You all know the drill by now. “More the merrier” is my mantra when it comes to sharing all the juicy details following a trip I take. After all, having a fully-fledged itinerary right in front of your eyes, complete with all the costs incurred during this trip, has to be somewhat useful to your own planning if you wish to travel to the destinations that I ended up visiting. In this case, we will be taking a much closer look at Macedonia, and what my journey there entailed. Read on to find out how much did it cost me and my mother to spend eleven nights in Macedonia, except the amount we spent on accommodation and initial flights. After all, when it comes to those costs, each case is pretty unique and thus any data regarding is significantly less informative.
General Itinerary Notes
- Macedonia is not a huge country. If it was not for its many mountains and less than ideal road network, it would have taken just a few hours to do a tour around the countryside. However, trying to explore all that it has to offer from a single hub city is, for a few reasons, ill-advised. As I mentioned, the road network and even the conditions of the roads in the country are not the best. Furthermore, public transportation in between cities is somewhat limited, at least compared to some of its neighbours, such as Albania. Ideally, you should spend some of your time in Ohrid and explore the southern part of the country, and then enjoy Skopje while seeing what the northern end of Macedonia has to offer. You can also, of course, just a spend a night or two in many different cities around the country as you make your way in a clockwise or perhaps counterclockwise fashion, if you wish to spend a night in cities like Tetovo or Bitola.
- While I cannot say that I have seen all that Macedonia has to offer, I did manage to see most that I could see in this trip. There are some notable exceptions, such as a hiking trip to Sharr mountains, a day trip to Bitola, and perhaps a visit to Monastery of St John the Baptist near Debar. The Ilinden Monument near Krushevo, and Krushevo itself is most likely well worth a visit as well. This is to say, while eleven nights may seem like a lot to some of you, in fact, if one wants to explore Macedonia fully, I believe twenty days would be much more appropriate for that endeavour. We simply did not have that much time on our hands. Also, for us, this trip was part of a bigger one that included a previous 7-night leg in Kosovo, meaning that we were already running on fumes by the time we reached Skopje.
- It is almost excruciatingly hot during July in Macedonia. Even our homeowners were surprised at our arrival at that time and said that we should have come in late August or early June. If possible, try to avoid the peak of the summer heat as it did make traveling around the country a chore, especially since not all buses had proper air-conditioning.
- Lake Ohrid, as the name suggests, is a lake. You can swim in it, and in fact, you should. That does mean that a part of our trip, the part that coincided with my mother’s birthday on purpose, was more relaxed than usual as far as trips that are planned by me are concerned. It included a lot of free time, some swimming, and a ton of eating. If this does not sound like something you are interested in, you can certainly spend far less time around this area.
General Budgetary Notes
- As is the case in most countries, prices can vary quite significantly across Macedonia. While Ohrid, being a rather touristic town, has some venues that seem to operate with Western tourists in mind, Skopje, which relies on Turkish tourists for the most part, offers significantly cheaper and yet also better eateries. The same goes for entry fees. There are a lot of those in Ohrid, practically anything even barely enclosed will require an entry fee, even churches, whereas the same is not true for the rest of the country. This is to say, as you yourself will see, Ohrid is not a very cheap destination, whereas Skopje can certainly be considered cheap by many. However, it is also important to note that even in Ohrid, one can certainly find some decent grub to eat on a budget, as it will be evidenced later on as well.
- There were two of us in this trip, so in order to find out how much would an individual spend eating out in Macedonia at around this much time, make sure you add the money we spent on food and groceries and divide it by two. For example, while my mother did not join me on certain trips and therefore meals, at those times I often had something cheap while she enjoyed some likewise cheap yet healthier snacks back home. That is what the groceries were for, for the most part.
- Tips are not included in bills in Macedonia, and tipping is not exactly expected the way I saw it. With that being said, the prices below more often than not include small tips, which often involved rounding the cost to the next hundred. The exact prices for each item can be found on my Instagram account dedicated solely to food, the Voracious Voyager!
- Frankly speaking, most museums I visited in Macedonia, and even churches and the like, were not worth their entry fee. It already felt quite wrong paying to visit a holy site, an issue I criticize regularly back in Turkey, so that may have soured some of my visits a bit as well. In any case, even if you skip all the museums in the country, you would not miss much and yet save a reasonable amount of cash if needed.
My North Macedonian Trip
10.07.2024 Wednesday
Today we arrived at Ohrid from Pristina after changing our bus in Skopje. It was a travel day that concluded with a simple dinner.
Bus to Ohrid from Skopje for two – 1700 MKD
Toilet break at Skopje bus station for two – 40 MKD
One local ice cream – 100 MKD
Dinner at Pizza Nemo for two – 960 MKD
Groceries – 400 MKD
Total – 3200 MKD
This may not be the most usual way to start one’s journey across Macedonia, but that is how ours started.
11.07.2024 Thursday
On our first full day in the country, we spent our time seeing what Ohrid had to offer.
One magnet – 110 MKD
Entry to Church of Saint Sophia – 150 MKD
Lunch at Vkusno Kebab Shop for two – 600 MKD
Groceries – 160 MKD
Corn on the cob – 100 MKD
Two beers and some nuts in a beer garden – 400 MKD
Total – 1520 MKD
If you want to see how we spent our day around Ohrid on this day, feel free to check out my article on the issue HERE.
12.07.2024 Friday
On this beautiful day, we took a day long boat tour to the gorgeous St. Naum Monastery at the southern end of Lake Ohrid.
Two cheese bureks and two yoghurts at Ohrid City Bakery – 180 MKD
Boat trip to St. Naum Monastery on Mato Catamarans for two – 3000 MKD
Two ice creams – 250 MKD
Tiny tip for captain – 100 MKD
Two pizzas at Pizza Calabria – 600 MKD
Groceries – 90 MKD
Total – 4220 MKD
This boat trip was the highlight of our travels around Macedonia, well at least one of the highlights of it! To figure out what it entailed, make sure you read THIS article of mine covering the trip.
13.07.2024 Saturday
Today I took a day trip to Struga by myself as my mother rested back in the apartment.
Minibus from Ohrid to Struga for one – 70 MKD
One magnet – 100 MKD
A bottle of holy water at the local monastery – 70 MKD
Pasta and beer at Restaurant Taj Mahal – 500 MKD
One ice cream – 110 MKD
Dinner at Gostilnica Neim for two – 600 MKD
Three teas at a nearby establishment – 180 MKD
Total – 1830 MKD
This was a rather enjoyable day trip to say the least, surprisingly so even. To check out what Struga has to offer, consider checking out THIS article of mine.
14.07.2024 Sunday
Since we adored the beach near St. Naum Monastery, on this sunny day we returned to the area by a minibus to enjoy the beach all day long.
Bus to St. Naum Monastery and back for two – 520 MKD
Two sunbeds – 600 MKD
One magnet – 100 MKD
Visiting the public toilet at the beach four times – 120 MKD
Six ice creams – 550 MKD
Two slices of pizza at Pizza Calabria – 160 MKD
One doner wrap and an ayran in an Ohrid establishment – 180 MKD
Four teas in yesterday’s teahouse – 240 MKD
Total – 2470 MKD
While there are many beaches around Ohrid, the city, you are better off traveling further away to enjoy Lake Ohrid at its finest. For a short guide on swimming around this pristine lake, make sure to read THIS piece of mine.
15.07.2024 Monday
We decided to continue enjoying the beaches of Lake Ohrid today and headed out to see what Struga offered in that regard.
Minibus from Ohrid to Struga and back for two – 280 MKD
One sunbed – 250 MKD
Lunch at Castello (Struga) for two with a litre of house wine – 1300 MKD
Dinner at Kaj Kanevche (Ohrid) for two – 1400 MKD
Two teas and a boza at a local teahouse in Ohrid – 220 MKD
Total – 3450 MKD
While we did not have much luck with food in Ohrid initially, soon enough, we would be spoiled quite generously. Check out what Ohrid has to offer in its dining scene HERE.
16.07.2024 Tuesday
Today we moved from Ohrid to Skopje, to continue our travels around Macedonia from a new hub.
Bus from Ohrid to Skopje for two – 1720 MKD
Bus station tax for two – 60 MKD
Croissant at a gas station – 55 MKD
Entry to the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle for Independence – 120 MKD
Entry to Macedonian Holocaust Museum – 100 MKD
Dinner at Burgerslut for two – 940 MKD
Groceries – 800 MKD
Total – 3795 MKD
Skopje offers a lot to its visitors. If you are a fan of brutalist architecture, make sure to check out THIS article of mine to find out where some of its better examples are located in town. If you would rather have a more touristic experience, make sure to read THIS article instead.
17.07.2024 Wednesday
We explored what Skopje offers thoroughly on this rather hot day.
Three pieces of baklava at Angela Merkel Baklava – 180 MKD
Three teas from a nearby tea house – 120 MKD
Cheese burek and ayran at Eski Bakery – 90 MKD
Large falafel wrap and ayran at Arabika Falafel – 200 MKD
One magnet – 60 MKD
Entry to Archaeological Museum of the Republic of Macedonia – 350 MKD
Dinner at Kosmos for two – 830 MKD
Two local desserts and two teas at Mado Prom – 210 MKD
Total – 2040 MKD
As you can clearly see, there is a lot to eat and drink in Skopje. You can find out about all the best eateries and bakeries in town HERE.
18.07.2024 Thursday
Today we took a day trip to Tetovo to see its gorgeous Colourful Mosque.
Bus from Skopje to Tetovo and back for two – 800 MKD
Two bureks and two yoghurts at Burektore Reklama – 220 MKD
Groceries – 120 MKD
Entry to two art museums – 200 MKD
Solo dinner at Burgerslut – 560 MKD
Four pieces of baklava at Antep Baklava – 160 MKD
Total – 2060 MKD
While Tetovo offers very little beyond its amazing Colourful Mosque, that alone may make this day trip worth your time. To figure out what we ended up seeing on this day, feel free to check out THIS article of mine.
19.07.2024 Friday
I enjoyed what Matka Canyon had to offer all by myself as my mother rested on this day.
Bus card with two prepaid rides – 150 MKD
Boat ride in Matka Canyon – 500 MKD
Spinach burek and ayran at Silbo – 100 MKD
Ice cream – 60 MKD
Seafood feast at Sidro for two with four glasses of rakija – 1570 MKD
Total – 2640 MKD
Matka Canyon is a manmade heaven you should not skip. You can figure out how to get there from Skopje on your own and enjoy it to the fullest by reading THIS work of mine.
20.07.2024 Saturday
This was the last full day of our trip across the Balkans. It was mostly spent resting and packing, as well as seeing what the city had to offer one last time.
Burek in a bun and ayran at Etmas Bakery – 50 MKD
Entry to the Museum of Contemporary Art – 100 MKD
One magnet – 100 MKD
Best pizza and beer Balkans have to offer at Matto Napoletano Pizzeria – 1000 MKD
Dinner at Amigos for two – 1700 MKD
Total – 3000 MKD
Skopje is home to a decent number of museums, though not all of them are all that decent. To find out which ones to visit and which ones to avoid, make sure to read my article found HERE.
21.07.2024 Sunday
Today we moved from Skopje to Pristina, only to catch our flight back to Istanbul later in the day.
Bus ticket from Skopje to Pristina for two – 1100 MKD
Total – 1100 MKD
Thankfully, we had exactly 6 Euros left in change when we were back in Pristina’s bus station, which was the exact amount necessary to use the public bus 1A for two people.
Grand Total: 500 USD
As usual, I prefer to share the exact amount of USD I exchanged for the local currency, given how inflation and so on may make giving any number in any one of the local currencies a bit redundant in the near future. In this case, a total of 500 USD was spent on eleven nights for both of us to cover all costs except initial flights to the region and accommodation. That is 250 USD per person, and just a bit over twenty dollars per person per day.
As is pretty much a tradition now, I have to say that this cost can be brought down significantly if needed. Firstly, while the boat trip we took to St. Naum was nothing short of excellent, it was not worth the price at the end of the day given how you can see St. Naum using a minibus for a fraction of the cost. If you are not interested in the boat ride itself, which we did admittedly enjoy, you can, and in fact you should skip the tour if you ask my humble opinion.
Moreover, while we had some amazing seafood and pizza which costed much more than an average meal in Macedonia multiple times, some of our most memorable dining experiences were had at bakeries selling a burek and a yoghurt for 100 MKD. Thankfully, you can spend as little as you want on food and still have a pretty decent time in Macedonia. Other than bureks, local cafeterias and even grill houses are extremely affordable for Western standards.
Last but not least, as I mentioned before, you can certainly skip the museums if you want to, and you do not have to rent any sunbeds in any one of the beaches you will visit around Lake Ohrid.
All of this combined would easily bring down per person cost of this trip to around 150 USD instead of 250 USD, and that too could be further reduced to 100 USD if you can manage to hitchhike your way around the country, as transportation is not necessarily cheap in Macedonia.
I sure hope that all these numbers are somewhat useful to you in your own itinerary making processes, and one can only hope that you will enjoy your time in this jewel of a country!