Skopje (Macedonia) (28 Apr25):
Sofia (Bulgaria)
Plovdiv (Bulgaria)
Koprivshtitsa (Bulgaria)
Skopje (Macedonia)
History of Skopje in a few lines:
Origins:
Skopje has over 2,000 years of history. It was founded as an Illyrian settlement and later became the Roman city of Scupi.
Antique:
Under the Roman and later Byzantine Empires, it was an important military and commercial center in the Balkans.
Middle Ages:
It passed through Bulgarian and Serbian hands, becoming the capital of the Serbian Empire in the 14th century.
Ottoman era:
From the 15th to the 19th century, Skopje was under Ottoman rule, which left a strong cultural and architectural influence.
20th Century:
Following the Balkan Wars and World War I, it became part of Yugoslavia. In 1963, a major earthquake destroyed much of the city, which was subsequently rebuilt with modern architecture.
Present:
Today it is the capital of North Macedonia, famous for its mix of styles: Ottoman bridges, Orthodox churches, socialist architecture and the Skopje 2014 project, which added neoclassical monuments and buildings.
Skopje (Macedonia): a very new city, so it doesn't have much history. It's very cheap; if you're nearby, you can go, but otherwise, it's not really worth it. You can see the whole city in a morning. Keep in mind that you can't pay by card almost anywhere; we had read about it, but we didn't think it was true nowadays. We bumped into Alec Baldwin, but it took us a while to react enough to take a picture with him.
A very new city, where Mother Teresa was born. There's no roaming, and Wi-Fi is hard to find. Everything must be paid for in cash. It's a cheap city, and you can't drink alcohol.
Interesting facts:
Customs:
The customs process really caught our attention. We went by bus, and when you arrive at Bulgarian Customs, the customs officer boards the bus and checks all the passports. Then you have to get off the bus, and they repeat the process at the office window.
Then the bus travels 10 meters, you have to get back on, and it travels another 20 meters to the Macedonian customs office, where the exact same process is repeated: the Macedonian customs officer gets on, checks everyone's passport inside the bus one by one, and then makes everyone get off again for a check at the office window. It's a bit surreal, but that's how it is. The return trip is the same.
Flight+hotel package with lastminute.com: €593.40 total round trip with Wizzair.
Excursion: 1 day to Skopje (Macedonia) €56/person. Round trip to Sofia. Flixbus
Information obtained from the web https://www.exteriores.gob.es
Passport/ID: Both are valid.
Visa: It is not required.
Vaccines: There are no mandatory vaccinations for entry.
European Health Insurance Card: NOTE! This is NOT valid as North Macedonia is not currently a member of the EU.
Travel insurance: In our case we always used Iati, but lately we've been using Globalfine which is much cheaper.
Medical note to take into account: The extremely high levels of pollution (with PM2.5 levels exceeding the WHO's recommended limits by 11 times) can affect people's health, especially those with respiratory illnesses.
Badge: Macedonian dinar (MKD).
Payment card/currency exchange: we always go with Revolut definitely.
Roaming: NO There is, so if you have data enabled you can take a nice little gift back.
GPS: Maps.me Download the maps for Spain and they work great offline, whether you're on foot, by car, or on public transport.
International driving permit: It is necessary because it does not belong to the EU. It is requested through the website of the DGT.
It costs €10.51. The good thing is you can order it online and pick it up without an appointment. It took a couple of days for ours, then you go to pick it up and it's a cardboard card like the ones they had 20 years ago.
Where to eat: If you want to eat at a restaurant, there's also the app. TheFork which has many discounts. If you book with the code 7C1B79A3 When you are finishing the booking, you will get 1000 Yums = €10 discount at your next meal. In addition to other special offers they often have, or simply to accumulate points and use them for discounts on your next payments.
Consejos prácticos para viajar a Skopje
Si viajas a Skopje desde Ohrid, una de las opciones más habituales es hacerlo en coche en unas 3 horas, algo que muchas veces no se tiene en cuenta frente al autobús. Además, esta ruta permite ver diferentes paisajes del país sin grandes complicaciones. Skopje es uno de los destinos más curiosos de los Balcanes, ideal para combinar cultura, contrastes arquitectónicos y escapadas cercanas en pocos días.
