Macedonia is located in southern Europe. It borders Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Albania to the west. Since the country is to a large extent divided by the Vardar River, it is divided into East and West Macedonia.
The landscape of Macedonia is characterized by the mountains. Several dozen summit tower over 2,000 meters. The highest mountain is the Golem Korab with a height of 2,764 meters. In the northwest lies the Sar Planina Mountains. On the border to Albania in the southwest, Macedonia has about two thirds each of Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa. Both lakes and the surrounding national park are protected by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.
The capital of the western Balkan state is Skopje, it lies in the north-central part of Macedonia on the Vordar River. The romantic old town is protected by an old fortress. The absolute center of the city is the Kamen Most, an old Turkish stone bridge that leads over the Vardar.
According to collegesanduniversitiesinusa, Macedonia is known, among other things, for its excellent footballers. Many Macedonian football professionals play in international leagues. Besides football, handball is also one of the most important team sports in Macedonia. The women’s handball teams in particular can be described as outstanding. In 2002 Kometal Skopje won the European Women’s Handball Champions League Cup.
In addition, the European Women’s Handball Championship was held in Macedonia in 2006. The venues were Skopje and Ohrid. These sporting events naturally attract tourists and visitors to the country. But it’s not just the sporting events that guests in Macedonia appreciate.
It’s the overall flair that makes Macedonia so special. Especially the sociable rounds with a glass of wonderful Macedonian red wine turn a mild summer evening into a relaxing experience. By the way: Macedonian wine is also exported to Germany. So when you get back from your vacation, you have a bit of holiday flair here too and can bridge the time until the next trip to Macedonia approaches.
Macedonia climate
In summer, the highest temperatures in Macedonia can reach almost 40 ° C, in winter in exceptional cases they can drop to -30 ° C. The average annual temperature is around 10 ° C. The summers in Macedonia are hot and dry,snow falls in the mountains between November and April.
Best travel time for Macedonia
The best time for travel Macedonia is between May and September, the tourist high season is between mid-July and mid-August, the Macedonian holiday season when the locals travel in the country.
Macedonia – how to get there
Airplane: Flights to and from Macedonia are offered by Lufthansa (LH), Czech Airlines (OU),Air France(AF), Malév Hungarian Airlines (MA), Adria Airways (JP), Croatia Airlines (OU) and JAT Airways (JU).
Airports: There are two international airports in Macedonia – theairportPetrovec in Skopje (SKP) and the smaller Ohrid Airport (OHD).
Train: from Skopje run daily Trainsvia Nis to Belgrade in Serbia (travel time around nine hours), to Prishtina in Kosovo (around two and a half hours), also via Nis to Podgorica in Montenegro (travel time around 18 hours) and Ljubljana in Slovenia(with around 21 hours travel time). Sleeping places are available.
Car: Macedonia borders Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Kosovo. Access to and from all neighboring countries is generally problem-free and unrestricted. A Green Insurance Certificate valid for Macedonia as well as a liability insurance are necessary for the entry with your own car.
After Albania there are four border crossings. The two most important are on both sides of Lake Ohrid – San Kafa / e Quafa Degen, twelve kilometers southwest of Struga and Sveti Naum / Tuhëmishti, 29 kilometers south of Ohrid. The two smaller border crossings are at Blato, five kilometers northwest of Debar, and at Stenje, on the western shore of Lake Prespa.
The main border crossings to Bulgaria are located east of Kriva Palanka (between Sofia and Skopje), east of Del? evo (26km west of Blagoevgrad) and Novo Selo (between Petric and Strumica).
After Greece, there are border crossings at Gevgelija (between Skopje and Thessaloniki) and Dojran (east of Gevgelija) and Medzitlija.
The main border crossing with Kosovo is Blace, about 20 minutes north of Skopje. There is also another border crossing near Jazince, which is mainly used by motorists coming from Tetevo.
The main border crossing to Serbia for both car and train traffic is Tabanovce. There is also a small border point at Pelince, 25 kilometers northeast of Tabanovce.
Bus: From Skopje buses run several times a day to Belgrade (journey time about six hours), to Prishtina (about two hours), Sofia (about six hours) and other Eastern European centers such as Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Zagreb (Croatia) and Ljubljana (Slovenia). Many of these bus routes pass through smaller centers on their journey, such as Ohrid and Bitola.
To and from Albania travelers can travel several times a week by bus from Tetevo via Struga to Tirana. The journey takes about seven hours. There is also a bus connection from Ohrid to the border town of Sveti Naum. There the border can be crossed on foot.
