Guide to Skopje, North Macedonia. How to spend 48 hours in the city

After feeling the need to go on a trip which I didn’t have to work the flights both ways for, my mum and I booked an impromptu trip to Skopje without really knowing much, or really anything about the place at all. We knew a few things we wanted to once we got there but had no idea if we’d chosen a good place to stay or much about the city itself or even how to get around.

Where to stay?

We staying in Hostel Mickitos in a private room for the 2 nights we were there and I’d definitely recommend it if you want to stay in the city. There were a few other hostels and hotels around, however this one worked best for us as it was very well situated and the other listings online didn’t always supply me with the information I had expected when booking. I’m not sure what the dorms are like other than from what I could see in photos when booking as we stayed in private room. It did however, feel very male oriented when I had a peek at the floor with the dorms out of curiosity, so I would’ve probably chosen a private room if travelling alone but that’s just my preference. There was also a kitchen available to us that was situated on the main hostel floor but we didn’t end up needing to use it. 

The hostel is reall well situated, about a 5-10 minute walk to the city centre and river lined with waterfront restaurants. It’s also right on the entrance to the bazaar, and therefore only a 10 minute walk to the city walls. For public transport, it’s a 20-30 minute walk to bus and train stations, you can catch buses from any stops, but will need to visit the station to purchase tickets. 

If I were to go back I’d probably stay outside of the city as there wasn’t masses that we wanted to do in the city itself and we were much more interested in the mountains surrounding it, however a lot of the accommodations here seemed closed as it was January. 

What to do?

We only had one full day so we used that to visit the canyon, however it was a bank holiday (we didn’t know this but after a google search we discovered January 7th is Christmas Day, and the 19th and 20th are the baptism of Jesus celebrations) so buses weren’t running at their usual times and we ended up being later than we’d liked as the one we were going to catch didn’t turn up. We’d heard before we went that it happens even when it’s a normal day, so best bet is to ask around at the bus station or just bring yourself some food and make a base until one appears. The bus to Matka is number 60 and it also stops outside the Vero supermarket down the road which is dead handy when grabbing pre-hike snacks before you go but you’ll need the ticket already to catch the bus here. 

I’d recommend doing the canyon trail along the cliff walls. Yes the path is sketchy at points (especially if it’s raining!!), but you get such a great view on the emerald green lake and it’s an easy trail. There was also absolutely no one else on the trail. I think we bumped into a couple coming back on our way out along the trail and two friends on our way back but everything was pretty deserted which I LOVED. The canyon was so quiet and peaceful and really gave the feeling that you were completely lost in the mountains, despite it being a very popular tourist destination. I’d imagine however it would be packed in the summer. It’s definitely one of those “places to visit before they become top Instagram locations” which I’m sure it will become with the draw of those crystal clear blue/green waters! The boat trip is definitely worth it, not for the cave which was impressive but not really big enough for the 20 minutes you get there to look around, but for the boat ride itself, 20 minutes each way of spectacular views. There were 6 other people on the boat with us and I definitely think it would be much busier in the summer, and I wouldn’t have wanted any more people to join us. The 60 minute boat trip costs 500MKD per person which is around £7.

If you’re wanting a quiet, peaceful place with nobody disturbing the experience definitely visit in the off season, however if you fancy kayaking, swimming and jumping off rocks, it’s definitely going to be much warmer in the summer months, just more crowded. 

On the morning we went to the canyon there was a man advertising free walking tours which we wish we’d seen on our first day as walking tours are a great way to see a city especially if you’ve never been there, or don’t have long there (also they’re a great way to make friends!). He was in the main square with a ‘FREE WALKING TOUR’ umbrella, however it seems he may only be there at certain times of day which is why we’d missed him on the first day. My go to way to book free walking tours is looking on GuruGuide, however nothing had turned up when I’d had a look. 

Vodna is also a very popular area to visit. You can do a hike to the top and down again or there is a cable car you can catch. We tried to do this on our first day however when we went to the ticket office at 2pm the lady at the desk said it wasn’t possible as the cable car shut at 5pm. This confused us as we had just wanted to go to hike it and there would’ve been plenty of time before the sun set and the buses were still running until late into the night. So sadly we had to give it a kiss but if I ever found myself passing though or back for a day I’d 100% do the hike. My best advice is to do this early in the morning to avoid this happening. The bus to Vodna is 25 and it seems more frequent than the 60, however the buses are very unreliable. You can do both Matka and Vodna on the same day apparently as a bus runs from Vodna to Matka which would’ve been a good option if we hadn’t wanted to spend a long time at the canyon. You can also do organised tours, which were advertised all over the bazaar and streets, however we wanted to do the canyon at our our pace and it was much cheaper that way. You can also book the tours on Get Your Guide which is where I normally book activities like that. The bus and boat was  less than £20 for us both and the tours had been advertised for around £60+ per person so this was definitely the budget option, it just means you have to rely on the unreliable public transport. 

Walk around the city walls we didn’t end up having time but it’s a popular thing people come to see. We could see than very well from most parts of the main city and from inside the bazaar however and it was definitely an impressive structure. 

Wander around the bazaar, we did this a few times just in the evenings and when we first got there, didn’t necessarily feel the need to buy anything. What surprised me is that there was no where near as much bartering with the store owners as I’d expected in a bazaar, however this could be due to it being January. I’d recommend having a meal in here at least once as it was a cheap option and had a good atmosphere. 

Where to eat?

On the first night we ate at ‘Saç’ which was in the bazaar, just around the corner and the pizza was incredible. We had a pizza each and a cheese salad and it cost 770MKD which is just over £10 and this was plenty for us.

When you visit, you NEED to try a Skopje salad (sometimes advertised as cheese salad). It’s just tomatoes, cucumber and a bucket load of grated cheese, occasionally it’ll come with raw onions too. This is pretty much my perfect meal, although it’s sold as a side or starter, because I often eat salads exactly like that at home. 

The restaurant opposite looked really good too, we had just wanted to sit indoors for dinner and it had only a small indoor area which was full at the time. The prices here were really decent, around £5 for a steak!

The cafe on the corner of that same stretch, opposite Saç is a really nice place to sit for a coffee or soft drink and cake too. We did this on the first day and it’s a nice place to sit and relax whilst still feeling very much emerged in the city. 

On the first day I’d spotted a cafe called Choco House that looked absolutely packed so we went there the next day for coffee. It was a surprisingly good coffee and the sweet treats looked really good (not really a sweet treat gal unless it’s fruit). They did make everyone sit in the window to make it look busier which felt a bit awkward but later on that night it was actually full inside. I had an iced latte and my mum had a hot latte and it cost us around £4.50.

Directly opposite on the other side of the road was a savoury pastry shop which we stopped in to grab lunch to take with us to the canyon. We had initially wanted one of each of these filled-roll pastries, however when we pointed at the first one and asked for ‘one’ we realised that meant a block of 4 rolls. We ended up getting one block of cheese filled and one block of spinich and cheese filled, so 8 small pastries. These cost £2 and it ended up being too much food for us (they were very filling) so definitely a good option if you’re big on food or doing a far more rigorous day of activities. 

We also got ourselves extra snacks from the VERO supermarket next to the bus station for our canyon trip and also got some extras on the way back for dinner and breakfast the following day, all of which came to less than £10, I’d definitely recommend grabbing some snacks here before going on either Matka or Vodna as there’s no guarantee what’s open there during off season and it’ll be cheaper. I’m also always fascinated by supermarkets in other countries, I don’t know why. I always love being nosy and looking (and of course buying) local snacks and seeing ‘British’ sections. I always find those the most entertaining, especially in America, but that’s a story for another time! 

Whilst waiting for the bus back to Skopje from Matka we hid from a taxi driver who we felt was trying to scam us in the restaurant at the bottom of canyon. Not the one next to the bus shelter at the very start of the canyon trails, but the one around the corner by the bridge with a sign that said ‘fish restaurant’. We didn’t see any sign of fish but we got a big bowl of cheesy chips and a Skopje salad, a Fanta and a beer for about £7. There was a good vibe in here and the owner was super helpful with the bus times that had been messed up. 

I’d also recommend popping into Mickitos cafe at the bottom of the hostel even if you aren’t staying there as it’s got a nice cozy vibe but also has much better wifi than anywhere else I’d tried (even upstairs in the rooms) which is essential for digital nomads. We had drinks in here twice and it didn’t cost more than about £3 for us both each time. 

Things to note before you go

How are you with cigarette smoke?

Everyone smokes, even inside cafes, restaurants, taxis and the hostel. This is something I really struggled with as it did make sitting indoors in some places very hard on my lungs (I used to struggle with asthma as a kid) and it did give me headaches if I was sitting with no ventilation indoors. If it’s something you might struggle with too I’d recommend reading reviews as it’ll always say if it’s no smoking, however one place I saw that was non-smoking was significantly more expensive but still not prices I’d expect in the UK. 

How are your language skills?

People are generally really friendly and speak good English but don’t expect them to understand English as we did have a very difficult communication with a taxi driver. That being said, hand gestures and google translate are always the best backup in these situations but it might be worth learning just a few key words, not necessarily to speak but to understand when you hear them. 

Will you be using public transport?

Don’t rely on bus time tables. We had been given two different time tables for the buses and neither of them seemed to be accurate. We’d tried to catch a bus on one timetable that wasn’t on the other and it didn’t turn up and then we tried to catch 2 different 5pm buses following both to hope one would turn up, one at 5.10pm and one at 5.45pm. Neither showed and the bus appeared at 6pm which was a time not on the schedule we’d used earlier on in the day, so it seemed very random. Always ask the restaurant owners if you’re concerned though as they were very helpful and there was a taxi driver loitering around, driving up and down the car park telling tourists the bus wasn’t running at all and that we should definitely get in his car. (Despite it feeling at points during our wait that he was right, the restaurant owner assured us a bus would come and it did).

Do you like cheese…… on everything?

Everything has cheese on it. 90% of the foods in restaurants were heavily carb and cheese centred so maybe not the destination if you’re gluten or lactose intolerant, although there we’re definitely options in the shops, just not so much on the menus that I could see. 

Are you flying in or out?

Flying into Skopje can be very turbulent, I spoke to a Skopje based flight attendant who said they often do go arounds (the plane starts to land and then pulls up at the last moment, totally normal and safe procedure it just means the winds are too strong and the pilots need to try again) and will also occasionally have to divert elsewhere, this he said is less common but more likely to happen than if you were flying to most other airports. And worst of all it could just be cancelled altogether! I’d probably recommend not booking anything too soon after arriving as you may miss it due to delays and if leaving Skopje, always have a contact for your accommodation that you’ve just left or somewhere nearby as you may need to make last minute arrangements if your flight is cancelled as budget airlines won’t put you up somewhere like bigger ones would. 

Do you have self restraint when it comes to animals? (I certainly don’t!)

Like with many Eastern European countries, and many countries across the globe, there are lots of stray cats and dogs which, as an animal lover I did struggle to not sneak one into my suitcase, especially the tiny puppy I saw in the canyon who had formed an unconventional ’pack’ with 5 other dogs, who would cry when they went too far ahead. I’ll admit I did fuss some cats but always used hand sanitiser or washed my hands thoroughly afterwards and made sure not to wind them up. This is definitely something you have to do if you can’t resist a lil kitty like me, but it’s not worth catching something for. 

Exploring after dark?

Like a lot of places, I probably wouldn’t have been too comfortable walking around super late at night in some areas, and if I had been alone, I definitely wouldn’t have gone out alone after dark/ dinner time. But really there weren’t many people out at all at any time of day so as long as you keep your wits about you and stick to the lit areas it seemed fairly safe.

Are you looking to party?

If you’re looking for a party vibe, definitely don’t go in January and look into whether there is a party atmosphere during peak season. It was pretty much dead on the party-going out front, which I quite liked as it was much more relaxed and like I mentioned, the Canyon was blissfully empty. I maybe would’ve liked to have had maybe a little more life in the city which I’m sure there is later into the year but it’s a good thing to think about when planning a trip. 

To tip or not to tip, that is the question

It’s very cheap in Skopje, especially for a capital city. I mean excluding flights, accommodation and airport transfers we spent £40 each. That’s all our food, public transport and grocery shopping for the 2-3 days we were there and we weren’t sticking to any sort of budget at all. In fact I’d say I was probably far more generous with my spending than I had really planned to be. I would however be more frugal if this had been part of a backpacking trip and not just a city break with my mum. I would also say you should definitely tip in restaurants, and there are always tip jars on the counters. On our first night I gave the waiter supposedly  an incredibly generous tip for our food, so much so that he came out into the street after us with the change after I’d said he could keep it. I think I ended up giving him an extra £3.30 which didn’t really cross my mind at the time, but looking back it was almost half the cost of the bill in the first place. So it might be wise to research the tipping culture, however I’m happy knowing I made his day because he was very grateful. 

What I’d recommend bringing for the winter months

• Walking boots – if you’re doing the hikes (although reflecting back I could’ve very happily done the trails in my TropicFeel Lava trekking shoes which would’ve meant I didn’t need to bring my converse to walk around the city)
• Shoes to walk around the city in – on the back of the above point, I liked not having to walk around the city on the first day in my clunky walking boots and my converse pack up nice and small so it didn’t take up much room in my personal item bag
• Waterproofs – I always bring the TropicFeel NS40 combo jacket as it doubles as a pillow for the plane but it’s also two layers that can be worn separately and I spent most of my time wearing the body warmer
• Thick and thin fleece/jumper – I was very grateful for my thick fleece in the evenings as the temperature did drop a fair amount, however during the day I walked around in a thinner fleece and wouldn’t have wanted much more
• Loose long sleeve t-shirts – I’m definitely a long sleeve kind of person (and I’m a cold person) but even so I’d say it probably wasn’t quite warm enough to wear a short sleeve under my fleece unless doing the hike
• A thicker ‘skin’ layer – I always bring a tight long sleeve gymshark top with me everywhere as an extra layer to wear under clothes in the evening or doing a hike in cold weather, knowing I’ll get warm and want to take some layers off without getting too cold
• Leggings – I brought some gym leggings and a pair of fluffy lined leggings (if you don’t any, get some ASAP) and I definitely wouldn’t have wanted anything thinner than that 
• Puffer coat – I didn’t feel the need for one as it was 15° both days and we were pretty active, however lots of the locals were wearing them and I would’ve brought one for sure if the weather wasn’t so uncharacteristicly warm

In total, including accommodation, flights and airport transportation (these were by far the most expensive parts) we spent £125 each. Our flights cost £40 each and the private room with airport taxi arranged through the hostel cost £88 (£44 each) but you could definitely do this much cheaper.