Travel Guide Kavadarci

Although Kavadarci is neither beautiful nor lively, it is the center of the Tikveš wine region. In the town itself, you'll find the country's largest wine producer, the Tikveš Winery, but above all a host of independent winemakers where you can taste and buy good, often organic, wines. This is the main attraction of Kavadarci: the discovery of local grape varieties, sometimes colorful encounters and even picnics in the vineyards. Otherwise, Kavadarci comes alive on match nights for the local soccer team, GFK Tikveš, and during two major wine festivals, on September 7 and the third Saturday in November. The rest of the time, it's much quieter. But you can still plan a couple of nights here to visit the churches and caves in the area and, above all, Lake Tikveš. Since 1968, this artificial reservoir has completely isolated the magnificent Polog monastery, 10 km south-west of the town as the crow flies. Admiring its 14th-century frescoes is a bit of an adventure: you have to take a fisherman's boat across the lake to the monastery.