thetrainfamilyWe had read about Skopje before we arrived. And hadn’t gotten the best impression… The city has undergone a transformation in recent years, which is a bit special. We were excited to see, how we would like it.
Getting in
We arrived by bus from Pristina (link to our blogpost about Pristina here) to the central bus station, where the almost deserted railway station is also located. Our first impression was a near-assault by taxi drivers, who were ready when we got off the bus and called each other “taxi”, “taxi”. When we didn’t ask, they went to the next module at the taxi school and shouted “where are you going. I can help you look on the map”. We stuck to our “no thank you” and gradually got rid of them. Their presence had been extra stressful for us, as our son had thrown up on the bus and was somewhat groggy (we were once again confirmed that we prefer train travel – but unfortunately it is not currently possible on that route). We didn’t crack the code for bus driving, as you have to buy a bus ticket in a kiosk (but where?) and we therefore walked to our apartment.
Our top 10 in Skopje
1. Millennium Cross Cable car
2. Macedonia Square
3. Skopje Zoo
4. Natural History museum
5. Skopje Fortress
6. Old Railway Station
7. Museum of contemporary art
8. The Old Bazaar
9. Skopje City Mall
10. The Stone bridge
Number one – in details
Here we will only reveal the number one: the cable car ride up to the Millennium Cross. (There will be blog posts about the other attractions later).
We come from a very flat country (Denmark) and mountains are therefore fascinating and very foreign to us. Cable car tours are decidedly terrifying, but at the same time very attractive.
We had read that we could take bus 25 from Ramstore mall (on the opposite side of the shopping centre). After waiting for over an hour there and at the same time being confirmed by various fellow passengers that we were in the right place, we started walking. When we got to the foot of the Vodno mountain, we hailed a taxi.
At first the taxi driver pretended his taximeter was broken and therefore wanted 8 euros. We were adamant that we would only drive with a taxi meter – and then suddenly it worked anyway and we got rid of 4 Euro for the trip to the top.
We were dropped off at the car park from where the Cable car runs. We immediately got on board and paid 300 dinars for the 5 of us. There was an absolutely fantastic view of the city. I am not fond of heights and took comfort in the fact that the Cable car was new (built in 2011) and even by an Austrian company.
We survived the trip up and enjoyed the fresh air, the view and the hiking trails up there. It is really beautiful there! There is a restaurant and the possibility to buy food and drink, but we brought our own food and drink and enjoyed being able to go away in peace and quiet. The cross itself on the top is huge, but nothing special apart from the size when you look at it up close. We also survived the trip down and took a taxi back down the mountain.
An absolute must if you are in Skopje.
