Travel and transport agencies Skopje

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.

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).

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.

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.