Find places in North Macedonia

Must-Haves

• Old Bazaar (Čaršija) (Čair, north bank of the Vardar)
  One of the largest surviving Ottoman bazaars in the Balkans, full of mosques, inns, tea houses and craft shops.
• Memorial House of Mother Teresa (Macedonia Street, centre)
  A small, moving museum on the site of the church where Mother Teresa was baptised in her home city.
• Museum of the Macedonian Struggle (Vardar riverbank, centre)
  A lavish museum of waxwork scenes telling the story of the fight for Macedonian statehood.
• Mustafa Pasha Mosque (Near the fortress)
  An elegant fifteenth century mosque with a rose garden and a calm courtyard.

Off the Beaten Path

• Church of Saint Saviour (Sveti Spas) (Old Bazaar)
  A half sunken church hiding one of the finest carved walnut iconostases in the Balkans.

Must-Haves

• Stone Bridge (City centre)
  The fifteenth century bridge that links Macedonia Square with the Old Bazaar and frames the whole city.
• Skopje Fortress (Kale) (Above the Old Bazaar)
  Restored walls with wide views over the river, the bazaar and Mount Vodno.

Off the Beaten Path

• Monastery of Saint Panteleimon, Gorno Nerezi (Lower slopes of Mount Vodno)
  Twelfth century frescoes that art historians call a forerunner of the Renaissance.
• Skopje Aqueduct (Northwest edge of the city)
  The only surviving aqueduct in the country, a quiet stone ruin in open fields.

Fun for Everyone

• Skopje Zoo (Near City Park)
  An easy, low key family outing next to the park.

Must-Haves

• Millennium Cross and Mount Vodno cable car (Mount Vodno)
  Ride the cable car to the giant cross on the summit for the best view of Skopje.
• Matka Canyon (About half an hour southwest of Skopje)
  A dramatic gorge with a lake for kayaking, cliffside monasteries and the Vrelo Cave.

Off the Beaten Path

• Saint Andrew Monastery, Matka (Matka Canyon)
  A tiny fourteenth century church with frescoes right at the water by the canyon dam.

Fun for Everyone

• City Park (Gradski Park) (Along the Vardar, west of centre)
  A huge leafy park with paths, cafés and a lake, loved by Skopje families.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Bit Pazar (Edge of the Old Bazaar)
  The busy everyday market for peppers, cheese, spices, honey and household goods.
• Green Market (Zelen Pazar) (Near the centre)
  A neighbourhood produce market for seasonal fruit, vegetables and ajvar peppers.

Must-Haves

• Old Bazaar filigree jewellers (Old Bazaar)
  Small workshops selling the delicate silver filigree the bazaar has made for centuries.

Must-Haves

• Pivnica An (Kapan An courtyard, Old Bazaar)
  Traditional Macedonian dishes served in the courtyard of an Ottoman inn.
• Skopski Merak (Debar Maalo)
  A lively tavern with Macedonian food and live old town songs in the evening.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Destan (Old Bazaar)
  A long running kebapči grill famous for its plates of small grilled kebapi.

Fun for Everyone

• Old Town House (Stara Gradska Kuќa) (Near the Stone Bridge)
  A traditional house restaurant serving tavče gravče, sarma and Macedonian wine.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Baklava shops of the Old Bazaar (Old Bazaar)
  Sit down for baklava, tulumba and Turkish coffee the way locals have for generations.

Must-Haves

• Café life on Macedonia Street (Macedonia Street, centre)
  Grab an espresso on the pedestrian street and watch the city stroll past.

Great for Date Night

• Debar Maalo café terraces (Debar Maalo)
  Leafy terraces for coffee by day and wine by night in Skopje's favourite neighbourhood.

Must-Haves

• Debar Maalo bar street (Debar Maalo)
  The easiest place in Skopje to find a relaxed drink and a lively crowd.

Fun for Everyone

• Old Bazaar evening bars (Old Bazaar)
  Beer gardens and small bars open up in the bazaar courtyards on warm evenings.

Fun for Everyone

• Skopje Summer Festival (Venues across Skopje)
  Concerts, theatre and film through July and August in courtyards and halls.

Must-Haves

• Skopje Jazz Festival (Skopje)
  A respected October festival bringing international jazz names to the city.

Great for Date Night

• Marriott Skopje (Macedonia Square)
  Polished rooms and a rooftop bar right on the main square.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Guesthouses of Debar Maalo (Debar Maalo)
  Small family run rooms within walking distance of the centre and the best taverns.

Must-Haves

• Church of Saint John at Kaneo (Kaneo, below the old town)
  The country's most photographed church, perched on a cliff above the lake.
• Samuel's Fortress (Top of the old town)
  Walk the walls of the medieval fortress for views over the lake and the roofs below.
• Plaošnik and Saint Panteleimon (Old town hill)
  A rebuilt church on the site of Saint Clement's school, with early Christian mosaics around it.
• Church of Saint Sophia (Old town)
  A great medieval cathedral with some of the most important frescoes in the Balkans.

Fun for Everyone

• Ancient Theatre of Ohrid (Old town)
  A Hellenistic theatre that still hosts summer performances.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ohrid Pearl workshops (Old town)
  Family workshops still making the famous Ohrid pearls from fish scale lacquer.
• Ohrid Green Market (Town centre)
  The daily market for figs, cheese, honey and lake fish.

Off the Beaten Path

• Vangel Atanasovski paper workshop (Old town)
  A small workshop where you can watch paper made by hand on an old press.

Must-Haves

• Boat to Saint John at Kaneo (Ohrid harbour)
  Local boatmen run short trips along the cliffs at sunset.
• Monastery of Saint Naum (Southern tip of the lake)
  A monastery with peacocks by the springs where boats glide over clear water.

Fun for Everyone

• Rowing boats at the Saint Naum springs (Saint Naum)
  Small boats take you over the crystal clear springs that feed the lake.

Must-Haves

• Galičica National Park (Between Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa)
  A mountain road and hikes with views over two lakes at once.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mount Magaro hike (Galičica National Park)
  A summit walk with Ohrid on one side and Prespa on the other.
• Lake Prespa and Golem Grad island (Prespa, east of Galičica)
  A remote island of tortoises, pelicans and ruined churches.

Fun for Everyone

• Gradište beach (Near Peštani)
  Quiet coves next to the Bay of Bones.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Trpejca village (Eastern lakeshore)
  A fishing village with a pebble beach and taverns at the water.

Must-Haves

• Restaurant Kaneo (Kaneo beach)
  Lake fish and salads eaten on a wooden deck over the water.

Great for Date Night

• Sveta Sofija (Opposite the Church of Saint Sophia)
  A quiet, polished restaurant beside the old cathedral.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Letna Bavča (Kaneo, near the beach)
  A simple, much loved fish place by the water.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lakeside taverns of Trpejca (Trpejca village)
  Grilled fish and a slow lunch in a village by the water.

Must-Haves

• Lakeside cafés on the quay (Ohrid harbour)
  Morning coffee on the promenade with the boats rocking below.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ohrid bakeries for burek (Town centre)
  A hot slice of burek and a yogurt for breakfast is a local ritual.

Must-Haves

• Ohrid Summer Festival (Old town venues)
  July and August concerts and plays in the ancient theatre and churches.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ohrid Swimming Marathon (Saint Naum to Ohrid)
  A long distance swim across the lake in late summer.

Fun for Everyone

• Hotel Inex Gorica (Lakeshore south of town)
  A large lakeside hotel with its own swimming area.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Guestrooms of the old town (Varoš, old town)
  Family rooms with lake views and local hosts.

Must-Haves

• Širok Sokak (Bitola centre)
  The elegant pedestrian street of consulates and café terraces.
• Clock Tower (Centre)
  The landmark of Bitola, beside the old mosques and the park.

Off the Beaten Path

• Krushevo (About an hour north of Bitola)
  A high stone town known for the 1903 Ilinden uprising and paragliding.

Must-Haves

• Heraclea Lyncestis (Southern edge of Bitola)
  A city founded by Philip of Macedon with superb floor mosaics.
• Bitola Museum (Centre)
  Housed in the old military academy where Atatürk studied.

Off the Beaten Path

• Church of Saint Demetrius (Centre)
  A large nineteenth century church with a richly carved iconostasis.
• Yeni Mosque art gallery (Centre)
  A sixteenth century mosque now used as a gallery.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Bitola Bazaar (Old Bazaar quarter)
  A working Ottoman bazaar of tailors, cobblers and spice shops.

Must-Haves

• Pelister National Park (West of Bitola)
  Molika pine forests, glacial lakes called the Mountain Eyes and good hiking.

Off the Beaten Path

• Dihovo village (Pelister foothills)
  A village with river pools and guesthouses at the edge of the park.
• Brajčino village (Prespa side of Pelister)
  A quiet mountain village with marked hiking trails.

Off the Beaten Path

• Villa Dihovo (Dihovo)
  A well known village guesthouse with home cooking and garden wine.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Bitola kebab and burek counters (Old Bazaar)
  Simple counters serving local grills and morning pastries.

Must-Haves

• Café terraces of Širok Sokak (Širok Sokak)
  Sit down for a coffee where the whole town comes to see and be seen.

Fun for Everyone

• Širok Sokak evening bars (Širok Sokak)
  The street turns into a lively strip of bars after dark.

Must-Haves

• Manaki Brothers Film Festival (Bitola)
  An international festival of cinematography each autumn.

Must-Haves

• Mavrovo National Park (Western North Macedonia)
  The country's largest national park of forests, peaks and gorges.
• Mavrovo ski centre (Zare Lazarevski, Mavrovo)
  The country's main ski area, busy from December to March.

Off the Beaten Path

• Galičnik village (Mavrovo National Park)
  A high shepherding village of stone houses.
• Duf waterfall (Near Rostuše)
  A short walk to a waterfall in a forested gorge.
• Mount Korab (Albanian border)
  The highest peak in the country, climbed on guided summer hikes.

Must-Haves

• Sunken Church of Saint Nicholas (Mavrovo Lake)
  A church half submerged in the reservoir that appears and disappears with the water level.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Janče village (Radika valley)
  A quiet village of guesthouses, cheese and mountain walks.

Must-Haves

• Monastery of Saint John Bigorski (Radika valley)
  A monastery famous for its wooden iconostasis and quiet setting above the river.

Must-Haves

• Galičnik Wedding (Galičnik)
  A traditional wedding festival held each July with costumes and dancing.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Galičnik cheese and lamb (Mavrovo villages)
  Try sheep's cheese and slow roasted lamb from local shepherds.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Roadside honey and cheese stalls (Mavrovo roads)
  Village producers sell honey, cheese and herbs by the road.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mavrovo village guesthouses (Mavrovo Anovi)
  Simple rooms close to the lake and ski area.

Must-Haves

• Tikveš Winery (Kavadarci)
  The largest and most famous winery in the country, with tastings.
• Stobi archaeological site (Near Gradsko)
  A large Roman and early Christian city with mosaics.

Off the Beaten Path

• Popova Kula Winery (Demir Kapija)
  A hillside winery with rooms and wide valley views.

Great for Date Night

• Stobi Winery (Gradsko)
  A modern winery near the ancient city of Stobi.

Must-Haves

• Kavadarci Wine Carnival (Kavadarci)
  A September harvest festival with a parade and plenty of wine.

Off the Beaten Path

• Demir Kapija gorge (Demir Kapija)
  A rocky gorge on the Vardar with climbing and walking.
• Lake Tikveš (South of Kavadarci)
  A reservoir surrounded by hills and quiet monasteries.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Village taverns of Tikveš (Kavadarci and Negotino)
  Grilled meats and local wine at simple country restaurants.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kavadarci market (Town centre)
  A small town market for grapes, figs and peppers.

Off the Beaten Path

• Popova Kula rooms (Demir Kapija)
  Stay in the vineyard and wake up to the valley.