North Macedonia
If you’re planning to visit North Macedonia, this travel guide has all the information you need.
While “North Macedonia” is one of the newest countries in Europe, it’s history is rich and varied, dating back to ancient times.
From the quirky capital Skopje, to the beautiful shores of Lake Ohrid, ancient ruins outside Bitola and vineyards producing delicious wine, North Macedonia has a lot to offer travellers AND it’s super affordable too!
If you’re planning a North Macedonia Road Trip, or travelling in a motorhome or campervan like us, you’ll love the short distances, and the roads are in fairly good condition.
We visited North Macedonia in October 2025, and while we had an unseasonal cold snap at the beginning of our trip, we had some beautiful sunny days too. We spent two weeks in the country. We stayed in a variety of campsites and wild camped in several places too.
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North Macedonia Travel Guides
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A note about “North” Macedonia – what’s with the name?
If you’re like us, you might be wondering why it’s NORTH Macedonia. Where is just plain Macedonia? Or South Macedonia?
In the 1990s during the break up of Yugoslavia, Macedonia held a referendum in 1991 and declared their independence under the name “Republic of Macedonia”. However, as Greece has a region in their north called Macedonia, they weren’t happy with the new country’s name.
For a while the country was officially known as FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). Then in 2018, an agreement with Greece was reached (the Prespa Agreement) and the country’s name was changed to North Macedonia. North Macedonia joined NATO in 2019 and is an EU Candidate country.
Why you should visit North Macedonia
Skopje – the quirky capital of North Macedonia. The city centre was rebuilt as part of Project 2014, with grand statues and baroque and neo-classical buildings. The plan was to make the capital look more (western) European and attract more tourists.
Stunning natural landscapes. From the shores of UNESCO listed Lake Ohrid to the dramatic Sar mountains, North Macedonia has plenty to offer nature lovers.
Road-trip friendly. North Macedonia is around 25,000 sq km (about 10,000 sq miles) so it’s small and compact with short distances between the main attractions.
Delicious local food and wine. We really loved the food (and the wine) in North Macedonia. From traditional dishes like Ajvar (a spread made with red peppers), to Tavce Gravce (beans baked in a earthenware dish) and Makalo (garlic dip), and don’t forget the fresh trout from Lake Ohrid.
We ate out several times in North Macedonia, every time the food was delicious and the prices were really reasonable.
Few other tourists. North Macedonia hasn’t really hit the tourist radar yet. We were in Skopje the weekend of the Marathon, so we expected the city to be busy, but it wasn’t crowded at all.
Budget friendly. Even compared to other Balkan countries like Albania and Bosnia, North Macedonia was very affordable. A restaurant meal with drinks for the two of us in a fancy Skopje restaurant was just over €30, many of the museums were free, and campsites were reasonable at around €15 per night.
How to get to North Macedonia
North Macedonia is a land-locked country in the Balkans. It is bordered by Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece.
By Air
North Macedonia has two international airports, Skopje and Ohrid. Flights arrive from many European cities. You can check flight availability and pricing on Skyscanner.
By Car
North Macedonia is well connected with it’s international neighbours, and there are good road connections to all. The main North South motorway passes through Skopje between Belgrade, Serbia and Thessalonaki, Greece.
By Train/Bus
There are currently no international train connections into North Macedonia, though these have run in the past. International buses are regular, reliable and affordable. We recommend checking timetables and booking tickets with Omio.
Getting around North Macedonia
Driving
After driving in some other Balkan countries (cough… Albania) we found driving in North Macedonia to be a breeze! Most of the roads are well maintained, although we did end up on the odd “Siri Special” where google maps led us down a very dodgy road out of Skopje… it was supposed to be a short cut.
Some of the motorways have tolls, including the road from Bulgaria into Skopje, and the motorway between Skopje city and the airport. You will need to pay cash for these tolls, they are not expensive, and you can pay in either Denar or Euros. (When I drove in from Sofia, Bulgaria I only had Euro coins, which they accepted).
Fuel
Fuel (well, diesel at least) is quite cheap in North Macedonia, compared to neighbouring countries, especially Albania. If you’re travelling into Albania, make sure you fill up in North Macedonia first.
We were amused at the fuel station in Struga, every car there was from Albania, and some were even parked with their rear wheel up on a block so they could get the maximum amount of fuel into their tank!
Parking
We found parking to be quite tricky in North Macedonia. In Skopje we simply left our campervan at the Camper Stopover and took public transport or taxis into town. In Bitola and Ohrid we parked on the outskirts of the old town in paid parking.
The parking lot in Bitola charged us 200 denar for the evening (we were going to stay overnight but it was VERY busy) – this included an electric hook up! In Ohrid there were no set prices at the parking lot. They tried to charge us €30 (yes they quoted us a price in Euros) but we had heard other campervan owners only paid €15. We managed to negotiate down to that rate which we still found very expensive for just a place to park.
Public transport
There is a train line between Skopje and Bitola in the south, but most travellers use buses. They are affordable and reliable. Check the Omio website for timetables and to book tickets.
North Macedonia Travel Guide – Essential Information
Language
The official language in North Macedonia is Macedonian. The Cyrillic alphabet is used here, although most signs are also written with Latin letters.
English is quite widely spoken, especially in Skopje and around Lake Ohrid, and some older people spoke German with us (Sue speaks a little bit of very bad German!)
Currency
The official currency is the North Macedonian Denar, which converts at around 60 denar to the Euro. We found that euros were accepted in many places, and often prices were quoted to us in Euros.
Like much of the Balkans, cash is preferred here. While supermarkets and some restaurants accept credit cards, many smaller stores and cafes only accept cash.
We found ATMs were quite common, and we used our Revolut card to withdraw cash. We were charged a fee of around €5 for each withdrawal, so we try to do fewer, large withdrawals.
Visa Requirements
North Macedonia is NOT part of Schengen, so any time spent in the country counts towards a “Schengen Shuffle”. Visitors with passports from Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA, Canada and many other countries do not require a visa to enter North Macedonia, and you can stay for up to 90 days within a 180 day period.
As always check the latest requirements on your home country’s government websites.
Border crossings are usually straightforward, although I was asked about insurance when I drove through, and someone had a cursory look inside the van.
Phone and Internet
We found the mobile networks to be really good in North Macedonia. We had good 4G or 5G speeds everywhere we stayed.
We use and recommend the Holafly eSIM when we travel (use code NIGELANDSUE for a discount). At the time of writing, North Macedonia isn’t covered by the Global eSIM, so we simply purchased a separate eSIM for while we were there.
FAQs
When is the best time to visit North Macedonia?
Autumn or Spring would be the best time to visit – summers can be very hot and crowded and winters see snow in much of the country. We visited North Macedonia in early October and found the temperatures to be much colder than average for that time of year, but it was a short cold snap. We had a couple of beautiful days on Lake Ohrid.
How many days do you need to visit North Macedonia?
We stayed two and a half weeks in North Macedonia, but could have stayed longer. We didn’t visit the mountains, as the snow had come early. Now we just have a reason to go back!
We would recommend spending around two weeks, which is plenty of time to visit Skopje including the Matka Canyon, Bitola and the ancient ruins, Lake Ohrid and taking a trip into the mountains for some hiking.
Is North Macedonia safe for tourists?
We found North Macedonia to be very safe. We walked around both Skopje and Ohrid after dark and had no problems. We wild camped in a few places, also with no problems.
Is North Macedonia affordable?
We found North Macedonia to be one of the most affordable countries in the Balkans, which is already an affordable region.
Watch our North Macedonia Travel Films
We produced two travel films on this visit to North Macedonia, one featuring Skopje, and the other Lake Ohrid.
Final thoughts
North Macedonia is a less visited country in the Balkans, but we found it to be a great place to visit. With super friendly locals, affordable prices, and plenty to see and do, we highly recommend adding North Macedonia to your European Road Trip Itinerary.