Unique Places in Skopje

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I have been wanting to do this hike for years, because both Mount Vodno with the Millenium Cross and Lake Matka are two great places that we visited separately in the past, so why not combine them in one hike?

The reason that we did not do this hike before is that we were told that especially the end of the hike, when you reach Lake Matka, is badly marked. Therefore the general advice is not to try this hike without a local guide. In retrospect, I think that when you have a good look at the map, in combination with the sparse marking of the trail, it should be possible to do it without a guide, but you may go wrong here or there...

This year however (2011), I bought an outdoor GPS and downloaded a track describing this hike from internet. Almost foolproof and no local guide needed!

We went by car to the parking at Middle Vodno (Sredno Vodo), which is halfway the top of the mountain. Then, we took the new cable car lift to the top of Mount Vodno and the Millenium Cross.

Alternatively, you can walk all the way to the top, from the foot of the mountain or from Middle Vodno, but that adds a pretty steep ascent to this hike! Some of the last parts are rather steep downhill, so high shoes and walking sticks are recommended.

From the top of Mount Vodno the hike is only downhill, so it is not too hard on your condition. The scenery and the trail are both pretty diverse, the views of the Matka Canyon are amazing.

When you arrive at the bridge over the Treska river, you have to go left to visit the lake. There are several churches around the lake, as well as a bar/restaurant for well-deserved refreshments!

There is a mini-bus going back to Skopje, but you can also arrange for a cab of course. The buses stop near the bridge.

The hike from the Millenium Cross to the bridge at Matka is about 11-12 km long and took us 4 hours including breaks. From the bridge to Lake Matka behind the dam is an additional 1.5 km.

You can look at the GPS track and download it via the link below.

If you have a few hours spare it's perfectly possible to go and visit Gracanica momastery, in Kosovo. By taxi, count on it taking about two hours there and two back, and on spending an hour or two actually there, so you can leave after breakfast and be back in Skopje in time for a late luncheon. The road is depressing (miltary camps, tank speed-limit signs, more car-washes than you could believe, none with any cars being washed...), but the monastery (or nunnery) is wonderful. The only problem is that the Kosovo border police may want to stamp your passport, and if they do it may make visiting Serbia afterwards a bit complicated. (See my thing about buses.) Try to persuade them not to stamp it, or go to Serbia FIRST or something.

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Green markets are... "an institution" in Skopje (come to think of it, in Macedonia)
They are colorful, fun, they offer amazing flavors of our local production, veggies, fruits, spices, the people are nice and have a very unique attitude... The green markets are particularly fun on weekends, mid-morning when many people go and do their veggie and fruits shopping.

There are a few in Skopje(Bunjakovec, that's the one we go to, Zelen pazar, in the center of the city, Bit-pazar, big and loud, and other smaller ones located in different areas of Skopje.

If you happen to stay in Skopje for more than a week, and especially if you happen to be here in spring, go to a green market and enjoy the experience.

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Even if you're not the sporty-type, some hiking on Vodno will definitely do you good.

Vodno is a hill very close to the center of Skopje (yeah, sounds weird I know) and it takes about an hour and a half (if you're not a professional) to get to its top. There are different paths (some harder than others) although you can also take the road that goes to its top.

The views are gorgeous and makes the whole effort worth it.
Vodno is a frequent destination for the Skopje citizens on Saturday and Sunday morning. One of the best spots in the city and... undoubtedly, our own little treasure.

Take bus 53 from Zheleznicka stanica or Bit Pazar (opposite side). The ride costs 40 denar and lasts about an hour.
The line ends at the Spa installations, in beautyful nature. Bathing there an hour costs 180 denar. Male and female take the baths separately, alternating each hour. But you may taste the water in an outlet on the side of a path above the building.

Have a walk in the nice nature.

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The Skopje Railway Station is really not much to look at. It was built after the 1963 earthquake, when much of the town was destroyed, including the old railway station (which is now a Museum). Given that the authorities were pressed for funds and time to rebuilt housing and essential services, it is no wonder that the current railway station is short on style and long on dark, gloomy waiting areas and grey concrete. It is hardly a welcoming sight on your way into the city, but then again it helps to make your impression of the city itself all that more enjoyable and positive.

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I will be completely honest – I have no idea what the name of this church is, and I am unlikely ever to find it. I assume that it is probably fairly modern, because when I search on tourist sites they do not list it as a historic monument (actually they don’t list it at all). Nevertheless, the interesting bronze-domed bell-tower caught my eye while I was looking at books in the flea market, and I wandered over to it. It is a fairly large, boxy affair that has a separate small structure for those who wish to light a candle at an icon without going into the church. The icon in the small structure is quite beautiful, but it appears that this is the only artistic piece outside the church itself.

Macedonia was a scene of battles and was ravaged by the German Occupation in the 1940s, so it is a bit surprising that there are not more monuments or memorials for the soldiers who died to protect this land. “Aggression” from Bulgaria during the Second World War is a particularly sore point for Macedonians, so maybe there was a conscious decision not to build monuments in order not to aggravate modern relations. I found this Communist-era monument is a very unkempt part of Cair. I don’t read Macedonian, so I can’t really make out what it says, but the plain, Socialist Realist design of the monument is hardly attractive, although it does match the design of the National Theatre.