Welcome to the Republic of North Macedonia!

We were excited to cross the border into North Macedonia. Our previous few days in Kosovo had been fascinating. Sitting in the hire car and queuing at immigration, we watched the red and yellow of the North Macedonian flag flickering in the breeze. The Republic of North Macedonia is another country that emerged from the former Yugoslavia – what would it offer?

**In February 2019, the country officially changed its name from Macedonia to the Republic of North Macedonia after decades of disputes with neighbouring Greece which has an area called Macedonia. Any references to Macedonia in this article refer to the Republic of North Macedonia**

Visting North Macedonia with a toddler

During our road-trip with our toddler, we planned to visit:

Skopje – North Macedonia’s capital and Lake Ohrid, a stunning, a vivid blue body of water that seemed magical.

North Macedonia didn’t reveal itself in the first few hours driving through the green countryside. And when it did, North Macedonia proved a country of contrasts, most clearly in its enigmatic capital, Skopje.

Skopje really took us by surprise. It’s a real mix of cultures, presenting old and new side-by-side. Skopje is honestly one of the most memorable cities I’ve ever visited, sometimes ancient and sometimes quite bizarre!

The Old Bazaar area of Skopje is a clash of culture compared to the newly developed areas.

DID YOU KNOW? A lowly 73rd in the World Economic Forum’s global gender gap index, North Macedonia ranks as one of Europe’s lowest countries for gender equality. This disparity erupted in 2015, when the women of North Macedonia protested for equality, armed with just lipstick and hugs. This ‘Women’s Revolution’ was just one instance of an ongoing movement for quality. Good luck to them!

Great Family Macedonia Highlights

North Macedonia is a great place to travel with a toddler or young children. There is plenty to keep them occupied and the locals are very friendly towards little ones. Here are some of our child-friendly highlights from our family holiday to Macedonia.

Macedonia Highlights #1: Lake Ohrid’s water seems to define the colour blue. When glimmering in the sunlight, Lake Ohrid feels really mystical.

As you can see from the photo below, this stunning lake will captivate even energetic, young toddlers.

North Macedonia Highlights #2: The town of Ohrid itself is a beautiful, peaceful place, and would be worth enjoying many days there even without the gorgeous lake. The buildings of the old town – churches and amphitheatres amongst them – seem to offer beguiling views from every angle.

North Macedonia Highlights #3: The quality of the North Macedonian wine, available at incredibly low prices. An important tip for frazzled mums and dads!

North Macedonia Highlights #4: Hard to pinpoint this one, but I’m just going to say that North Macedonia offers surprises and smiles.

Macedonia is great for toddlers! We popped into this supermarket to buy some North Macedonian wine and other provisions. Normally supermarkets aren’t particularly fun with a toddler but look below to see what kept H amused whilst we shopped.

North Macedonia Highlights #5: The intriguing city of Skopje. Walking around, we experienced an incredible, in-your-face clash of old and new.

Whilst the statues and grande squares may look historic, they were erected very recently. It’s unlike any other city we’ve visited in the world – honestly. We highly recommend Skopje for a city break with a difference.

Macedonia Highlights #6: The whole region is famous for monasteries. Whilst it involved a long drive out of the way, the views from Treskavec monastery were sensational.

North Macedonia with Toddler Travel Tips

• Check the paperwork on your hire car. Rhino specifically asked whether it was covered for a trip into Albania, which we did from Ohrid. Exiting Albania, the border guard requested the paperwork with a knowing smile and pointed out the exclusion for Albania. It cost us a small fine (bribe?).
• Ohrid is incredibly family-friendly. We found cafes and bars with mini playgrounds inside or outside. These spots gave everyone a great break from sightseeing. H also had an amazing time driving the radio-controlled cars available on the waterfront boulevards.

• The walking tour we did in Skopje would work for the whole family. It kept us very entertained and we learnt a lot. We pushed toddler H around in a buggy. If you have older children then you could just request stops and/or give them an ice cream sugar rush.
• You can buy all the items that you need for a healthy and easy trip to North Macedonia with a toddler in the well-stocked supermarkets and pharmacies. It was easy to find nappies (diapers), milk and our favourite toddler foods.

For more tips from World for a Girl on travelling with toddlers and babies, click through to read our posts on:

 Long Road Trips with Toddlers: Awesome Tips to keep you SANE!,

Ancient Ruins with Toddlers; An Awesome Day Out! Really?

The Mother of all Tantrums; why you SHOULD travel with your toddler

Our day by day North Macedonia with a toddler itinerary

In a week’s holiday from the UK, we visited Kosovo and North Macedonia. The itinerary below covers both Kosovo and North Macedonia and includes the North Macedonia highlights described above.

We flew into Pristina in Kosovo and out of Skopje with an extra stop at Lake Ohrid in the middle.

Accommodation Type/s: We stayed in 2 bedroom apartments in Pristina, Ohrid and Skopje, all organised through booking.com

Transport used: Our holiday was a road-trip and we hired a car at Pristina airport, dropping it off at Skopje airport. Hiring a car is an easy and convenient way to visit North Macedonia with a toddler. It is easiest to bring your own child safety seat. Check with your hire company if you wish to rent one. If you enjoy road-trips with toddlers, here are some of our Top 5 Europe Road Trips with Babies and Toddlers for some travel inspiration!

Day 1: North Macedonia and Kosovo with a toddler

Day 1: We spent the day in Pristina, starting at pedestrianised Bill Clinton Boulevard. Much of the morning was spent here, watching the street scenes cafe hopping and chatting with locals. There is plenty of space for toddlers to run around.

After lunch, we explored the city more widely but mainly by wandering aimlessly without fixed destinations – this felt the right approach as we wanted to absorb as much of Pristina’s vibes as we could.

Day 2: North Macedonia and Kosovo with a toddler

In the morning we drove to Prizren, the cultural heartbeat of Kosovo. We loved meandering through the hilly backstreets of the old town. Around one corner would be historic mosques, around the next would be crumbling buildings or children playing in the street.

After lunch near the picturesque bridge, we drove through the rain to the Vesoki Decani monastery. It’s a heavily guarded by NATO due to a turbulent past and approaching the blockade is daunting.

But once you get through, Vesoki Decani monastery is a tranquil delight and one of the monks stopped to give H some chocolate. Even monks here love toddlers!

Day 3: Kosovo and North Macedonia with a toddler

We left Pristina and drove to South to Lake Ohrid. The highlight on the way was the marble cave complex at Gadime. A bit of a struggle to find, but once we were in the lovely, patient guide showed us spectacular white tunnels and marble formations. Unsurprisingly, our guide was brilliant with toddlers!

On to Lake Ohrid where we had our first seafood of the holiday.

Day 4: North Macedonia and Kosovo with a toddler

A day around Lake Ohrid, mainly in the Old Town. We walked up to the amphitheatre and along to see views of the spectacular Church of St John at Kaneo.

Afterwards, we continued our walk around the lake where we had one of my most enjoyable ever lunches. The seafood was excellent but it was the views over the deep blue lake that took our breath away. The boat rides to and from the lakeside restaurants had our toddler enthralled.

Day 5: A side trip to Albania with a toddler

Albania was only a few miles away and it was too much to resist. Rhino drove us clockwise around the lake with a few stops.

First up was the Bay of Bones Museum where prehistoric ancestors lived in a stilted village on top of Lake Ohrid. Unexpected but very interesting!

Next was the gorgeously located Sveti Naum Monastery with an abundance of peacocks to admire (although a bit scary for toddler H at times).

We dined on the lake in the Albanian town of Pogradec before driving back to Ohrid. The circuit was very easy to complete in a day.

Day 6: North Macedonia and Kosovo with a toddler

On our way to Skopje, we stopped at Treskavec Monastery. It’s very remote and perhaps not worth the drive for the decrepit building, which was pretty unsafe for toddler H. But the panoramic views were sensational!

We had dinner in Skopje and noticed a statue or two straight away…

Day 7: North Macedonia and Kosovo with a toddler

An incredible day in Skopje. We were blown away by Skopje and would certainly recommend a visit.

It’s a slightly bizarre city with huge contrasts of old and new. Plus the ‘new’ is designed to look old. Basically, millions have been spent renovating the city and a lot of the architecture is borrowed from other styles and geographies. Much of it is Greco-Roman and this means a LOT of statues.

To get the most of the city, including the Old Bazaar (definitely worth a visit), take a walking tour. We did and found it absolutely fascinating.

Day 8: North Macedonia and Kosovo with a toddler

Our final day before flying home from Skopje airport. We managed to squeeze in a trip to Skopje zoo with a toddler. Nothing exceptional to mention…

Except that the zoo sold cheesy puffs to feed to the animals… Weird!! And, I’m guessing, not good for the animals so we resisted.

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” Mother Theresa – born in Skopje, Macedonia

Travelling around Europe with a toddler? Read more of our in-depth and informative guides:

Montenegro with a Toddler: Itinerary and Guide

Cyprus with a Toddler: A Complete Island Itinerary

Road-Trip: Northern Spain and Andorra with a Toddler

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Comments Welcome! Help other families have a great time in Macedonia.

Welcome to the World for a Girl community. Please share your own ideas and thoughts about North Macedonia family travel. Do you agree with our North Macedonia with a toddler highlights or do you have others to add? Did you do a similar North Macedonia with kids itinerary or could you recommend an alternative one? What tips do you have for other North Macedonia family travel? We’d love to go back one day!