Travel and transport agencies Skopje

Paris-Skopje. There are no direct flights between France and Macedonia. From Paris, four companies provide weekly connections for Skopje with correspondence in Ljubljana (Adria Airlines), Vienna (Austrian Airlines), Belgrade (JAT) and Budapest (Malev). Other flights are possible through Prague, Zagreb, Zurich, Rome, Milan and Istanbul. But the journey can be long (sometimes more than 12 hours) and expensive (rarely below 300 euros). The most economical is to fly to Thessaloniki, Belgrade or Sofia and complete the bus or train journey to Skopje (from 4 to 6 hours).

From Switzerland and Belgium. Weekly flights from Zurich, directly with MAT and Helvetic Airways, via Ljubljana and Vienna with Swiss and Adria Airways. From Brussels, no direct flights: connections in Budapest, Belgrade, Ljubljana, Prague, Vienna, Zagreb and Zurich with the Adria Airways, Autrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Czech Airlines, JAT, Malev and Swiss airlines. Note that the Macedonian charter company Skywings International sometimes provides direct connections to Brussels-Skopje.

Taxis. The airport is located in Petrovec, about twenty kilometers east of downtown by motorway. At the beginning of 2011, no buses connected him to Skopje. A regular line was scheduled for the summer of 2011. If this is not the case, then taxis must be taken back. Two possibilities: white taxis chartered by the company managing the airport, the price of which is displayed, or private taxis at much more random rates. Coming from Skopje, the best thing is to order a taxi by phone, at 15188 for example. Count about 1,500 MKD (25 €). Be careful, if you take a taxi on the street, ensure that the meter is connected and tell the driver the direction "aerodrom vo Petrovec" and not "aerodrom" only (read below).

Rental vehicles. At the airport, notice offices are found (02 256 1847), Europcar (07 020 5546), Hertz (07 021 7881), Sixt (07 544 8902), Sharr Express (04 435 0902) 380), Inter Ways (02 3062 484) and National (02 311 9019). If you rent your car elsewhere in the country, the tenants of these companies generally accept that you go to the airport. Please note that the airport is very badly indicated from Skopje. On the one hand, we must be suspicious of the signs "Aerodrom Municipality" in Skopje. They actually designate a district of the city located on an old airport. On the other hand, since no sign gives direction to the real airport (!), you must take the motorway towards Athens (!), then after the toll (30 MKD), Veles. It is only at the last moment that the airport is finally indicated…

Duty free. The airport is being expanded with a second terminal planned for 2014. At the moment, there are only two shops in the airport, including one in the boarding area. It is better to avoid shopping, especially in wine, at the time of departure. There are several reasons: the choice is limited, the tariffs are considerably higher than those in the city and, finally, as Macedonia is not part of the Schengen area, a search of cabin baggage is carried out in the event of correspondence in the EU. Therefore, even if your alcohol bottles are sealed in Skopje, they will be refused by customs at the airport of call.

Created in 2011, this cable car (Жичара Милениумски Крст/Žičara Mileniumski Krst) allows you to reach the top of Mount Vodno in just over 4 minutes. Built by the Austrian company Dopelmaer and operated by the transport company JSP Skopje, it consists of 28 cabins for eight passengers and two cabins for four passengers that make a 1,600-meter-long journey between 570 and 1,060 meters above sea level. See also "Millennium Cross Gondola (arrival)".

This bus station (Скопска Автобуска Станица/Skopska Avtobuska Stanica) has numerous connections to all towns in the country (Ohrid, Bitola, Tetovo, Prilep, Kruševo, Strumica..) and also to Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Zurich and Bern in Switzerland, Istanbul in Turkey and Thessalonica (Солун/Solun) in Greece. Timetables and fares on the website. On site: ticket offices, toilets, lockers, waiting room, cafés-restaurants and shopping arcade.

This agency organizes mountain bike tours in the Skopje region (downtown, Matka Canyon and Mount Vodno) and in the rest of the country, including Mount Jakupica in the central part of the country. It also offers mountain bike rentals. Alternatively, Rent a Bike Skopje (rentabikesk.mk) can deliver a city bike or mountain bike directly to your hotel. Other bike rental companies in Skopje: BikeStop (bikestop.com.mk), MS Energy (rentabikeskopje.business.site) and Outdoor Adventure Macedonia (oa.mk).

Notice has only two agencies in the country: one in Skopje (Ramstore shopping centre), another at the airport. Call rates on small roses are competitive (less than € 30/day).

Suspended above the city, this huge concrete station (Железничка Станица Скопје/Železnička Stanica Skopje) was the focal point when the city was rebuilt after the 1963 earthquake. It is little used today. Two small national lines run from here to Gevgelija (Greek border) via Veles, Negotino and Demir Kapija and to Kičevo via Tetovo and Gostivar. Timetables and fares on the national railway website (mzt.mk).

The North Macedonian Railway Company (Македонски Железници, Hekurudhat e Maqedonisë së Veriut) operates four passenger train lines: 1) between Skopje and Gevgelija (Greek border) via Veles, Gradsko, Negotino and Demir Kapija; 2) between Veles and Kočani via Štip; 3) between Veles and Bitola via Prilep, between Skopje and Tabanovci (Serbian border) via Kumanovo; 4) between Skopje and Kičevo via Tetovo and Gostivar. International connections with Thessaloniki (Greece), Pristina (Kosovo) and Belgrade (Serbia) are currently suspended.

The arrival station of this cable car (Жичара Милениумски Крст/Žičara Mileniumski Krst) is located at an altitude of 1,060 m, right next to the summit of Mount Vodno and the Millennium Cross. The surrounding area is furnished with cafes and a viewing platform offering great views of the Skopje region. The gondola is designed to carry bicycles and is closed for maintenance on the first Tuesday of the month. See also "Millennium Cross Cable Car (departure)".

Since 2006, the Basse-Normandie region has been involved in the development of the Republic of Macedonia. A cooperation office with bilingual staff was opened in Skopje in order to meet the needs of actors interested in cooperation.

ЈСП/JSP, the Skopje Public Transport Company (Јавно Сообраќајно Претпријатие Скопје/Javno Soobraḱajno Pretprijatie Skopje), operates most of the city's bus routes, including Chinese-made double-decker buses. Tickets can be purchased at JSP kiosks or via the "Skopska" app for smartphones on Google Play and App Store. The network is extensive, with frequent buses and night routes, but the signage is not necessarily well designed for tourists. See also "Macedonia Square bus stop".

This organization (Ј.П. Градски Паркинг) is in charge of parking in Skopje. There are four pricing zones: it's more expensive in the city center, and rates drop the further you go towards the suburbs. Payment is made by SMS to 144 144, sending the zone code and license plate number. Example: A3___FV343VV. Payment is made by credit card and the letter S must be texted at the end of the parking period. JP Gradski Parking also manages several closed parking lots and offers bicycles for hire.

This local agency offers short one- to three-day excursions, mainly in Skopje and Ohrid, with English-speaking guides and/or drivers. Some offers are interesting, such as the "2 Day Rural Tour", which includes Lake Prespa and the church of Kurbinovo, as well as Kruševo and the Makedonium. On the whole, however, it's still very urban. Short discovery tours are also available to Kosovo and Albania, or transfers with visits en route to Sofia (Bulgaria), Thessaloniki (Greece), Tirana (Albania) or Pristina (Kosovo).

Rule Turs/Руле Турс is the largest private bus company in North Macedonia. It has a website (sas.com.mk) with national and international bus connections to and from the Skopje bus station, all companies combined. This page is in Macedonian only, but quite practical. There is an English-language interface for ticket reservations (ruleturs.mk/tickets), but it doesn't work very well. The website sas.com.mk also provides telephone numbers for the country's main bus stations.

About € 45 for a 500 g package to Western Europe.

About € 45 for a 500 g package to Western Europe.

The French Embassy (Амбасадата на Франција во Северна Македонија/Ambasadata na Francija vo Severna Makedonija) is located in Skopje, in the Vodno district below Mount Vodno. There is also an honorary consulate in Bitola, the Institut français de Skopje (700 m southwest of Macedonia Square, ifs.mk) and the École française internationale de Skopje (Karpoš IV district, 4 km west of the city center, efis.mk), which is part of the private Odyssey network.

Rule Turs/Руле Турс is the largest private bus company in North Macedonia. It has a website (sas.com.mk) with national and international bus connections to and from the Skopje bus station, all companies combined. This page is in Macedonian only, but quite practical. There is an English-language interface for ticket reservations (ruleturs.mk/tickets), but it doesn't work very well. The website sas.com.mk also provides telephone numbers for the country's main bus stations.

Since 2023, the Turkish company BinBin has been operating around 500 blue electric scooters spread across Skopje, either self-service or at twenty stations. To rent one, you need to download the "BinBin" app on Google Play or "BinBin Scooters" on App Store. This allows you to locate available scooters, as well as to purchase recharge credits by credit card. Activation and deactivation are by QR code, and you need to send a photo of the scooter at the end of use.

The bus stop "Плоштад Македонија/Ploštad Makedonjia" is served by about half of the bus lines in the settlement. For example, line No. 3 provides access to the central bus/rail station; lines^No. 4, 8 or 15, to the neighborhood of Debar Maalo, where the best restaurants are located; line No. 21, to the archaeological site of Scupi in Zlokukjani; line No. 25, to the Millennium Cross gondola on Mount Vodno, etc.

АМСМ/AMSM is the Association auto-moto de Macédoine (Авто-Мото Сојуз на Македонија/Avto-Moto Sojuz na Makedonija, Auto Moto Lidhja e Maqedonisë). This is the organization that manages roadside assistance throughout the country via telephone number 196. If you're bringing your own vehicle, check that your insurance covers breakdown costs in Northern Macedonia. Garage rates are low (except for imported spare parts), but it's best to seek advice from someone you trust (some hoteliers will be able to help you in the event of a problem).