Our Kosovo & North Macedonia trip started on a spontaneous note—since flights from Istanbul to Pristina were cheap and no visa was required, we thought, why not try something different?
Before the trip, we rented a car through the Yolcu360 app, which offers various rental companies to choose from. However, cars rented via this app usually don’t include the green card insurance needed for crossing borders. So, once we arrived at Pristina Airport, we went to the rental company’s office to pick up our car and get the necessary insurance to travel into North Macedonia. Make sure to check the dates on your insurance certificate carefully—we noticed ours was outdated, so we had to return to the airport from our hotel to get it reissued.
For accommodation, we wanted to try budget options this time. On the first night, we stayed at Museum Hotel in Pristina. The hotel offers free parking for guests, though there’s a paid parking lot right across the street. Here’s the link.
The next morning, we went to a nearby bakery for some börek. We assumed credit cards would be accepted everywhere and hadn’t withdrawn enough cash. Unfortunately, the bakery didn’t have change and was reluctant to take card payment. When they learned we were from Turkey, they kindly brought us two small glasses of tea from a nearby restaurant. Honestly, the warmth and hospitality of Kosovo moved us to tears. Eventually, we managed to exchange money at a shop that opened later and paid our bill.
After enjoying our börek, we headed straight to Skopje in North Macedonia without exploring Pristina yet. Since our return flight was from Pristina on the last day, we decided to save the city tour for later.
After crossing the border without any issues, we arrived at our accommodation in Skopje—Hostel 42. Honestly, we picked this place just to experience a hostel stay, but it quickly earned an unforgettable spot in our memories. The heavy smell of mold made it nearly impossible to breathe, yet since we only planned to sleep there, we didn’t check out and spent the entire day outside. On the bright side, the hostel owner was extremely hospitable.
We explored Skopje almost entirely on foot. Highlights included the Turkish Bazaar, Macedonia Square, Skopje Fortress, Stone Bridge, and the Archaeology Museum.
While walking around, we saw Halk Bank everywhere and thought we could easily exchange our Turkish Lira to Macedonian Dinar there. To our surprise, the bank didn’t accept TL exchange, so we left disappointed. A little advice: don’t just wander around hoping things will work out because, well, this is the Balkans!
Here’s a tip from the locals: there’s a spot with a few similar venues, but this one became our absolute favorite. Among all the restaurants we visited abroad, this place stood out for its lively Balkan music, fun atmosphere, and surprisingly affordable prices. It was hands down one of the best places we had a great time at. Click here for the location.
On our way to Ohrid in the morning, we made an unplanned stop at Matka Canyon, just deciding on a whim to check it out. It’s such a lush, green place that your eyes will practically thank you.
You can rent a canoe there or take a nature tour, but we chose to enjoy the scenery by walking around.
While waiting in line for the restroom at Matka, I had the chance to chat with an Italian lady in her 70s or 80s. When I told her I’m Turkish, she started shouting “Can Yaman!” and blowing kisses. At that moment, I truly acknowledged his success! 
Getting back to our story, on the way from Matka to Ohrid, we had some bad luck—our car broke down. Traveling between cities, we were like, “Oh no, what do we do now?” Then we spotted a car parked by the roadside and pulled over too. We tried to talk to the man, who looked like a kind uncle, in English, but it wasn’t working. Since many people there know some Turkish, we switched to Turkish—and then the magic happened. The man didn’t speak Turkish but understood we were speaking it, and when he heard “Erdoğan,” he got extremely happy. He even called his Turkish neighbors to help translate and, eventually, took us to a gas station that had a repair shop. Can you believe that? In the Balkans, it felt like humanity was alive and well—we kept seeing kindness everywhere.
When we arrived in Ohrid, we headed to the apartment we booked through Booking.com. The building had a parking lot, so we didn’t have any issues with the car. (Click here for the accommodation link.)
Wanting to enjoy the stunning lake view, we sat at a restaurant near the water. But honestly, the food didn’t impress us much.
After dinner, we took a walk toward the market and came across many Turkish shops. Before leaving, we thought, “We must try trileçe!” We tried it at one of the dessert places—definitely don’t forget to try it if you go!
The next morning, we returned to Pristina. We quickly realized that the city center isn’t very big, so our visit ended with a short walk.
From these two beautiful cities, two things stayed with us:
- The people of the Balkans are genuinely kind (or maybe we just got lucky?).
- In many places, mosques and churches stood face to face, showing us how differences lose their importance when people can live together in harmony.
