Parts of Italy, Kosovo, Nth Macedonia, Greece, Albania, Poland and Germany.

[RB]

Skyline Apartment Peja Skyline Apartment 1, Peje (updated prices 2025)

Really enjoyed our 3 nights stay in this near new apartment. In a big block but serviced by a lift. Big (90sqm) two bedroooms, 1.5 bathrooms, air conditioned, big balcony, washing machine, dishwasher, good wi-fi. Only a minutes walk to markets that sold fruit & veggies, beer, wine & basic essentials & a 10 minute walk to downtown & the Old Bazaar. Very generous with kitchen & bathroom supplies and the 7th floor balcony gave us excellent 180 degree views of the city and mountains.











Surprised at the lack of light fittings given the overall quality. We had very comfortable beds during the holiday


Found that you are supplied with slippers in Kosovo, so shoes should be left at front door


Extra toilet

 

[RB]

On board! Very interested in your report as we just recently visited some of these places and are are interested in visiting some of the others.

Have been reading your posts and enjoyed your perspectives

 

[Scash]

Have been reading your posts and enjoyed your perspectives

Thanks @RB. I've been MIA for a few weeks (I think I just ran out of energy!) but am now home and will finish up the report.

 

[RB]

Around Peja

There are plenty of food choices, an apparent oversupply of pharmacies, mobile phone shops, gold & silver shops and many glamorous dresses are in shop displays. Great coffee was readily available at 1 Euro . Toni helped us source an e sim set up that included Kosovo Macedonia Greece & Albania. All shops we saw were individual shopfronts with no modern shopping centre as we know it.
We organised with Toni to take us on a day trip to cover the sites. It was a very leisurely pace but spaced out locations meant it filled our day.

Our first night we just wandered into town




The Bazaar was all packed up-has been rebuilt a few times




Still trying to turn a dollar-excellent variety of fresh produce


Peja - Wikipedia

Our first call was a drive through parts of the Rugova Canyon that is pretty close to town. Next was The Patriarchate of Pec Monastery, Radaci Cave and finally the Visoki Monastery.

Rugova Canyon-one of Europe's longest (25km) & deepest canyons (1,000m). The Accursed Mountains are a natural border to Montenegro & we see the similarities from our 2019 visit. The mix of decidious trees & evergreen forests hold the key to seasonal colours & there are plenty of dramatic cliffs. It is early in the tourist season so the ziplinners, mountaineers, skiers & hikers are thin on the ground. We see people collecting water from the natural springs for their bottled water business and there are a few roadside stalls but no customers.

 

[RB]

A few more photos of Rugova Canyon












A climbing rope in centre of photo

 

[RB]

On the way back to town from the canyon was our next stop the Patriachate Of Pec. The monastery is set back off the road and a first for us, we had to pass a check point & show our passports for entry- no other signs of enhanced security once we were past here. As with every attraction we visited in Kosovo there was no monetary charge.

Bit of background
Patriarchate of Pec
Patriarchate of Peć (monastery) - Wikipedia

Road between security check & the complex








Bell Tower-relatively recent 20th century


I believe parts of the 14th century palace








Some detail of the frescoes The Patriarchate of Pec: The Narthex

 

[RB]

On the way through town we visited Restaurant Era-an excellent rooftop view over town while we enjoyed a coffee & met the owners.



Next stop was Radaci Cave-a walk & stairs from the carpark but beautiful surrounds. More crowds here & the associated restaurants, cafes & stalls selling water, strawberries & various other fruits. There are great waterfall views from the main walkway or you can venture down more steps to get amongst the streams & pools. Sleeping Beauty Cave wasn’t discovered until 1968 but Neolithic human remains dating back 6 thousand years have been found within the cave along with a bullet from WW1. Our visit coincided with a few hundred school students on end of school excursions (some from Turkey). Considering only a couple of chambers were open & groups of 25 went through at staggered times, we passed on going into the cave.

 

[RB]

Our day wound up with a slow drive out to Visoki Monastery- built-up area most of the way & plenty of 30km/hr speed zones.

Visoki Dečani - Wikipedia
Visoki Dečani Monastery: A Historic Treasure in Kosovo

This is another World Heritage Site with the site founded in 1327. There is Byzantine architecture, well preserved frescoes from the 14th century & peaceful surrounds during our visit. The monastery certainly has a history of neglect, natural disasters and conflict and during our visit we were greeted by NATO/KFOR forces who held our passports during our visit.







Over 1,000 frescoes



A rare manner of depicting Christ- armed with a sword (sword is the cutting blade for sin)





Bit of wear & tear on display










Bit of camouflage work on the loos

 

[RB]

Historically, Peja city was a major religious center in medieval Serbia and was made the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church back in the 14th – 18th centuries.More than 80% of people’s homes were damaged during the tragic Kosovo War in 1999.There was further damage in violent inter-ethnic unrest in 2004. Most Kosovo Serbs have now left the town and live in a village nearby. There is a sizeable Bosniak community in the city while significant Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities reside in urban and rural areas.

On our 2nd full second day there was a little light rain at times as we walked around the town centre - sadly highlighted by memorials and some excellent statues.
Our first stop was the bazaar, it is one of the oldest commercial areas in the region, dating back to the Ottoman period and you can still find original artisan shops here, such as the Albanian cap-makers, gown-makers, tapestry-makers, shoemakers, watch-makers, and even goldsmiths. Some of these shops have been operating for decades although the premises have been renewed.
The Lumbardhi Pehja river flowing through the city & the Rugova Mountains as a backdrop helps to "soften" the memorials. We had read of a few stories of litter but found the streets to be immaculate & generally people had a lot of pride in showcasing Peja. Stray dogs do pose a bit of a problem but we didn't notice any aggression & some dogs had a liking for hanging around butcher shops- we did see some tagged dogs that indicated that they had been desexed, wormed & vaccinated and there were some people feeding the strays at night.

Bazaar








Sadly all lost their lives in 1999






Milestone anniversary of peacekeeping mission

​

 

[RB]

More of Peja



Bank of Kosovo building- I read that it was a great example of 1970's Brutalist archicheture







The statue of Ibrahim Rugova is revealed in Peja - KOHA.net




To lighten the mood

 

[RB]

Peja to Prizren
We opted for a car transfer for 40 Euro door to door - again with Toni. Very steady drive - heaps of built up areas & generally low speed limits with mostly a 2 lane road. Some small farms, orchards, and one area where herb growing dominates. Apparently they are family owned farms but contractors are used for harvesting - all activities seem to have modern mechanisation.

Toni was great company, a very safe driver and we would highly recommend him for transfers/transport around Kosovo

 

[RB]

Nani Apartment Prizren Nani Apartment, Prizren (updated prices 2025)
We had an excellent 2 night stay in this very stylish apartment. Two bedrooms in what was an excellent, central location (easy walk everywhere we went) and very quiet. We had excellent views, all the modern facilities were in tip top shape and there were generous supplies of basic requirements. There was a store with fresh fruit & veggies & basic supplies across the road and a few hundred metres away was an excellent liquor store. The owners were prompt in meeting us & giving access to the apartment & they gave us a lift to the bus station when we were departing. The only downside was quite a lot of steps up to the apartment.

Bedroom 1




Bedroom 2


Separate laundry


Excellent bathroom


Lounge/dining/living




Balcony area


Views from apartment