Exploring Northern Macedonia

The Balkan nation of mountains, lakes and ancient towns

VISITING Lake Ohrid, Museum of Bones, Pestani , Trpejca, Ljubanista, Monastery of St. Naum, Bitola, Heraclea, Struga, Vevcani, Skopje, Mount Vodno, Matka Canyon & Cave Vrelo

FROM ¢499

FRIDAY |

We will meet at the airport at 1.45pm for our Wizz Air flight departing at 3.45pm. and arriving at 5.25pm. Upon arrival, we will drive to our 4-star Hotel in Ohrid and check in.

SATURDAY | This morning, we will go on a full day optional excursion giving us the opportunity to, meet this beautiful ancient town famous for its old lake, The Ohrid lake. We will walk through the cobbled narrow streets in the Old Bazaar, feeling the history. We will visit the Antique Theatre, The Perivlepta Church, The Samoul Fortress, The church of Saint Jovan Caneo and the house of the wealthy Robevi family which today is a museum and represents the old traditional house in Ohrid. Taking a bout (included) and sightseeing the Town from Lake perspective is a nice experience that we will go on with our tour leader. The rest of the afternoon is a free time for shopping, tasting the Macedonian food, drinking Turkish tea or coffee, walking on the beautiful Lake side.

SUNDAY | Today, our full day optional excursion is taking us to the Eastern side of the lake, visiting the villages situated by the Lake Ohrid and stopping at the Monastery of St. Naum. We will drive to the picturesque villages of Pestani, Trpejca and Ljubanista. The village Trpejca is known as the Macedonian Sant Trope because of its clear green water making it the perfect place for swimming. We will visit the Museum of Bones which is a Museum on Water in the villages of Gradiste. It is representing the reconstruction on a Neolithic pile-dwelling settlement. We will continue driving towards The Monastery of St. Naum of Ohrid which is situated close to the springs of the Black Drim River, which then flows out of the Lake at Struga. With a wonderful surrounding area, the St. Naum Monastery is a popular day trip where you can enjoy both nature and religious heritage.

MONDAY | Another full day optional excursion is taking us to Bitola, the second largest city In Northern Macedonia. Here we will go on an enjoyable sightseeing tour of the archaeological city of Heraclea-the most beautiful roman and early Christen centre in Northern Macedonia, with its mosaic flours and Marable statues. Later we will have free time to enjoy Bitola, walk through the old stone streets in the Old Bazaar, the famous square and pedestrian street with a lot of lovely restaurants serving a Balkan food.

TUESDAY | This morning, we will go on a full day optional excursion in the nature of the village Vevcani and the western side of the Lake Ohrid, the town of Struga. The Vevcani springs, glacial lakes, mountain slopes and scenery quickly add to one of the most colourful outdoor experiences. We will walk through the forest till we reach the waterfalls, enjoy the greenery around us and listen to the relaxing sound of the slops. Later we will procced to Struga, described as vivid and vibrant by merchants and travellers throughout the centuries, Struga haven’t lost any of its charm. Home to an old architecture and number of churches that date far back, there is quite a lot to see around. The bridges on the river Drim make the city romantic especially during night. We will have guided tour around Struga and visit the Monastery of Kalishta located a few kilometres away from the centre, lying at the shore of Lake Ohrid.

WEDNESDAY | After checking out of our rooms, we will start our drive towards Skopje, stopping in Debar, to visit The Monastery complex of Jovan Bigorski. Since the monastery is dedicated to St. Jovan the Baptist, worshippers believe that icons with his image are blessed with a miraculous healing power. The monastery has a small silver coffin containing alleged relics of St. Jovan. The monastery complex includes a dining room and an old monastic dormitory, tower, charnel house and two fountains over spilling with fresh mountain water. The Monastery is situated in the National Park Mavrovo and has charming beautiful garden which gives you peaceful state of mind. We will continue driving towards Skopje. Since check in is after noon, we will leave our luggage in our hotel and go for a half day optional excursion of sightseeing of the capital city, Skopje. We will visit the famous Macedonian square with its historical monuments from the project 2014, The Mother Theresa Memorial House, The Old Bazaar, MustafaPasha Mosque, The Stone Bridge and The Museum of Holocaust. Then we will arrive in our hotel in check in in our rooms.

THURSDAY | Our full day optional excursion is taking us to Canyon Matka and Mount Vodno. The Canyon is famous for its green peaceful lake in the middle of the Mountain with fine stone path that is taking us into the forest. It is lovely pleasure for all those who like being in nature. We will visit the Monastery of St. Andrew (14th century) situated in the vicinity of Skopje. Then we will take a boat to visit the Cave Vrelo(included), considered to be one of the deepest underwater caves in Europe and the world. The excavations of the cave under Vrelo, which is filled with water and is the only one in Macedonia, are still ongoing and, according to the current research, it is expected that it will be the largest in Europe. We will continue our nature excursion to Mount Vodno. We will use the millennium ropeway to reach the top of the Mountain Vodno, The millennium Cross, and enjoy the panoramic view of the Capital City.

FRIDAY | After breakfast, we will check out from our rooms and enjoy our last moments in Skopje. Later, we will procced to the airport for our Wizz Air flight departing at 1.15pm and arriving in Malta at 3.00pm.

PRICE PER PERSON PRICE INCLUDES EXCURSIONS * SPECIAL PRICE Wizzair return flights to Skopje airport ADULT CHILD Adult in Triple ¢599 ¢499 5 nights in 4-star hotel in Ohrid or similar Ohrid (boat ride included) ¢39 ¢25 Adult in Twin ¢639 ¢539 2 nights in 4-star hotel in Skopje or similar Pestani/Trpejca/Ljubanista ¢43 ¢22 Adult in Single ¢749 ¢649 Rooms with private facilities, A/C and TV Bitola/Heraclea ¢42 ¢21 Child sharing with 2 adults ¢499 ¢399 Daily buffet breakfast Struga/Vevcani (lunch included) ¢59 ¢39 Half board (7 buffet dinners) ¢99 Return airport transfers Skopje ¢35 ¢18 * Special price applies when half board & Services of tour leader CanyonMatka/Vodno all excursions are taken All taxes & service charge (boat included) ¢59 ¢39 Insolvency fund All excursions are guided by an English-speaking guide