Pristina Travel Answers

hi, send an email to MacedonianUK who might know

Kosovo is perfectly safe for tourists, but take the main road from Nis to Skopje if you're simply transiting. Kosovo is not covered by the Green Card car/motorcycle insurance and you have to pay 50 euro for a local two-week insurance, equal to the price of an equivalent car insurance if I remember correctly the information I read in a recent travel story that I cannot find now.

Was many times in Kosovo, recently went from Belgrade to Skopje that way. 1) The insurance now is 32 Euro, but if you are lucky and a nasty American EULEX guy is not there who forces everyone to buy it - than you can skip it with North Kosovo Serbs at Jarinje crossing if you say, you are going to visit Banjska monastery. The EULEX guy has no mandate to do anything - but my scared passengers rather wanted to go. No problem here to pay 32 Euro - but I had to sign my name under that sign of a fake country and it is against my principe. It is impossible to stay away from the politics at that - sorry, Kosovo is just idiotic politics pure. Otherwise it is 100% safe for the tourists - as far as personal safety. The area of overpass (Pristina -> Airport -> Pec road over-passing the Belgrade->Raska->Pristina->Skopje) in Pristina is the place of insane traffic problems and not the best (mildly speaking) organization. It is not unsafe, just horribly confusing and in last year became worse. You better to avoid the entire Pristina because of the work in progress(?) and go Kosovska Mitrovica -> Pec -> Decani -> Prizren -> Skopje way. It is quite longer but much more beautiful and you will see few prime tourist attractions in Kosovo. The only thing to see in Pristina is Gracanica monastery - unless you want to see a copy of Statue of Liberty on the top of a hotel and a large Bill Clinton picture. Gracanica is nice.

>>>Otherwise it is 100% safe for the tourists - as far as personal safety. Re-reading my post: the safety like violence or theft or worse is not an issue in Kosovo at all for a tourist, regardless what ethnic entity's controlled area you are. The traffic is not to bad and the roads in general are acceptable, sometimes bit worse, sometimes bit better. The only issue I was really freaking out as far as the safety for travel was about 500 x 500 meter area, precisely the said crossing which is full of (kind of) working machinery, missing signs and drivers trying to help out each other how to navigate in that cloud of confusion. Last time a guy from Tirana tried to help me, a simple under-pass crossing turned to be a major driving experience - so I just went (from south) towards Merdare instead of Mitrovica. Somehow I managed it... sometimes breaking the traffic rules and exercising the patience of other drivers. I would judge this experience as the #1 tourist issue at this moment, hope they finish the road work because it's a shame. Other than that tiny area nothing really to mention, except that Karadjordje Steak is called Skanderbeg Steak in Albanian area and they try to make it (of course!) bigger, than what Serbs do. Standard price is about 5 Euro, be it in Vojvodina (made by Hungarians), in Belgrade, in Decani or close to Merdare. That 5 Euro is worth the last Cents and even more. Don't order anything else before or after that Karadjordje/Skenderbeg, I would say fills two people easily.