Travel and transport agencies Northern Macedonia

This border crossing is located between the village of Pelince/Пелинце (140 inhabitants), in Northern Macedonia, and the monastery of Prohor Pčinjski/Прохор Пчињски, in Serbia. It is in less frequented than the Tabanovce-Preševo one, on the highway near Kumanovo. But since there are fewer customs officers here, there can be a wait quickly. Running along the Pčinja River, the road passes through beautiful countryside and connects to the Serbian town of Vranje/Врање, 35 km to the northwest.

Located on the E-75 highway, it is the main passage for cars and trucks between Northern Macedonia and Serbia. It lies between the Macedonian village of Tabanovce/Табановце and the Serbian municipality of Preševo/Прешево. The latter has a population of about 59,000, 90% of which are Albanians. Tabanovce, on the other hand, has about 800 inhabitants, of which 36% are Serbs, 29% Macedonians and 26% Albanians. The village has a beautiful abandoned mosque from the late ^sixteenth century.

This border post (Граничен Премин Ќафасан/Graničen Premin Ḱafasan, Vendkalimi Kufitar Qafë Thanë) is the main crossing point between North Macedonia and Albania. We don't recommend using it, as Albanian customs officers are overzealous here. Some cases of theft and corruption have been reported. It's best to cross to the other side of Lake Ohrid, at the Saint-Naum-Tushemisht border crossing, between the Saint-Naum monastery and the town of Pogradec.

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 border crossing is located between the village of Pelince/Пелинце (140 inhabitants), in Northern Macedonia, and the monastery of Prohor Pčinjski/Прохор Пчињски, in Serbia. It's less busy than the Tabanovce-Preševo crossing on the freeway near Kumanovo. But as there are fewer customs officers here, it can quickly become a waiting game. Following the Pčinja river, the road passes through beautiful countryside and connects with the Serbian town of Vranje/Врање, 35 km to the northwest.

Maxitours, partner of the Romanian low cost airline Blue Air, is a travel agency that has been specializing in Romania for 40 years. The possibilities of stay are numerous and allow to discover the many facets of the country. The agency also offers themed vacations in several countries, including Greece. The proposed self-tours in Greece will allow you to visit the country and its capital as well as archaeological sites in 8 days and 7 nights, at your own pace and at competitive prices, according to the "Fly and Drive" formula.

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).

Built in 1873, this railway station (Железничка Станица/Železnička Stanica) currently has only four connections per day to Skopje. While passenger traffic to Serbia was suspended in 2022, it may resume. In addition, work is underway to connect Kumanovo to Kriva Palenka via Beljakovce (65 km) in 2025. The line should then continue to the Bulgarian network at Gyueševo, just across the border.

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.

This bus station (Автобуска Станица/Avtobuska Stanica) has ticket offices, a large waiting room, toilets, a cab stand and a small store. Bus connections: between 1 and 4/hour with Skopje, 15/day with Tetovo, 12/day with Belgrade (Serbia, via Niš), 9/day with Kratovo(via Kriva Palanka), 8/day with Štip, 8/day with Sofia (Bulgaria, via Kriva Palanka), 7/day with Staro Nagoričane, 2/day with Kočani(via Štip) and 1/day with Ohrid (direct).

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

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

Vacances Bleues offers discovery holidays, rental residences and hotel stays in France and all over the world. Also children's clubs, family stays, balneotherapy and sports activities.

This is the main crossing for cars and trucks between Northern Macedonia and Serbia. It lies between the Macedonian village of Tabanovce/Табановце and the Serbian municipality of Preševo/Прешево. The latter has a population of around 59,000, 90% of whom are Albanian. Tabanovce has a population of around 800, 36% Serbian, 29% Macedonian and 26% Albanian. The village is home to a beautiful abandoned mosque dating from the late ^16th century.

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.

This border crossing between Macedonia and Greece (Граничен Премин Меџитлија-Ники/Graničen Premin Medžitlija-Niki, Τελωνείο Νίκης-Μετζίτλια/Telonio Nikis-Metzitlia) is little used, but amazing with its peacocks passing between stationary cars. On the Greek side, we pick up the Egnatia Odos freeway at Florina/Φλώρινα (Lerin/Лерин in Macedonian), a pleasant, very multi-ethnic town of 20,000 inhabitants (Macedonians, Greeks, Roma, Albanians and Aromanians).

This tiny tourist agency is run by Veli Veliu, an English-speaking resident of Vejce (Vicë/Vica in Albanian) who knows the area inside out. He offers his services in summer and winter: accommodation and meals with local people in the village, excursions on foot, mountain bike, horseback or cross-country skis in the Šar mountains. To organize these, contact him by e-mail ([email protected]) or on Instagram (veliveliu). Guided tours of Tetovo, Skopje and the Matka Canyon are also available.

This consulate (Француски Конзулат/Francuski Konzulat) reports to the embassy in Skopje. It is headed by Honorary Consul Kaliopa Stilinoviḱ, a Macedonian and French-speaking volunteer with few powers. The consulate was established in 1854 and closed in 1941. It was reopened in 1996, inaugurated by Philippe Séguin, former mayor of Épinal, with which Bitola is twinned. Bitola is also home to the Alliance française, at 39, rue Pece-Maticevski (facebook.com/alliancebitola).

Located on a pier, this small harbor (Пристаниште Охрид/Pristanište Ohrid) is home to a few pleasure boats and, most importantly, tour boats that serve St. Naum's Monastery on the southeast side of Lake Ohrid. Be aware of the safety conditions: make sure you know where the life jackets are and that the boat is not overloaded. In 2009, a shipwreck cost the lives of fifteen tourists. At the entrance to the pier, a statue of a man holding a cross reminds us that the harbor is also the setting for the traditional Orthodox Epiphany plunge.

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.

Closed since 1967, this border post with Greece (Граничен Премин Маркова Нога-Лемос/Graničen Premin Markova Noga-Lemos, Διέλευση Λαιμού-Μάρκοβα Νόγκα/Dielefsi Laimou-Markova Noga) was due to reopen in 2023 or 2024. It will finally enable a complete tour of the Prespa Lakes via Albania. The post in Northern Macedonia owes its name Markova Noga ("Marko's leg") to a stone that appears to bear a footprint attributed to the Serbian prince Marko (^14th century).

This bus station (Автобуска Станица/Avtobuska Stanica, Stacioni i Autobusëve) operates with official (yellow) cabs. Bus connections: 2-3/hour with Gostivar, 2/hour with Skopje (+ minibus at the traffic circle at the entrance to Tetovo), 21/day with Kičevo, 15/day with Kumanovo, 15/day with Priština (Kosovo), 10/day with Ohrid, 7/day with Debar and Struga, 7/day with Tirana (Albania), 5/day with Vlora (Albania), 4/day with Belgrade (Serbia), 4/day with Zagreb (Croatia), 3/day with Bitola, 3/day with Ulcinj (Montenegro) and 1/day with Prilep.

This tourist agency specializes in tours of World War I sites in Greece and Northern Macedonia. Romeo Drobarov, a member of the Macedonian police, offers tours of the battlefields and military cemeteries in the regions of Dojran, Bitola, Strumica and Thessaloniki. Weekly tours are available from and to Thessaloniki. For a day trip with a guide, it is necessary to book well in advance.

This bus station (Автобуска Станица/Avtobuska Stanica, Stacioni i Autobusëve) is well served. Frequent connections with Ohrid, Vevčani, Kališta, Radožda and some neighboring villages. Other connections: 16/day with Skopje, 11/day with Debar, 8/day with Tetovo, 4/day with Priština (Kosovo), 3/day with Tirana (Albania), 2/day with Belgrade (Serbia), 2/day with Resen and Bitola, 2/day with Mavrovi Anovi (Mavrovo National Park), 1/day with Istanbul (Turkey) and 1/week with Sofia (Bulgaria). In summer, connections with Prilep, Veles, Štip and Strumica.

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).

This local agency offers tailor-made itineraries with English-speaking guides and drivers for small groups and individuals. On the program: hiking in national parks, mountain biking, kayaking on Lake Ohrid, heritage discovery (churches, monasteries, etc.), cooking classes on the farm, meetings with small organic producers, diving, paragliding or visits to neighboring countries, in particular Greek Macedonia, to the beautiful museums of Thessalonica and the winegrowers of Naoussa. If you have to choose an agency, this is it.

Created in 2020, this border crossing is located between the village of Jažince/Јажинце (approx. 900 inhabitants, almost all Albanian), or Jazhincë/Jazhinca in Albanian, in Northern Macedonia, and that of Glloboçicë/Glloboçica (approx. 800 inhabitants, almost all Albanian), or Globočica/Глобочица in Serbian, in Kosovo. It is the only road link between the Šar Mountains National Park in Northern Macedonia and the Šar Mountains National Park in Kosovo.

This small international airport (Аеродром Свети Апостол Павле/Aerodrom Sveti Apostol Pavle) is named after the apostle Paul, who, according to local tradition, passed through Ohrid around the year 50. Opened in 1953, it has three weekly connections with Basel-Mulhouse-Fribourg airport in Alsace, operated by Wizz Air (2h20 flight). Other regular connections include Serbia, Switzerland (Zurich), Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Poland, Sweden and Israel. Information center, cabs and car rentals on site.

This bus station (Автобуска Станица Охрид/Avtobuska Stanica Ohrid) is run by the Deflina Turs tourist agency (delfinaturs.com.mk). It's modern (café, ticket office...) and well served. Frequent connections with Struga and the villages around Lake Ohrid (in Northern Macedonia), 12/day with Resen and Bitola, 8/day with Skopje, 5/day with Belgrade (Serbia), 6/day with Prilep, 3/day with Veles, 3/day with Tetovo, 2/day with Kavadarci, 2/day with Tirana (Albania), 1/day with Kumanovo, 1/day with Sofia (Bulgaria) and 1/day with Bar (Montenegro).

It is one of the three crossing points between Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria. It is 11 km from the Bulgarian village of Logodaj/Логодаж (population approx. 300). Few vehicles pass through here, and formalities are generally swift. 26 km east of the border, Blagoevgrad/Благоевград (population 29,000) is the capital of Pirin Macedonia, home to the Rila National Park (810 ^km2) and the Pirin National Park (403 ^km2), a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This bus station (Автобуска Станица) is poorly organized: if you buy a ticket at the counter, there is no guarantee that you will get a seat on the bus. But you can wait for the next bus in the nice little Hajduk restaurant right next door. Bus connections: 2/hour with Skopje, Štip and Gradsko, 18/day with Prilep, 15/day with Bitola, 12/day with Strumica, 9/day with Negotino, 5/day with Kavadarci, 5/day with Gevgelija, 3/day with Ohrid, 2/day with Demir Kapija. And connections with Belgrade (Serbia), Thessaloniki (Greece) and Sofia (Bulgaria).

This border crossing (Граничен Премин Блато/Graničen Premin Blato, Vendkalimi Kufitar Bllato) isn't really interesting, as, on the Albanian side, the roads are in very poor condition, both to Peshkopi, under the western slope of Mount Korab, 19 km to the north, and to Tirana, the capital, 90 km to the southwest. Bus companies and most motorists prefer to use the Kafasan-Qafa border crossing near Struga, on the shores of Lake Ohrid. That said, a roadworks project is planned on the SH 6 road linking Tirana.

This bus station (Автобуска Станица/Avtobuska Stanica, Stacioni i Autobusëve) is well served. Bus connections: 2-3/hour with Tetovo, 1-2/hour with Skopje, 10/day with Kičevo, 6/day with Debar, 6/day with Tirana (Albania), 6/day with Priština (Kosovo), 5/day with Vlora (Albania), 4/day with Struga, 4/day with Belgrade (Serbia), 3/day with Mavrovi Anovi, 3/day with Ulcinj (Montenegro), 2/day with Demir Hisar and Bitola, 1/day with Ohrid, 1/day with Vienna (Austria).

This border crossing (Граничен Премин Свети Наум/Graničen Premin Sveti Naum, Vendkalimi Kufitar Tushemisht) is located between the Saint Naum monastery and the village of Tushemisht (population 300), in Albania. It provides a link to the town of Pogradec on Lake Ohrid, 8 km to the west. From here, you can reach the pleasant town of Korça (41 km to the south), visit Prespa National Park (50 km to the southeast) or head back towards Tirana (126 km to the northwest via Elbasan).

This railway station (Железничка Станица/Železnička Stanica) has three connections per day to Demir Kapija, Negotino, Gradsko, Veles and Skopje. On site: ticket office, toilets and coffee shop. Since 2016, there is no passenger service to Thessaloniki, only freight trains. Greek trains stop at Idomeni/Ειδομένη: you have to take a cab at the Greek customs post of Evzoni installed at the highway E-75, 6 km east of the Idomeni train station.

This international airport (Меѓународен Аеродром Скопје/Meǵunaroden Aerodrom Skopje) is small and modern, with cafés, fast-food outlets, ATMs, currency exchange, car rental and cabs. There is a bus service to the city center, but only 6-8 connections a day (fare MKD 200, timetables on the airport website). Buses depart from/arrive at the Holiday Inn hotel (downtown) and stop at the bus/rail station. Few air links with France: see "Getting there" in "Planning your trip".

There are no Uber, Lyft or Bolt services in North Macedonia. There are around twenty cab companies in Skopje, including Classic Taxi (+389 70 27 91 67), Teniks (+389 71 20 91 94) and Global Taxi Skopje (+389 70 51 51 80). From the center, count MKD 170 (less than €3, MKD 230 at night) for the bus/rail station, MKD 500 (approx. €8) for Matka Canyon, MKD 1,200 (€20) for the airport and MKD 6,000 (€100) for Ohrid. Check that the meter is running and, for longer distances, agree on a price before departure.

This is North Macedonia's busiest border crossing, between Bogorodica/Богородица and Evzoni/Ευζώνων, in Greece. Hundreds of trucks pass here every day to or from the major port of Thessaloniki. Controls have become stricter due to the large number of illegal migrants. As a result, customs officers can take up to 1 hour to check just fifteen vehicles. And then there's the ugly sight of Gevgelija's first casinos as soon as you cross the border.

This rental agency offers city bikes and mountain bikes by the day or week. These are generally well-maintained, and the staff are happy to advise you on routes in the Pelister National Park or through Bitola. As the city is not very hilly, it lends itself well to Rotterdam-style bike rides. For mountain treks, the agency can drop you off with your mounts at the location of your choice. For the guarantee, you'll need to leave an ID card or 80% of the cost of the bike in cash.

This bus station (Автобуска Станица/Avtobuska Stanica, Stacioni i Autobusëve) is run by the Gazmend Turist company. Bus connections: 2/hour with Centar Župa (east of Lake Debar), 12/day with Struga, 7/day with Tetovo, 6/day with Gostivar, 5/day with Skopje, 5/day with Ohrid, 4/day with Mavrovi Anovi (with further stops possible in Mavrovo National Park) and 1/day with Priština (Kosovo). There are no longer any connections to Peshkopi (Albania) or Kičevo due to poor road conditions. Bus to Albania from Struga.

This bus station (Автобуска Станица Ресен/Avtobuska Stanica Resen) is rather dilapidated, but provides easy access to Ohrid or Bitola. Bus connections: 2/hour to Bitola (approx. 45-minute journey), 12/day to Ohrid (approx. 50 minutes), 10/day to Prilep (approx. 1h45), 8/day to Veles, 6/day to Skopje, 2/day to Struga(via Ohrid). Buses to/from Skopje stop at Veles, Prilep and Bitola, and sometimes at Gradsko. There are also local minibuses to neighboring villages and the Konzul cab company (+389 47 48 95 01).

This bus station (Автобуска Станица) is sketchy, but the schedules are posted. Bus: 8-12/day with Skopje(via Radoviš, Štip and Veles), 2/day with Negotino(via Demir Kapija), 2/day with Prilep(via Demir Kapija, Negotino and Kavadarci), 2/day with Gevgelija (except on Sundays), 1/day with Struga(via Demir Kapija, Negotino, Kavadarci and Prilep), 1 day with Bitola(via Demir Kapija, Negotino, Kavadarci, Prilep, Bitola, Resen and Ohrid), 1/day with Sofia (in Bulgaria)

This railway station (Железничка Станица/Železnička Stanica) is connected three times a day to Skopje, Gradsko, Negotino, Demir Kapija and Gevgelija. The facilities are rudimentary: ticket office, toilets and cafe. The station was established in 1873 by the French Oriental Railway Company, which operated the line between Thessaloniki (Greece) and Mitrovica (Kosovo) on behalf of the Ottoman Empire. Rebuilt several times, it was renovated in 2016.

This bus station (Автобуска Станица Гевгелија/Avtobuska Stanica Gevgelija) is small with just a ticket office, a waiting room and toilets, but the staff keeps the timetable up to date on Facebook. Connections: 3-5/day with Skopje(via Demir Kapija, Negotino and Veles), 2/day with Thessaloniki (Greece, with the company Simeonidis Tours), 2/day with Dojran, 2/day with Strumica (except on Sundays), 1/day with Bitola (except on Sundays, via Negotino, Kavadarci and Prilep).