The pearl of the Balkans, Macedonia’s capital, Skopje, is a tiny little city for a weekend getaway.. It is cheap, close, and moreover, it has been under Ottoman patronage for 600 years.. There is even a Turkish bazaar.. Then we add a new one to our list of places to visit in two days with the Skopje trip, and to add new stories to the Stories of the Story, we are on the way to Skopje, the city where Yahya Kemal was born, divided by the Vardar River.. Here is Macedonia Skopje Travel Guide for you..
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We provided transport to Skopje Airport with Pegasus Airlines for 500 TL for 2 people round trip. Nothing tastes like cheap tickets, I swear. Taxi is an easy option to go to the city center after landing at Skopje Airport.. It’s easy but they want 20 Euros. At the airport exit, we call Vardar Express, saying, “Do we have it,” he said.. After all, our half-hour journey to the city center. Departure times are written at the airport, but I put the website here so that my dear readers do not encounter surprises there.. The price of Vardar Express is 175 Macedonian Dinars one way, that is, around 3 Euros.. When you get off in front of the Holiday Inn hotel, Macedonia Square is 5 minutes’ walk away.
My suggestion for accommodation in Skopje is either cheap hostels 15 minutes away from the city center or in the heart of the city center like us. nice hotels that can be considered a little salty. We preferred to stay at the London Bed & Breakfast hotel in Macedonia Square for 250 TL including a delicious breakfast.. Actually, our wish was to stay in the room with the statue of Alexander the Great, but we couldn’t.. Let it be.. Since the hotel’s breakfast is a place that actually serves as a cafe, we had a very generous breakfast compared to most European cities.. You can also take this into account when calculating the hotel fee.
Places to Visit in Skopje
Macedonia Square you can start sightseeing. In this square full of statues, there is the statue of “Alexander the Great“. It’s not called Alexander the Great, it’s called “The warrior on a horse”. Because the Greeks, as you know, claim the owner of the empire on which the sun never sets.. It’s a bureaucratic issue between them.
One side of the square is Porta Macedonia ie Jewelry of Macedonia. the independence of Macedonia. A triumphal arch made of marble, which was erected in the year 4.4 million Euros. The people are very angry and against the money spent on these statues and structures in the city.
When you walk from the square, you can see the Vardar River, which divides Skopje in two and inspired the famous “Vardar Plain” song during the Ottoman period. you see. Stone Bridge passes over it. The bridge is also called Fatih Sultan Mehmed Bridge.. Evliya Çelebi also mentions this in his travel book.
The imposing building that catches your eye when you come to the bridge Macedonian National Museum. Wax statues of Macedonian leaders are on display inside. Entrance ticket to the museum is 120 Denar for student, 250 Denar for adult. But what, sir, it is forbidden to take photos inside the museum.. Video is forbidden. Look, you look.. What did I understand from this, friend!
Davut Pasha Bath is the 15th century house of the famous groom Davut Pasha.. The bath, which was built in the 19th century. Currently the National Gallery. Entry 50 Denar, free on Sundays. It is filled with lots of paintings, sculptures and works of art.. There’s even a piano. We entered as students and had the pleasure of visiting a museum for 2.5 TL.
After leaving the Turkish bath, walk towards Exi Çarşı. Wander the streets reminiscent of Ottoman movies, eat meatballs at the famous Destan Restaurant (2 people 500 Denar) Try Trileçe at Mado, see how it differs from what you’ve eaten before. After getting the sweet energy here, you will climb a bit and you will reach the Skopje Castle’ located on the highest point of the city.. Free entry to the castle. This time, your stop on the descent of the castle should be the Mustafa Pasha Mosque built in 1492.
In addition; Mother Teresa House, Archeology Museum, Double Bath, Yahya Pasha Mosque, Arasta Mosque, Sultan Murad Mosque, Kurşunlu Han, Kapan Han, Sulu Han, St.. Church of the Savior, Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, Skopje City Museum are the places to visit in Skopje that we have not personally visited, but are among the places to visit in Skopje.
Eating and Drinking in Skopje are among my recommendations Destan and Mado I talked about. Other places you can choose are as follows: Casa Cubana, Pelister, Plaza de Toros. You can choose shopsko beer and tikveş brand wine in all of them.
Skopje is good, beautiful and pleasant to visit in 1 day. If you stay in the center again for the other day, you might get bored.. Going to Ohrid and having a good time at Lake Ohrid is an option when considering this.. By renting a car for 20-25 Euros, you can provide transportation with a 3-hour journey.. Fishing activity in Lake Ohrid can also be a very good experience.. We didn’t want to be too rushed, and with the guidance of my dear friend Mustafa of Macedonian origin, we chose Matka Canyon.
Note: Our Balkans Road Trip, which we set out with our own car in the summer of 2017, was our route to Ohrid’. I also added. What a good thing we did!
Ohrid Travel Guide click for my article.
Balkans Sightseeing Tour by Car Route & Planning
Matka Canyon everyone suggested a taxi, but we narrowed down the locals and searchedHow to Get to Matka Canyon. For this, you need to take the bus number 60 departing in front of Vero AVM and travel for half an hour.. You can also return by the same bus.
Matka Canyon is a natural wonder.. Very peaceful inside. For those who love trekking, a one-on-one hiking trail, canoeing opportunity, gliding along the canyon with boats for 1 hour, everything is based on you enjoying nature.. There is also a restaurant inside.. We watched the canyon by enjoying sahlep in the cold weather.. Of course, as in every trip, adventures did not leave us and we came across a madman.. Ours appeared in the church next to the cafe.. First we talked sanely, then he nailed it because I’m the chosen one.. Come on, welcome brother.. As you can imagine, we ended our trip in Matka.
By the way, those who set out for the Balkans tour can visit other cities nearby when they come to these lands.. What are they? Ohrid, Belgrade, Pristina, maybe even Athens..
Since we have added another weekend route to Stories of the Story, we can set sail for new journeys.
I and many more photos of me on instagram and facebook addresses.
Love and happy travels to you sir..
Hürriyet Seyahat click to read my published article.
