I have a friend with a home there (Kosovo)and can use it anytime I want. He tells me it's beautiful in the mountains and that the Albanian beaches are awesome. It also seems like it would be easy to check out much of Greece from there. Have any of you been there, what can you tell me? Thanks in advance.

I have only been to Sarande on the coast. It felt hella 3rd world, especially after arriving via ferry from Corfu

We drove through Albania briefly during a road trip around Montenegro and Croatia back in the fall.

Wow, what a beautiful region and incredible mountain views. And that's coming from someone who lives part of the year in Colorado. Didn't go swimming, but driving along the coast was breathtaking.

They say September is the best time for fewer crowds and better weather (not counting swimming).

I'm currently in Kosovo, been here since June. Where in the country is his house, do you know?

The infrastructure here is very much 3rd world. Especially outside of Pristina. There's one good highway, it runs from Pristina south to the border with North Macedonia. The rest of the roads suck. Think 2 lane back roads, but not well maintained. There's trash everywhere, and the air quality is brutal, especially close to Pristina.

Its not super easy to get here from the States, you'll have to stop several times, most likely. The Pristina airport is tiny, but nice enough.

Having said that, the country is very beautiful ('ll upload some pics this evening) and the people are very friendly. They love NATO in general, but they particularly love Americans. The food is pretty good, too, and you can get a good meal super cheap. They're on the Euro here, even though they're not in the EU.

It is pretty easy to get to Northern Greece. We're in the southern part of Kosovo (near Ferizaj), and it was about a 4 hour drive back here from Thessaloniki. We drove to Athens, but had an over night stop on the way in Kalambaka. If you drove straight through, it would be about 8 hours. Lots of tolls on that route.

Have not been to Albania, but friends who have been said the beaches are great. Montenegro and Croatia are both pretty close as well. One friend went scuba diving in Croatia and raved about it.

Let me know if you have other specific questions, and I'll be happy to answer.

Awesome and thanks for the info. I think his home is in Prizren, but I need to verify that. If the country is beautiful, the people friendly, and the food great, that sounds great. We are outdoors people who like hiking and beaches. My friend tells me the beaches in Albania are awesome too. I'd love to be able to get to as much of Northern Greece (Biblical sites) as possible and this sounds feasible. It sounds like Athens is even possible. I understand that traveling across the Serbian/Kosovo border is tricky.

Thank you. I heard the beaches and the mountains are both beautiful in the region

The area around Prizren is very beautiful. I've only seen it from the air, but it's quite a sight:

Pics from all around the Serbia-Kosovo boundary:



Gazivode Lake in the North of Kosovo from the air and ground (the bridge crosses the boundary, Kosovo on the left, Serbia on the right):


From the top of Luboten (peak on the border between Kosovo and North Macedonia) looking along the mountains south of Prizren:

And yes, it can be tricky to travel between the two. I think you can't enter Serbia from Kosovo unless you have a valid stamp from Serbia in your passport. Serbia doesn't recognize Kosovo as independent, so there are lots of politics at play.

If you do cross, make sure you're using one of the 6 official manned crossing points (the one north of Podujevo, Gate 3, is the most modern) and not one of the dozens of small roads that cross all over the place.