Macedonia Travel Article and Places to Visit in Macedonia

Have you ever thought about what makes a city or a country your home? In my opinion, being born in a city and not leaving until death is not enough to make that city our home.. Being able to describe when asked the way, knowing which cocktail does not have water in which bar, or having a sports card in that city is not.. I think it’s the people we’re with that turn a city into a home. Our family is the friends we meet in that city and the people we meet every day.

Here for me, the place of Macedonia, which makes me feel as if I was born ‘there’, is always very special, almost my honorary home! I went to Macedonia for the first time at the age of 18, thanks to a European Union project, and then I went about 10 more times with projects and stayed sometimes for 1 month, sometimes for 1 week, sometimes for 2 days.. Again, I was able to visit the most beautiful places of this country and met hundreds of people in the projects I participated in in 5 years in this country.. I never met with some of them afterwards, and I never broke off contact with some of them.. Over the years, I have declared myself an ‘honorary macedonian’ when I say grocer’s, crocodile, taxi driver, and shopkeeper, and I still can’t put any dust on this tiny country! He is like a ‘home’ and ‘child’ to me.. It is also my grandfather’s hometown, regularly ‘drawing blood’.

Don’t worry that this country is very small and its population is only 2 million, its people are at least as friendly as ours, drink well, get drunk well, distribute well.. So this country will take you in and continue its endless motion with you! Imagine the people are so friendly that our Macedonian friend, who was the trainer in the project we went to, broke the monopoly window at night (!) because the participants were out of cigarettes, bought 10 packs of cigarettes, left the money for the cigarettes and the glass (!) and thanked them with a note! Now that you have started to look at Macedonia from a different perspective, you are ready to get to know other aspects of it!

Welcome to our Macedonia Travel Post!

Which Cities to Visit?

Macedonia is a small country , but don’t think it’s just Skopje. It has a Ohrid that is more beautiful than Skopje and a ski resort Mavrovo. Bitola and Kavadarci are also definitely worth visiting if you have time.

If you are coming in winter, plan your trip as 2 days in Skopje and 2 days in Ohrid. you can plan. If you are coming in summer, Ohrid definitely deserves 3-4 days and you can even plan a ‘sea vacation’ here, taking into account that you can swim in the Ohrid lake in summer and there are beautiful beaches around it.

Macedonia is a cheap country in general.. Accommodation and drinks are very cheap.. You can easily find a hotel in the city center for 20 Euros per night and a hostel for 10 Euros.. Other than that, people are also very comfortable and nobody cares about anyone.. In other words, you can think of it as a more ‘western’ country that resembles Turkey.

Also, since it doesn’t require a visa from us, you can always buy a plane ticket and come here, even if you don’t speak the language, it’s okay, everybody, even the passport officer, understands Turkish. ! Macedonia uses dinar and 1 Euro is about 61 dinars. You see, you have no reason not to visit Macedonia! So, we decided to prepare a Skopje and Ohrid travel article right away.

Did we talk too much? Anyway, we’ll start right away from Skopje!

Skopje Travel Guide and Places to Visit in Skopje

Skopje!

This city, which I was once a complete stranger to, took me by step over time. I took my name into it and over the years it became my ‘honorary home’. Skopje has a different atmosphere. The streets are not very beautiful, they do not have great buildings, but you are happy when you walk around.. Vardar seems to flow beautifully!

2 days is actually enough to visit Skopje, but if you have time, you can spare 3 days to visit its surroundings.

When to go and how is it convenient to go?

If you don’t have plans to visit Ohrid and you’re only going to visit Skopje, you can have a nice time in both summer and winter.. But the ‘cold of the balkans’ is really something else and Skopje gets very cold in winter. If you’re coming in winter, don’t forget to take any scarf or joggers with you.. But Skopje has a worse time, summer time! It gets incredibly hot in the summer, i-na-nil-maz. If you’re going in the summer, it’s a good idea to go prepared.

Pegasus and THY organize flights to Skopje several times a day.. You can get whichever is cheaper.. Since the road only takes 1 hour, we think that comfortable or uncomfortable does not matter much!

Is it reasonable to go to Skopje by bus from Istanbul or by car?

There are regular bus services from Istanbul to Skopje.. The road takes about 11 hours and costs around 45 Euros one way, but there is a visa handicap.. Namely, buses pass through either Greece or Bulgaria and you need to get a ‘Schengen transit’ or ‘Bulgaria transit’ visa for this.. You’re struggling and it’s more expensive. So if you don’t already have Schengen, never mind.

There is also the option to go with your own vehicle.. For this, you need to go via Greece or Bulgaria in the same way.. But we have to say that as easy as it is to rent a car abroad, it is ‘regular’ to use your own car or a borrowed car.

If you want to drive from Turkey to Greece, first the car must be registered in your name or the person in whose name the vehicle is registered must be traveling with you. If the vehicle is not registered on you or the owner of the vehicle is not traveling with you, you need to go to the notary with the person who owns the vehicle and have a power of attorney issued on your behalf.

Of course, there is the problem of international driver’s license.. In the past, when there were no chip driver’s licenses, you had to go to the Turing and Automobile Authority and get an international driver’s license before you went to Greece with your car, and there was a very high fee.. Now, all you have to do before going to Greece is to renew your driver’s license, get the chip and cross the border!

Finally, the issue of international insurance (green card). This fee payment is also obligatory and the document is required from you at the border.. That’s why you can get it done at the border gates as well as at the insurance agencies.. It is around 70 Euros for 15 days.

If you are still determined to go to Greece by car after all this, we have full support for you!

It is easier to go via Bulgaria because Bulgaria does not require international insurance.. It is enough to have an international driver’s license. But sometimes border police can cause problems at the borders of Greece-Macedonia and Bulgaria-Macedonia.. You could wait at the border for a long time, especially when there is a shortage of immigrants.. Therefore, if you are planning to go with your car, it is useful to research the situation thoroughly.

Perhaps you have heard of it.. There is great tension between Macedonia and Greece because of the name ‘Macedonia’. ‘Macedonia’ is actually the name of a region in Greece, and the Greeks call Macedonia ‘FYROM’, which is already the official name of Macedonia. So, if you are going to Skopje from Greece by car, don’t say “Where is Bro Macedonia? >It is very easy to get to the city center from ‘Alexander the Great Airport’ in Skopje. You don’t need to take a taxi. Vardar Express, which runs between the Airport and the City Centre, is 150 Dinars one way, i.e. less than 2.5 Euros.. Even if you are going by taxi, you can go to the city center for 15 Euros with a good bargain.

We said Urban Transportation, but you will actually walk everywhere.. Since Skopje is a small city, there is no metro or tram anyway, and everyone either walks or takes the bus very rarely.. Just take a pair of sneakers with you when you come!

Also, if you need to take a taxi, make sure to bargain! Especially the taxi drivers around the bus station are mostly Turkish and sometimes they close the bargain they opened for 50 liras to 10 liras.

Accommodation in Skopje:

The Vardar River runs through the middle of Skopje and the river divides the city into two.. One side is the area called ‘Old Town’ and completely dominated by Turkish culture, and the other side is the modern area that was built later.. If you stay in the Old Town, you feel like you’re in the middle of the events because most of Skopje’s places to visit are here.. If you want to choose a hostel, you can stay at the ‘Shanti Hostel‘ where I stay every time I go to Skopje.. There are two Shanti Hostels close to each other and both are very convenient and the environment is very nice.

If you want an affordable accommodation close to the city center, choose Skopje Lux Apartmants, or our favorite home so far. You can choose Hotel Super 8, which is one of the hotels, very close to the center.. Since we love both of them very much, we do not separate them from each other.

If you want to stay at Airbnb, let’s leave a link like this. If you become a member of Airbnb with this link, you will earn a credit of 130 TL valid on your first stay, and as you continue to use Airbnb, Airbnb may start to like you more and add surprise credits to your account.

To Visit Places:

When you arrive in Skopje, the first thing that will catch your attention will be the sculptures.. The city underwent a transformation with the ‘Skopje 2014’ project and huge statues were built all over it.. The people, on the other hand, do not like these statues very much because while the people were living in poverty, millions of dollars were spent on these statues with an emphasis on Christianity.

Macedonia Square:

If we do not count the Turkish Bazaar, this is the most crowded place in the city.. You can think of it as the old, beautiful and arabic-free(!) version of our Taksim Square.. It is surrounded by statues and there is a huge Statue of Alexander the Great in the middle.. In the summer, there are demonstrations in this square and the people are having a good time.. In addition, there are many places where you can sit and have a nice beer or have breakfast in the streets that lead to this square.. We will also touch on the eating and drinking part at the end of the article.

Stone Bridge:

This Ottoman bridge, which brings the two sides of Skopje together, has been standing there for centuries.. While visiting the city, you will pass over it many times, and if you come across it at sunset, you will pose against Vardar like this!

Skopje Archaeological Museum:

You can easily find the building of this museum, located right next to Vardar.. The museum, which has an entrance fee of 300 Dinars (100 per student), is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00 except Mondays.. The Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, located right next to the Archaeological Museum, is a much more impressive museum if you ask us.. It was built within the scope of Skopje 2014 project and approximately 10 Million Dollars was spent. It tells about the independence struggle of the Macedonian nation in history and you can tour with a guide.. As bi’Blog-Always-Side-Side-Of-People-Oppressed-People, we support the Macedonians’ struggle for independence. The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00.

Macedonian National Museum:

The Macedonian Revolution and Macedonian leaders are told in the Macedonian National Museum, which is also on the same road.. Soft music plays in the background as you tour the museum and each leader has a wax statue. While visiting the museum, you see that there are more Macedonians inside than tourists.. Macedonians love their country very much and they own it very well.. They have a subtle nationalism, but they never reach the skulls of ours.. They are happy to be Macedonians and accept their country as it is.

Skopje Turkish Bazaar (Old Bazaar):

This bazaar, which you come across after passing Taşköprü, is the biggest bazaar of the Balkans.. It has everything from baths to jewelers, Mustafa Pasha Mosque, gift shops, bookstores and artisan restaurants, and you will never feel like a stranger.. The best ‘action’ you can do in the bazaar is to eat the macedonian meatballs they call ‘cevabi’ and to have the famous Macedonian salad ‘chopsko salad’ next to it.. If you don’t like it, we’ll refund your money.

Also, while you’re wandering around the bazaar, you’ll come across hookah sellers, Turkish coffee shops, and kumpir sellers.. Indeed, the Stone Bridge seems to divide the city into two culturally, and the bazaar part is quite ‘traditional’.

Skopje Fortress:

This castle, built in the Roman period and located in the north of Vardar, is a castle. Unlike its counterparts, it was damaged not in the wars, but in the Skopje Earthquake in 1963 and has not undergone any restoration since then.. Since it is open to visitors 24/7, you can visit it anytime and the entrance is free.

Mother Teresa House:

Mother Teresa House remains on the new city side and the entrance is free of charge.. In this house built in memory of Mother Teresa, there are letters, portraits and memoirs written by Teresa in her own handwriting.. There is also a small chapel on the upper floor of the house.

Apart from all these places to visit, you will always notice the sculptures while you are visiting Skopje.. Especially due to the rush of ‘appropriating Alexander the Great’ between Macedonia and Greece, the Statue of Alexander the Great was erected in most of the city, and there are more than 20 statues in Macedonia Square.. As such, the city really seems to be split in half by a stone bridge.. Ottoman architecture on one side, modern sculptures, Alexander and Christian accents on the other.. Despite everything, Skopje is a very friendly city.. In fact, you can watch a promotional video prepared by Macedonians here.

If you want to go to a shopping mall (as a shopping mall-enemy-bi’Blog), we don’t recommend it much, but CityMol, the two big shopping malls in Skopje and you can go to Ramstore.

Matka Canyon:

When we write travel articles, we don’t say ‘must go’ here. Matka Canyon is located about 15 km from Skopje and is Macedonia’s most popular destination for nature tourism.. He totally deserves it! This is both a green place and 10 caves with different depths! One of them is Vrelo Cave, which is the deepest underground water cave in the world.. On top of that, besides the natural beauties, there are medieval churches and monasteries.. It’s not over(!) In Matka, you can do rock climbing or boat tour! In fact, a 1-hour boat tour is only around 400 Dinars.. In short, think of a place where if you put a photo of it on the internet, you can say, ‘You would love this if it was the Maldives, but this is Matka!’. Taxi, on the other hand, costs around 500-550 dinars, or 8 Euros.

Food and Drink in Skopje

Coming all the way to Macedonia, there are three things they say ‘beating those who do not eat’. ‘chopsko salad‘, which looks like meatballs, casseroles and shepherd’s salad with cheese. And if you’re drinking beer, it’s ‘Skopsko’.

If you want to eat meatballs in the bazaar, the most popular place is ‘Destan‘. But you can also try other places in the bazaar.. Let the tradesman win. Both the prices are very affordable and extremely delicious. By the way, they refer to meatballs as ‘kebab’, so if you order kebab, don’t be surprised by the Tire Meatballs that come your way while waiting for something Alexander-style! I almost forgot, you can try the ‘trileçe, which people in Turkey ate like crazy two years ago, here.

Winery Temow can both eat and drink at the same time. as well as another place in the bazaar where you can try different brands of beer.

Café Gorki is a place where you can try both for breakfast and lunch on the new Skopje side.

If you want to have a beer in such a ‘Skopje’ place, you can try ‘Pivnica Star Grad‘ in the bazaar area.

Also, ‘Wonderlust Café&Store’ right near Terasa’s house ‘ ideal for a coffee break.

If you want a more stylish and ‘fine-dine’ place, you can go to ‘Old City House Restaurant‘. There is both live music and very nice Tikveş Wines.. And the Macedonian national drink rakia. It looks like our raki, but they drink shots.

It’s not over! When it’s even more night, if you want a place where you can have fun and dance, you can go to ‘Night Club Midnight.

Apart from all these we have already mentioned, because their food cultures are very close to us, they are everywhere. You can find pastries, pastries and bagels in patisseries.. When you want to pass the lunches, you can easily find a patisserie..

That’s all we have to write about Skopje for now, it’s time for Ohrid

Ohrid Travel Post:

Ohrid’s only the troublesome part is getting to Ohrid. There is an airport in Ohrid, but it is not generally preferred and you have to come from Skopje by bus or taxi.. There are regular flights from Skopje Bus Station to Ohrid and the road takes about 3 hours.. You don’t need to buy the ticket in advance as different bus companies go, but if you’re going in the evening, you’d better buy the ticket in the morning, sometimes it runs out.. Also, do not rely too much on the bus times on the internet, they are often not up to date.. The price of the bus is 500 dinars one way, that is, around 8 Euros.. If you want to go by taxi, you can negotiate a hard bargain for 50 Euros one way.. When you get off at the Ohrid bus station, if you are going to take a taxi to the city center, do not pay more than 2 Euros.. You can reach it by walking in 20-25 minutes.

Ohrid is the most beautiful place in Macedonia if you ask me.. It has a special place in Skopje, but maybe I like Ohrid more because I have more friends and acquaintances in Ohrid.. When you say Lake Ohrid, don’t think of a small ordinary lake.. Especially in summer, Ohrid’s lakeside beaches are set up and you feel like you are in a seaside town when you look at the beach and the people swimming at it.

Ohrid is a small city, with several main cobblestone streets, plenty of churches and restaurants.. But if you are coming in summer, you can extend your stay, buy a house by the lake and take a summer vacation..

Accommodation

You can choose ‘Old Town’ section. As you know, Ohrid is a very big lake, sometimes the houses that are kept as lakeside can be quite far from the center.. Therefore, it is useful not to be surprised by the ‘old town’.. Ohrid is still an underrated city.. You can easily find a hotel in the Old Town for 20 Euros per day.. If you want to hit the point, our recommendation is Sveti Kliment. If you have a car, we recommend Sveti Stefan Spa & Hotel for a Spa Hotel far from the center but extremely beautiful.

Places to Visit

Once upon a time, there were 365 churches in Ohrid representing one day of the year.. Yugoslavs also saw this place as Jerusalem in Europe.. There are not that many churches now, but the old town of Ohrid is very well preserved. Its fortresses, churches and monasteries, most of which date back to the Middle Ages, are still standing and intact.. Very close to the lakeside, St.. Naum Abbey and St.. Sofia is the most interesting one among the structures in Ohrid.. If you happen to be in Ohrid, you will love these two buildings.

Ohrid Castle:

The castle is a must for every European city.. Although it is a bit difficult in summer, it is definitely worth going to Ohrid Castle because you can both watch the beautiful view of Ohrid and have a picnic while spinning in the surrounding groves.. There are also very beautiful houses in the side streets that you will pass through on the way to Ohrid castle.

Ohrid Antique Theatre:

This ancient theater, built in 200 BC, is from the Hellenistic period and is called Varos in Ohrid. located in the old part. Many cultural events are held here during Ohrid’s famous Ohrid Summer Festival.. This space, which was designed as a small ancient theater over time, has been enlarged over time with the continuous growth of Ohrid.. It is also always open for tourists to visit.

Sveti Naum:

Naum Monastery, also known as Naum Monastery, is another monastery in greenery, about 20km outside of Ohrid.. Since it is far from the city center, you can go by boats departing from the port.. I think this is the most ‘expensive’ activity you can come across in Ohrid, round trip is 10 Euros! In fact, the bus also goes here, but on the way by boat, you pass through places with magnificent views.. You can even take a boat trip on the springs feeding the Ohrid lake after visiting the Monastery and it costs less than 2.5 Euros per person.. Let’s say you did that too. There is a walking track just beyond the Monastery, where you can take a walk and see the boiling points.. Coca Cola wanted to buy this place, but UNESCO did not allow it.. I felt like I was selling a tour, but don’t miss this tour.

There are also boat tours on the lake in Ohrid.. You can join the boat tour very cheaply and tour the lake.. I think if it’s summer time, rent a pedalo instead of taking a boat tour.. You can both spend time on the sea bike as you wish, and have the chance to jump and swim whenever you want!

Food and Drink Section

If you want a dinner by the lake, ‘Restaurant Kaneo You can try or ‘Kaj Kanevche‘. You can try ‘Pizza Nemo‘ for a local pizzeria, or ‘Restaurant Ostrovo‘ if you are going to visit the Naum Monastery.

The ‘ near the ancient theater On the other hand, >Gladiator, you can find all kinds of traditional dishes as it is both cheap and preferred by locals.. ‘Liquid‘ is always our favorite for enjoying coffee by the lake.

Other than these, there are dozens of restaurants in Ohrid where you can eat good food (especially fish) and their prices are very reasonable compared to our country.. You can have a dinner with a drink for 20-25 TL per person, and restaurants are mostly not after tourists.. As a matter of fact, we have never been hungry in Ohrid, and neither will you!. Ohrid is a slow city, no one is in a hurry. People sit against the lake, drink their coffee, eat snacks from the bakeries called Pekara, and enjoy Ohrid.. So if you want to hurry and visit Ohrid in 1 day, it may not be that enjoyable.

Struga

Struga, which is about 15 km from Ohrid, is like the smaller but busier one of Ohrid.. This seaside town, which gets more crowded in the summer, became the place where I spent the most time in Macedonia.. If you have time in Ohrid, be sure to visit Struga and dine at Sveti Nikola. If you plan to stay, you can stay at the ‘Hotel Solferino.

After Macedonia, there have been countries that have become my ‘home’ and maybe other cities will be our home with Umut in the coming years.. But Macedonia gave me so much. Friends left memories and became my ‘home’ at the time.

Thanks Macedonia.

Loves!

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