Skopje

The capital and the first port of call for most international travellers is an interesting mix of the old and the new. Don’t be put of by the concrete tower blocks on the edge of the city, it soon turns into a beautiful centre with ancient bridges, a bustling bazaar and wide squares in the which the locals relax well into the night during the summer months. Before escaping to the mountains it is worth spending sometime checking out the capitals many charms, especially on the northern side which wasn’t affected so badly by the earthquake which struck in 1963. The effects of the earthquake can be seen in the architecture, most of which dates from the rebuilding in the 1960s and 1970s. Tito, the then leader of Yugoslavia, as ever managed to play the East an West of each other and received money for rebuilding from both sides in an attempt to re-house the 100,000 people who lost their homes in the city. The buildings are functional more than beautiful, but that’s why you need to delve a little deeper to find the old and beautiful Skopje.

Stone Bridge

At one end of the square you will find the amazing Stone Bridge, which is probably the city’s most famous landmark. Spanning the Vardar River with its thirteen arches the bridge was constructed by the Ottomans just after 1450. The bridge looks a little different today than it would have then as various floods or local VIPs have changed the feel by adding or taking away different features. It still serves as a useful link for those on foot between the to different parts of the city.

Kale Fortress

The modest, but strategically important hill which rises behind the bazaar on the north side of the town boasts the Kale Fortress. People have been living on the hill since the Bronze Age and the town has its origins here from the Seventh Century. Once the fortress had twenty towers, when the Ottomans used it as a military barracks when they occupied the region, but now, after the earthquake, only three remain, but the area is still fascinating because of the ruins which are fully accessible to the visitor.

Central Square

The first thing that will strike you about this square is its size. Helpfully widened by building destroying earthquake the square is now a wonderful place to be during the long hot summer months as many people sit, children play games and couples stroll well into the evening to escape the heat indoors.

The Bazaar and Surroundings

After wondering across the bridge into the Bazaar the visitor is accosted with a mouth watering series of amazing buildings, windy sheets and little unique shops. This includes Bey's Tower the oldest building in central Skopje, standing 14-metres high, with 1.5-metre thick walls built for the protection of those who lived inside, which now houses the Mother Teresa memorial.

The gated part of the bazaar, or the Bezisten, is the part of the bazaar which once sold silk, jewellery, spices and perfume, but is now consists of five quiet streets and a small cafe. Close by you can discover the Cifte Hamam which was a bath house until 1915 and now houses Skopje’s contemporary art gallery. Another former bath house, the extraordinary 15th-century Daut Pasha Hamam, now houses the National Art Gallery but its the building itself which is worth seeing with its 13 domes, rather than the art inside.

If you wonder into the car park of the National Museum then you can gain entrance to the stunning Kursumli Han which is the most impressive of the inn-complexes in Skopje. It is known as the ‘lead inn’ because of its roof and was built in 1550 by Mula Musledin Hodza and has survived the various different catastrophes to befall the city to be one of the highlights of a visit to Skopje. Another highlight is the Sultan Murat Mosque, the first to be built in the city which still survives. Interestingly it has a normal roof rather than a dome, and was once heavily fortified, the remains of which can still be seen about the edges of the Mosque grounds.

Around Skopje

Tetovo

Home to the Painted Mosque, Tetovo is a small town which is where many of the ethnic Albanians are based and is well worth the trip from the capital. The aforementioned Mosque, also referred to as Šarena Džamija, is amazingly brightly coloured and sits in the centre of a cute little garden. The painted facade outside is more stunning than the flowers painted on the interior but both are well worth a look. There is also an Islamic monastery – or tekke – situated at the edge of the town. Some of it is decorated in the same elaborate way, but sadly many of the buildings are in a serious state of disrepair, mainly due to the tough times the tekke has endured since the Ottomans retreated.

Sveti Pantelejmon and Mount Vodno

Only six kilometres from the city of Skopje is the small village of Gorni Nezeri, which is home to the Monastery of Sveti Pantelejmon and features some amazing Byzantine art. Located on the slopes of Mount Vodno, the twelfth century frescoes. Which line the monastery’s church are probably the finest in Macedonia. There are also a number of modern buildings in the complex including a restaurant so once you have feasted on such beautiful frescos as the Lamentation of Christ, you can feast on food with excellent views of Skopje and the valley in which it sits.

Once you’ve experienced the monastery and the view, you might consider a hike up to the top of the Mount Vodno, at 1066m, with its rounded summit. Once you reach the top you can be up close to the Millennium Cross, something which you will have no doubt noticed from the valley below dominating the city. From the other side of the summit you can see rural Macedonia and the more impressive mountains, which you can climb another day.

Lake Matka

There is much to see and do around the lake, which is a popular spot for Skopje’s inhabitants as it is only situated around thirty minutes travel from the city by bus or car. However, it is only at the weekend that you will find the area really full. But it’s not just a good place for a swim in the lake and a sunbathe beside it. It is also a great spot for visiting the nearby religious places of interest from, such as the Sveta Bogorodica Monastery or the Sveti Andrija church. You can also hire boats to take out on the lake or make some hikes into the hills surrounding the water.