By plane
There are no direct flights from Russia to Skopje. From Moscow, in 5 hours and 10 minutes, you can get there first by Aeroflot flight to Belgrade, and from there by Air Serbia. The cheapest option is to fly with Turkish Airlines with a transfer in Istanbul: the journey takes 6 hours and 10 minutes, but the ticket will cost half as much. It is convenient to get from St. Petersburg to Skopje by Austrian Airlines with a change in Vienna. Travel time is 7.5 hours. See Citypopulationreview for weather in Skopje, Macedonia.
From airport to city
Alexander the Great International Airport is located 20 km from the center of Skopje. From here, buses of the transport company Vardar Express (off. site in English) go to the city – 7-10 flights a day, the time to the center is 35-50 minutes. Tickets are sold at the box office on the first floor of the airport terminal. Buses are small, usually crowded, and even having a ticket does not guarantee a seat.
The fixed cost of a taxi from the airport to Skopje and other cities in Macedonia is shown in the table near the exit from the arrivals hall. Avoid the services of annoying private drivers offering their services at inflated prices.
The railway connection between Skopje and Belgrade, Sofia and Thessaloniki leaves much to be desired – rare trains run at the speed of a hearse, and their technical condition is far from ideal.
By bus and private car
International bus services by Vardar Express and other transport companies connect Skopje with almost all European countries up to Scandinavia. You can come to the Macedonian capital from Belgrade (10 flights a day), Sofia (8 flights), Tirana (3 flights), Thessaloniki (1 flight), Paris, Vienna, Salzburg, Dubrovnik, Munich, etc., as well as from popular places recreation – the Adriatic resorts of Montenegro and the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria.
Between Moscow and Skopje 2600 km on the roads of 7 different countries. For such a trip, you should take care of a multiple Schengen visa for yourself and a “green card” for a car in advance.
Transport
Skopje’s public transport network includes dozens of bus and tram routes covering the entire city and suburbs. Recently, the bus fleet has been significantly updated, now it is based on red double-decker buses like London ones, only made in China. They go on line at 5:00 and finish work at 23:00. A one-time pass can be purchased from the driver and from newsstands. If you are planning a lot of trips, you should buy a SKOPSK contactless payment card at a kiosk – travel with it is 40% cheaper than with a single ticket.
Bus number 12 goes to the monastery of St. Nikola Shishevsky, bus number 19 goes to the Museum of Modern Art, and bus number 2 goes to City Mall, the largest shopping center in the city.
Regular buses depart from the bus station located in the city center near the railway station to Serbia, Albania, Croatia, countries of Western and Northern Europe. From here you can also go to the largest cities of Macedonia – Bitola, Kumanovo, Prilep and Ohrid, popular among tourists (1 time per hour, 3 hours 10 minutes). For travel within the country, trains are almost never used. So, compared to a bus, a trip to Belgrade by rail will cost 1.5-2 cheaper, but the travel time will also increase by the same amount.
The average cost of a taxi ride around the city is 300 MKD. Payment for travel by meter and only in cash. Taxis are waiting for passengers at dedicated parking lots, in addition, the car can be called by phone. The prices on the page are for August 2021.
Bicycles for rent
The streets of Skopje are not overloaded with transport and it is convenient to move around on a bicycle. There are several large bike stations in the city center where you can rent one. The most popular are located next to the City Hospital (Philip II Macedonian St.), near the Flower Bazaar (Narodny Front St.) and in the Macedonian Falanga multi-storey garage on Sq. Macedonia. Opening hours: from April to November from 7:00 to 22:00.
Many hotels and even hostels provide their guests with bicycles for free use.
Car rental in Skopje
A car in Skopje is needed for outings into nature and trips to sights located outside the city. You can rent a car at the airport, where there are counters of Avis, Sixt, Europcar and other international companies. In the City Shopping Center next to the square. Macedonia has offices of local companies Setkom Rent and Kompas Holidays. Here you can also rent a car with a driver.
International and most local companies prohibit driving a rented car to neighboring Albania and Kosovo. This problem can be solved by contacting the Macedonian distributor Mida Rent a Car, which has offices at the airport and in the center of Skopje.
Morning and evening traffic in the city is quite intense, but there are no traffic jams. For long-distance travel, it is better to use toll roads that have international status and are well maintained. Many roads in the vicinity of Skopje are a narrow serpentine in need of repair, on which two cars can hardly pass. In order to avoid trouble, cars should be left in guarded parking lots, especially since the parking fee is relatively low.
