Punctual as
never before from Terminal 1 of Milan Malpensa Airport at 4.00 pm my plane no. W6
7742 of the company Wizz Air in the direction of the international airport of Skopje
(Macedonia).
Return ticket price including taxes, with only one small backpack to take in
the cabin: 91.18 Euros.
Food and
drinks are served on the aforementioned aircraft but only for a fee.
Punctual
arrival at 18.00, at Skopje International Airport
(Macedonia).
When summer
time is in force in Italy,
also in Macedonia
and Kosovo there is summer time and therefore there is no time zone.
To enter Macedonia, an
identity card without the renewal stamp is sufficient.
At Skopje International
Airport (Macedonia), it is possible to
withdraw money at ATMs, or change cash (Euros, Dollars or Pounds), at a
disadvantageous exchange rate (1 Euro = 54.40 MKD, compared to what you get in
City (1 Euro = 60.00 MKD).
In Macedonia many
people speak English and all the road and tourist signs are also in English.
From the
International Airport of Skopje (Macedonia), located about 17 km south-east of the center
of the capital, to reach the Bus Station and the Train Station and the Hotel
Holiday Inn in Phillip II of Macedon (about 400 mt. 'Arc de Triomphe) in
Skopje, the fastest solution is to take a taxi at the price of 1.220 MKD, while
the cheapest solution is to take a bus with departures every hour and a half,
the last of which at 20.20. The ticket price is 180 MKD and is paid at the Desk
inside the Airport terminal or to the driver while boarding the bus. The
journey takes about half an hour.
One of the
cheapest solutions for sleeping in the center of Skopje is to stay overnight
through Booking at the Hostel Valentin 2, located in Nikola Karev Str. 9 2/12,
about 200 meters
away. from the Bus Station. Cost for a bed in a dormitory with shared bathroom
and kitchen: 6 Euros. Free Wifi. Breakfast not included.
Keep in
mind that if you want to reach Pristina (Kosovo), from Skopje, there are about
a dozen buses and minibuses every day, the first of which leaves at 6.00 in the morning. The
ticket price is 320 MKD and is paid at the Desk inside the Bus Station terminal
or to the driver while boarding the bus. The trip takes about 2 hours.
The
procedures at the border between Macedonia and Kosovo are very fast
and it is not even necessary to get off the bus.
To enter
Kosovo you need a passport. The entry stamp of Kosovo is no longer affixed
either on entry or exit.
The
Pristina Bus Station is located about 1.5 km east of the center.
In Kosovo I
rented the car through the Internet through the Surprice Car Rentals Company,
at a price of Euro 16.00 per day. You can pick up the car at the International
Airport or at the Hotel Pristina, but I do not recommend this last option as in
my case no one showed up at the appointment for the collection of the car and
they didn't even answer the phone and so I had to go at the International Airport,
by taxi, paying 13 Euros. In the terminal, however, they have no desk, but
through another car rental company I managed to contact a Surprice Car Rentals
employee, who justified the mistake by saying that he was waiting for me at the
International Hotel Pristina, but that in the city there there are 3 of Hotel
Pristina. The one in which I presented myself (I was confirmed by e_mail that
the address of the Hotel Pristina was the one I indicated, that is in Kosta
Novakoviq no. 20) is different and therefore we did not meet.
The
Monastery of Gracanica, protected by Unesco and located 7 km south of Pristina, can be
visited for free, but photographs are not allowed.
The Gadime Cave,
on the other hand, is open every day from 9.00 to 19.00. A guide who spoke a
little Italian accompanied me. I paid 4 Euros. In theory I could not have
photographed but the Guide allowed me to take some pictures.
Prizren is
the most beautiful city in kosovo, with its beautiful old town.
One of the
cheapest solutions to sleep in the center of Prizren is to stay overnight
through Booking at the Prizren City Hostel, located in Ilijaz Kuka 66, on the
western edge of the center. Cost for a bed in a dormitory with shared bathroom
and free parking: 6.48 Euros. Free Wifi. Breakfast included.
Visoki Decani Monastery, protected by Unesco
and located 15 km
south of Peja, can be visited for free, leaving your passport before entering,
but you cannot take photographs. Today it is guarded by the Italian soldiers of
the KFOR, to avoid frequent attacks by the locals who do not like the presence
of the Serbs.
The Monastery of Peja, protected by Unesco and
located on the western outskirts of Peja, can be visited for free, showing your
passport before entering, but you cannot take photographs. Today it is guarded
by the Italian soldiers of the KFOR, to avoid frequent attacks by the locals
who do not like the presence of the Serbs.
The city of Mitrovica is divided into 2 by a bridge
guarded by the Italian Carabinieri: the Albanians live in the south and the
Serbs in the north. The tension is cut with the knife.
The area north of Mitrovica and at the end of
the border with Serbia is populated by Serbs and it can be clearly seen because
Serbian flags are displayed every 100 meters, most of the vehicles have a Serbian
license plate and the rest are without plates . The climate here is eerie.
One of the cheapest solutions to sleep in the
center of Pristina is to stay overnight through Booking at The White Tree
Hostel, located in Mujo Ulqinaku 59, on the western edge of the center, about 1 km from the Bus Station. Cost
for a bed in a dormitory with shared bathroom: 6 Euros. Free Wifi. Breakfast
not included.
Keep in mind that if you want to reach Skopje
(Macedonia) from Pristina (Kosovo), there are about a dozen buses and minibuses
every day, the first of which leaves at 6.00 in the morning. The ticket price is 5.50
Euros and is paid at the Desk inside the Bus Station terminal or to the driver
while getting on the bus. The trip takes about 2 hours.
The Skopje Tourist Office, located in Phillip
II of Macedon, distributes free, highly detailed tourist maps.
In Skopje keep
in mind that on Mondays, the Churches and other tourist sites are closed except
for the Birthplace of Mother Teresa of Calcutta
which is open every day and whose entrance is free.
From the center of Skopje (Macedonia), to reach
the International Airport of Skopje (Macedonia), located about 17 km south-east of the
center of the capital, you have to go outside the Bus Station, under the tunnel
on Boulevard Kuzman Josifovski Pitu or in front of at the Hotel Holiday Inn in
Phillip II of Macedon (about 400
meters from the Arc de Triomphe), and take a bus with
departures every hour and a half. The ticket price is 180 MKD and is paid to
the driver while boarding the bus. The journey takes about half an hour.
One hour late, my plane no. 1 leaves from
Skopje International Airport at 2.30 pm. W6 7741 of the Wizz Air Company in the
direction of Terminal 1 of Malpensa International Airport (Va). Return ticket
price including taxes, with only one small backpack to take in the cabin: 91.18
Euros.
My complete travel report
with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:
http://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2018/07/viaggio-in-kosovo-pristina-gracanica.html
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