Attractions and Places To See in Skopje Region - Top 20

You really have to look to spot the swimmer.

The Church of St. Spas, also known as the Church of the Ascension, was built at the end of the 17th century. It is located above the Turkish bath (Daut Paşa Hamam) in the capital, Skopje. During the Ottoman Empire, it was stipulated that the church could not be higher than the mosque. Therefore, the interior of the church was excavated underground to increase the space.

The church grounds are hidden behind a small gate. Behind it lies a very beautiful courtyard with pomegranate trees.

Philip II was the father of Alexander the Great

At the beginning of the Matka Canyon, there are various stalls, then a narrow path leads along the cliffs past the dam to the oldest artificial lake in the country. There, you can continue by boat or enjoy a meal and a drink at the restaurant. When I was there on a Monday, it was relatively quiet, so it was possible to cycle into the gorge. During peak season or on weekends, this would probably be impossible. There are ten caves in the Matka Canyon, the shortest of which is 20 meters long and the longest 176 meters. Visitors and tourists can explore the Vrelo Cave during a 20-minute boat ride in the Matka Canyon.

In the Way of the Cross meditation written by Pope Francis – on Good Friday 2025 in the Roman Colosseum – the Holy Father, who died a few days later (Easter Monday), invited us to allow ourselves to be contemplated by the crucified love of Jesus: + "Our darkness seeks the light. (...) now [the crowd] encounters the spectacle of a love never before seen, a beauty that moves them to rethink. To those who see you dying, Lord, you give the opportunity to beat their breasts and turn around, to strike their hearts so that their hardness may be broken. Jesus, grant us, who often observe you from afar, that we may always remember you in our lives, so that even death, one day when you will come, may find us alive." (Pope Francis)

It can get very crowded on weekends in spring and summer, with cars and tour buses backing up the small access road. But the views and scenery are incredibly beautiful. The water of the Treska River, which flows through the gorge, is ice-cold even in summer. A refreshing dip is still worthwhile. Worthwhile: There's a 20-km hiking trail from Vodno to the Matka Gorge and vice versa, offering breathtaking views of the gorge and the surrounding area. For example, you can hike from Skopje to the gorge and then take a taxi back.

The Eastern Europe aid organization "Renovabis" of the Catholic Church in Germany writes in a 2021 article "Breathing with Both Lungs": "Cyril and Methodius – for 40 years now, the two brothers have been patron saints of Europe, appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1980. The Pope's famous justification at the time: Christian Europe must "breathe with both lungs," the Roman-Latin and the Slavic-Byzantine. Cyril and Methodius are often called "Apostles to the Slavs" – but in fact, the two Greek missionaries were much more than that: They created connections between two cultural worlds on the same continent, between Western and Eastern Europe, between the Eastern and Western traditions of the Church – and were thus bridge builders of their time. And they brought a great innovation to the Church: They ensured that people could celebrate the liturgy in a language they understood—not Latin, not Greek, or Hebrew, but in their everyday language, Slavic. On February 14, the anniversary of Cyril's death in 869, both the Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches commemorate the two saints.