Skopje
There is something special about Skopje which you won’t find anywhere else in Europe. It has the atmosphere of both a modern-western and old-eastern city. The visible presence of both Orthodox churches and mosques is not a historical left-over, it reflects the current social makeup of Skopje, with the co-existence of the Macedonian Christians and the Albanian Muslims.
Things to do and see
- Wander in the old Turkish bazaar/Carsija. Though this bazaar can’t compare to the one in Sarajevo, it’s still the highlight of Skopje. Many important mosques and churches are located in this area. The city art gallery is hosted in a former Turkish bath.The Macedonians are extremely friendly and hospital. If you feel like chatting up with the locals, you can just randomly stop in front of any shop and say hi, chance are they will invite you in. I have the best people photos from here when a barber and later a Kebab restaurant owner invited me into their shops.
- Kameni Most, the old stone bridge, connecting the old and new parts of the city.
- The modern part of Skopje lies on the south side of the bridge. Ploštad, the main square of Skopje, is the venue most of your hedonistic desires: eat, drink, party, shopping, etc.
- Kale fortress
- Mother Theresa’s museum. She is an Albanian born in Skopje, Macedonia.
- Shop for fresh vegetables and fruits at the open market next to the bazaar. I got my basket of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, lemons and banana for free as a gift from one stall owner.
Food
Similar to Kosovo, eating well is also affordable in Skopje. Also like in Kosovo, I ate only burek and cevapi. These delicious Balkan pies have different variations: meat, cheese, spinach or potatoes though in Kosovo you will find mostly meat or cheese. They are cheap too, cost only €0.6 and can make the best choice for breakfast, light lunch and light dinner. If you prefer meat, definitely try cevapi/Balkan kebab sold everywhere.
You probably won’t find anywhere in Europe where a dinner with 2 portions of cevapcici, Greek salad, and a soda at a restaurant in the old Turkish bazaar cost 260 denars/€4.
Accommodation
Sample cost
- Return train Belgrade-Skopje: €32
| Accommodation - Hostel from €9. - Budget Hotel from €15 |
Transportation - Bus from Pristina: €5.5 - Bus from Skopje to Strugga or Ohrid (oneway): 530 MKD/€9 - Bus from Ohrid to Strugga: 50 MKD/€0.8 - Taxi from Strugga to Ohrid: 250 MKD/€4 - Taxi boat at Ohrid: from €5 to €10 |
| Food - Burek: €0.7 - 2 portions of cevapi, Greek salad, a soda: €4 |
Transportation
- There is no low-cost airlines flying into Skopje. The best option is to fly to Thessaloniki, Greece (easyJet, Smartwings, Ryanair, Germanwings), Sofia, Bulgaria (Wizzair, easyJet, Germanwings) or Pristina, Kosovo (easyJet, Germanwings) and then take the bus to Skopje.
- There are plenty of international buses going to/from Skopje. Prices are very cheap for traveling to countries neighboring Macedonia.
- Trains are horribly slow and late in this part of Europe. My train to Belgrade took almost 10 hours, about 3 hours longer than bus. Twice I arrived more than an hour later then supposed to. On the way back to Belgrade, the late arrival caused me to miss the connecting train to Budapest, thus I lost another 4 hours to wait for the next train.
- Skopje is not terribly big, but it is big enough that if you don’t live near the center, you have to use public transportation.
- Taxi should not be expensive here, but do ask the locals for the prices beforehand. They might even call the cabs for you.
