Skopje Tours in Fall

This is a fascinating and well balanced itinerary. There is consistency, continuity and variety in the sites and sights, so you are left feeling very satisfied at the depth of exploration and the numerous”wow” experiences. Some of the scenery is magical, very little that is boring. The trip pace is good, never exhausting, good variation between travel and walking, with several multi- night stops and interludes of free time Last, but not least, our tour leader, Zorica, was perfection. Organisation and arrangements resembled a well oiled machine, but with the priiceless accompaniment of lovely personality, excellent knowledge and communication skills. No orders, just a gentle “Shall we….” had us moving in the right direction, most willingly. She was also backed up by a very capable and personable driver.

I am not a historian or an archaeologist but this trip was brought to life by having such an exceptional tour guide ( & coach driver) plus the local guides were 5*

Zorica, our guide, and Pascal, our driver, really were the dream team - lovely, kind, warm and so excited to show us their beautiful country. They couldn’t do enough for us. If the accommodation had been better in Sofia, Skopje and Kevala then my score would have been higher. The monastery stay was beautiful. I had a great time 😀

Very good trip, but disappointed that our accommodation in Ohrid was changed to the Granit hotel. 4 km from town, so involved bus/taxi. Staff extremely rude and unpleasant. Would have liked more time in Bansko - very pretty and lovely hotel. Our guide was excellent, as were all the local guides. Great museum at Pella - never seen so much bling before in one place!

Only half of this tour covers the ancient elements of ancient Macedonia. Half the time is in the modern country of North Macedonia (which is beautiful and interesting in itself) with only half covering the ancient sites which are mostly in modern day Greece. Cramming Vergina and Pella into one day is a big mistake, especially now that the Royal Palace at Vergina is open for visitors.

Overall, this was a good tour with highlights including Philip's tomb, Sofia, Thassos and Thessaloniki. However, the trip was severely compromised by the inadequate minibus, which, as previous people have said, was cramped and not acceptable (especially for 16 people). The replacement hotel in Lake Ohrid was not 'similar' as it was 7km outside the town, with our room overlooking the road and car park and the hotel was not an Explore type hotel but used by large tour groups e.g. Tui. Our guide Elena was lovely and the local guides excellent.