Getting there & Getting around

Getting there

With the demise of JAT Yugoslav Airlines, a number of local carriers have emerged offering direct flights from Skopje to cities in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. There is also an international airport at Ohrid. The airport departure tax may not be included in your ticket.

The international bus station in Skopje has buses to Sofia, Tirana, Istanbul and Belgrade daily and to Munich twice weekly. To and from Albania, you can travel between Tetovo and Tirana by bus or walk across the border at Sveti Naum near Ohrid.

Express trains run five times a day between Skopje and Belgrade, via a town called Niš. Trains run twice a day between Skopje and Thessaloniki. If you're interested in travelling further into Greece, it's best to buy a ticket only to Thessaloniki and then get another on to Athens from there. There's no direct rail link between Macedonia and Bulgaria, and the train's not recommended for travel between Sofia and Skopje as you're forced to change trains in Serbia.

Getting around

Bus travel is well developed in Macedonia with frequent services from Skopje to Ohrid, Bitola, Tetovo and major regional towns. In the summer holidays it pays to book buses to/from Ohrid a day or two in advance. Macedonia's trains are quaint, cheap and wind through some marvellous scenery. The train from Skopje to Bitola, takes four hours to cover 230km (140mi).

Visa information

Americans, Canadians, EU and Yugoslav passport-holders require no visa. Australians can buy a visa at Skopje's Petrovec airport, but need to get one in advance before entering by land. The situation changes regularly; check with the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.