Macedonia Tours

Arrive Skopje and transfer to your hotel and check in for 2 nights.

Take a walking tour of Skopje including a visit to the monument and memorial house of Mother Theresa and the old bazaar. With its mix of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture, and hundreds of little craft shops, the old bazaar remains one of the biggest and the most colourful centres of its kind. Craftsmen such as tailors, cobblers, quilt makers, shoemakers and tinsmiths can still be found at the bazaar. If time permits, you will also visit Skopje’s fortress, Kale, which was built of stone blocks from the ruins of the city of Skupi in the sixth century during the reign of Tsar Justinian the First The ramparts of the Skopsko Kale are 121 metres long and one each of the square, rectangular and round towers have been preserved. (D)

After breakfast, start a full day sightseeing tour of Skopje and its environs. The tour will include visits to The Museum of the City of Skopje, which was once the most beautiful railway station in the Balkans (until it was partly destroyed by the earthquake of 1963) and which is today the home of the Museum of Skopje. The clock over the main entrance door still points to 5:17, the exact time when the tragic event occurred.

Drive to Mount Vodno, where we continue by cable-car system to the Millennium Cross for a panoramic view of Skopje. Next stop is the village of Gorno Nerezi, on the slopes of Mount Vodno, to visit Sveti Pantelejmon, one of the most important cultural and historic monuments in the area. The monastery and church were built during the reign of the Komnen dynasty, around 1164. Its frescoes are among the highest quality of existing Byzantine paintings, almost expressionist in line and beautiful in colour. We also visit Matka Canyon - the secret source of water behind which numerous caves can be found. Matka Canyon is one of the most magnificent regions in Macedonia. The sides of the canyon are vertical rocks which house ancient temples, medieval churches and monasteries. Here, you can visit the Holy Mother of God Monastery and St Andrew's Monastery.  After a late lunch, drive back to Skopje. Free time before dinner at a traditional restaurant.  (B,L,D)

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart for Tetovo, where sightseeing will include The Tetovo Painted (Aladza) Mosque. This mosque was originally built in the 15th century, in 1459. The donors were two women, Hurshida and Mensure Hanuma, who were buried in the eight-sided "turbe" in the yard of the mosque.

Continue towards Ohrid via the Mavrovo National Park, where we will stop for lunch. Continue to St John Bigorski Monastery, which, according to the monastery's 1833 chronicle, was built in 1020 by Archbishop Jovan. The Ottomans destroyed the monastery in the 16th century before it was restored in 1743 by the monk Ilarion, who also built several monk cells. Later, in the period from 1812 to 1825, the monastery was expanded by archimandrite Arsenius. Among the donors there is also a mention of a monk Iov, recognised by some researchers as the future educator Joakim Krcovski. One of the most valuable treasures of the monastery is the iconostasis created by Petre Filipovski Garkata and Makarie Frckovski from the nearby village of Gari. This treasure is considered one of the most beautiful and most valuable wood-carved iconostasis in the Orthodox religion. Another valuable monastery relic is an icon dating from 1020 which supposedly possesses a miraculous healing power.

Continue to Ohrid, where you will arrive late afternoon and check in to hotel for 2 nights. Enjoy a short walk through the city before dinner at the hotel. (B,L,D)

After breakfast, start your city tour with a visit to the City Museum, located in the centre of the town in the Robevci family house and a true example of 19th-century local architecture. The museum exhibits an archaeological collection from pre-historic times, a number of items originating from the Classical and Medieval periods of Ohrid’s history and 9,000 coins dating from the Classical Age.

We visit the important St Sophia Cathedral, built in 1037 and named after the great church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. By the end of the reign of the last of the Byzantine Emperors, further additions were made in the form of a beautiful first floor arcaded gallery.  It was later turned into a mosque but has now been returned to the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

We also include the following sights: the Antique Theatre, built on the hills of the old town of Ohrid in the third century B.C, and the Upper Gate, a fortification of the city and Samuil's fortress dating back from between the third and 10th centuries B.C.

A stop is made at the great church of Sveti Bogorodica Perivleptos with its outstanding frescos.  The adjacent museum houses the fine icon gallery, several of which were shown in the Royal Academy Exhibition “Byzantium”.

One of today’s highlights is a visit to St Clement Monastery at Plaoshnik, which was built by St Clement in 893 A.D. who dedicated it to St Panteleimon, the protector of health. It lies near the remains of an old Christian basilica and is dedicated to Clement one of two famous disciples of Cyril and Methodius whose mission was to spread Christianity and literacy among the Slavs. It is one of the oldest Slavic monuments of culture. After lunch we visit St John the Theologian - Kaneo, whose buildings and frescoes date back to the 13th century.  The church is located on the most beautiful shore of Lake Ohrid, standing on a high rock above the former fishermen's settlement of Kaneo and above one of the most beautiful beaches in the old part of the town. After lunch, take a boat trip to the hotel in Ohrid and have some free time before dinner and overnight stay in Ohrid. (B,L,D)
 

After breakfast, begin with a sightseeing tour of Bone Bay and Roman Castrum. The 'city on water' in Gradiste was built on ground pre-dating the Bronze Age and was inhabited from 1200 until 800 BC. The life of people in pre-historic times is illustrated throughout the museum.

Continue to the Village of Kurbinovo to visit St Gerorge church with its well preserved 12th-century frescoes. Depart for Bitola and check in to your hotel for 1 night.

Morning walking tour of Bitola, which is one of the most charming Macedonian cities with a rich history and home to a diverse mixture of cultures. Dinner in one of Bitola’s restaurants.

After breakfast, start your sightseeing tour with a visit to Heraclea Lyncestis – dating from The fourth century B.C. Heraclea Lyncestis is an important settlement from the Hellenistic period to the Middle Ages and was founded by Philip II of Macedon at around the middle of the fourth century B.C. Several monuments from Roman times remain in Heraclea, including a portico, thermae (baths), an amphitheatre and a number of basilicas. The theatre was once capable of housing around 3,000 people.

Continue to the wine region of Macedonia and visit the winery in the Demir Kapija, where we will taste five types of wine with snacks for lunch.

After lunch, visit the Roman city of Stobi, one of the largest archaeological sites in Macedonia and an 'open book' from which you can trace the path of civilisation of the people of this area from as early as the third century B.C. through the following nine centuries. The names of the two ancient Macedonian kings, Philip II and Philip V are connected with this town. This is a rare opportunity to travel through time while touring the ancient road. Depart late afternoon for Skopje (journey is around 1.5 hours). Dinner and overnight stay in Skopje. (B,L,D)