2 min summary Best time to visit Map & highlights Food & drink Ancient Macedonia Lake Ohrid Tips Responsible tourism

North Macedonia map & highlights

North Macedonia occupies one third of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia, the remainder can be found to the south, in Greece. Skopje, the capital, sits in the mountainous north, close to Kosovo and Serbia, whereas the lakes of Ohrid and Prespa straddle the southwest border with Albania where conditions are much more akin to the Mediterranean.

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North Macedonia map & highlights

Even the Bible describes (North) Macedonia as an ancient land. And indeed, today, it still feels untouched by time in many places, with medieval villages such as Mavrovo perched on a lake front protected by forested mountains. Ottoman mosques and hammams appear like long lost jewels in the already culturally crammed capital of Skopje. And then Ohrid, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is simply stuffed to the gills with ancient sacred sites (at one count there were 365 churches here). All perched in landscapes slowly carved by time into canyons and valleys, plateaus and peaks, many of which are protected by three national parks: Pelister, Mavrovo and Galicica.

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Our North Macedonia Holidays

1. Lake Prespa
2. Matka canyon
3. Mavrovo National Park
4. Ohrid
5. Pelister National Park
6. Skopje

Lake Prespa

1. Lake Prespa

You get two lakes for the price of one, with Big Prespa and Little Prespa, the latter shimmers its way across both the Greek and Albanian borders. Separated by snow capped Mount Galicica it makes for wonderful cycling, pedalling past ancient churches, traditional fishing huts poised out on the water, a bevy of beautiful birdlife including white pelicans, as well as submerged ruins when the water levels fall.

Lake Prespa

Matka canyon

2. Matka canyon

Head just 17km from Skopje and you'll discover some of the most stunning natural landscapes in the Balkans. Starting at 2,000m the River Treska cuts a deep, narrow valley through surrounding karst limestone, leaving cliffs for climbing, caves for caving, waterfalls for canyoning, tracks for hiking and white water for kayaking. Hidden ancient monasteries cling to the rock all along the way.

Mavrovo National Park

3. Mavrovo National Park

Mavrovo National Park is not only home to three of the country’s highest peaks (the highest being Great Korab towering 2,764m over the Albanian border), but also one of North Macedonia's largest lakes, featuring the half submerged church of St Nicholas in the middle. Outdoor adventures aplenty, with 52 peaks higher than 2,000m, alpine flora, forested slopes, lakeside beaches and vast pastures.

Mavrovo National Park

Ohrid

4. Ohrid

You can see why so many ancient churches cropped up on the shores of Lake Ohrid – it’s a secret heaven on earth. Take a walk around the lake and examine the likes of the 11th-century St Sophia’s cathedral and Byzantine beauty St Bogorodica Perivlepta. Everything exudes antiquity and aesthetic, meriting both its UNESCO status and Galicica National Park protection. It’s full of swimming beaches, too.

Pelister National Park

5. Pelister National Park

Named after its highest peak, at 2,601m, this ancient landscape is still home to bears, wolves, deer, chamois and eagles. Just three hours from Skopje, you find yourself within the Baba Mountain massif, where hiking takes you to exquisite elevations, with two turquoise lakes known as Pelisterski Oci (Pelister Eyes), rock pools, waterfalls and traditional mountain villages, with homestays.

Pelister National Park

Skopje

6. Skopje

North Macedonia’s capital boasts a range of ancient and modern influences including the kitsch neoclassical monuments installed by the country's now defunct PM, Nikola Gruevski. From Roman aqueducts and bridges, Ottoman mosques and Turkish bathhouses, to the 16th-century Church of the Ascension and the Byzantine 6th-century Kale Fortress; Skopje is divided and not just by the Vardar River.

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01273 823 700

Calling us from outside the UK?

rosy@responsibletravel.com

More about North Macedonia

Best time to visit North Macedonia

The best time to visit North Macedonia may well depend on whether you're looking for lakes or mountains with scorching summer temperatures often cooling the higher up you hike.

North Macedonia travel guide

Find out more about the country and its people as you peruse our North Macedonia travel guide and piece together the former fragments of Yugoslavia that are featured within our interactive North Macedonia map & highlights section.

North Macedonia food & drink

Make the most of North Macedonia by exploring in out of the way areas and enjoying home cooked meals with welcoming local people.

Ancient Macedonia

Tours of Ancient Macedonia uncover one of the world’s great civilisations, the lost empire of Alexander the Great, through visits to historic sites in Greece, Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia.

Lake Ohrid

Ironically, given the name, Lake Ohrid is in fact one of the most beautiful and serene parts of North Macedonia.

North Macedonia travel advice

It’s always wise to get some advice before travelling which is why our top tips have come from our specialist tour experts who’ve either been to North Macedonia or lived there their whole lives.

Responsible tourism in North Macedonia

Poverty, pollution and plastic are problems in North Macedonia.

Written by Chris Owen

ABTA member P7085 so you are fully protected

Photo credits: [Page banner: Marjan Lazarevski] [Top box: Pero Kvrzica] [Lake Prespa: widjet] [Matka canyon: Onosim] [Mavrovo National Park: Novica Nakov] [Ohrid: xiquinhosilva] [Pelister National Park: Ksenija Putilin] [Skopje: Juan Antonio Segal]

North Macedonia map & highlights