Boutique hotels in Kosovo

Kosovo is a small, mountainous country in the western Balkans with a young population and a strongly hospitable culture. Its cities mix Ottoman mosques, hammams and bridges with the plain concrete of the 20th century, and the Accursed Mountains on the western border are among the wildest in Europe. Boutique hotels are still few, mostly in restored townhouses in Prizren and Peja and in a handful of design properties in Pristina.

Pristina and the cities

Pristina is a lively, café-filled capital with a university, a Ottoman-era Great Hamam and the Brutalist National Library. Prizren, on the Lumbardhi river beneath a hilltop fortress, is the most beautiful town, with its stone bridge, mosques and a well-known documentary film festival each August. Gjakova has one of the longest-surviving Ottoman bazaars in the Balkans.

Mountains

Peja is the gateway to the Rugova Valley, a gorge of cliffs and walking trails, and to the Serbian Orthodox monastery of Visoki Dečani, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Brezovica, in the south, is the main ski resort.

Wine

Rahovec is the center of the country's wine-growing region, with vineyards on the hills of the Dukagjini plain.

Good to know

Before going, check your government's official travel advice, as the political situation can change. The euro is the currency. May to September and the early autumn are the best times for hiking and the cities.