Skopje, FYR Macedonia

Destination: Skopje, FYR Macedonia
Time of travel: August 2014
Duration: 10 days in total
Travel plan: Thessaloniki, Greece - Skopje, FYR Macedonia - Prizren, Kosovo - Sofia, Bulgaria - Skopje - Thessaloniki.

Stone Bridge and Archeological Museum of Macedonia

Some time ago I wrote about our epic taxi ride from FYR Macedonia all the way down to Thessaloniki, if you haven't read it yet, click on the link and read it now. This time let’s go all the way back to take a look at the time we spent in Macedonia itself. We did a multi-destination trip starting from Thessaloniki as there were no direct, reasonably priced flights to Skopje.  From Thessaloniki we took a bus to Skopje as our initial plan to rent a car fell through – turned out the Greek car rental companies don’t allow you to drive to many of the neighboring countries! The bus ride was easy and comfortable so it doesn’t really make much difference. From Macedonia, you can rent a car and drive to pretty much any country you wish (with some exceptions, i.e Albania)!

Blend in and explore!

Get lost in the old part of the city

We had no idea what to expect. The pictures we saw looked peculiar and didn’t seem to make much sense. Huge monumental white pillar buildings next to Ottoman style wood plank houses surrounded by soviet style apartment complexes? It quickly started to make sense when we walked through the beautiful yet small city center of Skopje. Our most favorite part of the city was the Ottoman part where you really get a sense of history and authenticity all around while eating some of the fantastic food! 

Sunset over Skopje

Like all over the Balkans, you get a great sense of east and west colliding which makes your experience that much deeper. It’s quite fascinating to walk in the Ottoman part of Skopje dining at the tiny eateries with the locals and then walk across the bridge to more modern part of the city to have a Mojito by the river. If you want to go local, try white wine with ice and a squeeze of lemon juice!

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The Warrior on a Horse, aka Alexander the Great statue

Skopje is compact and very pleasant to explore. It’s small so a couple of days is more than enough to see the sights and do some shopping. Make sure to take a trip outside the city to one of the smaller towns in FYR Macedonia or further away to the neighboring countries such as Serbia, Kosovo, Albania or Bulgaria. You can easily make a day trip to the south of Serbia or Kosovo and drive back to Skopje for the night. FYR Macedonia is a very affordable destination in accommodation, car rental as well as food. Leave space in your suitcase as you will most likely be able to make some great finds in Skopje, especially if you are into wine and shoes. Macedonia is also a safe destination and many locals speak English, Russian or German. You'll meet lots of authentic, warm people and many religions living side-by-side which makes it an easy and a friendly place to visit. 

Pillars, pillars everywhere!

The Macedonian roads were not in the best shape but they're not the worst either. Also traffic was most sensible in the region and no one attempted to kill us in one of those crazy overtaking frenzies. Make sure to reserve some time to enjoy the scenery!

Skopje Aqueduct

Bulgaria ahead!

Recommendations:

Buy spices such as paprika and chili powder from the Zegin Bit Pazar (local outdoor market). They are authentic and natural – and incredibly high quality and delicious! At the market you can also try locals hams, cheeses and vegetables. The vendors are very friendly and generous!

Eat local dishes such as kebapi, shopska salad or one of the ridiculously delicious meat pies. The food is very similar to the neighboring countries, so if you love the balkan food, you'll surely love Macedonian food also!

Walk along the ancient city walls and explore the old fortress (6th century) and get lost in the old town!