+389 46 255 600, +389 72 255 600

08:00 - 20:00

5

(PROGRAMME No.7)

DURATION: 10-11 hours

Suggested departure: 08:00

BITOLA - THE CITY OF THE CONSULS AND THE WELL KNOWN HERACLEA LYNCAESTIS AND TIKVES WINE REGION


 

Price List

Pricelist

2-3 persons

 87 euro / person

4-7 persons

 53 euro / person

8-16 persons

 40 euro / person

The price includes:

* licensed tour guide

* transportation

* entrance fees

* lunch in a national restaurant

Trip Program

PROGRAM ITINERARY


* Morning departure for Tikves Wine Region (3 h drive) with short breaks. 

* Visit of the Tikves Winery with local guide and short presentation of the Winery`s production facilities, technology used and the process itself of producing the famous Macedonian wines. 

* Lunch with winetasting 

* Departure back to Bitola 

Bitola’s ancient name is Monastir - “a convent”. This city has a long history dating since the ancient times, witnessed by the ruins of the famous ancient city of Heraclea Lyncestis, once located at the most important Roman road Via Egnatia. 

Heraclea Lyncaestis ancient city, founded by Philip II of Macedon and one of the best preserved antique sites in the Balkans. The city was named after the mythological hero Hercules or Heracles, a hero of the Macedonian Argidian Dynasty. Heraclea existed and developed for more than thousand years, experiencing revivals in the Roman period and in late antiquity. It was also an Episcopal centre in the Early Christian period. Objects of great importance in this complex are the Roman Theatre and the Thermal Baths, as well as the Basilicas with their extraordinary mosaic floors and numerous archeological finds.

After visiting Heraclea we walk along the old and well known Sirok Sokak (Broad Street), where the Consulates of European countries were located at the time of the Ottoman Empire rule of Macedonia, but also nowadays.

Beautiful sights are being presented in front of the visitor: 

Old city architecture (XIX-XX century) - throughout the city there are more than 400 old houses protected by the state as cultural heritage

Catholic Church "Holy Heart of Jesus" 

Yeni Mosque - it was built in 1558 and is well known for its exquisite decorative ornaments and stalactites.

Ortodox Church St. Demetrius – built in 1830, a cathedral which is well known for its wood carved iconostasis and ecclesiastical furniture.

The Clock Tower - it is believed the tower was built at the same time as St. Dimitrija Church, in 1830. Legend says that the Ottoman authorities collected around 60.000 eggs from nearby villages and mixed them in the mortar to make the walls stronger. 

The covered bazaar - Situated near the city centre, the covered bazaar is one of the most impressive and oldest buildings in Bitola from the Turkish period. With its numerous cupolas that look like a fortress, with its tree-branch-like inner streets and four big metal doors it is one of the biggest covered markets in the region.

The old bazaar (The green market nowadays) - mentioned in a description of the city from the 16th and the 17th centuries. The present "bezisten" (bedestan - covered market) does not differ much in appearance from the original one. The bezisten had eighty-six shops and four large iron gates. The shops used to sell textiles, and today sell food products.

* Free time for individual activities (shopping, having a coffee in some of the always crowded cafés...)

 

* Departure for Ohrid.


End of the program

Note

HIGHLIGHTS: 


* Panoramic views of the mountains between Ohrid, Bitola and Tikves. Prespa valley (between Ohrid and Bitola) with the small town Resen  – the largest producer of apples in Macedonia

* Experience life in the antiquity while visiting the ancient site Heraclea Lyncestis

* Experience modern life and the spirit of Bitola by walking through the central street full of cafes, bars, restaurants and shops

* More than 400 different houses, examples of the XIX century ahitecture

* Examples of the Ottoman architecture (covered bazaar, mosques, bell tower...) and the Church St. Demetrius XIX century