24 hours in Skopje and Kuystendil
We travelled from Sofia to Skopje on the 21st of September 2015. We took a night bus (Mathu, they do not have an English website so head to the bus station to check the schedule and book in advance) leaving the international central bus station in Sofia at midnight. We thought it would be a slow big bus with TV and declining chairs but instead it was a small speedy mini-bus without assigned seats (lucky for us someone moved seats so we could sit together).
The trip was not too comfortable with 2 Finnish guys, one of them very drunk talking very loud. At the midway sanitary stop, the two bought more beer but the bus driver threatened to throw them out if they would drink more, so they stopped and fell asleep (for an alternative itinerary to Skopje, please see the Kyustendil section below).
The bus arrived just after 3am in the morning. Friendly locals warned us for the taxies because they tend to overcharge. It is an easy 2.2 km walk to the centre which is quite nice. The centre is magical early in the morning. You can see all the beautiful buildings lined up on both sides of the river (although some construction work is in progress) and stroll over the bridges and through the city when there are no other people (pay attention to all the statues on top of the buildings). Some coffee places open (just outside the pedestrian area) at 6am but the main places on the boulevard on the south side of the river do not open until 8am (most of them serve great breakfast at very reasonable prices). If you are tired and wand to sit down, they do not send you away from the comfortable outside sitting areas (we even slept for a bit). If you like cats, bring some cat food. There are many roaming around and most of them are very affectionate and friendly, especially when you have some food of course. Some just jump on your lap, enjoy being petted and fall asleep.
Friendly and helpful people:
What surprised us about Skopje is that people are proud of their country and very helpful in general. One lady walking her dog made a detour to show us the place where we wanted to go. The owner of a bar (far outside the centre) was very interested in us (not many tourists go to that area) and he offered us a free beer when we wanted to pay and leave. The tables and chairs are not chained up at night; they even leave the pillows on them (which is unthinkable in Sofia). The street dogs are friendly, cats not afraid and the staff of restaurants and bars gently remove them from their venues. One of the waitresses said: “He comes here all the time but we cannot allow him inside for hygiene reasons”. So nice!
Please note that shops do not sell any alcohol after 7pm or 9pm, depending on the season.
The Turkish area on the North side is very lovely and they have great kebab places (complimentary Turkish coffee was offered after our cheap Kebabs). If you want to have a drink, please stay away from the touristy Macedonia Square and especially from the Pelister bar/restaurant. It is overpriced, the service is very slow and they just done seem to care like they do in smaller places. Whether it was on purpose or not: when we wanted to pay, there where more drinks on the bill than we had and the Rakia which was on the bill was a much more expensive than the one I ordered. The waiters seemed to stayed away as far from us as possible, probably hoping we would leave money on the table and leave. When calling form one did not have the desired result, I went to them and told them that the bill was not okay. After some discussion they came back with a new bill with the correct amount of drinks but the expensive Rakia was still there. When I tried to address that (it became a matter of principle, not so much about the money) their English appeared to be a lot less good suddenly (see also https://www.tripadvisor.nl/ShowUserReviews-g295110-d1774629-r352559695-Pelister-Skopje_Skopje_Region.html#REVIEWS ).
We tried to visit the Macadonia Wine Club at Ilindenska 138a Skopje but we could not find the place. We walked around and asked but with no success. Now even the website (http://www.mwc.org.mk/) is not available anymore.
We stayed in a lovely little hostel near the river called Art Hostel on Ante Hadzimitkov 5 (6 Euro pp in a spacious 8 bedroom dormitory). Hostel Valentin is closer to the bus station (just a 5 min walk) which is also quite friendly and comfortable but there are plenty of place to stay.
From Skopje we took a flight back to Eindhoven for just 20 Euro (www.wizzair.com click here for: how do I find the best flights). There are busses from the main bus terminal to the airport for just a few Euro, even at night and the coffee shop at the bus station opens very early. Almost forgot, we tried to find a print shop to print out our boarding cards. We found one but the printing took a long time and the ink was nearly finished. When we tried to pay, they told us it was free. Yet another sign of how hospitable and friendly people are here.
To Skopje with a stopover in Kyustendil
Alternatively you can take a bus from Sofia to Kyustendil early in the morning which is almost half way to Skopje (2 hours, 7 leva. Busses to Kyustendil leave from the small Ovcha Kupel bus station – sometimes called the Zapad (West) station which can be easily reached by Tram 5 from the centre (Tram 5 leaves from the back of the Palace of Justice on Boulevard Vitosha (the huge building with the two immense lions, close to Serdika subway station). You can also take a train to Kyustendil from the central station. It is a fun trip by train but there are just a few a day and the train takes much longer than the bus). The bus and train station in Kyustendil are next to each other and an easy stroll away from the centre. I would recommend buying your ticket to Skopje (28 Leva, 3 or 4 a day) as soon as you arrive in Kyustendil to avoid getting stuck there (which never happened to us).
Kyustendil
Kyustendil is quite nice and you will find a more authentic Bulgarian experience here than in Sofia. The place can be a bit quiet outside the summer season. Stroll around the pedestrian areas which are quite nice and good for a drink, lunch or dinner on a terrace. Another recommendation is the Turkish baths, the Castle or one of the swimming pools on a hot day. There are two swimming pools. One is state owned and cheap (2 Euro entrance, including a voucher for drinks, address: ul. “Georgi S. Rakovski” 48 which is walking distance from the centre). The pools hold warm spring water and the showers are hot and smelly (in a good way because of the hydrogen
sulphur in it which is supposed to be healthy). The other one is new and privately owned (hence much more expensive). It looks modern and new, the water is a bit chilly and it is more “hip”, meaning that dance music is loud and bodies muscled. Google map indicates that it is a unnamed road. It actually is on Ulitza Spartak, 2km west of the centre and one side street after the side street called Bul. Macadonia (GPS coordinates: 42.281027, 22.664837).
Turkish baths, 7 leva for 2 hours for two people. Not commercially run, the people are very friendly, and do not speak English. The facility looks quite old and a bit worn but nevertheless it is a great experience. P.s. if you are male/female, they might ask you if you are married: just say “yes”. To find it, ask for the “mineralna banya’ or find ул. „Стефан Караджа“ nr 4.
If you decide to stay one night in Kyustendil, we would recommend the central family run hotel: Hostel Sonata, 91 Tsar Osvoboditel Str +359 89 985 6065 (13-18 euro for double with shared bathroom). Although the place is called a hostel, they do not have dormitories