Bradt Travel Guide: Kosovo

About this book

This new fully updated 3rd edition of Bradt Travel Guide: Kosovo is the only full-length English guidebook to this land rich in cultural heritage, generous hospitality and stunning scenery which is celebrating its 10th anniversary of unilateral independence from Serbia. Updated by two resident tourism experts, this new edition is an ideal companion for all visitors, offering maps, contacts and detailed information not easily accessible online, insider knowledge of one of Europe's last unspoiled destinations, and comprehensive detail on sites, attractions and practical information.

What was once a hub for adventurous backpackers and international organisations has become an outdoor adventure destination in its own right with a compelling buzz thanks in part to a vibrant and dynamic young population: the average age here is 26. Mega-hiking trails like the Via Dinarica and Peaks of the Balkans have brought attention to the country's unmatched scenery and multitude of 2,500+ metre peaks. New via ferratas – climbing routes – in the country's north and west appeal to the adventurous set, while newly restored archaeological sites offer a haven for history buffs as well. This third edition contains a wealth of new tour operators and fully updated maps to key cities and regions that make it easier than ever to explore Europe's youngest country.

Ringed by high mountains and recovering from a turbulent past, Kosovo is enjoying a tourism renaissance. Following this guide, visitors can ski over pristine snowfields and hike among saw-toothed mountains, explore the ebb and flow of Islam and of Orthodox Christianity at beautiful shrines such as Gracanica Monastery or Prizren's Sinan Pasha Mosque, sample raki at one of the vineyards, visit a traditional stone kulla, and be initiated into Prishtina's coffee-drinking culture. Bradt's Kosovo caters for all travellers. With detailed descriptions of the country's lively cafés and wide-ranging restaurants, as well as the thriving outdoor adventure scene, plus accommodation to suit all budgets, this new edition is the ideal companion for tourists, NGOs and long-term visitors.

Contents

Introduction

PART ONE GENERAL INFORMATION
Chapter 1 Background Information
      Geography, Climate, Natural history and conservation areas, History, Government and politics, Economy, People, Language, Religion, Education, Culture
Chapter 2 Practical Information
      When to visit, Highlights and suggested itineraries, Tour operators, Red tape, Getting there and away, Health, Safety, What to take, Money and budgeting, Getting around, Accommodation, Eating and drinking, Public holidays and festivals, Shopping, Sports and activities, Media and communications, Business, Cultural etiquette, Living in Kosovo, Time, Travelling positively

PART TWO THE GUIDE
Chapter 3 Prishtina/Pristina
      History, Getting there and away, Getting around, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, Entertainment and nightlife, Shopping, Sports and activities, Other practicalities, What to see and do
Chapter 4 Central Kosovo
      Gracanica and around, Janjevo/Janjeve, Lipjan/Lipljan and around, Drenas/Glogovac and around, Monuments to the Battle of Kosovo, Batllava Lake
Chapter 5 Western Kosovo
      Peja/Pec, Around Peja, Rugova Valley, Istog (Burim)/Istok, Kline/Klina, Decan/Decani and around, Gjakova/Djakovica
Chapter 6 Southern Kosovo
      Prizren, Around Prizen, Rahovec/Orahovac, Dragash/Dragas municipality, Zhupa Valley, Brezovica, Strpce/Shterpce
Chapter 7 Southeast Kosovo
      History, Geography, Gjilan/Gnjilane and around, Novo Brdo/Novoberde (Artane), Kamenice/Kamenica, Ferizaj/Urosevac and around, Viti/Vitina, Letnica/Letnice, Kacanik/Kacanik
Chapter 8 Northern Kosovo
      Vushtrri/Vucitrn, Skenderaj/Srbica, Mitrovica/Kosovska Mitrovica, Around Mitrovica, Leposavic/Leposaviq, Zubin Potok

Appendix 1 Language
Appendix 2 Albanian and Serbian place Names
Appendix 3 Further Information
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Verena Knaus is a founding member of the European Stability Initiative (ESI), a non-profit think tank with offices in Pristina, Istanbul, Brussels and Berlin. Before joining ESI, she studied modern history at Oxford and international relations and economics at The Johns Hopkins University. She first came to Kosovo in summer 2001 to set up a Lessons Learned and Analysis Unit, a joint project of ESI and the UN administration in Kosovo. During those years, she researched and published extensively on Kosovo's post-war economy, international governance, minorities and migration. In 2004, she moved to Turkey, where she researched and published on Turkey's Europeanisation. After a short stint at Yale as a World Fellow, she returned to Kosovo in January 2007, just in time for independence. Austrian by nationality, she is a passionate skier, camper, marathon runner and traveller. For many years, she led academic and biking tours across Europe. She speaks fluent German, Albanian, French, Italian and some Turkish.

Gail Warrander was a lawyer in the City of London and then for Reuters. On a commuter train she was drawn by an advert in The Economist and left 'the big smoke' to help with the EU-funded economic reconstruction effort in Kosovo. After three years working on infrastructure and privatisation projects she switched to working directly for the business community of Kosovo, running her own commercial law firm in Kosovo and working extensively with foreign and local investors. She then returned to the UK to attend London Business School's Sloan Fellowship programme. She is a keen mountain biker and snowboarder and speaks fluent German, French and Albanian and basic Serbian. She has travelled extensively throughout the Balkans.

This edition has been updated by Bridget Nurre Jennions and Larissa Olenicoff. Nurre Jennions is an Emmy Award-winning former network news producer who worked as a communications expert for international development projects in Kosovo from 2013 to early 2017. During that time, she crafted communications strategies and products on behalf of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its implementing partners, including a project to support Kosovo's nascent tourism sector. An avid traveller, Nurre Jennions maintains her own blog, Bridgekrieg, and has written extensively on travel in the Balkans for a variety of outlets. She holds a Master's in Global Diplomacy from the University of London and dual Bachelor's degrees in Journalism and Political Science from The George Washington University.

Larissa Olenicoff is an established travel blogger and consultant for destination marketing and tourism development with a Master of Arts in European Studies from Lund University in Sweden. Originally from California, she has lived in the UK, Ukraine, Sweden and most recently decided to make the move to Kosovo in 2015 to focus on the Balkans. She has worked with international agencies, NGOs, tourism boards, and the private sector on various tourism projects around the region, including helping to launch and coordinate the UBT Center for Tourism Economics and Innovation in Pristina. Her travel blog, The Blonde Gypsy, is a colourful whirlwind of iPhone photography, travel tips, and unexpected adventures mainly through the Balkans. She is also a regular contributor to a wide range of other travel sites. It's become her mission to explore and uncover the best Kosovo and the region has to offer and encourage travellers to visit this true diamond in the rough of Europe.