Pristina, is the capital and largest city of Kosovo, a territory in the Balkans that is disputed between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia following a declaration of independence. It is the administrative center of the homonymous municipality and district.
The city has a majority Albanian population, alongside other smaller communities including Turks, Serbs, Bosniaks, Roma and others. The territory's interim government and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) have their headquarters in the city. It is the administrative, educational, cultural center of Kosovo. The city is home to the University of Pristina and has an international airport, Pristina International Airport, with the IATA airport code of PRN and ICAO code LYPR (temporarily BKPR while UNMIK in effect).
Pristina lies in the Northeastern part of Kosovo close to the Goljak mountains. It has a good geographical position because it lies in the continental cross roads. From Pristina there is a good view of the Šar Mountains which lie several kilometres away in the south of Kosovo. Pristina is located beside two large towns, Obilić and Kosovo Polje. In fact Pristina has grown so much these past years that it has connected with Kosovo Polje. Lake Badovac is just a few kilometres to the south of the city.
There is no river passing through the city of Pristina now but there was one that passed through the centre. The river flows through underground tunnels and is let out into the surface when it passes the city.
PLACE TO VISIT
No visit to Pristina is complete without a walking tour. To see the city from street-level is best: start off in the Dardania neighborhood, in front of the three-storey portrait of Bill Clinton, and stroll past the university to the Grand Hotel and UNMIK. Follow Nena Tereze street towards the Skenderbeg monument and the new Government Building, then point yourself toward the historic mosques and meander through the tight lanes of the old quarter. You will see street market stalls, kids hawking cigarettes and phone cards, qebabtores and cafes, and the vibrant community life of Kosovo's biggest city. If you have more time, it's also worthwhile wandering up into Dragodan / Arberia or Valenia (especially City Park, also referred to as "the Italian park," and the park dedicated to now-deceased President Ibrahim Rugova).
Pristina is a brown and sprawling city, with none of the historic charm of Prizren or the imposing mountain backdrop of Pejë. But there are outposts of green, the biggest and best of which is Gërmia Park. During the summer, the lake-sized swimming pool here is a hot spot for families and young people, but year-round the park itself offers grassy spaces to relax or kick the ball around, and a network of mine-cleared trails through the dense woods perfect for dog-walking or drunken hide-and-seek tournaments. A couple of restaurants at the top of the park have good food and nice views. Also interesting to check out the cluster-bombed police bunker, just up the road from the best restaurant.
It may be "interesting" for some visitors to see the offices of the major international organizations in Kosovo. UNMIK's compound in the centre of town is tough to penetrate without an UNMIK card, but you spending a half-hour in Phoenix bar just outside the fence will provide you with a basic idea of what's going on in there. A more worthwhile destination is the OSCE headquarters on Luan Haradinaj; if you can get yourself inside, the view from the restaurant on the ninth floor is excellent.
A couple minute's walk from the Grand Hotel Pristina is the library of the University of Pristina. It looks like it is constructed of massive concrete Lego bricks and then covered with chain mail. It is certainly worth a look.
Lately Pristina is rebuilding, and some of the city roads now are new! But you still must be on the look out for large potholes!
The museum is free, and even better than its collection is the building itself.
Don't miss the Pristina Ethnografic museum tucked back in the old town streets about 5 minutes walk from the main museum. Beautiful house, costumes and traditional tools.
Check out the mosques on Nazim Gafurri Street.
WHAT TO DO
If you like coffee, and have a massive amount of time on your hands, Pristina is the city for you. There are cafes absolutely everywhere, and most of them are packed through the warm season with fashionably-dressed young people, dropping a euro a day to keep themselves amused. Unemployment / underemployment is pervasive throughout Kosovo, and tends to affect people from all walks of life and different levels of education. Which means that dude in the sleeveless tshirt with streaked-blond hair at the table beside you could just as easily be an economist as a farm kid from Kamenicë, so learn to say "Mirëdita" with a passable accent and feel free to start a conversation. What to order? "Macchiato" (espresso with hot milk, similar to the American latte) is the catch-all term for "coffee" throughout Kosovo. Lately, some top-end coffee bars have installed WIFI zones and access to Internet.
Privately-owned outdoor swimming pools are springing up around Kosovo, some just outside the city and worth the euro to cool off in the summer.
Shopping-wise, Pristina is full of good bargains but low on selection (and if you happen to be a man who wears M shirts or pants, forget about it). Silver is sold in the old quarter and is a pretty good value; Albanians are known throughout the former Yugoslavia as silversmiths.
Do as the locals do: In Pristina, this means korza. In the evenings, when it's warm, a large proportion of the population heads out into the streets and promenades, between cafes or in with no particular desintation. The objective is to see and be seen, chat with friends, and take in as much fresh air as possible before the horrific winter descends. Note that 53% of Kosovo's population is under the age of 25, so most of the people on the street around dusk are teenagers and people in their early twenties. Lots of kosovar youngsters, sleeveless tshirts, short haircuts, every kind of girls, and cigarette smoke.
Alternately, you can sit at a table in an outdoor cafe and watch the white UN vehicles enter and exit the UNMIK headquarters building. For some reason, it is strangely hypnotic.
Stay out late because the streets are safe and Albanians love Foreigners. Also go out at bars and such, they are usually filled but make sure you drink some "Peja" beer (Key word PEJA)
HOW TO REACH
By Plane - The easiest way to get to Pristina is by plane. There are direct flights to Pristina International Airport from New York, London, Zurich, Geneva, Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Vienna, Hamburg, Hannover, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Bremen, Rome, Verona, Ljubljana, Budapest, Tirana, Istanbul. The only low-budget flights to Pristina you can find from Liege, Belgium. There are cheap connecting flights via Tirana and Ljubljana, but also from most of German airports.
By Bus - From Albania, there are several daily direct bus connections to Pristina, from Tirana and Durres. From Tirana is a direct flight to Pristina every day.
There are also direct bus links from most cities in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Bulgaria, Turkey, Macedonia, Bosnia, and Montenegro. From Podgorica in Montenegro there are at least two night buses (9pm and 10pm, approx 5 1/2 hrs) that run via Peja €16. The Prishtina bus station is quite a safe place to await sunrise (I was there on a Sunday morning). From Serbia there are several direct buses from Belgrade (6 hours, 1 day bus & 2 night busses, run by Kosovo Albanian companies, cost less than €10, stops depending on the route in Niš or Kruševac. There are twice daily mini-buses from Niš, they cost 500 dinars (about $10) and the guys at Niš Hostel (http://www.hostelnis.rs/) will help you get in contact with organizers, even if you aren't sleeping there, as it is necessary to book in advance (information dates from February 2008).
By Train - There are Trains which travel from Central Europe to Prishtina. These may take several hours to get there but it is a very good ride. There are no trains from Belgrade to Pristina and buses often do not connect.
