Early in the morning, we woke up and had a quick breakfast at Urban Hostel & Apartments. We then went to Skopje‘s center and split up. Ana and I went to the Memorial House of Mother Teresa, which was the Skopje walking tour starting point. In the meantime, Tim went to walk around in the city on his own. Join me and Ana to find out about the free Skopje walking tour we went on!
Highlights of the free Skopje walking tour
It was the first time I went on a walking tour. It was interesting that we had a diverse group of Americans, Australians, Germans, plus us two Romanians, among others. However, don’t worry: the group will never be too large. That way, everybody can gather round at certain objectives and be able to hear the guide.
Speaking of the guide, we found him next to a roll-up banner, with the TripAdvisor logo on it. Miha smiled a lot, and he was very tanned, dressed all in white. He was friendly and chatty, but he made sure we all left on time, at 10.00, and, as the sun was rising in the sky, he took care to keep us in the shade for as long as possible.
During the Skopje walking tour you will explore the capital’s colorful streets, its main square, the Memorial House of Mother Teresa, the old railway station, Vadar River’s shores, the Mustafa Pasha Mosque, an old inn, the Old Bazaar and Kale (Skopje’s fortress), and Sveti Spas (Church of the Ascension of Jesus).
Memorial House of Mother Teresa
Open from 09.00 to 20.00 (Monday to Friday) or from 09.00 to 14.00 (Saturday and Sunday). The entrance is free of charge.
Address: 9 Macedonia Street, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia | See on map
Tel. +389-2329-0674
Mustafa Pasha Mosque
Very welcoming and open to visitors of other beliefs. The entrance is free of charge.
Address: Fort Kale, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia | See on map
Tel. +389-2329-7204
Skopje’s Old Bazaar
Open from 09.00 to 15.00, from Monday to Saturday. Closed on Sunday. The entrance is free of charge.
Address: 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia | See on map
Tel. +389-7093-5873
Sveti Spas Church
Open from 09.00 to 17.00 (Tuesday to Friday) or to 15.00 (Saturday and Sunday). Tickets cost 120 MKD.
Address: Samoilova, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia | See on map
Tel. +389-2323-0780
Raki? Of course!
In the Old Bazaar, we stopped at one of the small restaurants and got free raki or juice. Although the raki feels quite strong on an almost empty stomach, somehow we couldn’t turn it down in favor of the regular orange juice.
The end of the free Skopje walking tour
In the end, if you enjoyed the tour, there is a recommended tip of 5 euros for the guide. It is not mandatory, as a fee, but it is expected. And it’s earned, as Miha provides very useful and interesting information, at a fast pace, even though he does not manage to stay impartial at times and becomes a tad too critical to Skopje’s architecture and City Hall representatives.
In conclusion, we spent the morning in a pleasant way. We also made a new German friend, Simon, who joined us for lunch, at the place which served us raki earlier, in the Old Bazaar.
After lunch, he also joined us on a hike to the Millennium Cross and, as we all seemed to get along and had quite a similar route in mind, we continued our journey together for a while.
Skopje Walking Tour, TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2017
Address: Macedonia Street, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia | See on map
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Mirela Letailleur is a Romanian travel blogger living in the South of France. She writes on The Travel Bunny travel blog about affordable travel in Europe, creator of unique free travel guides, local travel expert. Problem solver. Wannabe coffee guru.
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