7-Day North Macedonia Cultural Tour with Ohrid and Bitola

• We start the city tour at the Kale Fortress, the oldest populated part of the Skopje basin. Here, we enjoy a fantastic 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 (The Holy Salvation), Kapan, and more.
• From here, we continue to Karpos Uprising Square, where we can 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 Mother Teresa, the world-famous humanist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
• We finish the city tour at the former railway station, today's Museum of the City of Skopje. Free time.
• In the afternoon, our tour continues to Vodno, the highest point near Skopje. We go by transport to Sredno (Middle) Vodno. From there, we continue by cable car to the top of the mountain, where the highest cross in Europe is situated.
• In the late afternoon, we return to the hotel in Skopje.

Dinner and overnight.

• After breakfast, we depart for the magical Matka Canyon, 15 km from the centre of Skopje. The area is known as the natural habitat of many endemic species of butterflies, underwater caves, and churches from the 12th-14th centuries, and it is also a heaven for rock and mountain climbers.
• Sailing by boat through the artificial accumulation to the deepest underwater cave in Europe is optional (Cave "Vrelo").
• From here, we continue to the western part of the country and drive through some of the most picturesque terrain in Macedonia, along the rivers Radika and Crn (Black) Drim.
• Our next stop is the second most visited monastery in Macedonia, Sv. Jovan Bigorski (St. John the Baptist). We visit the church and have a short break at the coffee restaurant below the monastery.
• We continue to the female monastery Sv. Gorgi Pobedonosec (St. George the Victorious) in the village of Rajcica, on the shore of Debar Lake. This monastery is a unique place where the famous mitras, the decorated hats worn by bishops during the liturgy, are made for the whole Christian world.
• In the afternoon, we continue to Vevcani, the village known for the oldest carnival in these areas, the Vevcani springs, the masters of the mason craft, and excellent homemade traditional Macedonian food.

In the late afternoon, we head to Ohrid. Accommodation in a hotel in Ohrid. Dinner. Overnight.

Driving time: Skopje - Matka 20 min.; Matka - St. Jovan Bigorski 1 hour and 45 min.; St. Jovan Bigorski - Rajcica 25 min.; Rajcica - Vevcani 50 min.; Vevcani - Ohrid 30 min.

• After breakfast, we go to the most visited monastery complex in our country, the Monastery of St. Naum, built at the end of the 9th century, close to the border with Albania. We visit the church, with an opportunity for an optional cruise by small boat in one of the most protected ecological areas, where the most powerful springs of Ohrid Lake and the river Crn (Black) Drim are located. Free time.
• Around noon, we return to Ohrid and begin a walking tour of the old part of the city. The Gallery of Icons, the imposing Samuil's Fortress, the Antique Theater, the Monastery of St. Clement on Plaosnik, the Cathedral Church of St. Sofia (11th century), and more are only part of the richness offered by the old part of Ohrid and included in our agenda.
• At the end of the half-day walking tour, we visit a craft workshop where original Ohrid pearls are on sale, and we hear the story of how this work began. Free time in the centre for visiting the bazaar, shopping, or taking a boat ride on Ohrid Lake.
• Today's next stop is the city of Struga, where the Crn (Black) Drim flows out of Ohrid Lake and continues its course. The Park of Poetry, the Natural Science Museum, and the main walking street are included in our schedule.

In the late afternoon, we return to the hotel in Ohrid. Dinner. Overnight.

Driving time: Ohrid - St. Naum 30 min.; Ohrid - Kalista 35 min.; Struga - Ohrid 20 min.

• Our first stop today is 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 is on display.
• Around 10:00 AM, we continue to Prespa Lake through Galicica National Park.
• In the village of Podmocani, we have the opportunity to visit a private museum of folk costumes, which holds over 300 men's and primarily women's folk costumes from all over the country.
• Only a few kilometres from Podmocani is the village of Kurbinovo, where we visit the Church of St. Gorgi (St. George, 12th century), in which the first signs of the Renaissance and the famous fresco "The Angel of Kurbinovo" were found. Free time for a coffee break on the shores of Prespa Lake.
• In the afternoon, we arrive in Bitola. We visit the archaeological site of Heraclea Lyncestis, just 2 km from today's centre of Bitola, a city built during the time of Philip II that reached its greatest rise during the Roman Empire.

Accommodation in a hotel in the centre of Bitola. Dinner. Overnight.

Driving time: Ohrid - Prespa Lake 1 hour; Prespa Lake - Heraclea 40 min.

• We begin with a walking tour of Bitola, the city with one of the richest histories and cultures in the Republic of Macedonia, also known as the City of Consuls.
• After visiting the City Museum, housed in the 19th-century building where Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, graduated from high military school, we continue along the most famous pedestrian zone, Sirok Sokak, to the symbol of Bitola - the Clock Tower from the 19th century.
• Two mosques from the 16th century, the Old Bazaar, and the city open market are only part of what we will see and visit. Free time for coffee or shopping.
• Around noon, we continue to Krushevo, a city located at 1,250 m above sea level.
• The first destination is the monument Makedonium, located in the highest part of the city, where the eternal resting place of the president of the first Republic of the Balkans, Dame Gruev, is located.
• The next stop on our tour is the memorial house of our great artist, singer, and above all humanist, the unique and unforgettable Tose Proeski. In the centre, we visit the city bazaar, the Church of St. Nikola, and several workshops.
• After lunch, we continue to Prilep. Here, we visit the Tobacco Museum, which contains incredible stories and objects related to the "yellow gold" of this part of Europe.

A walk in the city centre and accommodation in a hotel in Prilep. Dinner. Overnight.

Driving time: Bitola - Krusevo 1 hour; Krushevo - Prilep 45 min.

• We start our city walking tour by visiting the lively Prilep market in the centre of the Old Bazaar. The open market is rich in organic products and different smells, and it is usually very busy on bazaar days.
• From here, we continue to the central part of Macedonia, where some of the best-quality wine in the Balkans is produced. We visit a wine cellar, listen to the story of the wine-making tradition, and taste different products.
• Around 11:00 AM, we head to the far southeast of the country to visit two of its most powerful and highest waterfalls, Kolesino and Smolare.

Later in the afternoon, we continue to Strumica, where we will be accommodated in a hotel. A short walk around Strumica. Dinner. Overnight in Strumica.

Driving time: Prilep - wine region 50 min.; Wine region - waterfalls 1 hour and 45 min.; Waterfalls - Strumica 30 min.

• Day 7 is reserved for visiting the two monasteries near Strumica, located in the villages of Vodoca and Veljusa, a few kilometres from Strumica.
• Around noon, we continue to the eastern part of Macedonia. First, we stop in Stip, the city under Isar. Free time for city sightseeing and an opportunity to taste the famous local speciality, Pastrmajlija, from Stip.
• In the afternoon, we visit the Osogovo Monastery near Kriva Palanka. Built in the 12th century, the monastery dedicated to Joakim Osogovski is one of the largest and most impressive in this part of the country.
• In the late afternoon, we return to Skopje.