North Macedonia is a small, landlocked country in the southern Balkans bordered by Albania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Kosovo. It was part of Yugoslavia until 1991, spent the following 25 years in a diplomatic standoff with Greece over its name (resolved by the Prespa Agreement in 2019, which added "North" to the country's name), and has been a NATO member since 2020 and EU candidate since 2005. It remains one of the least visited countries in Europe. Here's what to know.
Lake Ohrid — One of Europe's Oldest and Deepest Lakes
Lake Ohrid is approximately 3 million years old — one of the oldest lakes in the world — and reaches 288 metres in depth. Its extraordinary age has produced over 200 endemic species, including the Ohrid trout and a unique plankton ecology that makes the water a distinctive turquoise-green visible from the cliffs above. The town of Ohrid on the lake's northeastern shore is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (joint natural and cultural designation) — a remarkably intact Ottoman and Byzantine townscape of whitewashed merchants' houses on terraced hillsides above the lake, crowned by the 10th-century Samuel's Fortress with panoramic views across the water to the Albanian mountains. The town has approximately 365 churches (one for each day of the year, per local boast), the most significant of which is Saint Sophia (11th century, with extraordinary Byzantine fresco cycles) and Saint John the Theologian at Kaneo — a small 13th-century church balanced on a promontory directly above the turquoise water and one of the most photographed buildings in the Balkans.
Skopje — A Capital Like No Other
Skopje, the capital, is for better or worse one of the most unusual cities in Europe. Following a 2010 government initiative called "Skopje 2014," the city centre was filled with neoclassical buildings, monuments, fountains, and an enormous triumphal arch — all built new in the 2010s, designed to project an ancient classical heritage for a country whose national identity had been disputed diplomatically for decades. The result is earnest, occasionally magnificent, and widely mocked. The old Ottoman Bazaar (Čaršija) on the north side of the Vardar River is the genuine historical quarter and one of the largest surviving Ottoman bazaars in the Balkans: a dense labyrinth of market lanes, hans (caravanserais), mosques, and craft workshops where silversmiths, carpet sellers, and metalworkers operate largely as they have for centuries. The contrast between the neoclassical new quarter and the Ottoman old quarter, separated by a single bridge, is Skopje's most interesting quality.
Monasteries of the Macedonian Interior
The mountains of North Macedonia contain a remarkable concentration of medieval Orthodox monasteries from the 12th–16th centuries, many still active, some accessible only on foot. Sveti Joakim Osogovski near Kriva Palanka (12th century, with an extraordinary reredos interior) and Treskavec Monastery (14th century, perched on a rocky hilltop accessible by a 45-minute mountain path) are among the finest. The Macedonian tradition of fresco painting — representing one of the most important regional schools of Byzantine art — is visible throughout.
Practical Notes for Travellers
- Cost: Among the cheapest countries in Europe — a full restaurant dinner costs €8–15, a craft beer €1.50–2.50, a taxi from Skopje airport to the city centre €12–15
- Visa: Visa-free for EU and US passport holders for 90 days
- Currency: Macedonian denar (MKD); EUR accepted in tourist areas but exchanging is easier and better value
- Language: Macedonian (Cyrillic script); English widely understood in Skopje and Ohrid among under-40s
- Best time: May–June or September–October (Lake Ohrid beach season July–August is peak, still manageable)
- Getting there: Skopje and Ohrid both have airports with Wizz Air and Ryanair connections from major European cities