Macedonia sightseeing. Travel guide - attractions, sights, nature and touristic places

The country of rich history that has kept many antique and medieval sights, Macedonia is famous not only as an international centre of history and culture, but also as a popular destination for mountain tourism and active rest. The most popular landmarks are located in the capital of the country, the city of Skopje. The centre of the city is the location of the beautiful Kale Fortress that was built in the 11th century. The square, which surrounds the fortress, is also the largest market area in the city. Daud Pasha Baths are another interesting destination in Skopje. Originally built by Turks, the baths have been converted into a picture gallery.

Shopping in Macedonia - best shopping places, what to buy?

Shopping in Macedonia from year to year pleases tourists from different countries of the world with a variety of goods and low mark-ups for products …
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There are several important religious landmarks in the city, such as Sveti Spas Church, Mustafa Pasha and Sultan Murat Mosque. The old part of Skopje also has such interesting places as the Museum of Macedonia, the Museum of Modern Art and the National Theatre of Macedonia. The majority of cultural facilities are located in the newer part of Skopje. Here travellers will find several exhibition galleries, theatres and museums. Such places as the City Museum, the Historic Archive of Skopje, the National Museum of History, the Museum of Natural Science of Macedonia, the Culture Gallery and the building of Academy are also known as the most interesting cultural and educational facilities of the city.

The most unusual landmark of the antique period in Macedonia is located in Bitola. We are talking about the ruins of the ancient city named Heraclea Lyncestis that was founded by order of Philip II of Macedon in the 4th century BC. Several squares, ruins of houses and a large forum are the only remaining buildings from once a magnificent city. Fans of nature are recommended to make an excursion to Doiran Lake, visit canyons of the Treska and Matka rivers and see mineral springs in Debar. These are the most beautiful places of Macedonia, where travellers will be able to see spectacular waterfalls, amazing caves and charming valleys. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

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The piedmont region of the country is home to several old monasteries that were named after St. Andrew, St. Jovan Bigorski, St. Nikola Shishovski and St. Geoge’s Church. All the buildings were constructed in the 12th – 15th centuries and keep many precious religious artefacts, collections of icons and furniture. Finally, travellers, who enjoy attending various excursions, are recommended to visit the city of Ohrid. It is located on the shore of a beautiful lake and was founded by ancient Romans. Nowadays Ohrid attracts numerous visitors who come to see its main landmarks – Samuel Fortress, Sveti Sofia Basilica and Sveti Jovan Kaneo Church. A visit to these wonderful historic buildings will surely leave many warm memories.

History and Entertainment

The history of the modern country dates back to the ancient times. In the prehistoric period, it was a location of the country of Paeonia. Later, it was a part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires. During certain periods, the country was under the neighboring Kingdom of Bulgaria and Serbia. One of the longest periods in the history was the Ottoman rule. In 1913, when the Ottoman Empire fell, some part of Macedonia was under Serbia and some other part – under Greece. After the end of the Second World War in 1945, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia including Macedonia was formed. The country gained independence in 1991.

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Macedonia is considered as a perfect country for active holidays in the open air. Different sports entertainments are accessible to travelers here. Enchanting lakes are popular places for beach recreation and attract fishing fans. Some mountain rivers are perfect for rafting. One of the most popular entertainments is the hiking along picturesque natural sites.

In Macedonia, there are also places for classical tourist activity. During your vacation, you should definitely pay your attention to shopping. Besides modern shopping malls, there are craft stalls where you can buy interesting hand-made items. Excellent leather shoes are produced here. Jewelries with pearls are also popular souvenirs with tourists. Some craft stalls resemble art galleries more and sell unusual wooden paintings. Many travelers prefer to do the shopping on markets where they can buy inexpensive clothes in national style, spices and popular national sweets.

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The national cuisine of Macedonia has a lot of interesting features too and deserves gourmets’ attention. At national restaurants, delicious meat dishes of the Turkish cuisine are served. The typical national dish is bourek, that is a pie of puff pastry with meat or cheese filling. In local lakes, tasty trout is caught and a lot of special national dishes are cooked of it.

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Macedonia guide chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Fantastic City Tours and Excursions in Macedonia

Reference information

Map of all parks

National and city parks of Macedonia
♥ National Park 'Galichica' . On the map Show on the map

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♥ National Park 'Pelister' . On the map Show on the map

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Map of all castles

Castles of Macedonia
♥ Castle 'Tetovo Fortress' . On the map Show on the map

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♥ Castle 'Treskavec Fortress' . On the map Show on the map

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♥ Castle 'Varoš Fortress' . On the map Show on the map

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♥ Castle 'Vinica Fortress' . On the map Show on the map

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♥ Castle 'Vodno Fortress' . On the map Show on the map

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Famous and uniques places in Macedonia from our review series

Ilinden Memorial

From the series “The most famous buildings of communism”

The original Ilinden Memorial is located in the town of Kruševo in Macedonia. This futuristic-style monument was built in 1974. It was built to celebrate the next anniversary of the uprising against the Ottoman Empire. It happened in 1903. The total area of the memorial is 16 hectares. It is built in the form of a rounded dome. Oval windows are the distinctive feature of the monument. They are made of colored glass. The interior of the monument is filled with bright colors on a sunny day thanks to multi-colored stained glass windows.

The tomb of Nikola Karev is located inside the memorial. He was a great Macedonian revolutionary. He became famous during the Ilinden uprising. In addition to the unusual monument, the memorial complex includes a large square. Sculptures and commemorative … Read all

Christian Basilica of Lin

From the series “ Survived Artifacts of Early Christian Civilization”

The center of attraction for Christian pilgrims in Albania is an ancient town of Pogradec that is famous for its religious sites. In this town you can see the ruins of the ancient Christian basilica, which were discovered during a recent archaeological research. Fragments of ancient buildings are in the national park Drilon. Age of the basilica is more than 1 500 years.

In total, about 10 old Christian basilicas were found in Albania. They were built in 4-5 centuries AD. All of them have their own unique history. A curious story is related to the Christian basilica, located in Pogradec. There are several groundwater springs next to it.

According to legend, the water there can heal. Hundreds of years ago, parishioners used it to treat severe ailments. Today visitors of the national park … Read all

Macedonia sightseeing. Travel guide - attractions, sights, nature and touristic places

History and Entertainment

Fantastic City Tours and Excursions in Macedonia

Famous and uniques places in Macedonia from our review series

Ilinden Memorial

Christian Basilica of Lin

Sightseeing in popular cities of Macedonia

Map of travel guides to Macedonia cities