had any serious problems, apart from a couple of tire issues which is common in Albania.
My dog Watson was with me and I had all his travel paperwork (obtained at a local vet in Shkoder), but nobody asked to see it.
Where to Stay in Prizren, Kosovo
I stayed in an Airbnb on a residential street near the centre, but the best hotel location is by the Old Town. It’s a pretty area with a main square, cobblestone lanes and lots of cafes. You can walk to all the main sites from there.
- Sapphire Hotel: New hotel in the Old Town, but on a quieter street. Rooms from $65 USD, including breakfast. No on site parking.
- Triumf Hotel: Within walking distance of everything in the centre. Some rooms have mountain views. Doubles from $60 USD, including breakfast.
- Comfort Hotel Prizren: Excellent value in the centre by the Old Bridge and river. Best budget option. Rooms from $35 USD, including breakfast.
What to Do in Prizren
Here’s what I did in Prizren, Kosovo. All the sites were in the centre and except for Prizren Fortress (which was up hill) were easy walking distance.
1. Prizren Fortress
The site on top of the hill overlooking Prizren has been a stronghold for thousands of years, as far back as 2000 BC. Much of the current fortress was built during the Byzantine age, then expanded by Serbian rulers in the 1300s.
It’s a bit of hike up there (go in the morning before it gets hot), but the views over Prizren and the adjacent mountain valley are spectacular.
2. Sinan Pasha Mosque
This mosque was built in 1615 by Ottoman ruler Sofi Sinan Pasha. It’s a lovely mosque, the most prominent one in the Old Town.
Some believe that stones from the historic Serbian Orthodox Holy Archangels Monastery were used in the building of the mosque – but that has proven incorrect. It is possible that spare stones were used in the construction of the mosque.
3. Old Stone Bridge (Ura e Gurit)
It’s the most famous bridge in Prizren and connects Shadervan Square and the Sarachane area on the other side. It’s a protected cultural monument, but you can still walk across it today.
4. Shadervan Square
This is the main square in Prizren’s Old Town. It’s great for walking around, full of cafes, restaurants, shops and cobblestone streets. A bit touristy, but still very atmospheric.
5. Gazi Mehmed Pasha Hammam
The ancient hammam was built in 1563. It’s large inside, with separate men’s and women’s sections (the men’s is larger).
When I visited it was being used as a sort of art exhibition hall with small artefacts on display. What was most interesting were the circular vents in the domes, something I hadn’t seen before.
6. Church of Our Lady of Ljevis (UNESCO)
Unfortunately, the church was closed to visitors and being guarded by armed militia when I visited Prizren, so I wasn’t able to get inside.
It’s very old, built in the 14th century and a UNESCO World Heritage site. At one point the church was converted into a mosque and after the Balkan war restored to a Serbian Orthodox church.
7. Prizren Bazaar
Just behind the Sinan Pasha Mosque is this small historic bazaar selling local handicrafts and souvenirs. I wasn’t shopping for anything, but it was nice to walk through.
8. Day Trip to Gjakova
Gjakova is a small city just 50 km from Prizren. It often gets overlooked by tourists, but is very cute with its own historic centre and bazaar.
The drive is easy and took less than an hour. The historic centre is not great for driving – lots of narrow one way roads, but I parked in a parking lot nearby and walked everywhere.
It was a rainy day when I visited Gjakova (late autumn), so my explorations were limited, but I did visit the Hadum Mosque which was stunning.
This is an easy day trip from Prizren, and would be really enjoyable in fine weather.
Where to Eat in Prizren
I found the food in Kosovo very similar to Albania, with the addition of pitalke – a fluffy round bread served with most meals. Here’s where I ate (and tried to eat) in Prizren:
- Restaurant Marashi: Riverside restaurant serving traditional Kosovar cuisine. In good weather the tables by the river are really nice.
- Art’s Kitchen: This is a family run, small restaurant down a side street in the centre. I wanted to eat here, but they were closed for dinner the night I was free.
- Napoletana Nostra: Best pizza and pasta in Prizren.
- Merak: Great spot for traditional burek and cakes.
Last Words on Albania to Kosovo: Shkoder to Prizren Road Trip
In my opinion it’s well worth visiting Kosovo from Albania. The two countries share a lot in terms of culture, but Kosovo is part of the former Yugoslavia and was never under a repressive communist regime like Albania.
I got the distinct feeling that while Albania is now surging ahead, Kosovo is experiencing economic challenges and struggling. Most people I spoke to told me of their hardships – a direct result of the Balkan War and disputed political status. Despite this, Kosovars were friendly and happy to see visitors.
