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Skopje

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SKOPJE, MACEDONIA - JUNE 20: A general view of Skopje, Macedonia, on June 20, 2014 as part of "Skopje 2014" project which aim to give more classical appeal to the destroyed city by the old earthquake that hit the Macedonian capital in 1963. The makeover has attracted a growing number of tourists in recent years and visitors curious to see the city’s new monuments and statues. (Photo by Erhan Elaldi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

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Overview

Skopje has plenty of charm. Its Ottoman- and Byzantine-era sights are focused around the city's delightful Čaršija, bordered by the 15th-century Kameni Most (Stone Bridge) and Tvrdina Kale Fortress – Skopje's guardian since the 5th century. Don't miss the excellent eating and drinking scene in Debar Maalo, a lovely tree-lined neighbourhood.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Skopje fort

    Tvrdina Kale Fortress

    Skopje

    Dominating the skyline of Skopje, this Game of Thrones–worthy, 6th-century AD Byzantine (and later, Ottoman) fortress is an easy walk up from the Čaršija…

  • National Gallery of Macedonia

    National Gallery of Macedonia

    Skopje

    The Daut Paša Amam (1473) were once the largest Turkish baths outside of İstanbul and they make a magical setting for the permanent collection of Skopje's…

  • Čaršija

    Čaršija

    Skopje

    Čaršija is Skopje's hillside Ottoman old town, evoking the city's past with its winding lanes filled with teahouses, mosques, craftspeople's shops, and…

  • Macedonia, Skopje, Carsija Old Town, Sveti Spas Church Wooden Belltower

    Sveti Spas Church

    Skopje

    Partially submerged 2m underground (the Ottomans banned churches from being taller than mosques), this church dates from the 14th century and is the most…

  • Memorial House of Mother Teresa

    Memorial House of Mother Teresa

    Skopje

    This extraordinary retro-futuristic memorial is the most unique church you'll see in North Macedonia. Inside the building there's a small 1st-floor museum…

  • Museum of Macedonia

    Museum of Macedonia

    Skopje

    Sitting inside a concrete brutalist structure – awful to some, fascinating to others – the museum's solid historical and ethnological displays are housed…

  • Archaeological Museum of Macedonia

    Archaeological Museum of Macedonia

    Skopje

    This supersized pile of Italianate-styled marble has been a giant receptacle for Skopje's recent splurge on government-led monuments to boost national…

  • Museum of the City of Skopje

    Museum of the City of Skopje

    Skopje

    Occupying the old train station building where the stone fingers of the clock remain frozen in time at 5.17am – the moment Skopje's devastating earthquake…

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