Restaurants In Skopje

If you were just passing through Skopje, lile Leipzig, there are many restaurants in the shopping centre. One restaurant that is worth finding is The Pivinca at Maksim Gorki 1 which serves local cuisine including an excellent chicken, pork and smoked bacon - one of their special. The fillet steak in cream source is also very good. Has tables outside in the summer. The Taverna Toscana at Ivo Lola Ribar 72 is not quite Italien (there is no pizza) but offers some well prepared dishes noteably tagliata and the pasta. The National Restaurant at Vasil Adjilarski is a source of pizza and numerous local dishes with some interesting chicken dishes. Somewhat expensive.

The Lira Restaurant at Nikola Tesla serves very good local food - the chicken in cream sauce is really excellent - set against live backgound music. It is a little expensive but has a good ambience appreciated by Europeans. A surprise gem is The Um Zina at Maksim Gorki which is sells Middle Eastern food. Superb starters including hummus and some very good meat dishes grilled on a skewer - especially the sausages complimented but lovely salad. A trifle costly.

There are numerous Cafes along the banks of the River Vardar and in the shopping centre try The Cezanne Cafe

Sightseeing & Attractions in Skopje

A tragedy for the indigenious population of Macedonia regardless of their ethnicity is this country has been so troubled in recent years. From a tourists eye Skopje and this country has much to offer with examples of history spanning two thousand years. Some of Skopje's attractions are quite surprising The National Gallery of Art built at the end of the 15th century has two domes which from a distance might be mistaken for belonging to a mosque. Infact it was orginally a public baths but now is the home an extensive collection of drawings, paintings and sculptures dating from the 14th to the 19th century. It also has some fairly contemporary art and occasionally hosts music festivals including jazz concerts.

The Mustapha Pasha Mosque which overlooks the baazar area of Skopje was built in 1592 is very imposing with aesthetically pleasing coloumns externally and inside walls bearing sculptures carved out of white stone. The Kameni Most spans the Vardar river is a bridge with twelve semi circular arches carved out of stone. The lower part of it is believed to have been built in the 6th century and it was enlarged during the 16th century. Interestingly it links the Old town on the eastern side of the river with the more modern town on the western side - as does The Charles Bridge in Prague - with which it compares well. The Clock Tower near the Baazar area was built in the mid 16th century and its chimes can be heard for several kilometres. The mechanism in it is thought to have been borrowed from Siged in Hungary by a Turkish army. The Baazar Area itself is reported to be the largest oriental bazaar in Europe. The buildings here are old and very quaint and the wares for sale range from sandals, handicrafts, leather shoes to attractive gold jewellery. Plenty of places to rest and eat.

The Kale Fortress was built in the Middle ages - apparently on the remains of an earlier Roman fortress. Now days It is a tranqil park in which folk festivals are held. The Church Of The Holy Saviour contains some very impressive motifs of the Saints dressed in local folk costumes and surrounded by animals. The 17th century church is partly sunk into the ground as when it was built churches were not allowed to be higher than mosques. Skopje is The Birthplace Of Mother Teresa. A plaque marks the spot where the house that she was born in 1910 once stood. Between the Macedonia Square and the main street there is a bronze statue of Mother Teresa, Nobel Prize winner and future Saint. Near the statue there is a small museum about her work. Her mother was Albanian and her father a Vlach and she is undoubtedly one of Macedonia's greatest heros.

Skopje is one of the few cities in Europe where licensing laws are being tightened up rather than eased. Consequently many venues now have to close at midnight and because of this there are fewer clubs than there were five years ago. Clubbers should check the clubs closing time before going in! Trend ( Nikola Vapcarov 2 Telephone: 313 24 25) is one club that usually stays open to around 4am. The club which includes a restaurant presents live bands and a variety of music on different nights.

Another club that is generally open to 4am is Papaya (Vasil Glavino bb) playing house techno and R&B. Crowd tends to be in their late twenties or older. Process ( Kej 13 Noemvri, City Shopping Centre Telephone:
321 54 76 ) opens to 4am and specialises in playing house sounds to a teenage audience. Heavy metal and rock enthusiats should check out Mayday ( Bul. Partizanski Odredi Telephone 322 72 94).

The MCM Club ( Naum N. Borce 80 ) has live bands during the week, house on Saturday and surprisingly Karoke on Friday - its opens until the eary hours most nights. The Coloseum ( Vasil Glavino bb ) offers house and techno and a permanent light show.