Skopje is the interesting capital of the Republic of Macedonia (officially the ‘Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’/FYROM, due to a dispute with Greece over the history of this region and its name).

The city (and the country) is divided by the two biggest communities, arab (albanians and turks) and orthodox (macedonians and serbs).

You will admire Byzantine churches and monasteries, ancient Roman sites and Ottomans mosques. The 26th of July 1963 an earthquake destroyed 75% of the buildings in the city. As a result you will see many new buildings and statues in the city centre.

Below you can find my budget tips for a nice visit:

1- Visit the Old bazar

The old bazar is the heart of the city and its real symbol, with many small shops, narrow streets, arabic cafè, restaurants and bar where to hang out in the night.

In the past it was covered with wine grape, so it would protect the shoppers from the sun and the rain. The old bazaar was never used for living, it always was a shopping area and contact zone of the Christian and the Muslim population as they lived in separate parts of the town.

Even though some parts of the old bazaar have been destroyed to make streets and parking lots, it still is the largest one in the Balkans and there is still a lot of atmosphere in it.

2- Spend a day at Matka canyon

It takes approx. 30/40 minutes to reach this beautiful place by public transportation (bus nr. 60). Ticket can be bought from the driver (35MKD). The bus runs every 90 minutes, therefore ask for the schedule times to not wait too long.

Matka features a lake and a dam. Climbers and hikers enjoy a variety of trails of different difficulty there. You can see a complex of medieval monasteries and remnants of a fortress remain too.

There is also a chance to rent a guided boat to explore the lake and some caves, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

3- Visit the Kale Fortress

The Kale Fortress stands on the highest hill in the Skopje valley and offers great views over the city. It has free entrance.

It was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian who was born in the village of Taorion near Skopje. The fortress was badly damaged in the fire in 1689 and even more during the earthquake of 1963

From the fortress you can admire Vodno Mountain a popular hiking place with marked paths leading through the woods and there are a couple of rest areas. On the top of Vodno the Millennium Cross was built to mark 2000 years of Christianity in Macedonia. It is 66 meters high and it is the highest structure in Macedonia.

 4- Stay at Urban hostel.

It is a quiet and tidy hostel with nice rooms (with balcony), a front garden and a back yard.

Breakfast is included in the price and friendly staff always willing to help.

More for tourists rather than for backpackers, in my opinion, however it won’t be difficult to find good company and nice people to chat with.

It s located in a beautiful zone not far from city centre, quiet and safe.

Bars, mini markets and restaurants are at walking distance.

 5- Relax and have good time

Seat in a cafe by the riverside near the old bridge and spend some time there, at night this area becomes a lively party zone.

There are plenty of bars in the Old Bazar too, the nightlife there recently has become very interesting (favorites places by locals are La Kaña, Damar, Rakija Bar…).

During the day and in the early evening, tea and turkish cafè are the most common drinks rather than alcohol

Nighlife is interesting too, better ask a local for updated situation. During summer the Skopje Summer Festival together with the Pivolend (beer fest) will pleasantly entertain your time.

6- Eat local!

Make sure to try the famous Macedonian foods such as burek and Shopska Salata, cevapi...

Skopje (like in the whole balkans region) offers a great mix of eastern european, ottoman and mediterranean cuisine style.

There are many local bakeries all around the city where many Macedonians have breakfast and snacks. Salty pastries, called burek (a flaky filo pie stuffed with meat, cheese or spinach) are the dominant offer and they are usually combined with plain yogurt.

Prices are very cheap and the quality of food is good.