Skopje

Skopje (Скопје in Macedonian, Shkup in Albanian, Üsküp in Turkish) is a 544,086 inhabitants city by river Vardar, capital and most populated city in North Macedonia. More than a quarter of all North Macedonia's population lives in the city and its surrounding area. It isn't far from neighbouring Kosovo and it's mainly inhabited by Macedonians (67%), with an important Albanian population (20%). One of its most interesting things is that sometimes Skopje is believed to be one of the cities with more statues in the world because of Skopje 2014 project.

How do I arrive to Skopje?

  Skopje has many different ways to arrive for being the capital and largest city in North Macedonia. 

• Plane: there are many international flights to Skopje International Airport, the most important one in North Macedonia. It's 21 km east from the center of the city and to go from the airport to the city there are buses, Vadar Ekspres (aprox. 30 minutes) and taxis.
• Train: there are trains from Skopje Central Station that link Skopje to other places in North Macedonia like Kumanovo (aprox 30 minutes), Veles (aprox. 50 minutes), Tetovo (aprox. 1 hour), Štip (aprox. 2 hours), Prilep (aprox. 2.5 hours) or Bitola (aprox. 3 hours 20 minutes). There are several trains to destinations in the region, like Pristina (aprox. 3 hours) in Kosovo, Belgrade (aprox. 9 hours) in Serbia and Thessaloniki (aprox. 5 hours) in Greece.
• Bus: it's the best way to move along Western Balkans and the main bus station in Skopje is Skopje Avtobuska Stanica [Автобуска Станица Скопје], 2 km far from the center. There are frequent buses to other locations in North Macedonia such as Matka Canyon (aprox. 40 minutes), Ohrid (aprox. 3.5 hours). Buses also connect Skopje with neighbouring destinations like Thessaloniki (aprox. 4 hours) in Greece, Tirana (aprox. 7 hours) in Albania, Pristina (aprox. 2.5 hours) in Kosovo, Sofia (aprox. 5.5 hours) in Bulgaria, Belgrade in Serbia (aprox. 6.5 hours) or even Istabul (aprox. 13 hours) in Turkey.
• Car: if you rented a car in Skopje you can reach many places in North Macedonia like Matka Canyon (aprox. 25 minutes), Kumanovo (aprox. 40 minutes), Tetovo (aprox. 45 minutes), Mavrovo National Park (aprox. 1 hour 25 minutes), Prilep (aprox. 1 hour 45 minutes), Bitola (aprox. 2 hours 20 minutes) or Ohrid (aprox. 2 hours 30 minutes). It can also be easy to reach other countries like Kosovo, places such as for example Pristina (aprox. 1 hour 20 minutes) or Prizren (aprox. 2 hours); Albania with cities like Korçë (aprox. 3 hours 45 minutes) or Tirana (aprox. 4 hours 30 minutes); Greece with places such as Thessaloniki (aprox. 2 hours 50 minutes); Bulgaria with cities like Blagoevgrad (aprox. 3 hours) and Sofia (aprox. 3.5 hours); or Serbian cities like Leskovac (aprox. 2 hours 20 minutes) and Niš (aprox. 2 hours 45 minutes).

Once in Skopje it's highly recommended to use public transportation (buses) or simply riding a bike or walk.

History

The place where Skopje Fortress lays was the first site settled by man in Skopje around 4,000 BC. The earliest people in Skopje Valley were probably the Triballi, later populated by Paionians. Scupi (ancient Skopje) was originally a Paionian settlement, but it became afterwards Dardanian capital, losing independence in 28 BC to the Romans. It was part of the province of Moesia during Augustus's rule and Domitian elevated Scupi to colonial status, becoming seat of government of Moesia Superior (population was mostly of Thracian origin). In 518 Scupi was destroyed by a violent earthquake, rebuilt by Justinian I. After the Slavic invasion it wasn't mentioned again until it became part of the expanding First Bulgarian Empire in the 830s and being its capital (972-992). It was surrendered to Byzantine Emperor Basil the Bulgar Slayer in 1004, being the center of the Byzantine province of Bulgaria. Skopje was twice captured by Norman troops, conquered by the Serbian Grand Prince Vukan in 1093 and finally recovered to the Byzantines till 1282, when Skopje was captured by Serbian king Stefan Milutin and king Stefan Dušan made it the capital of the Serbian Empire. Skopje became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1392 and till the 17th century, Üsküp experienced a long golden age. The city severely suffered from the Great Turkish War, when Austrians seized Skopje, and consequently experienced recession until the 1850s, being the capital of the newly Kosovo Vilayet from 1877. Skopje was one of the main centers of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization when it organised the 1903 Ilinden uprising. During the First Balkan War (1912) Skopje was invaded by Serbia and during World War 1, Serbian Macedonia was occupied by Bulgaria till 1918. Skopje and North Macedonia became part of the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1929) and in 1931 it was named the capital of the Vardar Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During WW2 Skopje was occupied by Germany (1941) who left it to Bulgaria, period with more than 4,000 Jews murdered and an important bulgarisation process that lasted till it was liberated in 1944. Skopje benefited greatly from Socialist Yugoslavia policies but was hardly damaged after the 1963 earthquake. Its cityscape was drastically changed and the city became a true example of modernist architecture. After Macedonian independence (1991) it became capital for the new country. Many landmarks were restored and the controversial Skopje 2014 project renewed the appearance of the city center, trying to impose a narrative of Macedonian history.

Skopje's top 7

If you have little time or you just don't want to visit all Skopje, here's a list of the 7 things to do and places you can't miss in the city.

1. Explore all Čaršija.
2. National Gallery of Macedonia.
3. Ploštad Makedonija.
4. Skopje Kale Fortress.
5. Memorial House of Mother Teresa
6. Modern buildings in Skopje
7. Mount Vodno.

What can I visit in Skopje?

 Skopje's Old Town is many located on the right side of river Vardar, around Čaršija and the main square in the city, Ploštad Makedonija. It can be crossed by several bridges all over the city like the Stone Bridge (6th century Byzantine bridge), the Eye Bridge or Art Bridge. There are very nice Modern style buildings all over the city, mainly built after 1963 Skopje earthquake, that give the city a very interesting combination of ancient and modern architecture. Some of the mos important ones are: Skopje Railway Station, St. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, Makedonska Poshta Central Office or Nikola Karev secundary school. The outlook of Skopje changed with the project Skopje 2014, under which many buildings and sculptures where built all over the city.

These are Skopje's main attractions:

Skopje Old Bazaar

• Skopje Old Bazaar or Čaršija: largest bazaar in all the Balkans that makes on its own of the districts of Skopje. It was built during the Ottoman period and is full of sinuous streets, tea-rooms, mosques, artisan's shops and some of the most important monuments and museums in the city. It's nightlife is quite interesting too.
• National Gallery of Macedonia (10-21 from Apr to Sep; 10-18 Tue-Sun from Oct to Mar; 50 MKD/ 20 MKD  adults/ students and kids): complex of different art galleries locate all over Skopje. Its main site is located at Daut Pasha Hammam, Turkish bath built in 1473 that used to be the largest outside Istambul. It displays a collection of Modern works of arts and sculpture by artists from North Macedonia, focused on 19th-20th centuries ones such as Nikola Martinoski and Petar Mazev. Other sites of the National Gallery of Macedonia are Čifte Hammam and Mala Stanica that host temporary exhibitions, but can be visited without any exhibition too.

  

  Skopje Fortress

• Skopje Kale Fortress (7-19; free): former 6th century fortress first built by Byzantines in Justinian I times, that has been modified several times (mainly in the 10th and 13th centuries) and was used by Ottomans too. From its walls there are excellent views of Skopje and river Vardar and some small museums are planned to show the archaeological remains found on the fortress. From here there's a path to reach the Museum of Contemporary Art of Skopje with great views.
• Museum of Contemporary Art of North Macedonia (9-17 Tue-Sat, 9-13 Sun; ): art gallery placed in a Modernist building with wonderful views of all Skopje that was donated by the Polish Government after 963 Skopje earthquake. It has a very interesting collection with works by Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, David Hockney, Meret Oppenheim or Bridget Riley. It also shows works by Macedonian artists like Nikola Martinoski, Dimo Todorovski, Dimitar Kondovski or Petar Mazev and organises temporary exhibitions.

  

  Archeological Museum of Macedonia

• Archaeological Museum of Macedonia (10-18 Tue-Sun; 150 MKD): located in a recently built and controversial marble building. The museum owns more than 7,000 pieces and displays the best treasures of archaeological excavations in North Macedonia such as Byzantine treausres, a Phoenician royal cemetery, 3D reconstructions of the first inhabitants of North Macedonia or a replica of an early Christian basilica.
• Museum of the Macedonian Struggle (10-18 Tue-Sun; 300 MKD/ 120 MKD  adults/ students and kids): curious museum that mixes history with national propaganda that honours the national heroes of North Macedonia and the country's fight for independence. Its atmosphere is quite dark (with paintings of fights, betrayals or other violent representations) and the history it tells can be considered biased but still it's worth a visit.

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  Iconostasis of Sveti Pas Church

  Macedonian Holocaust Museum (9-19 Tue-Fri, 9-15 Sat-Sun; free): interesting museum that remembers the important Sephardi Jewish community that used to live in North Macedonia and in the wholte Balkans. Their history is told using objects, videos, maps, texts and even an original Bulgarian goods van used to transport Macedonian Jews to Treblinka extermination camp. Nearly 98% of Macedonian Jews were murdered during World War 2 and 7144 beads hang to represent them.
• Sveti Pas Macedonian Orthodox Church (9-17 Tue-Fri, 9-15 Sat-Sun; 120 MKD/ 50 MKD  adults/ students and kids): church that dates back to the 14th century although the current restoration dates back to 19th century. It's submerged 2 m underground (because Ottomans prohibited churches to be at the same level of mosques)  and its iconostasis (a wooden screen separating the nave of the church from the altar area at the back) is considered one of North Macedonia's most impressive ones, work of Petre Filipovski Garkata and brothers Marko and Makarie Frckovski. Here it's buried Goce Delčev (national heroe and leader of the VMRO killed by the Turks in 1903) and a small exhibition about his life

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  Mustafa Pasha Mosque

  Mustafa Pasha Mosque (sunrise-sunset): mosque built in 1492 by Mustafa Pasha (vesir on the court of Sultan Selim I) and is considered one of the most beautiful Islamic buildings in North Macedonia. Its inner part is beautiful and simple but ourtsde is quite elegant, with magnificent colonnade, minaret and has a beautiful garden with roses too. 
• Suli An: 15th century caravanserai built by Ishak Beg and badly damaged during 1963 Skopje earthquake. Nowadays it's home of the Faculty of Arts of St. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje and Skopje Old Bazaar Museum.
• Museum of North Macedonia (9-16 Mon-Sat; 100 MKD/ 50 MKD  adults/ students and kids): museum located in a Brutalist style building that hosts historical and ethnographic exhibitions and has the largest ethnic collection of all the country. Some of the highlights are the part on traditional architecture and the room with original wooden iconostasis.
• Murat Pasha Mosque (sunrise-sunset): mosque built in 1436, considered the biggest in the Balkans. It has an unusual 3 naved basilica shape and the flat ceiling because it was built over St. George monastery, the main monastery in Skopje before the coming of the Turks.
• Skopje's Clock Tower: 16th century clock tower (first one ever to be built in the Ottoman Empire) built for Muslims to close their stores to attend prayer (5 times a day). It has more Islamic appearance than the other clock towers in North Macedonia.

  

  Aladža Mosque (also known as Ishak Beg Mosque)

• Isa Beg Mosque (sunrise-sunset): mosque from 1475, only seljuk one in Europe, that has two main domes and a 5 domed porch. 
• Aladža Mosque (sunrise-sunset): 15th century Ottoman mosque built in 1438 by Ishak Beg, an important Ottoman commander that led the conquer of North Macedonia. It was beautifully decorated till a fire in the 17th century, when it was rebuilt without those decorations. Not far from here it's located his mausoleum that still has its original tiles.
• St. Borodica Macedonian Orthodox Church: 19th century cathedral that was cathedral church in Skopje. The iconostatis was finished in 1842 and on 1944 was burned down by Axis powers' soldiers.

  

  Warrior on a Horse on Ploštad Makedonija

• Warrior on a Horse: sculpture that represents Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedon) built under Skopje 2014 project. When Prepa Agreement (2018) was signed its name was changed to the current one.
• Porta Macedonia: trimphal arc built to conmemorate the 20th anniversary of Macedonian independence. Its surface depicts scenes from the history of North Macedonia and was built under Skopje 2014 project.

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  Memorial of Morther Teresa

  Memorial House of Mother Teresa (9-20 Mon-Fri, 9-14 Sat-Sun; free): unique museum dedicated to the humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mother Teresa, born in Skopje in 1910 as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. It's located in the place where the church where she was baptised was and on the 1st floor there's a small museum that shows her life and her journey to Kolkata. On the 2nd floor there's a wonderful chapel with glass decorated with traditional filigree with the shape of doves (representing peace).
• Feudal Tower: 17th century defensive tower whose function is still unknown because this side of Skopje is thought to be inhabited on those times.
• Museum of the City of Skopje (9-17 Tue-Sat, 9-13 Sun; free): museum that shows objects related to the archaeology, history (from 3,000 BC to the present) and art of Skopje. It's located on the old Skopje Railway Station and its clock is frozen at 5:17, time when 1963 Skopje earthquake took place (and killed 1,066 people).

  

  Soborna Crkva Orthodox Church

• Soborna Crkva Macedonian Orthodox Church: rotunda style church built in 1972 and designed by Slavko Brezoski to conmemorate the 1150th anniversary of the birth of the church patron, St. Clement of Ohrid. It's the largest church of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and is composed only of domes and arches.
  
• Presveto Srce Isusovo Catholic Church: cathedral built in 1977 by the architect Blagoja Mickovski-Bajo to replace the old cathedral, destroyed by the 1963 Skopje earthquake. It's seat of the Catholic Diocese of Skopje.
• Museum of Natural History of North Macedonia (9-16 Tue-Sun; free): old-style natural history museum with a large collection of fossils, insects and other animals.

  

  Mount Vodno and the Millennium Cross
• Skopje Aqueduct: aqueduct that is believed to be of Byzantine construction and used in Ottoman times too.
• Mount Vodno (100 MKD one way): mountain located in the southern part of Skopje with great views of the city and Skopje Millennium Cross. It's quite popular making trails on the forest that cover this mount too.
• St. Pantelejmon Macedonian Orthodox Monastery (10-17 Tue-Sun; 120 MKD): Bzyantine style monastery built under Alexis Commenus in 1164, considered one of the most important churches in all North Macedonia. It has amazing frescoes that represents a change in Byzantine art because the artist introduced figures from real like 200 years ahead of Renaissance.
  depict the saints in the customary representative-type manner but introduced figures from the real life
  
  Read more at: https://travel2macedonia.com/tourist-attraction/saint-pantelejmon-monastery-skopje
  From the monastery there are awesome views.

Matka Canyon

 Outside Skopje (like 15 km southwest) it can be enjoyed Matka Canyon, a wonderful gorge with crystal clear water that was used by Christians to escape from Ottomans. Nowadays it has little population and is mainly inhabited by Muslim Albanians. It's perfect to practice some hiking or water sports like kayaking. One of the things that can be done here is exploring a complex of underwater caves that reach 212 m depth (being of the deepest in Europe); Vrelo Underwater Caves (9-19; 400 MKD) is open for visitors (either on a trip or with your own kayak). Here you can also visit some very nice monasteries and churches like for example Sveta Gorodica Macedonian Orthodox Monastery (8-20; free), monastery still inhabited by nuns that has monastic cells that date back to the 18th century and a 14th century chapel with frescoes. Before the entrance, on the left, it can be seen some crosses that date back to the 6th century (since then there was a church here). Another interesting temple is St. Andrej Macedonian Orthodox Church (10-16; free), a small 13th century church that is considered one of the best in Matka Canyon and has frescoes in good conditions. To learn more about the canyon's history and nature it can be visited Exhibition Center Matka (10-15 Tue-Sun from Apr to Oct).

Fresco in St. Nikita Macedonian Orthodox Church in Banjane

Around Skopje there are other interesting temples that can be worth a visit. In the 53 inhabitants village of Markova Sušica (Маркова Сушица in Macedonian, Sushica in Albanian) it can be visited Marko's Monastery (8-20 from Apr to Nov; 8-16 from Nov to Mar), 14th century monastery founded on Vukašin of Serbia times and here was buried Prince Marko (before Ottomans destroyed it) and has interesting frescoes, being the main one the scene The cry of Rahela. Another place to visit churches is Banjane (Бањане in Macedonian, Бањани in Serbian), a 597 inhabitants village home of St. Nikita Macedonian Orthodox Church, 13th century church built by Serbian king Milutin with frescoes by the famous Ohrid painters Mihailo and Eftihie. Not far from Banjane is located the village of  Kuchevishte (Кучевиште in Macedonian, Кучевиште in Serbian) with 535 inhabitants (mainly Serbs) where visiting Sveti Pas Macedonian Orthodox Church, 14th century church that actually is the sum of many buildings. It's completely frescoed (but the porch).

What can I do and buy in Skopje?

 Skopje has a nice cultural offer despite the fact that it isn't a very large city. It includes Macedonian Opera and Ballet House (Goce Delchev Boulevard 4) or Macedonian Phillarmonica (Kej Dimitar Vlahov). 

 

Bit Pazar

Skopje is also the greates place to go shopping in North Macedonia with Skopje Old Bazaar (Čaršija), the largest in all the Balkans that has shops full of souvenirs and many other things. Within it there's Bit Pazar (8-15), a fruits and vegetables market. Some of the coolest places to buy are the carpenter's workshop Monozero [Монозеро] (Boulevard Saint Clement of Ohrid 30) or the jewelry shop Dželjo [Џељо] (Kujundjiska), specialist in the Macedonian filigree and popular because even Salma Hayek has bought here.

Where can I eat in Skopje?

 Skopje has the largest culinary offer in North Macedonia with different flavours, qualities and prices. Some of the cheapest choices to eat are the Macedonian restaurants Nadzak [Наџак] (Orce Nikolov 105), Barik [Барик] (Mihail Cokov 8), barbacue bar Rock Kafana Rustikana  [Рок кафана Рустикана] (Boulevard Ilinden 94), the kebab brand restaurants Destan [Дестан] (Vladimir Polezhanovski) or trying some Asian food at Sushico [Сушико] (Aminta Treti 29). There are also some places to eat food for medium-prize such as the Macedonian restaurant Kaj Pero [Кај Перо] (Orce Nikolov 109), the restaurant Pelister [Пелистер] (Boulevard Macedonia) or Idadija [Идадија] (Zhivko Chingo 1) for barbacues. If you want to spend a bit more money you may try some of these Macedonian restaurants: Skopski Merak [Скопски Мерак] (Debarca 51), Pivnica An [Пивница Ан] (Gradishte 14) and Stara Gradska Kuḱa [Стара Куќа] (Boulevard Phillip the Second of Macedonia 14).
Skopje has an important offer of places to have a drink, the largest in North Macedonia, mainly located in the district Debar Maalo. The top choices are the cafes K8 [Кејт] (Arhiepiskop Angelarij 7) and Trend [Тренд] (Nikola Vapcarov 2), the brewery Old Town Brewery [Стара градска пивница] (Gradishte 1), the bar Van Gogh [Ван Гог] (Naum Naumovski Borche 80) or the winery Temov [Темов] (Gradishte 1a).

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