More detailed and printable version of the Survival Guide so you can carry with you when you come in Skopje... or how to find berries in the jungle, escape from crocodiles, cross the street at “Record”, not to become food for natives…
Survival_Guide_Skopje2005_v2.pdf
Official name: Republic of Macedonia
Area: 25 713 km 2
Population: 2.038.059 (census from 2002)
Capital: Skopje, about 600.000 citizens
The official language: Macedonian
Alphabet: Cyrillic
Religions: mainly Orthodox Christians, then Muslim, Roman Catholic
and others
Political structure: State with parliamentary democracy
Independence day: 8th of September
Localities under UNESCO protection: the town of Ohrid and Ohrid
Lake
Currency: Denar: 1 Denar = 100 Deni
Time: GMT+1
Weights and measurements: SI
Electricity: 220 volts, 50 Hz
The Macedonians are a mixture of Ancient Macedonians and Slavs that ocupied the Balcans in 6th century. They are open, friendly, comunicative with everybody, and willing to party (you'll be surprised how much!). The Balkans are known for having people with great hospitality and friendliness, and Macedonians are BEST example of it.
The Macedonian language belongs to the group of Slavic languages. The Macedonian Saints, Cyril and Methodius in the 9th century, were the ones who created the first Slavic alphabet (Glagolic) and spread it among the people in eastern Europe. After that, their best student Clement of Ohrid, modified and gave the name of his teacher and called it Cyrillic. Today almost all the slavic contries use the cirilic alphabet. Today's language and alphabet, got the final look after the reform of Blaze Koneski. Other than Macedonian, also Albanian, Turkish and Roma languages are used in Macedonia.
Currency: DENAR (MKD)
Foreign Currency Exchange: At the time of writting the exchange
rates were:
61,3 MKD = 1 EUR
51,0 MKD = 1 USD
Money can be exchanged at hotels, banks and exchange offices at the current
rate of exchange.
The only legal tender in Macedonia is the Macedonian "Denar", which
ws introduced as a official currency in 1992.
Note bills: 10,50,100,500,1000 and 5000 MKD.
Coins: 1,2 and 5 MKD.
Credit cards: American Express, Visa, Diners club, MasterCard, Maestro
and Eurocard are accepted. Travellers cheques can be exchanged in any major
bank office.
Banks open:
7 AM – 3 PM during the week
7 AM – 1 PM Saturdays
Sundays closed
Post Offices open:
7 AM – 3 PM during the week
7 AM – 1 PM Saturdays
Sundays closed
Major hotels, most restaurant and stores accept Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and Eurocard. You can find cash machines in the most frequent places in the center of Skopje. Exchange offices are the places that you'll not have problems finding, they are everywhere and well marked. Also, if it's a metter of emergency, or it's a non working day, you'll have no problem paying with Euros, but you'll be charged less, then the real value.
The prices and salaries are lot lower than most of Europe. Skopje and Ohrid are more expencive
than most of the other towns, but only during the turist season
in the summer.
Banks:
www.kb.com.mk - “Komercijalna
Banka”
www.stb.com.mk - “Stopanska
Banka”
www.bbs.com.mk - “Balkanska
Banka”
www.nbrm.gov.mk - Macedonian
National Bank
PRICES (approximate, in MKD):
Beer 25-35 (in bars 60 to 100)
Milk 40
Bread 25
Wine 80-150
Cigarettes 30-80
Pizza (slice) 60
Hamburger 70-100
Taxi 50 start,15 kilometar
In order to place an international telephone
call from Macedonia, you have to dial:
1. „00“ to indicate that an international connection
is required
2. the telephone code of the target country
3. the city code within the target country,usually omitting
the zero (0) that proceeds it
4. the subscriber’s telephone number
Note: Phone calls made between 18:00 and 06:00, are 50% cheaper.
Regular bus transport starts around 5am and
finishes around 11:30pm. There are night buses on all major routes. Bus ticket
costs 25 den. for any destination. Taxi service is easy to get and not too expensive.
Starting fares are 50den for the first 1km, and 15den for every next kilometer.
There is no additional charge reflecting the number of passengers.
How to get to Macedonia?
By plane
Skopje Airport (phone: +389 2 148333) is only 15 km away from the city center.
There are regular and charter flights from every major European city to Skopje
and Ohrid by domestic and foreign air companies (MAT, Adria Airlines, Austrian Airlines,
Olimpic, Airways, Turkish Airlines, JAT etc.). Other airports near Skopje
are: in Sofija (Bulgaria), which is 250 km away from Skopje and Thessaloniki
(Greece) 260 km. There are regular bus connections from Sofia to Skopje twice
a day. The airports in Ljubljana (Slovenia), Zagreb (Croatia) and Belgrade (Serbia
and Montenegro) can also be used for connection. (Note: some countries’
citizens may need transit visas for Bulgaria and Serbia and Montenegro).
By bus
If you choose to travel by bus, connections are available from several cities
in Europe (Brussels, Vienna, Sofia, Istanbul, Belgrade). Those who will travel
from, or through Germany can contact the travel agency Deutsche Touring, found
in most cities, which have buses to Macedonia twice a week; those from Austria
can contact Europe travel agency. (Note: If you travel through Serbia
and Montenegro check whether you need a visa!)
By train
You can use the connections from Vienna, Budapest, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade,
Thessaloniki or Athens. They arrive at Central Railway Station in Skopje (phone:
+389 2 164255) every day.
How to get here:
www.mz.com.mk - Macedoinan railways
First you need a passport for comming to Macedonia. If you are a citizen of one of the following countries, you are the lucky one, because no visa is required for you (for a period of 3 months): Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Italy, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, Spain, Serbia & Montenegro, Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom. The citizens of the following countries can obtain a visa at our embassies in their countries or in the nearest country where we have one: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, Romania, Slovenia.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Republic of Macedonia
|
Skopje:
www.skopjeonline.com.mk
- info about the happenings in city
www.skopje2night.com.mk
- information about the night life of Skopje
www.skopjetourism.org - Tourist Association of Skopje
Ohrid:
www.ohrid.org.mk/eng/
- everything you need to know about Ohrid
www.ohridonline.com.mk
- useful informations about Ohrid
Macedonia:
www.exploringmacedonia.com The best site about turism in Macedonia
macedonia.org - everything about Macedonia
faq.macedonia.org/travel/ - travel
FAQ for Macedonia
www.culture.in.mk - Culture
life of the Republic of Macedonia
www.macedonia.co.uk/mcic/ - The Macedonian Cultural & Information Centre (MCIC)
www.mymacedonia.net - Macedonian history through periods, Macedonian culture and language, cultural
monuments in Macedonia
