Things to do in Skopje
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Sveti Pantelejmon Monastery
For a great view of the city, take the 20-minute taxi ride up Mount Vodno to the Sveti Pantelejmon monastery with its sweet little 12th-century church and excellent traditional restaurant.
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Restaurant Kaj Maršalot
A life-size cardboard cutout of Tito cheerily raises his glass as you enter this bizarre socialist-themed restaurant where, according to the advertising, 'proletarians as well as the capitalists feel the equality of the transition'.
Among the communist posters and busts, our leading English-speaking revolutionaries Bob Marley and John Lennon smile down benignly, exhorting us simultaneously to 'Get Up Stand Up' and 'Let It Be'. Surely 'imagine no possessions' would be a more appropriate slogan for the latter, especially given that McCartney was responsible for the laid-back lyric they've chosen. There's no such confusion with the food, which is wonderfully authentic Maced…
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Sveti Spas
The tiny monastery Sveti Spas was built below ground level because during Ottoman times it was illegal for a church to be taller than a mosque. It boasts an iconostasis 10m wide and 6m high, beautifully carved in the early 19th century. Look for the carvers' miniature self-portrait in the left side of the carving. Across the cloister is a room with the Tomb and Museum of Goce Delčev, independence campaigner and national hero, killed by the Ottomans in 1903.
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City Museum
South of the centre, the only interesting thing about the City Museum is its partly-ruined exterior. The clock is frozen at 5.17 on the morning of the tragic Skopje earthquake of 27 July 1963, which killed 1066 people and almost demolished the city. On the left is Tito's message of support to the shattered citizens. Go around to the back for a strange mix of decaying shops and bars amid abandoned railway carriages and artillery.
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City Art Gallery
In the Old Town, or Čaršija, the Daud Paša Baths (1466), once the largest Turkish bath in the Balkans, is now the City Art Gallery. The seven rooms housing mainly modern art are lit by the sun coming through the small star-shaped holes in the domed ceiling, and you can't help but imagine how sumptuous it must have been to bathe here in another age.
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Harmonija
This hard-to-find restaurant provides a full menu of fantastic vegetarian food including a wonderful macrobiotic platter. It's located in the Skopjanka mall, a motley collection of run-down shops a block east of the station, on the left past the first street. The restaurant's yellow sign points down a set of stairs that juts out into the footpath next to a florist.
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National Gallery
Across from Sveti Dimitija is the Daut Pašin Amam (1466), once the largest Turkish bathhouse in the Balkans, and now home to the National Gallery. Housing some excellent modern art and a small collection of icons dating back to the 14th century, the building is lit by star-shaped holes in the brickwork of the beautiful copper-clad domes.
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Museum of Macedonia
The Museum of Macedonia is a fascinating place to while away a few hours. Reflecting the depth of culture in this ancient land, the earliest exhibits date back 7500 years to the Neolithic period. Keep your eyes open for a phallus-spouted drinking vessel that set the standard for joke shops for millennia.
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Memorial Room
A 2.5m bronze statue of Mother Teresa stands sentinel at the entrance to a small square, not far from the now-demolished house where she was raised. Her simple Memorial Room is in the base of an 18th-century feudal tower. A superb socialist relief fronts the Army House to the right of the tower.
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Mustafa Paša Mosque
Beyond the museum the exquisite 1492 Mustafa Paša Mosque has an earthquake-cracked dome and a shady garden with a fountain. The ruins of the Kale, across the street from the mosque, has panoramic views of Skopje from the 11th century Cyclopean wall.
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New Age Coffee & Tea House
This bohemian hipster haunt is like a farmhouse, with dogs and roosters roaming around the yard out front. It's rumoured that aside from the generally alternative clientele, this is also a gay and lesbian hangout.
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Destan
Situated at the back of the shopping centre on the ground floor, Destan serves kebaps (barbequed meat rolls) with delicious grilled Turkish bread, raw onion and hot peppers.
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Sveti Dimitrija
Although dominated by mosques and mainly populated by Albanian Muslims, you'll find the cute 19th-century church of Sveti Dimitrija just over the bridge from Čaršija.
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Sveti Kliment Ohridski
The massive modern church of Sveti Kliment Ohridski does a good impersonation of a mosque, with its large interlocking domes and freestanding bell tower.
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Café Deus
Cosy, smoky and atmospheric, Deus does a good impersonation of a Parisian café, with dark wood furnishings and little tables adorned with roses.
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Trend
The name says it all. This combination restaurant, café and cocktail bar with a nightclub downstairs is the current place to be seen.
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Tabernakul
In the back right-hand corner you'll find a small collection of Macedonian books in English as well as other English-language titles.
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Lezet
The soft lighting, chilled music and harem furnishings seem to encourage couples to pair up in the cosy corners of this groovy bar.
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Vodenica
The food is excellent in this upmarket Italian eatery, which takes its name from the waterwheel in its romantic garden.
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Momir
This is a great fish restaurant where you can try specialities such as squid stuffed with yellow cheese and ham.
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Universal Hall
The home to classical and other music performances, as well as Skopje's jazz festival in October every year.
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Children's Theatre
This cute little theatre in the Čaršija puts on musicals and puppet shows for the little 'uns.
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Blue Café Urban Bar
A truly stylish, modern bar with fab cocktails and a large selection of special coffees and teas.
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Element
Element in the city park is the place for summer outdoor clubbers and international DJs.
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Pivnica An
Marvellous Macedonian food and a great atmosphere, located in a historic Ottoman trading inn.
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