The 8 Best Skopje Day Trips from Sofia

1.Day tour to Skopje, North Macedonia – Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 431 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $95Our pick

Travel from Sofia to Skopje in a small group of up to 15, with hotel pickup, an English-speaking Bulgarian guide, and a local Macedonian guide. Expect a four-hour drive each way, a guided walk through Skopje’s Old Bazaar, fortress, Stone Bridge, Macedonia Square, and Mother Teresa Memorial, plus about two hours for lunch and independent exploring.

“This was a very enjoyable day to Skopje where we had 4+ hours to go on a guided tour of the city, looking at all the iconic statues and get a lot of history. A highlight was visiting Mother Teresa’s museum. We enjoyed the marketplace and our pork kabobs lunch. Our driver was exceptionally personable and a pleasure to be around. Highly recommend!”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Skopje North Macedonia Day Tour from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 49 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $106

Travel from Sofia to Skopje in a small group of up to 18, with hotel pickup or a central meeting point, border assistance, and a local walking guide. Bulgarian drivers such as Stefan, Philip, Georgi, and Ivan have shared regional history along the way. Expect about four hours each way, a fast-paced city tour, and free time in Skopje.

“North Macedonia is like Monte Carlo in Balkan.So clean,nice places to eat.Lots of culture ,statues all over the place.Really beautiful.We hade Bulgarian driver Stefan,service minded,very safe driver,friendly.The guide in Skopje she was professional to.Only thing was so stressful to find meeting point.So it is next to moskee,opposite to Mac Donald.I spend hours to find it,no number and if you not psychic it is disastrous.So don’t take the trip without pick up at your hotel.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Day trip to Skopje and Matka Canyon from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 35 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $173

Travel from Sofia to Skopje with a Bulgarian guide, meet a local Skopje guide, walk through the Old Bazaar and city center, then take a boat into Matka Canyon. Guides such as Lubo, Mike, Lence, and Katerina have led past departures. Expect about 12 to 13 hours, long border crossings, no sit-down lunch, and a small group of up to 15 people.

“If you can do this duel trip, go for it, a must not miss opportunity. A great day trip, and it is a day trip from just before 8am to around 9pm - 13 hrs, and around seven to eight hours of driving. Bring local currency, not many places take plastic whilst on this journey. We took our nine year old daughter who handled it very well. Guide very, very good. Good English, patient, well humored - a very good guide. We were 'gob smacked' with Skopje and even more 'gob smacked' with our canyon adventure which included a visit to a vast cave. Skopje guide was equally good. Cant…”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Kosovo and North Macedonia in 2 Days from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 34 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $402Top rated

Travel from Sofia to Skopje, Pristina, and Prizren with a group capped at eight. Local guides lead city walks, while drivers such as Boris help with border crossings, meals, shopping stops, and the long road back. You sleep in historic Prizren, then return to Sofia the next day.

“This trip was memorable in many ways and everyone involved was friendly and professional. The beautiful city of Skopje was charming, traditional with a modern twist and full of character. Kosova was equally enjoyable with the picturesque mountains and beautiful houses on the hills. Prizren is a must-see and we highly recommend it. Finally, thank you to Gorchu for being our guide in Kosovo. He was an educated, knowledgeable individual who literally looked after us so well and ensured we were comfortable and safe throughout our trip (we felt like family!). We really enjoyed our conversations, Gorchu and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being so…”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Bulgaria and Macedonia Full-Day Tour from Sofia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 26 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $144

Leave Sofia at 8:30 a.m. for Boyana Church, Zemen Monastery, and St Joakim Osogovski Monastery in North Macedonia. A guide such as Maria, Ivan, Chimy, or Deni handles the driving, history, and border crossing. Expect beautiful countryside, a long road day, some stairs, and no Macedonian city stop.

“Thank you to our most excellent guide Maria for a wonderful day exploring Bulgaria and Macedonia - we appreciated all the insightful information and the chance to get to know so much more about the people and country. I'm sure the cats at the monastery in Macedonia will not forget our visit. Aaron, Jay and Dan.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Day tour from Sofia to Skopje, Matka Canyon and Vrelo cave

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $191

Leave Sofia at 7:30 am with a driver-guide such as Vess, Vasilin, Georgi, or Vesselin for a full-day trip into North Macedonia. See Skopje’s Mother Teresa Memorial, old bazaar, mosques, churches, and grand central square, then take a scenic boat ride at Matka Canyon. Bring your passport. The boat ticket, meals, and entrance fees cost extra.

“We spent an amazing day with this tour from Sofia to Skopje and Matka! Deep dive into history, breathtaking views, and an extremely knowledgeable and fun guide who made the whole experience unforgettable. Highly recommended!”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.From Sofia: Serbia and Macedonia Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 10 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $191

Leave Sofia at 9:00 for a small-group trip into Serbia and North Macedonia. Visit Bosilegrad, then the peaceful 12th-century St Joakim Osogovski Monastery. Guide Stefan is praised for local stories and calm border help. Lunch, air-conditioned transport, and parking are included, but expect long hours in the vehicle.

“Travelers should know not to reserve on a Sunday this tour. The 1st town was everything close. We couldn't even buy water. There was not a store to buy any souvenirs not even a magnet. No water, I wanted to cry. The tour is a totally fiasco. Then the 2nd Macedonia again everything was close. The Monastery was not worthy visiting. Again I was extremely frustrated that my day was totally ruin. I definitely asking for a refund. It's not worth it to have a private guide when we are the one trying to get all of the info from guide person. Inside the car was extremely hot. The driver…”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.One Day Tour from Sofia to Skopje, Macedonia

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · 13 hours (approx.) · from $204

Travel from Sofia to Skopje in a small group of up to seven, with hotel or Airbnb pickup, border assistance, WiFi, and an optional Old Town sightseeing tour. Guides such as Pavlina and Nick bring local history to life. You get about two hours with a guide, then free time for lunch and exploring before the return drive.

“Skopje var en fin by med mange fine statuer. Minus er at det lå mye søppel i gatene. Billig å spise.”

Check availability →Read our full review