Best of North Macedonia — Self-Launched Semi-Private Route

Base yourself in Skopje's Old Town or near the bus station (hostels from ~£12, private rooms ~£20). Mid-morning take city bus 60 (or a taxi, ~£8-10) from central Skopje to Matka Canyon, about 15 km west. Buy a return boat ticket to Vrelo Cave at the canyon dock (~£8-10; small cave entry fee on top). Optional: the short kayak/boat rental (~£6/hr) or the easy 40-minute hiking trail along the canyon rim. Swim in the emerald water in summer. Eat dinner back in Skopje at a kafana in the Old Bazaar — tavce gravce and shopska salad for £6-8. If you'd rather have a guide for the canyon day, a half-day GetYourGuide/Klook tour from Skopje runs ~£35-45.

🚌City bus 60 Skopje–Matka (~£1) or taxi ~£9 each way

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Skopje Old Town (~£12-20)

• →City bus 60 or taxi to Matka Canyon
• →Boat ride to Vrelo Cave (self-booked at the dock)
• →Optional canyon rim hike or kayak rental
• →Evening kafana dinner in Skopje Old Bazaar

Take a morning train or bus from Skopje to Veles (~45-60 min, £2-3). The town is compact: walk up to the Clock Tower, the Gemidzi Monument on the river bank and the Ilinden Rebels monument, then the Church of Saint Panteleimon. In the afternoon head to a local winery for a tasting — Veles sits in Macedonia's Tikveš-adjacent wine belt and cellar-door tastings run ~£8-15 including several pours; the 'castle winery' near town can be booked by phone or through your guesthouse. Buses/taxis between sites are cheap; the whole town is walkable. Sleep in Veles (guesthouse ~£15-18).

🚌Train or bus Skopje–Veles (~£2-3)

🛏Guesthouse in Veles (~£15-18)

• →Veles Clock Tower and Gemidzi Monument
• →Ilinden Rebels Monument
• →Saint Panteleimon Church
• →Wine tasting at a Veles-area winery (book ahead, ~£10)

Bus or train south to Bitola (roughly 2.5-3 hrs via Prilep, ~£5-7). Drop bags and walk 15 minutes to Heraclea Lyncestis, the Roman/Byzantine city with its famous mosaic floors and theatre (~£2 entry; the on-site signage is decent, or join a short local guide for ~£10). Late afternoon: stroll Širok Sokak, Bitola's pedestrian boulevard of Habsburg-era consulates and cafés — coffee culture here is a highlight (~£1.50). Dinner around the Old Bazaar area. Stay in a Bitola guesthouse or small hotel (~£18-22).

🚌Bus or train Veles–Bitola via Prilep (~£6)

🛏Guesthouse or small hotel in Bitola (~£18-22)

• →Heraclea Lyncestis ruins and mosaics
• →Bitola amphitheatre
• →Širok Sokak pedestrian boulevard walk
• →Coffee and dinner in Bitola Old Bazaar

Take a morning bus Bitola–Ohrid (~2 hrs, £4-5), leave bags at your Ohrid accommodation, then catch the local lakeside minibus or bus from Ohrid to St Naum (~45 min, £1.50-2). The monastery sits on a spring-fed peninsula at the Albanian border — entry is free or a token £1, and the springs boat ride (~£5) is worth it. Spend the afternoon on the beach beside the monastery; lunch at one of the lakeside fish restaurants (~£8). Return to Ohrid in the evening. Stay in an Ohrid Old Town guesthouse or hostel (~£18-25).

🚌Bus Bitola–Ohrid (~£4.50) plus local bus Ohrid–St Naum (~£1.75)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Ohrid Old Town (~£18-25)

• →St Naum Monastery
• →Boat ride on the Crni Drim springs (~£5)
• →Beach time at St Naum
• →Evening walk through Ohrid Old Town

A self-launched walking day of Ohrid. Start at the Church of St John at Kaneo — the postcard viewpoint over the lake — then the Church of St Sophia and St Nicholas, the ancient amphitheatre, and up to Samuel's Fortress (entry ~£2-3, with the best lake panorama). Afternoon at the Paper Museum to see handmade paper being made (small entry, ~£1-2); buy a sheet as a souvenir. Optional extras: a boat trip to the Bay of Bones, or an evening swim off Kaneo rocks. If you want a guide, Ohrid's official walking tours and GetYourGuide entries run ~£15-25. Dinner of Ohrid trout or belvica (~£10).

🚌On foot; local taxi ~£2 if needed

🛏Guesthouse in Ohrid (~£18-25)

• →Church of St John at Kaneo viewpoint
• →Church of St Nicolas and St Sophia
• →Samuel's Fortress and ancient amphitheatre
• →Ohrid Paper Museum
• →Optional Bay of Bones boat trip

This is the day the original tour leans on private transport, so the budget alternative is a shared or hired car. Take an early bus Ohrid–Debar and get off near the Janche turn-off, or better, split a day-hire car/four-seat taxi with other travellers from Ohrid (~£45-60 for the day, split 3-4 ways). Head first to the stone village of Janche on the slopes of the Radika valley, then into Mavrovo National Park for short self-guided hikes — the Radika Canyon viewpoints and the half-sunken church of St Nicholas at Mavrovo Lake are the highlights. Sleeping options are simple guesthouses/village rooms inside the park (~£18-25). Pack water and snacks; food options are limited, so budget ~£18 for a guesthouse dinner.

🚌Hired car / shared taxi from Ohrid for the day (~£15-20 per person split 3-4 ways)

🛏Guesthouse or village room in Mavrovo (~£18-25)

• →Janche village walk
• →Radika Canyon viewpoints
• →Mavrovo National Park hiking
• →Mavrovo Lake and the sunken church of St Nicholas

Continue north by bus or shared taxi toward Tetovo (~2-2.5 hrs, £5-7, often changing at Gostivar). In Tetovo, the Sharena Dzamija (Painted Mosque) is the star — free to enter outside prayer times and covered in vivid baroque frescoes. Walk 20 minutes to the medieval Leshok Monastery and its peacocks, then back into town for a Tetovo city walk along the Pena River past the Ottoman Hamam and the Arabati Baba Teḱe. Stay in a central Tetovo guesthouse or small hotel (~£18-22). Dinner: Tetovo is famous for its grilled meats and burek — £6-9.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Mavrovo–Gostivar–Tetovo (~£6)

🛏Guesthouse or small hotel in Tetovo (~£18-22)

• →Sharena Dzamija (Painted Mosque)
• →Leshok Monastery
• →Tetovo Hamam and Arabati Baba Teḱe
• →Pena River city walk

Morning bus Tetovo–Skopje (~1-1.5 hrs, £3-4). Self-guided city walk: the Stone Bridge and Alexander the Great statue on Macedonia Square, the Art Bridge with its musician and artist statues, then into the Old Bazaar for the Čifte Hamam, Kuršumli An caravanserai and the clock tower. Optional Archaeological Museum (~£3-4, or free entry on some open days) and, if time allows, a cable car or taxi up to the Millennium Cross on Vodno (cable car ~£2-3). Finish with a last kafana meal before onward flights; allow 45-60 minutes to the airport by bus or ~£20 taxi.

🚌Bus Tetovo–Skopje (~£3.50); airport bus ~£1.50

🛏None included (pre/post-tour nights ~£12-20 if needed)

• →Stone Bridge and Macedonia Square
• →Art Bridge
• →Skopje Old Bazaar, Kuršumli An and Čifte Hamam
• →Optional Archaeological Museum or Vodno cable car to Millennium Cross