PROGRAM ITINERARY
* Morning departure to Skopje (3 hrs drive) with one 15 min. stop for refreshment
* Arrival in Skopje and start of the sightseeing tour by foot (3 hrs). Most of the sights are in the proximity of the main square called Macedonia
The first writings (from the Roman period) report an urban settlement at this same location along the River Vardar, the so-called Skupi. It is a city with a rich and very turbulent history, Skopje has managed to rise as a phoenix from its ashes, after the two devastating earthquakes (in the years 518 and 1963). During the last 50 years Skopje has past years of development in the metal, chemical, textile, leather and graphic industries. Besides the rapid industrialization of Skopje, the development of trade, transport, banking, culture and sport have provided an extra dimension to this city. And finally, this city has in the past 20 years proved to be undoubtedly one of the most flourishing urban centres on the Balkan Peninsula.
Skopje, and especially the downtown, hides interesting sites that need careful attention:
The Old Railway Station, (a reminder of the earthquake of 1963), The Archaeological museum, The Memorial House of Mother Teresa (Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, winner of the Nobel peace in 1979, born in Skopje in 1910), Macedonia Square with numerous monuments like the monumental statue of Alexander The Great, The Stone Bridge, The Museum of the Holocaust, The Old Bazaar, The Church of St. Spas with the beautiful wood-carved iconostasis (19th century), The Daut Pasha Hammam, now an art gallery, one of the largest and finest examples of Ottoman architecture in the Balkans urban,Kapan an, (15th century), The Mustafa Pasha Mosque(15th century), etc
* Stop for a lunch in the Old Bazaar in some of the national restaurants
* Finishing the walking tour
* One hour free time for individual activities
* Departure back to Ohrid
End of the program