Getting from Prizren to Skopje by bus

IS THIS ROUTE EASY AND SAFE FOR SOLO TRAVELLERS?

Oh, and yes, I felt very safe solo travelling by bus in the Balkans! I kept my valuables on me but never had any issues with the luggage I put in the hold. I’ve not actually heard any reports of theft on Balkans bus routes, though, of course, be extra careful if you ever take a night bus.

Although it was almost entirely locals on the Prizren to Skopje bus route, no one paid any attention to me. (This is coming from a White European tourist’s mind.) I also had no issues with leaving luggage in the hold, and buying tickets was easy.

BEFORE YOUR JOURNEY/BUYING TICKETS

On the Prizren to Skopje bus, no need to buy tickets in advance (unless your accommodation advises you that it’s a particularly busy time). There were loads of free seats when I rocked up on a Sunday in November, but it might be worth booking in advance in peak season. Getting to the bus station early to make sure you get a seat would be your best bet in this case.

The walk to the bus station from Prizren takes around 15 minutes (or else a taxi would cost about 2 euros). There are also pick-up points outside the bus station and closer to the centre, so if you’re feeling confident you could ask at your accommodation if there’s somewhere nearer, you can wait for your bus. I decided just to go to the bus station to ensure I got a window seat (though it wasn’t busy, so I should have worried haha).

Tickets cost 7 euros
(at the time of writing) so if you buy in advance, ensure you’re not overcharged.

I got to the station 15 minutes early and looked for the bus with SHKOP on the front
Finding my bus at ‘platform 6’, I stowed my luggage and boarded.

If you get there early, you can buy some food from the cafe.

MY JOURNEY

I’ve already noted the buses across the Balkans are modern and fairly comfortable. The pockets on the back of seats are a perfect place to store your breakfast burek/water bottle/hot n spicy Pringles.

At 0900, we promptly departed Prizren bus station.

The views were not the most spectacular, but they looked pretty cool from the right-hand side, so I recommend sitting on this side of the bus if you like natural scenery.

I sat on the left, and it was not quite as interesting.

Sit on the right if you want better views than this on your journey from Prizren to Skopje…

BORDER CROSSING

Border crossings are super easy in the Balkans! You just sit there and wait, haha.

At 10:45, the officials passed around a passenger list on which we all had to write our names.

We arrived at the border crossing at 11:10 when we handed over our passports. There was a second checkpoint at 11:20, where the border staff rechecked our passports.

We left the border crossing at 11:40.

Annnnd then we had a fuel stop which took another 20 minutes.

ARRIVING IN SKOPJE

I arrived in Skopje at around 1:30. The journey is expected to take 3 hours.

This bus station is a little further from the centre than in many Balkan cities I visited. It’ll be around a 1.5km walk if your accommodation is in the centre, though many accommodations in Skopje are ALSO not very central so it could be a 2.5km walk. As I had just one night in the city, I booked a hostel which was only 500m from the centre so I could easily explore during my short time there.

However, if you have heavy luggage, you can get a cheap taxi for 2 euros or take a bus to the centre. On your way back to the bus station or airport, ask your accommodation to book a taxi for you to get a reasonable price.

As you can see, it’s a pretty straightforward journey!

Let me know if any of this information is incorrect or outdated so we can help out any future travellers to the Balkans. Thanks so much.

Hope you enjoy your trip! 🙂