Visit Prilep, Krusevo and Bitola in one day
Pick up from any hotel or address within Skopje. Morning drive to Krusevo, with coffee stop on the way.
Kruševo with it's location on 1,350 metres above sea level is the only mountain city in Macedonia and the highest city in the Balkans. In Macedonian the name means the 'place of pear trees'. Krusevo lies on the western mountain edge of the Pelagonia Valley, in the spring valley section of the Krusevo River. This river divides the city into two parts: the larger on the left and the smaller one on the right. The houses in the city are set amphitheatrically. Because of its specific morphoplasty, Krusevo is considered to be a typical mountain town. Visit to Makedonium monument.
The Ilinden uprising Memorial Complex, also known as Makedonium, is one of the most remarkable monuments in Krusevo and Macedonia. It was established on August 2, 1974, at the thirtieth anniversary of the ASNOM session and the 71st anniversary of the Ilinden Uprising and it is located immediately next to Krusevo, in the site Gumenje. It is a complex of four platforms that symbolize the invincibility, the struggle and the eternal aspiration of the Macedonian people for freedom and an independent state.
Later on drive down to Pelagonija valley and the city of Bitola.
Bitola is cultural, economic, industrial and educational centre for that southwest part of the country. The city is known as the "city of the consuls", because here the consular offices of the European countries were in the Ottoman Empire, where together with Thessaloniki it was the most important point in the European part of the Empire. The first consulate in Bitola was established in 1851 by the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time, precisely at Shirok Sokak. Later it will be done by the British and the French, followed by the consuls from Russia, Italy, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. The first lamps of Shirok Sokak removed the darkness from the Clock Tower next to the Officer's House exactly at 17:00 on December 24, 1924. At that time, Shirok Sokok had offices of numerous foreign companies, prestigious restaurants, pastry shops, a branch of the Franco-Serbian Bank. That first consul period was the inspiration for numerous consuls songs, for the carriages, for the pianos, for the famous ckembe stew, for the Vlach district and the yellow houses, for love. The dream of the citizens of Bitola their city to become consul city once again, were achieved with the independence of Macedonia. Time at leisure in the city center. You can have a lunch at some of many traditional restaurants in the city center.
In the afternoon drive towards the second biggest town in Pelagonia valley - Prilep.
Prilep is located in the northern part of the valley and it is known as "the city beneath Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of the legendary hero, King Marko. Tobacco is one of the traditional cultures that thrives in the Macedonian climate. Many of the world's largest cigarette manufacturers use tobacco from Prilep after being processed at their local factories. When the Tobacco Institute was established for the creation of new types of tobacco. Most inhabitants live with tobacco production, which is then purchased from the Tobacco Company. In 2014, 9531 tons of tobacco were produced in the Prilep Field, which represents 34% of the total quantity of tobacco produced in Macedonia. In addition to tobacco production, among the large industrial enterprises also operate the Prilep brewery, the marble factory, as well as the famous beer festival Pivofest.
Late afternoon drive back to Skopje
