Skopje, the Statue Capital of the World.
Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia is filled with delights and is totally overlooked as a holiday destination. It’s actually one of the least visited places in the whole of Europe, but it’s totally being slept on! Not only does it have a lot of charm, Skope is a gateway to some amazing other places in Macedonia, such as Matka Canyon, and Lake Ohrid!
Getting There
There are direct flights from Luton in the UK with the flight time around 3 hours 30 minutes. I travelled down the night before my flight and stayed in an airport hotel, with a nice easy bus shuttle taking me there for my morning flight.
Skopje airport isn’t that big, so when you leave you’ll easily see the bus that can take you into the City. It costs 180MKD and takes around 30mins. The drop off is right by the river, which is a great landmark for getting to your hotel. You can take the bus back to the airport, the stop is opposite the Holiday Inn, check out the bus timetable here. There is also a taxi which is capped at 25E in the daytime and 30E at night.
What To Do In Skopje
- Explore the Old Bazaar and Skopje Fortress.
Dating back to the 12th century, the old bazaar is one of the oldest and largest in the Balkans. It was built due to the Ottoman influence in this area, and has kept that style ever since.
It’s the perfect place to wander around, and there are plenty of food options around here. I found it useful as a vegetarian because they had a lot of Turkish influenced foods like falafel. There is also a beautiful mosque in this area, and a random little art gallery that was free to enter.
Just next to the bazaar is the 6th century Skopje fortress. It’s hard to miss sat up on a small hill in the centre of the City. It’s free to enter and gives you some amazing views of the City.
Unfortunately the inside doesn’t have much in the way of information and hasn’t been well maintained. You can walk along the walls though which was lovely, and the old towers are really impressive.
- Macedonia and Phillip II squares
Joined by the beautiful stone bridge, these squares offer some interesting insight into North Macedonia’s history. You can’t miss the impressive statue of Alexander the Great astride his horse in Macedonia square, and Phillip II of Macedon stands proud in his namesake square.
They also hint at something quite random, you will notice a lot of statues and neo-classical buildings around the squares. In the 2010s the Macedonian government began a building project called ‘Skopje 2014’ which was designed to drum up tourism into the City. Unfortunately this has come with a lot of controversy over corruption and use of public money. It does seem to have put Skopje on the map, but maybe for the wrong reasons.
I quite enjoyed counting all the statues I could find, which isn’t too difficult, and the areas around these squares could be beautiful, but it does seem quite Kitsch. They’re a great point to start your sightseeing adventures around the city, and a good spot to people watch with a coffee or beer. Take a stroll along the river and you’ll be impressed with the architecture, just remember its only a decade or so old!
- Head to the West of the City for Great Eating and Drinking Spots.
Partitioned by Blvd. Partizanski Odredi are the two areas where I found the best bars and restaurants. From traditional restaurants serving Macedonian classics to modern restaurants including a 2023 top 50 European pizzeria!
I visited a traditional place called Chardak, where I tried, Shopksa salad, with similar ingredients to Greek salad but with a different cheese that’s grated on top. Zelnik, similar to burek but traditionally made with leeks, mine had cheese in too and was massive! All washed down with local Macedonian beer and finished with a rakija.
Being a massive fan of pizza, I also had to try Matto Napoletano, I spotted it on 50toppizza on Instagram and knew I had to see what it would be like. It didn’t disappoint, it’s a little hidden away but a lovely space. I had a delicious margarita and then went for the pizza that got them on the list.
I just took the meat off when it came. It was so good though! There are also plenty of cool bars around this area, I only popped into a couple as I was pretty tired from all the walking I had done around the city.
- Culture and Parks
To learn a little history of North Macedonia you can also visit the museum of the Macedonian struggle. It’s an interesting deep dive into the culture and national identity of Macedonian’s. I spent around and hour or so wandering around and the entry fee was nominal.
I love learning about the history of countries like this, there isn’t any interactive experiences but a lot of memorabilia and scenes. While in the city, also make sure you check out the memorial house of Mother Theresa who was born in Skopje. The house is pretty cool and there’s obviously a statue of her outside too.
If you want some greenery then follow the river West to the City Park. Here you’ll find some lovely lakes and it’s nice to have a green space so close to the City. The walk along the Vardar river is also really nice and I just popped my headphones in and strolled along. There were lots of people running and walking around this area which was nice to see too.
Where to Stay
There are plenty of good options in Skopje, with it being in the Balkans it’s pretty cheap. I split my nights there because I wanted to do something a bit different so I stayed on a boat! Hotel Senigallia was part of the 2014 initiative, built to look like a boat out on the Vardar river.
It was only £60 a night and so fun! It was great to sit on the little deck with views of the city. The rest of the trip I stayed in a huge apartment that was only £35 a night. It was called City Center apartment and was located just off Blvd. Partizanski Odredi which was useful for eating out at night.
Overall I would definitely recommend Skopje, it was cheap with a big meal and alcoholic drink costing around £10. Transport was also cheap, and it’s a great starting off point to explore Matka Canyon and Ohrid.
ALWAYSANOVICE 
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