North Macedonia
Background
North Macedonia is a land-locked country in Southeast Europe. Part of the former Yugoslavia, it only gained independence quite recently, on 8 September 1991, and is home to about 2 million people.
Skopje is its capital and largest city, and home to a quarter of the country’s population. On this trip, we took a bus from Tirana (Albania) – a 2.5 to 3.5 hour journey eastward – to Ohrid, North Macedonia’s closest major city to Tirana, and the eight largest in the country.
Ohrid is a very popular tourist destination due to its picturesque houses and historic monuments – in fact, in 1979 and 1980 – Ohrid and Lake Ohrid, respectively, were accepted as Cultural and World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
Visas
A visa is required for Philippine passport holders, but as we have valid multiple-entry US visas, we were exempted. This US visa allows us to stay for up to 15 days.
Getting to Ohrid from Tirana
We booked a direct shuttle from Tirana (Albania) to Ohrid. We thought that this journey was going to be quite easy and readily available, but we discovered that this route does not seem to be very popular – in fact, we only found one transportation company that made this particular journey at the bus station; and, even worse, their vehicle capacity was limited to only eight passengers. We almost didn’t make it, since we were told when we tried to buy tickets that it was already fully booked, and we had to wait for the next coach which would only leave at 330pm, almost four hours away, and which also happened to be the last one for the day.
Another option would be to hire a private car, which was unacceptable to us as it was a lot more expensive than the EU15 each we would pay for the shuttle; we could also buy a ticket to Struga – a city only 20 minutes drive from Ohrid, but that meant we would have to book yet another ride when we got there, which we were hesitant to do.
We decided to try our luck and wait for about 30 minutes, to wait for a miracle and have a passenger (who already booked AND paid online) to suddenly cancel.
The gods must have been smiling on us that day, for the driver informed the lady at the counter, less than 15 minutes before the scheduled departure, that they had a passenger cancel, and that meant we could now join rest of the group.
The ride was pretty smooth and uneventful. Since we were crossing borders, we had to get out of the car to be stamped out of Albania, and once again, to get into North Macedonia. This all took no more than 20 minutes, and we were soon on our way to Ohrid.
Tourist Registration
Tourists need to be registered once they enter North Macedonia, and it is usually your accommodation hosts who will do it for you. Just ask your hotel or whatever accommodation you choose, and they will usually comply. Our landlady in Ohrid delivered our registration cards to us the very next day; in Skopje, we picked it up at the hotel reception on our second day.
Money Matters
The local currency in Macedonia is the Macedonian Denar – one US dollar is approximately equivalent to 54 Denars.
In Ohrid and Skopje, many business establishments accept major credit cards, so you don’t need to carry around too much cash.
Places we visited
One of our biggest regrets was only allocating two days in Ohrid and four in Skopje. If you’re thinking about visiting Ohrid, we highly recommend spending at least four days (even longer if you really want to soak it all in), as it is such a charming place. We stayed in the heart of the Old Town in a cozy little apartment, which meant that we were only minutes away from all the places we planned to visit.
A walk around the Old Town
We woke up early on our second day, eager to get started. After a quick breakfast, we headed out, and to our dismay, it was drizzling. However, as this was the only full day we had to explore the town, we hoped for the best, and continued our walk.
Despite the rather wet and windy start, the weather eventually cleared and we spent the entire day walking around town.
Church of Saint Sophia
Price of admission: 100 Macedonian Denars
Operating hours: Every day, from 9am to 5pm
Location
This church is considered to be one of the most important monuments in North Macedonia, and it contains architecture and art from the Middle Ages. Built on the foundations of a cathedral in the 6th century, it was converted into a mosque during the reign of the Ottoman Empire. The interior of the church contains frescoes from the 11th to 13th century.
Ancient Theatre of Ohrid
Price of admission: Free
Operating hours: 24/7
Location
Built in 200 BC, only the lower section now exists. It was also used for gladiator fights, as well as executions of Christians by the Romans. It is believed that because of these executions, the locals hated this place so much that they buried it after the end of the Roman Empire. This is the main reason that most of the structure is still preserved. It was discovered only in the 1980s. It is now being used again as a site for public performances – plays, concerts, operas, etc.
Samuel’s Fortress
Price of admission: 80 Macedonian Denars
Operating Hours: Every day, from 9am to 7pm
Location
Built on top of an earlier fortress in 4th century BC, it was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire and is now being restored as a major tourist attraction.
The area is pretty compact, and we noticed some construction work within the fortress while we were visiting. We climbed up the steps which led to the fortress walls that had commanding views of Lake Ohrid, but that was pretty much all we could do.
Church of Saint Clement and Panteleimon
Price of admission: 100 Macedonian Denars
Operating hours:
Location
It is believed that the original structure was built when Saint Clement arrived in Ohrid, however Saint Clement was unsatisfied with its size and so built a new one over it, assigning Saint Panteleleimon as its patron saint. Saint Clement’s tomb can be found inside the church.
Church of Saint John the Theologian
Price of admission: 50-100 Macedonian Denar (locals and foreigners, respectively)
Operating hours: Daily, 9am to 6pm
Location
A Macedonian Orthodox Church situated on a cliff that overlooks Lake Ohrid, it is dedicated to John of Patmos, who wrote Revelations, and who many believe is John the Baptist. The church and its surroundings looks like something you might find on a movie set.
Of all the churches in Ohrid (and there are many), this should be on the very top of your list. Even though we did not actually enter the church, we didn’t miss it, as we were too distracted with the views of the church from the outside.
Holy Mother of God Peribleptos Church
Price of admission: 100 Macedonian Denar
Operating hours: Daily, 9am to 4pm
Location
Commissioned by Byzantine governor Progonos Sgouros and built in 1295, it is one of the oldest churches in Ohrid.
Ohrid Sights
As I mentioned earlier, Ohrid is such a quaint little town, and it made for a very pleasant walk. We took lots of pictures (much more than what you’ll see here!), and after dinner at a local restaurant near the main square, it was only a short distance back to our apartment and we ended the day tired, but happy and full.
Skopje
Getting there
It’s pretty easy to get a bus from Ohrid to Skopje – if you Google “bus from Ohrid to Skopje” – you are likely to get several options. Our go to web sites are: getbybus.com and busticket4.me. From Montenegro to North Macedonia – we’ve always gotten very accurate information from these sites. I suggest you use the information on these web sites just to see available dates and times, but purchase your tickets AT THE STATION. This is because you will need to PRINT your ticket that you purchase online, and if you don’t have a printer, you need to find a computer shop to print, which is inconvenient and more expensive. This was what we did the very first time when we were in Montenegro, and spent about half an hour looking for a print shop that charged us EU1 for a page!
The journey to Skopje took about three hours. When we tried to check into our hotel/apartment, we were upgraded since the room we’d booked was still occupied. Check out our apartment below!
We spent the next day walking around Macedonia Square. Below are some of the things we saw.
Gigantic statue of Alexander the Great – or “warrior on a horse”?
Location
This massive 22 meter statue, which was erected in Skopje’s central square, caused quite the controversy, as it looks a lot like the great warrior king. Given that Alexander III of Macedon – more commonly known as Alexander the Great, was Greek – this has reignited the almost two decades-long dispute with Greece, over ownership of the name Macedonia, as Greece believes that their desire to call themselves Macedonians is evidence of their aspirations to claim the adjacent province of Macedonia.
Archaeological Museum of the Republic of Macedonia
Location
Situated right next to another Skopje landmark – the Old Stone Bridge – the Archaeological Museum of Republic of North Macedonia has been around for almost 100 years. It contains in its permanent exhibition over 7000 artifacts.
Stone Bridge
Location
Connecting Macedonia Square and the Old Bazaar, the Stone Bridge is considered to be a symbol of Skopje. Built on Roman foundations between 1451 and 1469, over the centuries, it has been damaged and repaired many times. During World War II, it escaped complete destruction when the Germans, after placing explosives on the bridge, changed their minds at the last minute.
Philip II of Macedon
Location
Standing 29 meters tall, this bronze statue of what looks like Philip of Macedon, king of Macedon (359 BC-336 BC) and father of Alexander the Great, is formally called “Warrior with accompanying elements” – a gesture which seems designed to avoid further upsetting Greece, which claims both as Greek heroes.
Church of Saint Demetrius
Location
Dedicated to Saint Demetrius, this church is located just across the Stone Bridge. Built on the foundation of a 16th century church, it used to serve as the official seat of the Skopje Diocese.
Old Town
Location
Like many cities throughout the Balkans, there is an Old Town in Skopje, which was conveniently right beside our apartment. Packed with restaurants, cafes, money-changers, and little shops, we had many meals in this area.
Overall Impressions
Nana and I both agree that, amongst all the places we visited in the Balkans, Ohrid was by far our favourite. However, with our visas only allowing us to spend a maximum 15 days in the country as tourists, a long-term stay is currently not an option. Hopefully things change in the future, as Ohrid will once again be on our list, especially for a long-term visit.
Want to be an AirBnb Host?
As long-term travelers, we book most of our accommodations on Airbnb. It is convenient, simple and quick, and you will never have to find yourself arriving at your destination in the middle of the night, with nowhere to go. Airbnb gives us the freedom and flexibility to adjust our travel plans in an instant. Having met many hosts all over the world, we know that being a host will not only provide you with additional income, but you will also be able to meet (and perhaps even make friends) with interesting people from all over the world. If you think you’d make a great Airbnb host, here’s my invitation link to learn more.