North Macedonia
Part Balkan, part Mediterranean and rich in Greek, Roman and Ottoman heritage, North Macedonia has a fascinating past and a complex national identity.
Glittering Lake Ohrid and its historic town have etched out a place for North Macedonia on the tourist map, but there is a wealth of natural beauty in this small country.
Dramatic mountains have blissfully quiet walking trails, lakes and riding opportunities. The national parks of Mavrovo, Galičica and Pelister are cultivating some excellent cultural and culinary tourism initiatives; these gorgeous regions are as yet little explored, so if you want to get off the beaten track in Europe – this is the place. Tourist infrastructure is scant, but locals are unfailingly helpful.
Skopje's centre has suffered from a building spree of grotesque faux-neoclassical monuments, buildings and fountains, funded by the previous government. Luckily, its Ottoman old town and buzzing modern areas are untouched and remain charming and authentic.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout North Macedonia.
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Sveti Naum Monastery
Sveti Naum, 29km south of Ohrid, is an imposing sight on a bluff near the Albanian border and a popular day trip from Ohrid. Naum was a contemporary of St Kliment, and their monastery an educational centre. The iconostasis inside the church dates to 1711 and the frescoes to the 19th century; it's well worth paying the fee to enter. Sandy beaches hem the monastery in on two sides and are some of the best places to swim around Lake Ohrid. Naum's Church of the Holy Archangels (AD 900) was destroyed by the Ottomans in the 15th century and reincarnated as the Church of Sveti Naum when it was rebuilt between the 16th and 17th centuries as a multidomed, Byzantine-style structure on this cliff. Inside, drop an ear to the tomb of Sveti Naum to hear his muffled heartbeat. Then head to the monastery walls for inspiring lake views. Surrounding the core of the complex is a tranquil garden looped by fountains, with roses and peacocks. Plan to spend half a day here and enjoy the site, stopping for a paddle and lunch or drinks at one of the handful of restaurants and bars outside the main complex. Boat trips to the Springs of St Naum are also worthwhile, and there's even a good hotel. If you come by car, you have to pay for parking at the entrance to the monastery. From Ohrid town harbour, boats run to Sveti Naum (€10 return) every day at 10am, returning at 4pm, and it's 1½ hours each way; taxis take half an hour and cost €16 one way or €32 return, and for that price the driver will stop at the Bay of Bones as well. There's also a bus from Ohrid, which runs six to seven times daily (110MKD to 150MKD), stopping at the bus station and running along Bul Turtsticka.
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Sveti Jovan Bigorski Monastery
This revered 1020 Byzantine monastery is located, fittingly, up in the gods along a track of switchbacks off the Debar road, close to Janče village. Legend attests an icon of Sveti Jovan Bigorski (St John the Baptist) miraculously appeared here, inspiring the monastery's foundation; since then the monastery has been rebuilt often – apparently, the icon has occasionally reappeared too. The complex went into demise during communist rule but has been painstakingly reconstructed and today is as impressive as ever, with some excellent views over Mavrovo's mountains. The frescoed church also houses what is alleged to be St John's forearm. Bigorski's awe-inspiring iconostasis was the final of just three carved by local craftsmen Makarije Frčkovski and the brothers Filipovski between 1829 and 1835. This colossal work depicting biblical scenes is enlivened with 700 tiny human and animal figures. Gazing up at the enormous, intricate masterpiece is breathtaking. Upon finishing, the carvers allegedly flung their tools into the nearby Radika River – ensuring that the secret of their artistic genius would be washed away forever. Hang about and the monks might approach you for a chat and offer a tea or coffee. The monastery also offers hostel beds.
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Ohrid Boardwalk & City Beach
Skimming the surface of the water along Ohrid's shore, snaking towards Kaneo fishing village and the town's most famous church, this over-water boardwalk takes you to a beautiful outcrop of rocky beaches and a handful of small restaurants and bars. On a hot day the area is thronged by bathers, drinkers and diners. The cool waters are translucent and inviting, the cliff-backed setting is sublime, and strolling this stretch of coast up to the Church of Sveti Jovan at Kaneo is an Ohrid must. Deckchairs line the shore around the bars, and at night the boardwalk is illuminated by the same quaint house-shaped street lights you'll see in town. If you don't want to walk both ways, take one of the small taxi boats from the base of Kaneo church back to the port for 300MKD – the same boaters will offer to extend your trip with a jaunt past the church's cliff head to the natural beaches and caves to the north for an extra 200MKD.
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National Gallery of Macedonia
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 national art gallery, just by the entrance to the Čaršija. The seven restored rooms house mainly modern art and sculpture from North Macedonia, brought to life by the sun piercing through the small star-shaped holes in the domed ceilings. Two other National Gallery sites – Čifte Amam and Mala Stanica – house rotating, temporary exhibitions.
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Čaršija
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 even good nightlife. It also boasts Skopje's best historic structures and a handful of museums, and is the first place any visitor should head. Čaršija runs from the Stone Bridge to the Bit Pazar, a big vegetable and household goods market. Expect to get pleasantly lost in its maze of narrow streets.
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Church of Sveti Jovan at Kaneo
This stunning 13th-century church is set on a cliff over the lake, about a 15-minute walk west of Ohrid's port area, and is possibly North Macedonia's most photographed structure. Peer down into the azure waters and you'll see why medieval monks found spiritual inspiration here. The small church has original frescoes behind the altar. Little bobbing boats cluster beneath the church around the cliff base, waiting to whisk passengers who don't fancy the walk back to the harbour (300MKD).
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Tvrdina Kale Fortress
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 and its ramparts offer great views over the city and river. Inside the ruins, two mini museums were being built at the time of writing to house various archaeological finds from Neolithic to Ottoman times. This will be a welcome addition to the site, as there are no information boards at the fortress at present. The entrance is up the hill on Samoilova inside a lovely park; opposite the gateway is a slightly unkempt path that leads across the hump of the hill to the Museum of Contemporary Art. En route, you'll get a stellar bird's-eye view of Skopje's futuristic, vortex-like Filip II sports arena in the valley below.
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Plaošnik
Saluting the lake from Ohrid's hilltop, Plaošnik is home to the multidomed medieval Church of Sveti Kliment i Pantelejmon, the foundations of a 5th-century basilica and a garden of intricate early Christian flora-and-fauna mosaics. The central church was restored in 2002; though it lacks the ancient wall frescoes of many other Macedonian churches, it is unusual in having glass floor segments revealing the original foundations and framed relics from the medieval church, which dated to the 9th century. Surrounding the church, a series of columns and covered mosaics are discoveries from an even earlier religious complex. The most impressive basilica ruins, complete with elaborate mosaic floors, lie beneath a covered walkway opposite the Church of Sveti Kliment i Pantelejmon and set back from the hill edge (to the right of the site entrance). There's a small cafe with a sweet sea-view patio on-site. Plaošnik's once-woody environs are now a construction site for a ginormous School of Theology.
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Archaeological Museum of Macedonia
This supersized pile of Italianate-styled marble has been a giant receptacle for Skopje's recent splurge on government-led monuments to boost national pride. Inside, there are three floors displaying the cream of Macedonian archaeological excavations beneath the dazzle of hundreds of tiny lights. Highlights include Byzantine treasures; sophisticated 3D reconstructions of early Macedonian faces from skulls; a pint-sized replica of an early Christian basilica showing the life phases of mosaic conservation; and a Phoenician royal necropolis. It may be that not everything is original, but the contents of this museum extol the riches of North Macedonia's weighty history better than anywhere else in the country.
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