{"id":18738,"date":"2024-03-28T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/real-word\/?p=18738"},"modified":"2025-03-05T17:43:36","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T16:43:36","slug":"visit-skopje-macedonia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trafalgar.com\/real-word\/visit-skopje-macedonia\/","title":{"rendered":"Why you should visit Skopje, Europe’s unusual capital city"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Newly-named North Macedonia<\/a>, once part of the former Yugoslavia, boasts some of the most beautiful scenery on the Balkan Peninsula. We love it so much, we wanted to share our 6 reasons to visit Skopje<\/a>, its underrated capital, which lies at the heart of the Balkans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. North Macedonia’s History is Fascinating<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Archaeological evidence shows that civilisations flourished in North Macedonia as early as 7000 years BC. If you’re a history buff, that means you’ll simply adore Skopje’s many Dardanian and Roman-era archaeological sites, Byzantine churches and monasteries. Also on the amateur historian’s checklist has to be the city’s extraordinary Ottoman heritage and ‘blocky’ Brutalist structures, which hark back to Macedonia’s Yugoslav era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dating back to the Byzantine rulers of the 6th century, Kale Fortress should certainly be on your Skopje sightseeing list. A walk up Kale Fortress’s ancient walls guarantees beautiful views over the entire city and the Vardar River. It’s certainly one of our favourite spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Meanwhile, the Old Bazaar (or Carsija<\/em>) has been the city’s centre of trade and commerce since the 12th<\/sup> century. Here you can visit the area’s mosques, tombs, bathhouses and churches. Or simply potter around the shops, looking for souvenirs, folk costumes and traditional jewellery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, look out for Skopje’s Stone Bridge. This stunningly photogenic bridge spans the Vardar River and is just another reason to visit Skopje.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Skopje’s Statues and Monuments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Interestingly, Skopje is known as the ‘city of statues<\/a>‘. A massive earthquake destroyed most of the city’s historic monuments in 1963 (in fact, about 80% of the city was destroyed). Some 40 years later, the government embarked on a controversial project to ‘repopulate’ the city with statues. Above all, this was in the hope that they could instil some national pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is a largely weird and wonderful collection of statues, which confound locals and visitors alike. Make sure you tick off the following life-size, marble and bronze Skopje attractions during your sightseeing tour:<\/p>\n\n\n\n