From Wikitravel

Republic of Macedonia [1] also known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), is a landlocked country in the Balkans, in Mediterranean Europe. It has Serbia to the north, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, and Greece to the south, and is often known simply as Macedonia, despite the objections of the neighboring Greeks who have their own Macedonia just across the border. The country controls a major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to the Aegean Sea and Southern Europe.

Contents 1 Regions 1.1 Administrative divisions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 Climate 4.2 Terrain 4.3 History 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By car 5.4 By bus 5.5 By boat 6 Get around 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 9.1 General 9.2 Fish 10 Drink 11 Sleep 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact

Regions

As river Vardar runs through the middle of Macedonia, traditionally the country is divided to eastern and western Macedonia. While western Macedonia is more mountainous, eastern is more flat with large fields. Even though Macedonians are generally pleasant, friendly and hospitable, what is interesting is that the people in eastern Macedonia are nicer and tend to be more friendly.

Administrative divisions

Since 2004 Macedonia is divided into 80 counties, out of which 33 have seats in towns or cities, 37 have seats in villages, and 10 make up the capital city of Skopje.

Macedonia has such a large number of counties in such a small country to accommodate its ethnic minorities. The law says that if 20% or over of the population of a county is of a certain minority, the language of that minority is co-official in that county along with Macedonian. If some small counties were incorporated into the large ones, most minorities would lose the right to have schools, signs, etc. in their native language, and could not use it in their administrations and official documents. It also gives small communities control over their administrative budgets, empowering them to invest money in their local infrastructure which (if they were incorporated into a bigger county) would probably be spent elsewhere.

Shuto Orizari County (better known as Shutka), which is part of the city of Skopje, is the only county in the world where Romany is an official language. Roma (the people known as "gypsies") make up 64.14% of the population in Shutka.

Cities

• Skopje - capital

• Bitola - the second largest city.
• Kriva Palanka - famous for the nearby monastery of St.Joakim Osogovski
• Krushevo - a walk through history
• Ohrid - a lakeside resort, very popular with Balkan holiday-makers
• Prilep - tobacco fields, medieval monasteries and strange rocks
• Struga - small town on Ohrid lake

Other destinations

• Mavrovo National Park
• Pelister National Park

Understand

Macedonia is a country with 7 ethnic minorities. There is still ethnic tension between Albanians and Macedonians, so maybe this is a subject best avoided. Tetovo, one of the largest cities in Macedonia, has a near 90% ethnic Albanian population. Most people advise not going to Tetovo. However, the brave traveller is rewarded greatly by visiting this town. The people are very hospitable, the scenery is beautiful and it is very safe.

Most people are very friendly and hospitable, but beware of over-friendly taxidrivers and strangers. There is a sizeable Roma minority and children will often come to tables and beg. Ignore them and they will go away. Aside of this, if you are fortunate enough, Gypsy Brass Bands go from restaurant to restaurant and it is common courtesy to leave them a small tip. Tipping is not seen as essential, but it is always welcomed. It is not recommended to tip over 10%, as this is seen as being patronizing and offensive.

Most Macedonians will quote prices in € and you will find that they are most accurately calculated. One Euro roughly equates to 60 Denar. Most larger cities have ATM Machines where you can withdraw money with cheap commission rates, there are also plenty of banks and exchange booths where you can easily change money. Do not change money on the street.

Climate

Warm, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall

Terrain

Mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River.

Macedonia is blessed with outstanding natural beauty. Do not miss a trip to one of the large lakes, Pelister Mountains or Shar Planina in the West and the fascinating rolling hills and mountains of the East with its rice fields.

History

The area comprising modern day Macedonia has a rich and ancient history. The legendary Macedonian Kingdoms of Macedon Phillip and Alexander the Great ruled here as did Illyrians, Romans, Slavic Bulgarians and Ottoman Turks, all of which represented in the country's culture today. Maybe the most significant influences are the 500 years Ottoman rule and the fact that Sts. Cyril and Methodus wrote their teachings in the fascinating city of Ohrid. The country is dotted with beautiful Orthodox churches and Monasteries and Mosques from the Ottoman period, most notably in Skopje's Bit Bazaar district.

Macedonia has been part of many countries, but incorporated into Yugoslavia by Tito in 1948, thus giving the people of Macedonia a "state" they could call their own for the first time. Macedonia prospered greatly under Marshall Tito's rule - the capital Skopje was rebuilt after a severe Earthquake in 1963 and heavy investments were made in the infrastructure subsequently. This may explain why many Macedonians are still somewhat nostalgic about Tito's Yugoslavia and that one can even see road signs for Veles denoted as Titov Veles.

International recognition of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's (F.Y.R.O.M.) independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 was delayed by Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols. Greece finally lifted its trade blockade in 1995, and the two countries agreed to normalize relations, despite continued disagreement over the use of "Macedonia." Macedonia's large Albanian minority, an ethnic Albanian armed insurgency in Macedonia in 2001, and the status of neighboring Kosovo continue to be sources of ethnic tension.

Get in

By plane

Macedonia has two international airports, the main airport in the capital Skopje (SKP) and a second airport of minor importance in Ohrid (OHD). An option to travel into Macedonia is to fly to Thessaloniki (SKG) or to Sofia (SOF) and get a taxi or bus from there. However, crossing the border usually takes extra time. A taxi from Sofia to Skopje should be less than 100 €.

By train

Regular train service connects Macedonia to Greece in the South and Serbia in the North. National trains are slow, however they are a nice alternative to hot and crowded buses in the summer. The main train line runs from Skopje to Bitola and Skopje to Gevgelia. No trains run to Ohrid.

By car

Be sure your Green Card (International Insurance Card) has an uncancelled "MK" box. Try to get a good map of Macedonia and/or try to be able to read Cyrillic letters. Although most street signs are printed in Cyrillic and Latin letters it can be helpful to have a little knowledge of the Cyrillic alphabet, especially in small towns.

By bus

There are bus connections from Serbia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia and Turkey to Skopje.

In Skopje there are two bus terminals. Most buses come to the new terminal, but some connections (for example to Pristina) are serviced by the old one, which is located at the city center. If you need to change the terminals, you need to walk to the stone bridge over Vardar and cross the bridge (about 2.5 km) or take a taxi.

At both terminals you will be constantly nagged by taxi drivers, who will try to convince you to use their services. Unless you have too much money to throw away, you shouldn't take their advice. The taxi is likely to be heavily overpriced, especially for foreigners, while the buses are cheap, clean and safe.

By boat

Get around

If travelling by car, be sure your tyres are good enough. Especially in spring and autumn weather in the mountains (Lake Ohrid/Ohrid, Bitola) can differ significantly from the weather in the areas you're coming from.

Talk

Languages : Macedonian 70%, Albanian 21%, Turkish 3%, Serbo-Croatian 3%, other 3%

While many young people speak English, some do not, so a phrase book is handy if not necessary. Speakers of Bulgarian, Serbian and Croatian should have no problem getting by, many older people also speak some Russian. German is also very useful, especially among older Albanians, and in Ohrid Dutch might be useful.

To learn the Macedonian language resort to the phrasebook Macedonian phrasebook

Buy

Macedonia is dotted with markets and bazaars well worth a visit. The bazaars of Skopje, Tetovo, Ohrid and Bitola are the largest selling anything from dried peppers to fake designer sunglasses. Whilst most things aren't really worth buying, there is normally a good selection of shoes and fruit and vegetables are of good quality depending on the season. Merchants are generally pleasant and welcoming, especially to westerners, something of a rarity outside of Skopje and Ohrid.

Ohrid is famous for its pearls and there are dozens of jewellers in the old town that will offer good products at decent prices. The Macedonian Orthodox paintings in old Ohrid are also worth a look.

Eat

If you are on a tight budget, try one of the Skara (grill) places in the Albanian quarter next to the old mosque. Muslims in this part of the world are very liberal, women are treated with respect and most places serve alcohol as most people drink regardless of their religion.

There are quite a few up-market restaurants serving better quality food on the waterfront, but these do cater for tourists and don't be surprised at the rather weighted bill at the end of your meal.

General

Typical Macedonian food resembles the food of the southern Balkans. For example loads of grilled meat known as skara are served in many places. Note that usually side dishes have to be ordered separately. However, Macedonia is also famous for its shopska salata a mixed salad of cucumbers, tomatoes and grated sirenje. Sirenje is a white cheese similar to feta cheese. Usually Macedonians will translate the English cheese to sirenje. Another local speciality is ajvar which is either used as an appetizer or side dish. It is a red paste made from roasted paprika and tomatoes. Many households prepare their own ajvar. Typical as well is tarator which might be comparable to the greek tzatziki. It is made of yoghurt, cucumbers and garlic and it is served as a cold soup.

Fish

Macedonia, being landlocked, does not offer a great variety of fresh fish. A notable exception is Ohrid, where fresh fish from the local lake can be enjoyed. If you have no objections to eating endangerd fish the Ohrid trout is local delicacy.

Drink

Rakia is a strong grape brandy which is drunk a lot in Macedonia. It is probably close to being the national drink. There are also many breweries which brew surprisingly good-tasting beer.

Sleep

Being the national tourist attraction, Ohrid is obviously more expensive than any other destination in Macedonia. Note that hotel prices are very expensive throughout the country and charge double rates to foreigners. It is therefore advisable to stay in private accommodation. If someone does not ask you at the bus station, you can always consult one of the many travel agencies in and around the centre. If you do opt for private accommodation make sure you see the room first and then decide. Payment is normally made in advance and should cost no more than €10-15 per night per person in peak season and half that during the rest of the year. Note: finding suitable accommodation in July and August is not easy, so try and book through a travel agent in advance.

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Macedonia is a relatively safe country. Driving is not ill-advised, but it's recommended for foreigners to try and use taxis and public transport wherever possible. As in all countries, keep an eye out for pickpockets and all valuables safe. Hotels and most private accommodation will offer a safe to store valuables and cash in.

Stay healthy

Water is safe to drink and there are public drinking water fountains in most public places. It is advisable to wash all fruit and vegetables.

Respect

Contact

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