SKOPLJE – in its 2.500 years of existance, Macedonia’s welcoming capital city has had many different incarnations. All of them – from Roman to Byzantine, from Ottoman to Yugoslav – have left indelible traces on the city, as is evidenced by Skoplje’s varied architecture and its mix of cultures.
OHRID – Immortal Ohrid – a kingdom of light and water, a repository of ancient ruins from Macedonia’s earlier kingdoms – is the sublime lakeside town form many represents the culmination of the Macedonian experience. The uniqueness of Ohrid’s lake and historical architecture has been attested by UNESCO, which honored the town with an official designation as one of the few places on the cultural institution’s „World Inheritance“ list.
BITOLA – Macedonia’s second city, Bitola is a grand old town that still bears the marks of its turn-of-the-century importance as a center for diplomacy – while also exemplifying the country’s time-honored cafe culture. The many cafes lining the city’s pedestrian main street (The Sirok Sokak) provide endless see-and-be-seen opportunities for Bitola’s fashionable youth.
KRUSEVO – is a living museum, famous for its traditional architecture, cultural sites, and legacy as the site of the great 1903 Ilinden uprising against Ottoman domination. Krusevo is also one of Macedonia’s prime winter sports destinations.
MAVROVO – the ski resort on Bistra Mountain is a real paradise for skiers where the snow and the woodsare the part of wild nature. Rich in natural resources, traced mountain recreational paths, traced mountain-bike paths, Mavrovo and its National Park is the most organized ski center in country.
YoU MusT...
taste...
ü Tavche na Gravche – national speciality which made from butter beans stewed in an earthenware pot
ü Macedonian Ajvar - is relish made principally from red bell peppers, with eggplant, garlic and chili pepper.
ü Ohrid Trout - The Ohrid trout is a specialty in Macedonian gastronomy; it is used for soups and other dishes. It tastes like a brown trout crossed with an Atlantic salmon.
drink…
ü Mastika – originally a liquor seasoned with the resin of the mastic tree.
ü Vines – red wine „T’ga za jug“ and white wine „Kavadarka“
listen…
ü Beautiful love songs with extraordinary orient melodies and gentle lirics. The most popular Macedonian songs came from the region of Ohrid Lake.
VISIT MAVROVO NATIONAL PARK
The largest artificial lake in Macedonia is part of Mavrovo National Park. Due to its elevation (over 1000 meters, or 3000 feet), this mountain lake sometimes freezes over in winter. Abundant with the famous trout, Lake Mavrovo also makes for an excellent swimming and boating spot in the summer months. An additional point of interest is the half-submerged church in the middle of the lake...
BOAT RIDE THROUGH THE CANYON OF THE MATKA LAKE
The Matka canyon is located in the lower course of river Treska. Whith its geological, geomorphologic and hydrological characteristics, and the flora and fauna, it is an exceptional object of nature. The most fascinating is the exclusively great number of various kinds of butterfly species, 84 of which can be found there and nowhere else on the Balkans...
THE WINE CARNIVAL
Located in the heart of Macedonia’s wine country, the farming town of Kavadarci is famous for its high-quality grapes and Tikves wines, popular both at home and on the wider world market. Every year at the beginning of September a wine carnival is held in Kavadarci. The carnival parade culminates with an event called „Tikveski grozdober“, which is a must-see event if you want to taste the great Macedonian wines and party all day long...
BYZANTH HERITAGE
Like Serbia (Macedonia was been for a century part of medieval serbian state), Macedonia is also famous as country whith grate heritage from Byzanth times. Old monasteries and churches are built from 9th to 16th century from North part to Southern part of today’s state. Ohrid was a seat of Ortodox Archibishop and theirs churches is quitley unique and most beautiful. Markov Monastery, Matka monastery, Nagorichano Monastery... is only a small part of great cultural heritage.