Mitrovica residents spend Easter with family, travel plans reserved for May Day

Residents of North Mitrovica will mostly spend the Easter holidays with their families and in their hometown, observing traditions and attending liturgy. According to tourism professionals, there is some interest in organized tours during Easter, but more extensive travel is expected for the May Day holidays, when offers are more diverse and affordable.

Katarina Radovic, a mother of three young children, says that traveling with them is not easy, but they make every holiday at home special.

“We will spend the holidays at home, with our closest family, we will dye eggs—it will be a colorful Easter for us. As far as I’m concerned, I think it’s right to spend Easter, like all major holidays, with family. We will go to church, light a candle, but I believe it’s best to spend it in your own town, with loved ones. However, if someone plans to travel, that’s not bad either—it can be a chance to relax, especially if children are on school break,” says the young mother.

Mitrovica resident Bojan Staletovic believes holidays are best spent in one’s own town, with family and friends.

“For the upcoming holidays, of course, I will be in my beautiful Kosovska Mitrovica, celebrating here with my friends and family, in a family spirit and in the spirit of Orthodoxy. We hope to welcome Easter in a nice way, even though unfortunately politics suggests otherwise. Still, we will try to remain positive and think positively,” Staletovic told Kosovo Online.

Older residents of Mitrovica eagerly await the holidays, as this is when families gather together.

“For the holiday, at home with family. The most important thing is to be at home for the holiday. Some may choose to travel, but for a holiday, it is known—you stay in your own home. It is a great holiday, and everyone returns to their house,” said an elderly Mitrovica resident.

Retiree Slavko Andric will also spend the holidays with his family, welcoming and seeing off guests.

“I will be at home. My wife passed away three years ago—she used to cook and dye eggs. Now my daughter-in-law brings everything, then I go to lunch at their place, and so on. I have five grandsons, one granddaughter, and two great-grandsons and one great-granddaughter. There’s time both for the house and for a walk. First comes the home, we tap eggs, then people come and go, eggs are exchanged,” Andric recounts.

On the other hand, Nenad Stojakovic, owner of the “Holiday Plus” travel agency from North Mitrovica, told Kosovo Online that most residents of northern Kosovo remain in their homes during the holidays, with occasional day trips to religious sites across Kosovo.

“As for Easter, it will mostly be celebrated at home, according to tradition. Of course, there will be visits to morning liturgy in Prizren and Decani on Easter Day itself, but 99 percent will celebrate either here or in central Serbia,” Stojakovic said.

He explains that in recent years, Kosovo has become a must-visit destination for tourists from central Serbia, Montenegro, and The Republic of Srpska, especially during major holidays, with tours typically lasting from one to four days.

“They will certainly come specifically for Easter—fewer from central Serbia, more from The Republic of Srpska. For example, last week, as I heard from a priest in Prizren, 750 people were officially announced, plus those who came without prior notice, so around 1,000 people were present for Palm Sunday in Prizren, Decani, the Patriarchate of Pec, and so on. We also had a group from Banja Luka, and I say that with satisfaction. We will also have groups for Easter and afterward,” he adds.

As he emphasizes, Kosovo’s tourism offer does not need special promotion, but beyond monasteries, there are many natural, cultural, and gastronomic attractions not to be missed.

“I don’t have specific recommendations—the monasteries are enough; they are world cultural heritage and must absolutely be seen. But visiting Kosovo is not only about that—it is also about life. There is Brezovica and many beautiful things. In these tours, we do not promote only our monasteries, but the overall life and culture of Serbs and Montenegrins in these areas,” Stojakovic notes.

Residents of northern Kosovo, as well as those from Serbian communities south of the Ibar, will use the opportunity to travel during the May Day holidays, for which there is a wide range of offers to suit different preferences and budgets.

“As for May Day holidays, that’s a different story. There are flights to Istanbul and Milan, as well as multiple bus departures to Italian cities. That’s already well established. People will also travel to the Montenegrin coast, where prices are very good. Montenegrin and Italian hoteliers have offered very competitive rates, especially the Budva Riviera, where, for example, two children under 10 stay free. A family of four can spend four days at the seaside for 256 euros at the Slovenska Plaza hotel. So, there will be more travel for May Day than for Easter,” Stojakovic points out.

After the Kosovo passport, and later the passport issued by the Coordination Administration, entered the EU visa-free regime in 2024, travelers from Kosovo gained more opportunities for travel, which has also influenced changes in tourism offers.

“Visa liberalization has certainly changed people’s wishes and expectations, whether it concerns Kosovo passports or those issued by the Coordination Administration, which received visa-free status last. For more than ten years, we were in a kind of isolation, so young people—and not only young people—want to see Venice; Venice is a concept, let alone other destinations,” Stojakovic concludes.