Here you can read something more about my top 5 Skopje day trips. All places are easy to reach by car or public transport.
Canyon Matka
To arrive to the Canyon you can take bus, taxi or bike. There is the bus n.60 that leaves from the main bus station almost every hour and in one hour you can reach the Canyon. It costs 35 denars one way. There you can do some trekking, kayaking or just seat and enjoy the nature. On the Canyon there is also one restaurant, but not the best choice if you travel on a budget. I suggest you to bring your own food and water and seat in the restaurant just for a coffee break.
Kozjak Lake
To arrive to Kozjak you can take a taxi, because there is no bus going there, or maybe you can try hitchhiking. If you are group of 4 people the taxi shouldn’t be so expensive and in exchange you can enjoy the breathtaking views of the lake and the mountains around. I suggest you to bring some food with you and make some picnic. There are no restaurants. Kozjak Lake is an artificial lake.
Kokino
Kokino is an ancient megalithic observatory. To arrive to Kokino you can take the bus from Skopje to Kumanovo, one way ticket is around 100 denars and there are busses almost every 30 minutes. From the bus station in Kumanovo you need to take taxi to bring you until there or you can rent a car and go directly there from Skopje. Kokino is the forth – oldest megalithic observatory in the world, after Stonehenge, Abu Simbel and Angkor Wat. You need to bring food and water with you.
Kratovo and Kuklice (The Stone dolls)
Kratovo is a small city in the north east of Macedonia. There are few daily buses going there. The ride is around two hours and the return ticket costs 320 denars. You can enjoy Kratovo just walking around and see how the local people are living. For the foodies you should definitely try the traditional kratovska “pastrmajlija”.
From Kratovo you can visit also Kuklice (The Stone dolls), you can arrive there by taxi. There are more than 130 dolls. According to the legend, the stone dolls are grooms and wedding guests. They become petrified because of a curse of a girl that was in love with a boy that in the end got married with another girl. Scientific studies say that the stone dolls are volcanic rock, created by volcanic erosion.
Kuckovo village
Kuckovo village is situated just 20km from Skopje. You can reach this village by taxi or by daily bus 64a. This village is still not so touristic place so it is perfect place to get lost into the nature. Here you can do some trekking or biking but also you can see the traditional architecture and meet the locals. There is also possibility to visit the monastery of St. George in the middle of the pine forest.
