Skopje, Macedonia
As part of my travels, I tried to keep a bit of spontaneity throughout the trip and not have everything planned. Had you spoken to me 5 years ago, I would never have done this due to being a planner and usually love having things sorted so I don’t need to stress. BUT…. one thing I have always wanted to try is to book locations last minute and decide as I go.
That’s where Skopje comes in to the picture. I needed somewhere to stay for a few days and after a quick glance on SkyScanner, it was obvious staying in the region of the Balkans was going to be easier and a bit cheaper.
The accommodation was extremely cheap considering I booked it last minute and because it was so cheap I booked my own place right near the city centre. The hosts were so welcoming and lovely, allowing me to leave my suitcase with them at the end of the trip and then driving to meet me at the bus stop later. I know it’s cliché to say i’d go back, but this is one of those gems where I definitely mean it.
I didn’t arrive until mid-afternoon and I had a couple of days to enjoy Skopje so I thought i’d wander around near my accommodation. Now if you’re like me, I was a bit silly and assumed there wouldn’t be many sights that were extremely modern. Maybe silly is the wrong word, considering I had spent quite a bit of time in the Balkans already and hadn’t come across anything too fancy yet. BUT….
Diamond Mall was a newly refurbished shopping centre and it was stunning to walk around. For a shopping centre of this quality it was extremely quiet but it made me feel like I was walking around a shopping centre in Melbourne.
The next day I decided to go for a run around City Park. Now, it’s definitely not the largest city park, but it has a cute little lake running through the park. It is right next to the zoo, which isn’t up my alley but if anyone is interested that’s where it is. There’s also a cafe in the middle of the park, literally called Central Park Cafe which is open from 8 AM - 12AM.
After this, I decided to make my own way to Matka Canyon. You can book a tour for this, which I will link below. However, after a quick google I realised it was quite easy to get to on the bus so off I went.
I will preface this with the fact that I actually took a taxi back as the bus wasn’t very frequent and when I finished it wasn’t a very ideal time to wait for the bus. From certain locations in Central Skopje, you can catch bus #60 which will take you directly to the canyon. The below photo is where I caught it from and it arrived within 5 minutes of the scheduled time.
You can download SkopjeBus which provides you with real-time information and allows you to plan your journey efficiently. The journey itself took around 45-minutes and wasn’t busy at all.
The bus drops you off around 10 minutes from the beginning of the walk but there are multiple walks that you can choose to do. The main reason you will visit will be to see the canyon obviously, so you will typically walk passed a few cafes, the Slalom center and then the Matka dam wall before you get to the areas where you can book a boat trip.
I am not actually sure if the two options to pick from are the same, but I continued passed the first boat tour company and booked the second. It’s a peaceful boat ride for about 20-30 minutes before you reach Vrelo Caves.
I am not going to lie, the caves didn’t really impress me but if you’ve never seen something like this before than it’s definitely worth a visit. The highlight for me was the boat ride and seeing the scenery as we went.
Prior to visiting the canyon I had looked at AllTrails to see if there were any hikes I could do. The obvious one is along the canyon on the main trail and many people do this. However, I decided to head back to the start and complete the hike to the St Nicholas Monastery.
I only passed two people throughout the walk and it gives you some spectacular views along the way. The monastery itself is extremely cool as well, and I almost turned around thinking it was shut but it’s just a large gate that you need to open to walk into the courtyard.
I had taken my lunch with me that day, so I found a spot on one of the benches and found it was probably the most peaceful lunch I had the whole 4 month trip. The walk is out-and-back so you return the same way but again it’s a beautiful walk so I wasn’t disappointed.
As mentioned earlier, by the time I finished the hike the bus was going to be another 2 hours so I found a taxi driver (quite easily) and bartered my price to get back to central.
By the time I got back in, I was quite tired so I spent time in the apartment again and then watched Off Campus 👀
On the second day, I decided to walk around locally and explore some of the main sights in town. Some of these include:
🌼 Macedonia Square which has Alexander the Great statue (supposedly it’s not actually Alexander the Great, but some people claim it).
🌼 Museum of the City Skopje (the clock remains at the time when the earthquake struck in 1963)
🌼 The many bridges: The Bridge of Art, The Bridge of Civilizations and Stone Bridge.
🌼 Museums - Archaeological Museum, Mother Teresa Memorial House, Museum of the Macedonian Struggle for Independence
🌼 Old Bazaar - great restaurants and shops if you fancy buying some jewellery or antiques
🌼 Skopje Fortress - free to walk around and provides some good views of Skopje
I did eat in the Old Bazaar and found it absolutely delicious. It was called Kosmos and it was full when I arrived, but the tables move quickly so I didn’t have to wait more than 10 minutes. I tried the Tavće Gravće which is vegan and then also the Šopska (which isn’t vegan as it has cheese) but both were fresh.
I had also heard there was a sweets store which was the oldest in town so of course I had to go and try it. It’s called Слаткарница Ригара so good luck putting that into google maps. You can also use the title “Sweets Shop Rigara”.
I honestly cannot tell you what I had but it definitely wasn’t vegan. It was like a honeycomb style cookie with this creamy filling. It basically crumbled in my mouth and was extremely sweet.
I’m not sure it would be my first choice of sweet, but I obviously brought two things…. the second was like a walnut bread type thing. AND this was my favourite. I told myself I would only have half and within 5 seconds that decision went out of the window.
Again I chose to relax at the apartment for dinner but I have heard the Old Town can be quite fun of an evening. So if you’re wanting to head out somewhere for a bit more of a vibe than you should definitely try it out.
Overall, Skopje was a great town to visit for a few days and surprised me like many of the Balkan towns so far. My biggest learning is that not everything has to be planned for it to turn out well. Going along with the flow has provided me with some amazing opportunities on this trip and I think I will continue to try and do it more often…
