Macedonia · Culture

5-Day Macedonia Highlights Tour from Bitola with Ohrid and Skopje

5 Days Round trip from Bitola Moderate pace

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The journey

Trip highlights

01 Explore Prespa Lake, Kurbinovo, and the Monastery of St. Naum
02 Visit Ohrid's historic landmarks, including Samuil's Fortress and St. Sofia
03 Discover Vevcani Springs, Struga, and the monastery complex in Kalista
04 Travel through Debar Lake, Mavrovo, and the butterfly-rich Matka Canyon
05 See the Smolare and Koleshino waterfalls and visit Krushevo and Prilep

Embark on a 5-day tour from Bitola and discover Macedonia's natural beauty, rich culture, and culinary traditions. Travel from Prespa Lake and Ohrid's historic landmarks to Debar Lake, Mavrovo, Matka Canyon, Skopje, the Tikvesh wine region, and Strumica's picturesque waterfalls. Along the way, visit monasteries, museums, bazaars, and memorial houses while experiencing warm hospitality and authentic local flavours.

This area is known as a natural refuge for many endemic species of butterflies, underwater caves, and churches from the 12th to 14th centuries, as well as a paradise for rock climbers.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 5 Days

Tour type Shared

Activity level Moderate

Accommodation Included · Premium

Transport Included

Wheelchair access Not applicable

Cities Bitola, Ohrid, Prilep, Skopje, Strumica, Struga, Matka Canyon

Languages Bosnian, Croatian, English, Serbian, Slovenian

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Bitola to Prespa, St. Naum, and Ohrid

We will pick you up in Bitola and proceed to our first stop in the village of Podmocani, near Prespa Lake. Here, we will have the opportunity to visit a private museum of folk costumes, which holds more than 500 different men's and mostly women's folk costumes from all over the country.
After visiting the museum, we will continue to the village of Kurbinovo, where we will visit the Church of St. Gorgi from the 12th century, where the first signs of the Renaissance and the famous fresco "The Angel of Kurbinovo" were found. We will then enjoy a coffee break by Prespa Lake.
Through Galicica National Park, we continue to the most visited monastery complex in our country, the Monastery of St. Naum.
An optional boat cruise is available in one of the most protected ecological areas, where the most powerful springs of Ohrid Lake and the river Crn Drim are located.
In the afternoon, we head to Ohrid. On the way to the former Lychnidos, the "City of Light," we visit the Water Museum "Bay of Bones," a complex where a replica of houses built on platforms over the lake between the 12th and 7th centuries BC has been reconstructed. Overnight in Ohrid.

Day 02

Ohrid Old Town, Vevcani, Kalista, and Struga

We start the second day with a walking tour of the old part of Ohrid. The gallery of icons, the imposing Samuil's Fortress, the Antique Theatre, the cathedral church of St. Sofia, and St. Clement's Church at Plaosnik are only part of the wealth that Ohrid offers and that will be included in our agenda.
At the end of the half-day walking tour, we visit a craft workshop where the original Ohrid pearls are sold, and we will hear the story of how this work began. After that, you will have free time in the centre to explore the bazaar or enjoy a boat ride on Lake Ohrid.
From here, we leave for Vevcani, the village known for the oldest carnival in these areas, the Vevcani Springs, the masters of the mason craft, and, of course, the excellent traditional homemade Macedonian food.
In the afternoon, we first go to the monastery complex in the village of Kalista and then continue to Struga, the host city of the Struga Poetry Evenings and the place where the river Drim flows out of Lake Ohrid. In the late afternoon, we return to Ohrid. Overnight in Ohrid.

Day 03

Debar Lake, Bigorski, Mavrovo, and Matka Canyon

After breakfast, we leave for Debar Lake. We travel along some of the most picturesque terrain in Macedonia, following the flows of the rivers Crn Drim and Radika.
Our first stop is the women's monastery of St. Gorgi Pobedonosec, St. George the Victorious, in the village of Rajcica, a place where the famous mitras, the decorated hats worn by bishops during the liturgy, are made for the entire Christian Orthodox world.
From there, the road leads us to the second most visited monastery in Macedonia, St. Jovan Bigorski, St. John the Baptist. We visit the church and take a short break at the cafe restaurant below the monastery.
In the afternoon, we continue through Mavrovo National Park and along Mavrovo Lake, then head to another magical place - Matka Canyon. This area is known as a natural refuge for many endemic species of butterflies, underwater caves, and churches from the 12th to 14th centuries, as well as a paradise for rock climbers.
An optional boat ride through the artificial accumulation to the deepest underwater cave in Europe, Cave Vrelo, is available. Overnight in Skopje.

Day 04

Skopje, Tikvesh Wine Region, and Strumica Waterfalls

After breakfast, we begin with a walking tour at Kale Fortress, the oldest populated part of the Skopje basin, a place from which we have a wonderful panoramic view of the newer part of the city, the renovated national football stadium, the US Embassy, and more.
We continue to the Old Bazaar, once one of the largest in the Balkans.
Next, we visit the Mustafa Pasha Mosque, the Church of St. Spas, and Kapan An, among other sites.
From here, we head to Karpos Uprising Square, where we have the opportunity to see the new monuments, the Archaeological Museum of the Republic of Macedonia, the Holocaust Museum, and the new theatre building.
Crossing the Stone Bridge, we continue to the central square and the monument of Alexander the Great. Next, we visit the memorial house of the world-famous humanist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Mother Teresa. The city tour ends at the former railway station, which today houses the Museum of the City of Skopje.
From Skopje, we continue to the central part of Macedonia, visiting the Tikvesh region and one wine cellar. There will be free time for degustation and lunch.
In the afternoon, we head to the southeastern part of the country to visit the Smolare and Koleshino waterfalls near Strumica, the highest and most picturesque in our country. Overnight in Strumica.

Day 05

Vodoca, Veljusa, Prilep, Krushevo, and Return to Bitola

We start the last day of our journey by visiting the monasteries of Vodoca and Veljusa in the immediate vicinity of Strumica.
Around 13:00, we will visit the "city hero," Prilep.
After a walk through the bazaar, we head to the tobacco museum, where we will see extremely important exhibits and objects related to the "yellow gold" and hear the story of the tradition connected with tobacco cultivation in these areas.
Our next destination is Krushevo, a city recognizable for dozens of specific features, unique for its location at 1,250 metres above sea level, and its pure mountain air. Here, we visit the Ilinden-Makedonium monument and the memorial house of our great artist, singer, and above all humanist, the unique and unforgettable Tose Proeski.
In the centre, we will visit the city bazaar, the Church of St. Nikola, and several workshops. After tasting the local delicious "Krushevo lokum," a traditional sweet, we return to Bitola in the afternoon.