North Macedonia (formally known as Macedonia) is a country in South East Europe. It’s not very well known as a travel destination, but as it’s close to popular destinations as Greece, Montenegro and Croatia, I was curious about the country. And it turned out that Macedonia is a wonderful country to visit. I advice you to rent a car and discover the nice cities and natural parks that you can find in North Macedonia. On this page I’m sharing my travel blog on North Macedonia. I’m telling you what to do, what to see and where to eat in Macedonia.
Skopje
The capital city of North Macedonia is Skopje. It’s an interesting city as between 2008 and 2014 many neoclassical buildings were build to improve the city. So you get an eclectic mixture between a Balkan city with an old center on one hand and huge statues and pillars on the other hand.
Saint Joachim Osogovski
Saint Joachim Osogovski is an Orthodox monastery to the East of Skopje, close to the border with Bulgaria. It consists of two churches and the dormitories. The biggest church has beautiful frescos on the walls and ceilings.
Canyon Matka
The Matka canyon is a beautiful canyon really close to Skopje. It’s just a 30 minute drive to the South West from Skopje. There’s a restaurant where you can have breakfast, lunch or dinner overlooking the water in the canyon. You can also book a boot tour or go kayaking.
National park Mavrovo
National Park Mavrovo and the village Mavrovo can be found in the mountains in the West of North Macedonia. In summer people visit the national park for hikes and the view over the lake, and in winter you can go skiing here.
Lake Ohrid
The town Ohrid and its lake are the most popular destination in North Macedonia. And I totally understand why. The lake is lovely and the town is picture-perfect. It’s nice to wander in the small cobble-stoned streets (although I’d advice you to park your car outside the old city center).
The main attraction of Ohrid is this church; Church of Saint John the Theologian. You can access it by a nice walking path next to the water.
National Park Pelister
National Park Pelister is a National Park in the South-West of North Macedonia, not far from Ohrid. There’s a pine forest and many walking trails. In the summer it’s great for hikes and in winter there’s a ski area.
Smolare Waterfall
In the South East of Macedonia you’ll find the Smolare waterfall, it’s the highest waterfall in the country. It’s almost 40 meters high and absolutely worth a visit.
Check my video with all the highlights of North Macedonia in just one minute:
