So you're probably wondering why I've titled it being in 3 countries at once? Well it feels like you're in 3 different countries! Skopje is split by the river vardar, on one side of the river is the modern part which has lots of bars and restaurants, and plenty of shops. On the other side of the river which is just a short stroll across stone bridge, is the old, traditional part which includes the old bazaar. This bazaar is largest in Europe outside of Istanbul! When you cross the river, it literally feels like you've entered a different country! The old bazaar is very bizarre, but in a good way! When I booked Skopje I really didn't know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't that! You have to see it for yourself! There are local men, drinking coffee all day and just watching the world go by. There are lots of traditional little shops and lovely tiny cobbled streets, you could easily spend hours in this maze. When I booked Skopje, everyone I told just gave me "the look". 3/4 of them had never heard of it and the other 1/4 asked "why would you even want to go there!?" In all honesty this isn't a question I could answer, other than that I like quirky places. Even the locals will look at you in amazement when they hear your accent as they don't really have a great deal of tourism! But in all honesty it was the price that attracted me! Me and my partner booked Skopje a week before travelling and we were on a very tight budget, so Skopje seemed like the best choice. Neither of us had any idea what to expect, but when we arrived we both felt like we had entered a different world! Was it worth the risk? YES! Come and see Skopje for yourself and you will be amazed!
Is there much to do? Okay so Skopje has more to offer now then ever before. Depending on what you want from a city break, you should be able to find something that suits your taste in Skopje! For people who love tradition, history and culture, you should definitely visit the old bazaar, there is also a fortress called Kale fortress which is worth visiting as you get a lovely view of Skopje! For people who like museums, Skopje has 2 main museums worth visiting, they are the museum of Macedonia, and the best one of all is the museum of Macedonian struggle. This museum gives you an insight in to everything that the Macedonian people have been through and is perfect for people who don't know an awful lot about Macedonia. In all honesty I'm not too sure about entrance fees as these were both included in a tour that we did. You should also visit Mother Teresa's memorial house, she was born in Macedonia and the local people are very proud of this! Also it is free to enter! If you're someone who likes to just chill out and watch the world go by, head to the river side and take your pick of one of the bars and restaurants. Personally I would come here just before sunset, take in the lovely views and see the centre of Skopje all lit up at night. Trust me, it looks beautiful! You can also chill out in one of the many cafes or coffee shops in the old bazaar. My personal favourite place to go was St Patrick's Irish bar which is inside GTC shopping centre, this sits just on the river vardar. The food here was lovely and very affordable. They are not tight with their portions here, I had a chicken Caesar salad and struggled to finish it, it was hugeeee! For the adventurous people, head to mount vodno! Walking around the centre, you will notice a cross which at night time is all lit up and appears to be floating. This cross sits at the top of mount vodno, which is just outside the city centre. There are 2 ways of getting there which are by bus that goes from the main central bus station, or the way we chose which was by taxi. This went from our hotel to the mountain and took around 15 minutes. The taxi driver even waited for us and then took us back! He turned off the meter whilst waiting for us, so all in all it only cost us £7! Both the bus and taxi will drop you in to the main car park, from there you can either walk to the top (if you're crazy! As it looked very challenging and would of taken hours!), or you can get a cable car which we chose. This was brilliant! When you get to the top, in all honesty the cross is nothing to look at, however the view is just breath taking! There is only a small little shop at the top which sells things like ice cream, drinks and crisps. It was during the taxi journey that I felt like I was in yet another country! The outskirts of the city are more like you'd expect Macedonia to look like, this being said I still really enjoyed it and felt 100% safe. I only went to Skopje for 2 nights, foolishly thinking that it would be enough, however because of this, I missed out on one of the most beautiful places, matka canyon! This is around 30 minutes from Skopje centre and looks absolutely stunning. If you book a tour here, I would suggest booking it before you travel as there aren't any tour places around. We booked a city walking tour which cost £20 each and we were the only people on it! It was supposed to be 3 hours long but lasted for 5 and a half as there was so much to see! We also got free entry into the museums and Mother Teresa's memorial house. We booked this tour before arriving in Skopje through city tours, I would definitely recommend this tour.
5 Things to know about Skopje: 1. In 2014 Skopje was completely transformed! The Skopje 2014 project ensured that Skopje was renovated in to a whole new city. This was still not complete when I travelled in May 2015 but it may be complete now. 2. There are statues everywhere!! Macedonia is a very proud country and they like to showcase all of their national heroes by showing them off with a statue! 3. Macedonia has a lot of tension with other countries including Greece, Kosovo and Serbia. However I am only pointing this out for you to be aware of, please don't let it put you off! I felt totally safe the whole time I was in Skopje. Just a few days before I travelled, Skopje had major protests and some ended in violence. I wasn't even aware of this and travelled anyway, I'm so glad I did, maybe if I had known I might not have went, which would have been totally the wrong decision! There were still a few people protesting but these were silent protests and did not pose a risk to tourists at all! 4. Macedonia is still relatively undeveloped. If you want a capital city that is similar to London, Paris or Brussels; Skopje is probably not the right choice. The Skopje 2014 project has helped to put it on the map a bit more. Some of the locals think this project was a waste of valuable money as it could have been put towards things like better education, however I think it will help grow the countries tourism massively. 5. Macedonia is one of the cheapest countries to visit in Europe! Everything here costs a fraction of what you would pay in the UK. To give you an idea of how cheap it is, I bought 200 cigarettes and a 500ml bottle of Pepsi, and still got change from £10!
What's the verdict? Get yourself to Skopje!! It is perfect for a last minute break away, fly direct to Skopje from London Luton with wizz air, we paid £40 for a return ticket each! It is very affordable and well worth a trip! I would suggest doing a 3 night break. Spend a day doing a city tour and have a browse at the bars and restaurants at the riverside, spend another day souvenir shopping in the amazing old bazaar and visit mount vodno, and spend your final day at matka canyon. I would recommend staying at City central international hotel, it is right in the centre next the river. It is inside the GTC shopping centre on the second floor so can be quite difficult to find, the hotel is small and friendly and costs around £40 per room per night. The location is excellent and is easily reached from the airport by getting on the vardar express. This is nothing amazing, it's more of a minibus than a coach transfer, but is very affordable and stops just outside the holiday inn hotel which is just round the corner. Skopje really is the strangest place I have ever been to, but is also the most memorable, would I go back? Definitely! Would I recommend it? 100%, give Skopje a chance, you won't regret it!
