Transportation in Skopje

Our Skopje Transportation Guide below will tell you all you need to know about getting to and getting around Skopje. To help you see and experience the best that the city of Skopje has to offer, we have many tours and activities in Skopje available. For some great general travel information about getting to, from and around Macedonia, see our Macedonia Transportation Guide.

Skopje Transportation Guide

Getting to Skopje

By Air

The Skopje Aleksandar Makedonski International Airport is located 20 km from the city centre. Almost all major cities like Ljubljana, Milan, Sofia, Split, Zagreb, Prague, Vienna, Sarajevo, Cologne, Bonn, Zurich, Belgrade, Budapest, Amsterdam, Ohrid, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Paris, Istanbul and Rome are connected to Skopje. Airlines such as MAT(Macedonian Airlines), MALEV, Austrian Airlines, Cirrus, Adria Airways, Alitalia, Croatia Airlines, B&H Airlines, Czech Airlines, Helvetic Airways, Turkish Airlines, Jat Airways and LTU International operate out of Skopje.

Unfortunately, the domestic flights within Macedonia are not frequent and the ones that operate are those between Ohrid and Skopje.

The airport is accessible by the main highway which runs through Belgrade, Skopje and Thessaloniki. Unlike most countries within Europe, there is no public transport service that connects the airport to the main city centre of Skopje. You would have to hail a taxi or make other personal transportation arrangements. It is recommended that you make prior arrangements for your travel to the city to avoid delays and fall prey to unreasonable charges for the taxi service.

Macedonia has bad winters and it can get extremely foggy. On such occasions the airport can be closed for not one, but several days. So it's advised that you don't travel during winter. On such days when Skopje airport is shut, flights are directed to other cities in the country. It is better to travel to Sofia, Thessaloniki or Ohrid Airport. The official website of the airport is http://www.airports.com.mk/ and provides all necessary information.

By Train

The first tracks were laid from Salonika via Skopje to Mitrovica in 1873. Rail transportation can be traced back to over one hundred years. It is fairly efficient and constantly expanding, adding more and more new routes. It is the affordable means to get around and over one million people arrive annually by train to Skopje from Serbia and Greece via Belgrade and Thessaloniki. It takes nine hours by train from Belgrade and five hours from Thessaloniki. Regular trains ply from these destinations both ways. If you are making your journey from Greece, you will have to show your passport to the policeman at the border.

There are transport centres that operate near the National Central Bank in the city centre, which give information about both train and bus schedules.

The main internal railroad services operate from Skopje to Kumanovo in the north, Kocani and Stip in the east, Gevgelija and Veles in the south, Kicevo in the west and Prilep and Bitola in the southwest.

Trains in Macedonia are affordable, but are usually not the ideal way to get around. Buses provide a faster and more frequent service even though they are on the expensive side. Also, the train stations are not the best sights to behold, so be prepared to deal with some amount of mess when you decide to travel around by train. Despite this, the Skopje-Veles-Prilep-Bitola train is highly recommended for the picturesque landscape it passes through.

By Bus

The bus network is well developed with frequent services to most of the places in the country. The Skopje Central Bus Station has a relatively good webpage, http://www.sas.com.mk/en/index.php, where you can get all the information regarding schedules and frequency. There are regular services run by private travel agencies to Turkey, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, Montenegro, Germany, Croatia, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland and Greece.

By Car

Driving around any country gives a better understanding of the land, its people and its culture. This holds good for Macedonia too. Hiring a car and driving around the country is not fast and easy compared to rail and air transport, but it also gives you a glimpse of the varied landscape. These services are dependable and affordable. All the major car rental agencies have their offices in Skopje, so it is easy to just walk into one and hire a car.

The roads are good, with the construction and maintenance meeting international standards. There are enough sign posts in both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabet so chances that you will lose your way are remote. Petrol is costly compared to Western Europe. It is advisable you carry a detailed map and have cash at hand to pay the various tolls. There are many toll points between Tetovo and Skopje and you will pay a number of times. The charges are generally between 30 and 40 MKD. Some of the car rental agencies do not allow their cars to cross over to Bulgaria.

Getting Around Skopje

By Bus

There are two bus networks in Skopje, both connecting the main city to the surrounding villages. The best way to identify the bus network is by its colour. The state owned ‘JSP' service is red in colour and the white coloured ones are privately owned. The buses have good frequency, but are rarely on time. They are well maintained and travelling is not particularly uncomfortable except during rush hour when the traffic gets chaotic.

Each bus network runs in specific zones and the bus fares depends on the zone. Zone 1, for example, is the inner city and tickets in this zone are priced at 20 denars in the JSP buses. Private buses charge 15 denars on the same route, if bought on the bus. Alternatively, if the tickets are bought from the kiosks, they cost 25 MKD. An option of travelling cheaper than this is by purchasing a 10-ride card for 225 den.

The bus service has both day and night service and runs from 05:00 to 23:00. On all major routes the buses run through the night although the service is limited. The kiosks at the end of the bus lines have the time schedules of all routes posted on them. The state public transport company JSP's website www.jsp.com.mk provides more information on its services.

By Taxi

The taxi service in Skopje is organised and regulated. The rates are fair but tourists are still cautioned to check while hailing a taxi as there are many that may over charge. If you are looking for a ride from the Skopje airport or the international bus station, it is best that you phone for a cab. Generally cab charges are not more than 20 denars per km, with the minimum being 50 denars. It will cost you between 600 and 1000 denars from the airport to the city centre. The fare to the more far off districts like Gorce Petrov, Radisani, and Novo nad Lisice from the city centre are around 200 denars.

The taxis in Skopje are governed and regulated by the city council. The starting fare is 50 MKD for the first two kilometres, after which it is an additional 20 MKD per kilometre. The rates are the same, be it day or night. The waiting charge is normally 300 MKD - so don't get your cabbie to wait while you shop. A word of caution to first time travellers - before you alight, make sure the meter is at the start point and is in working condition. You can hail a cab in the street or telephone for one from the hotel or restaurant. Most of the phone a cab operators speak English. To dial the taxi stations from mobile phones dial +389 2 before the taxi number - for e.g. for Bel Mercedes dial +38929183.