Day 2: Skopje 
For a first approach, you have to go to the inevitable Stone Bridge, symbol of the city for more than 500 years. With its 700 feet long, its 20 feet wide and its semicircular stone arches, it connects Macedonia Square to the northern districts and to the Old Bazaar which dates from around the 11th century. By looking up, you see the copper domes of the ancient Turkish baths of Daut Pasha. Now a national gallery of contemporary art. Higher still, overlooking the city, the Kale Fortress whose origin dates back to Antiquity. Above the bazaar is Mustafa Pasha mosque, the most important mosque in Skopje built in the 15th century. The end of the day will take you to the heart of the old bazaar to taste typical Macedonian specialties a a restaurant nearby. On the return journey, you can sit on a terrace and taste absinthe as it would be served in Paris in the 1900s. Return to the hotel for overnight. [B/L/D]
Day 3: Skopje
We start. The day at the Memorial of the Holocaust of the Jews of Macedonia, on the site of the Jewish quarter and which was inaugurated in 2011. It commemorates the deportation of the 7,200 Jews who perished at the Treblinka camp and tells the story of the Jewish people in the Balkans. A moment of rest in a typical restaurant in the city center before paying homage to Mother Teresa. On the Trgovski shopping center, at the west entrance, there is a plaque which indicates the location of the house where Mother Teresa was born in 1910 with one of her famous phrases "The world is not hungry for bread but for Love". Then, head to the Mother Teresa memorial, inaugurated in 2009 on Macedonia street. It houses relics entrusted to it by the Catholic Church and recounts its existence through various exhibitions. Mother Teresa has become one of the symbols of the country. A last little tour to discover some buildings from the communist era and it will be time to return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. [B/L/D]
Day 4: Skopje, Tetovo, Gostivar
Today, we’ll discover the three religions of Macedonia through church, mosque and teke. First stop in the village of Leshok place of a magnificent Orthodox monastery founded in the 14th century and composed of two churches dedicated to Saint Athanasius and to the Saint Mother of God. They are decorated with frescoes which over the centuries have been superimposed in three layers. Destroyed in the 18th century, it was rebuilt in the 19th by Kiril Peïtchinovitch, writer and religious superior whose body rests in the monks' garden. Second stop in Tetovo, a city considered unofficially as the capital of the Albanians of Macedonia. We take a walk to discover the old stone bridge, Turkish baths religious buildings. It houses a 15th century Ottoman mosque, called the painted mosque because its facades are covered with many painted panels that were completely restored in 2011. The two sisters who ordered it built rest in a beautiful tomb in the gardens. Then, we stop at the Téké Arabati Baba built in the 16th century, featuring a remarkable carved wooden architecture, to house fleeing Bektashist clerics, as the Macedonian state refused to recognize this religion. Continue to Gostivar for dinner and overnight. [B/L/D]
Day 5: Gostivar, Mavrovo
Before leaving Gostivar we make a small hook by its high Ottoman clock tower then a stroll through the alleys to admire the old typical houses. Then we take a 15-minute drive to Vroutok, at the source of the majestic Vardar River, at the foot of the Sar Mountains. At an altitude of 2,240 feet, the landscape is surprising with a view as far as Mavrovo National Park and the lake created by the dam. A striking image: The ruins of the church partly submerged that, sometimes, looks like floating with the waves! Take a 20-minute walk along the lake shore to a local restaurant and enjoy a relaxing lunch. In the afternoon you can walk around at leisure in the small paths and relax on lake’s banks. Later we continue to a hotel in the park for dinner and overnight. [B/L/D]
Day 6: Mavrovo, Ohrid
A 2-hour drive will take us to Ohrid a UNESCO World Heritage site and a true museum city. Enclosed in its fortified walls and dominated by its imposing fortress Ohrid is an imposing view! The architecture of St. Sophia Church, a masterpiece of medieval art, occupies the space of an ancient temple. It was in turn church, mosque and warehouse before resuming its primary function. Magnificently restored in the 1950s, you will admire its 11th century frescoes, the figure of the Virgin and Christ. Saint Naum, dating from the 14th century is remarkable for its construction at the top of a cliff overlooking the lake. Saint Clement, whose origins date back to the Paleolithic era before becoming a university in the 10th century and then an Ottoman mosque was completely rebuilt in 2002. Many other churches offer magnificent frescoes and icons. During the visit we take time for lunch and after the visit we take a boat trip on the lake, the deepest in the Balkans but above all one of the oldest in the world. This living heritage still shelters rare species dating from the tertiary era. The most famous is the Ohrid trout that you’ll have the opportunity to taste it because the meals of the day will consist of local specialties. The evening will be free and allow you to stroll, walk along the lake or the opportunity to do some shopping in the stalls of the old town. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. [B/L/D]
Day 7: Ohrid, Bitola
Leisurely breakfast before departing to Bitola, the second city of Macedonia, known as Monastir, famous in the past in all the European capitals that maintained close relations with it. During the Second World War, Bitola was sadly known for the extermination of all its Jewish population deported and exterminated in Treblinka. The city has kept from its past a special atmosphere reinforced by the different architectures that you will discover along its main artery and which range from neoclassical to baroque style. In the evening, it is lively and welcoming. Take a stroll through the old Turkish bazaar to enjoy its alleys lined with old houses from the 19th century and its stalls where old traditions rub shoulders with sellers of jeans or plastic objects. Lunch in the city. In the afternoon enter the important archaeological site of Heraclea to admire its Roman amphitheater in particular and its cathedral dating from the beginning of the Byzantine era. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. [B/L/D]
Day 8: Bitola, Stobi, Skopje
Head for the ruins of the ancient city of Stobi, a curiosity of Macedonia discovered in 1861. At the time of the Romans, it was on one of the busiest axes, part of the Via Egniatia connecting the Roman world to Byzantium. A veritable prosperous metropolis in the 5th century, it was destroyed by an earthquake in 518. The remains discovered reveal at least three levels and you can admire the ruins of a large amphitheater, a baptistery, superb mosaics and the thermal baths. After the visit we take the road to cross Macedonia on our way to Skopje stopping en route for lunch. Dinner an overnight at the hotel in Skopje. [B/L/D]
Day 9: Skopje (Matka)
After breakfast, we take a 20-minute drive to Lake Matka in the Sarai region. On 12,355 acres, at the bottom of a canyon, the lake is fed by the Treska river. This canyon and its landscapes will remind you of those of the fjords. All along its banks, caves including that of Vrelo and its superb concretions. We now take the boat to enjoy a pleasant moment of relaxation in the heart of well-preserved nature. Stop at a village restaurant before discovering some churches and monasteries and getting to know the religious culture of Macedonia. The monastery of Saint André, founded in 1389, will seduce you with its frescoes and the monastery of Saint Nicolas by its Byzantine architecture from two very distinct eras. On the way back, we visit a vineyard and taste different local wines with dinner. Then we return to the hotel for overnight. [B/L/D]
Day 10: Skopje, USA
After breakfast you may have some time to relax. At the appointed time you’ll be met and transferred to Skopje airport to board your connecting flight back home. [B]
[B] = Breakfast | [D] = Dinner | [B/L/D] = Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
