Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Lipljan it runs 380 km to Lipljan; allow about 7 h 47 of riding. On the way it passes Church of the Virgin of Leviša, Dlaboka Reka and back through Church of the Virgin of Leviša. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,500 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It crosses from Kosovo into North Macedonia - carry ID and check the toll rules. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Gračanica Monastery
Gračanica is a monastery of five small domes rising from a Kosovo plain a few kilometres south-east of Pristina, and it is one of the most graceful medieval buildings in the Balkans. King Stefan Milutin of Serbia had it built around 1321 on the site of an older church, and its cross-shaped plan, tall drum-shaped domes and bands of brick and stone make it a masterpiece of the late Byzantine style. UNESCO lists it among the Medieval Monuments in Kosovo.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gračanica Monastery is where the day begins. Next is Church of the Virgin of Leviša.
2. Church of the Virgin of Leviša
In the middle of Prizren's old town, behind a wall and a fence, stands a brick-and-stone church whose bell tower rises above the rooftops. This is the Church of the Virgin of Leviša, Bogorodica Ljeviška in Serbian, one of the most important medieval monuments in the Balkans. It was rebuilt in the early fourteenth century under the Serbian king Milutin on the site of an older church, and its interior was covered with frescoes that are among the finest of their time.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of the Virgin of Leviša comes up about 88 km into the recorded legs. Next is Dlaboka Reka.
3. Dlaboka Reka
Few borderlands in the Balkans feel as folded and unhurried as the country around Peshkopi, in the Dibra mountains of north-eastern Albania. Across the frontier the same people are Macedonia's Dlaboka Reka, the Deep River, and the double name tells you the story: a Slavic and Albanian valley land cut through by a political line that locals still cross for weddings and markets. The Black Drin runs through the region, the great peaks of the Korab range stand along the border, and Mount Korab itself, at 2,764 metres, is the highest in both Albania and North Macedonia.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Gračanica Monastery. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Gračanica Monastery to Church of the Virgin of Leviša
Gračanica Monastery → Church of the Virgin of Leviša is 88 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Church of the Virgin of Leviša to Dlaboka Reka
Church of the Virgin of Leviša → Dlaboka Reka is 100 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Dlaboka Reka to back through Church of the Virgin of Leviša
Dlaboka Reka → back through Church of the Virgin of Leviša is 100 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Church of the Virgin of Leviša to Gračanica Monastery
back through Church of the Virgin of Leviša → Gračanica Monastery is 93 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.