It’s impossible to visit Skopje and not always be aware of Водно (Vodno), the towering mountain just south of the city. Not only does the mountain itself dominate the landscape, but in 2002 construction began on the Милениумски крст (Millennium Cross), one of the largest crosses in the world, which now sits atop Водно like a giant cake topper. On the other side of the mountain, the Треска (Treska River) flows into Кањон Матка (Matka Canyon), providing a nature-filled escape from the city. Both sights are only a 30-minute bus ride from the city center and reachable by the city bus lines (as opposed to a domestic bus lines you would pick up from the main bus station).
The first thing you will need to do is find a ticket booth and purchase a СКОПСКА card, the reloadable card used on Skopje’s public transit system. The initial cost pays for the physical card and includes two one-way rides. I opted to load it up with additional rides; at 35 Denar(~65 cents)/ride, the bus system is far cheaper (and more fun!) than taking a taxi. Buses in Skopje can be lumped into two groups: red and every other color. The red ones, both single and double decker, are the city buses and will accept the СКОПСКА card with a simple tap on the sensor when you enter the bus. The other color buses are private lines and tickets can be purchased directly from the bus driver- I did stick to the city buses and had no direct experience with the private operators. Note: I saw inspectors twice whiel riding buses in Skopje, so although riding is on the honor system, it’s really not worth the fines if you’re caught.
Bus stops are clearly marked and many of the routes seem to make their way through the city center at some point. Ask a hostel worker or someone at a ticket booth where to pick up your desired bus line. To get out to Кањон Матка take Bus #60 in the direction of Матка, which is the last stop. The 60 doesn’t run as frequently as some other lines on weekdays, so be aware of the timetable. When I rode it in August, a bus came at 8:45 and the next one wouldn’t have arrive until 10:30. While other bus lines seemed to run every 10-15 minutes, a trip out to Матка will require a little extra planning.
After a quick 30 minutes on the bus I was dropped off at the entrance to the park surrounding the canyon. I was warned by a hostel worker that the restaurants around the entrance were very overpriced and not so great. He told me if I got hungry to get off at the second to last stop where I would find much better places to eat for a fair price, and then just walk the five minutes to the park entrance. There’s a lot you can do at the park including hike one side of the canyon, take a boat cruise, rent kayaks, visit пештерата Врело (Vrelo Cave) or check out the five or six monasteries that dot the canyon walls.
I was ready to hike, so I devoted a few hours of the morning to taking in the mountain sides dramatically framing the gorgeous Кањон Матка. As much as I love urban travel, I have to admit that the scenery took my breath away.
Some photos of the hike:
As each new bend of the canyon proved more beautiful than the last, I could have snapped hundreds of photos, but I did make a conscious effort to put my phone away and simply take in the nature all around me.
On the Водно side of the canyon you will find a sign with three marked trails (red, yellow and green) that lead you up on the mountain and to some fantastic views of Skopje. Bring 2-3 large bottles of water and wear appropriate shoes. Each trail is labeled “medium-hard” and the one I took was rather steep in places. I don’t think you have to be a super experienced hiker (I’m certainly not), but you shouldn’t expect the generally even trail the hike down the canyon provides.
Technically you can hike all the way from this point to the Милениумски крст (Millennium Cross), but I wanted to go back to the city center and take the bus the other way for that experience too.
Starting over from the city center, you can reach the Милениумски крст (Millenniumn Cross) by taking Bus #25 to its final stop halfway up the mountain. Once there you can buy a cable car pass for 100 Denar (~$2) that will take you the rest of the way up to the cross. The cable car runs at various hours throughout the year; check the schedule for your season of travel and take note that it rarely makes a trip past 18:00, so don’t leave the journey for a nighttime activity. It really is a shame that it doesn’t run at night as the cross is illuminated in the evening and the nighttime views of Skopje would surely be a wow. Also note that even within the hours of operation, the cars only run during the first 30 minutes of each hour. If you have been walking around the summit and are ready to return back down the mountain, don’t wait until 11:32 to make that decision or you will have to wait until 12:00 before it starts running again.
The Милениумски крст (Millennium Cross) is one of the tallest crosses in the world standing at 66 m (217 ft). It was built to celebrate two millennia of Christianity in Macedonia. The biggest surprise? There’s free WiFi at the peak! You can also grab a bite at the cafe under the cross and stroll around the numerous viewing platforms overlooking both sides of the mountain. In the rear you will see the start of a hiking trail that will lead you over to Кањон Матка.
Always on the hunt for a place to journal and catch up on my emails, I couldn’t have asked for a better spot to do both. I also brought some bread and cheese up with me for a perfect top of the mountain snack. No matter how many times I may find myself in Skopje in the future, I have a feeling making the trek up here won’t get old.
