Our 7-day road trip through North Macedonia took us to the country's most beautiful sights. This road trip guide includes our route through beautiful nature, restaurant recommendations and, of course, all the travel information you need.
North Macedonia - the land of sun and ajvar (if you don't know what ajvar is, click here) - is one of the smallest countries in the Balkans after Montenegro and Slovenia. As such, it kind of flies a bit under the radar and apart from the odd mocking article about Skopje's statues or the occasional photo of mirror-smooth Lake Ohrid, I didn't know much about the country.
Fortunately, the Munich Airport travel blog, Travellers Insight, sent me on a short research trip to the Balkan country last year. It was December - not the best time to travel on paper - and we arrived with a whole list of sights that we wanted to cover in a week. But in the end, our seven days in North Macedonia were a really relaxed road trip, during which we got some great insights into the country and its people.
Sometimes it's best to travel to a country without great expectations and just let yourself be positively surprised. North Macedonia certainly did that for us!
PS: In this article, I use the terms Macedonia and North Macedonia interchangeably. The country had to change its name in 2019.
North Macedonia road trip | Highlights
🔖 Stroll through the old bazaar in Skopje
🔖 Watch the sunset at Lake Ohrid promenade
🔖 Stroll along the street of consulates in Bitola
🔖 Taste North Macedonian wine
🔖 Visit one of the most beautiful monasteries in Europe
🔖 Feel like you've been transported back to ancient times in Macedonian ruins
This blog article contains personal recommendations in the form of affiliate links. If you book or buy something via the links, I will receive a small commission. This does not change the price for you at all. Thank you for your support.
The most important things for your road trip through Macedonia
Renting a car in North Macedonia
First things first: no road trip without car!
I would recommend renting a four-wheel drive vehicle (4×4). The roads in North Macedonia are usually in okay condition, but off the main roads you may well come across a gravel track or knee-deep potholes. This also gives you flexibility when travelling through the national parks. If you land in Skopje, you can also pick up your hire car right there at the airport.
For 7 days, you can expect to pay around 300-400 euros for a hire car, which is correspondingly cheaper in the low season and for a smaller car. I would also always take out fully comprehensive insurance without an excess so that you can drive stress-free.
To compare car rentals and car rental prices from different providers and find the best deal, I always use rentalcars.com.
🚙 Book a car | Compare different rental car options in Skopje here.
Best time to visit
The climate in Macedonia is characterised by very hot, dry summers and damp, cold winters, with lots of snowfall in the mountains. We were there in December - not an ideal time at all, but still had very good weather and only when we wanted to drive through the Mavrovo National Park did it suddenly start snowing heavily, so we saved ourselves the detour for safety reasons and because of the poor road conditions.
Generally speaking, summers are too hot to do much - even the Macedonians themselves flee to the mountains and lakes.
March to May and September to the end of October are the best times for travelling to North Macedonia with pleasant temperatures and good weather.
How many days should you plan for a road trip in Macedonia?
Our itinerary is 7 days long, enough time to explore the most popular sights of Macedonia, first and foremost Skopje and Ohrid, of course.
However, we could easily have stayed a few days longer - some places in Macedonia that are on my bucket list we weren't able to visit on our first road trip (for example Kruševo). And then of course there are all the national parks and hikes.
So if you want to be more active and are planning an outdoor holiday, I would even recommend 10–14 days . I'll give you tips and options for hikes later in the list of individual days of the trip.
Map of our North Macedonia road trip
This road trip guide takes you once anti-clockwise in a circle through North Macedonia - from Skopje to the famous Lake Ohrid, through cute little towns, ancient sites, national parks and also to a winery or two - because North Macedonia is also known for its wines. We start and end in the capital Skopje.
For your own holiday in North Macedonia, you can easily save this map to your Google account here by clicking on the star.
💡 My tip: Do you want to be reachable and also easily navigate to restaurants and spots that I recommend in my article? Then get an eSIM from Airalo. Bosnia and Herzegovina is not in the EU, which means you can't use your mobile data and roaming is expensive. With a Airalo data plan for North Macedonia but you'll be online as soon as you arrive. You can download the app here.
North Macedonia road trip | Individual days of the route
Day 1 | Arrival in Skopje
Touch down in Skopje. Depending on when you arrive, I would recommend that you start your road trip in North Macedonia by picking up your hire car straight away and booking accommodation with parking in Skopje.
After checking in, you can take a stroll through the old bazaar in the capital of North Macedonia. The many alleyways with numerous restaurants and shops take you straight back in time. The contrast and cultural diversity of Macedonia is also immediately apparent here: Orthodox churches, mosques, Albanian shop signs and Macedonian street signs in Cyrillic.
Activities | Spaziere durch den alten Basar
Accommodation | We felt at home in this apartment . Book here.
Food | Restaurant Skopski Merak
Day 2 | Skopje
The history of the Balkan countries is complex - characterised by numerous different influences and eras, kingdoms and rulers. And North Macedonia is no different. For the longest time in its history, the small country was under foreign rule - so it's easy to understand why a statue was dedicated to every important Macedonian personality when it gained independence.
We learnt this and much more on a City tour of Skopje – and I would definitely recommend one for you too, so that you can better understand the country right at the start of your trip.
You can then spend the afternoon at the fortress (especially nice during Golden Hour) or take the gondola up the local mountain, Vodno to enjoy the view from there or do a light hike.
For dinner, we went to the artistic and trendy Debaar Malo neighbourhood, which reminded me a lot of Belgrade's Dorćol, both architecturally and because of the many bars and small streets. We had a really good meal there in the local restaurant Skopski Merak to the sound of typical Macedonian live music and of course also tasted Macedonian wine and mastika (aniseed schnapps).
Activities | City tour of Skopje, Food & Walking Tour, visit to Shuto Orizari, the only Roma viillge in Europe
Food | Be sure to try Tavče gravče (baked beans) at the old bazaar
Read more | 10 tips & things to see in Skopje
Skopje → Ohrid | Skopje → Ohrid
172 km / 3-3.5 hours
On the way from Skopje to Ohrid, you have numerous options for activities and stopovers. You can drive directly in about three hours, or you can make a whole day trip out of it.
We went for a walk at Matka Canyon and wanted to visit Mavrovo National Park, which was recommended to us by a Macedonian friend. But unfortunately the snow killed our plans. Nevertheless, I have listed his recommendations for you below.
Matka Canyon | Just half an hour's drive from Skopje, you can hike here, hire kayaks or explore the canyon's caves on a guided kayak tour . Or you can stay an extra day in Skopje and do the whole trip as a guided tour.
•••
Tetovo | The city is particularly famous for its colourful mosque and dervish monastery. We visited both on the greyest day of our trip, so the old industrial city didn't present itself to us in its best light and we didn't stay long.
•••
Mavrovo-Nationalpark | Well worth a visit is the Sveti Jovan Bigorski monastery. A Macedonian friend also recommended the restaurant House of Mijaks right next door. Close to the monastery, you also find the 📍starting point for the short hike to the Duf waterfall – just short enough to fit it into a day of driving from one place to the other.
Sooner or later, you will arrive in Ohrid, the town on the lake of the same name, which is one of the oldest in the world and one of the most famous tourist destinations in North Macedonia. Here, right on the Albanian border, North Macedonia shows itself from one of its most beautiful sides: The view of Lake Ohrid makes me feel as if we were by the sea.
Accommodation | Our flat in Ohrid was only okay, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. But you can find lots more accommodation in Ohrid here.
💡 My tip: I always book accommodation via booking.com. With Genius Level 3, I get a guaranteed discount – up to 25% for some accommodations – and sometimes there are also great extras, such as a free breakfast. To get Level 3, you have to make 15 bookings via the platform within 2 years. Level 2 is even available for just five bookings.
Day 4 | Ohrid
Ohrid is not a large city, but as it is only around 2.5 hours' drive from Skopje, it is a popular holiday and weekend destination for Macedonians from the capital. Many have their vikendicas, their weekend homes, here. So it's probably a good idea not to visit Ohrid during a high season weekend.
Take a whole day to stroll along the waterfront and climb up through the old town to the old Macedonian theatre and Samuel's Fortress . We really got a feel for the city in the small alleyways and soaked up the atmosphere. In winter it was quiet, almost deserted, but I'm sure Ohrid is buzzing with tourists in summer.
From the fortress, various walking and hiking trails lead down to the church of St John of Kaneo – an absolute must-see! Situated right on the shore of one of the oldest lakes in the world, with a view of the nearby mountains, it is one of the most beautifully situated churches I have seen in the Balkans (and perhaps anywhere).
Activities | Guided tour of Ohrid or boat trip on Lake Ohrid (also available with an included wine tasting)
Food | Restaurant Kajche and Kaj Kanevche
Shopping | Street wear made in Ohrid at Sheeezick
Day 5 | Ohrid → Bitola
69 km / 1.5 hours
Before you set off towards Bitola, one of the top highlights of North Macedonia is on the agenda for the day: A visit to the Sveti Naum monastery right on the Albanian border. The monastery complex is known for its garden with its impressive flora and fauna and for its peacocks. The UNESCO World Heritage Site was founded in the 9th century and therefore looks back on a lively history. You can easily spend two hours walking around here.
From there, we continue on to Bitola. We thought long and hard about whether we should visit the town or skip it and I am glad that we decided to make a stop there.
Bitola was settled by the Illyrians and had its first heyday during the Macedonian kingdom - the ruins of the ancient city of Heracleia Lyncestis can still be visited today. We were very lucky: we were the only visitors and our tour guide took the time to bring the past to life for us. A big recommendation for a guided tour here too!
The city itself is also known as the ‘city of consuls’ because many consulates from all over the world were located in Bitola and the country's second largest city therefore boasts impressive neoclassical buildings. Also well worth seeing: Bitola's bazaar with its small alleyways, where life takes place between old-fashioned shops, a large market square and small cafés.
Activities | Visit the ancient city of Heracleia, walk through the street Shirok Sokak, stroll through the market square in Bitolas Čaršija
Extend your stay | You can extend your stay in Ohrid by one day to go hiking in Galicia National Park
Accommodation | Here you can find accommodation in Bitola
Day 6 | Bitola → Skopje
174 km / 2.5-3 hours
From Bitola, we set off on the return journey to Skopje today - but not without one last stop. We stopped at Stobi, one of the largest wineries in the country. Right next to it is the ancient city of Stobi.
Some of the ruins and mosaics of Stobi are still surprisingly well-preserved. So if you're interested in ancient history, don't miss it! We were unlucky: in December, the mosaics are covered to protect them from snow, rain and frost.
North Macedonia's dry, warm climate is perfect for wine production and since both my husband and I would never say ‘no’ to a good glass of wine , a stop here was of course obligatory. So we took a tour of the cellar at the Stobi winery and tasted a glass of wine and had a snack in the restaurant right next to the cellar. A real wine tasting, unfortunately there was no choice of several labels.
Activities | Visit to the ancient town of Stobi, wine tasting at the winery of the same name
Extend your stay | You can extend your stay in Bitola to go hiking in Pelister National Park or go on a jeep safari through the National Park
Accommodation | At this hotel , you can treat yourself to something special for your last night
Tag 7 | End your trip in Skopje
The last day of the trip - you can now extend your Balkan road trip to another country, for example Serbia, Albania or Kosovo. You can reach all three in just a few hours from Skopje. Or you can make your way back home - hopefully with lots of great memories in your luggage!
Driving in North Macedonia
Driving licence | The German driving licence is sufficient for North Macedonia, you should have it for at least two years.
Insurance | If you are travelling with your own car, you will need the green insurance certificate for North Macedonia - otherwise you will have to buy expensive insurance in cash at the border
Mountain roads and road conditions | Especially in autumn and early winter, the weather can change quickly and become a challenge on mountain passes, so pay attention to the weather forecast. The main roads in North Macedonia are in good condition, but it can be bumpy away from them
Driving times | Due to the road conditions, routes on Google Maps are often very short, but the journey can take several hoursv
Toll | The toll is calculated according to the distance travelled on the motorway. You pay at the toll stations in cash or by credit card
International health insurance | North Macedonia is not in the EU - so it's best to take out international health insurance. I can recommend SafetyWing insurances.
Travel responsibly in North Macedonia
In North Macedonia, tourism is still in its infancy - just the right time to look at the influence you can have on the development of tourism in the country with your visit.
North Macedonia is not a ‘Wild West’ | I often see tourists in countries with less strict regulations who simply get away with everything - parking where it's forbidden, ignoring signs, and so on. What you wouldn't do in Germany, please don't do here either!
Keep nature clean | It is truly simple: take your rubbish with you and if you can, leave a nature site or hiking trail cleaner than you found it.
Book local accommodation and tour operators | There are many tour operators that only offer day tours from nearby countries such as Albania to Lake Ohrid or Skopje. Instead of foreign tour operators, try to use local, small companies and book locally run accommodation.
