Macedonia Travel Guide.

Perfect for those seeking an adventurous outdoors based break as opportunities for hiking, skiing and mountain climbing are plentiful. History buffs will also not be disappointed, with gems such as the Ohrid just begging to be explored thoroughly.

Hiring a car is a fantastic way to discover the variety of sights in Macedonia. Navigate your way round the lakes, mountains and National Parks that make up the landscape. Don’t miss out on the wondrous local cuisine on your visit and sit back and relax with a local glass of wine.

Macedonia Tourist Board: The official website for the Macedonia National Tourist Office – a useful resource for planning your trip to Macedonia.

Know Before You Go: Travel advice from the FCO for Macedonia.

Things to see and do

• Explore the city of Skopje and wander through the variety of sites such as the Stone Bridge and the Old Town.
• Scale the heights of Mount Vodno.
• Relax at Lake Ohrid and unearth the ancient ruins.
• Marvel at the wondrous architecture in Bitola.
• Visit one of the many lakes such as Lake Dojran or Lake Mladost.
• Admire the Kokino Megalithic Observatory.
• Hike through the National Park of Galichica.
• Travel to Kuklica, the 10 million year old town made of stone.
• Find the highest peaks in the country at the National Park of Mavrovo.
• View a monastery such as Markov Monastery or St Nikola.

Festivals and events

• Visit the Vevcani Carnival in Struga which has been going for 14 centuries. The inhabitants of the town dress up in masks to a backdrop of traditional music. (January)
• Celebrate Vodici where the waters of the lake are baptised by the high priest to commemorate the day of St John the Baptist. (January)
• Enjoy some stunning performances at May Opera Evenings in Skopje. (May)
• If you fancy attending a music festival, Offest in Skopje always attracts some big names. (June)
• Immerse yourself in the culture and traditional music of a variety of countries at the Balkan Folklore Festival in Ohrid. (July)
• The Galicnik Wedding held on just one day welcomes tourists and locals to the village of Galicnik on St Peters Day to enjoy wondrous food and local customs. (July)
• Get involved at the Grape Collecting in Tikvesh which occurs once a year. (September)
• Dance the night away at the Skopje Jazz Festival. (October)

Time difference

GMT + 2