Orthodox Heritage Tour

DAY 1 to DAY 3: Transfer from Skopje Airport to Skopje

Meet your expert guide over dinner, where you can discuss the tour as well as Macedonian customs and traditions. Visit the most remarkable Byzantine churches hidden in the alleys of the Old Town under the city walls and in the mountains around Skopje.

See outstanding examples of the early Renaissance in fresco painting at St. Panteleimon; the ceramic Byzantine-era decorations and the masterworks of Michael and Eutichius in their 14th-century frescoes in the temples on Mt. Skopska Crna Gora; and the unique woodcarving technique of the Mijak masters in the famous iconostasis of the Church of the Holy Savior.

We will walk inside a beautiful canyon in Suva Gora to see the original stone columns and inscriptions written on the façade of a 14th-century monastery, and we will visit the nuns’ embroidery workshop in a monastery deep in Matka Canyon. In the most remote parts of Mavrovo National Park, we will see the world-renowned iconostasis of St. John and the relics of St. George.

DAY 4 to DAY 5: Start the Day with a Divine Morning

Liturgy in the Church of the Holy Mother of God by Lake Ohrid. Take a tour of Ohrid, a UNESCO-listed city with 365 Orthodox churches, important archaeological sites, a Roman theatre, the medieval fortress of Tsar Samoil, and a priceless icon gallery.

Thirty of these icons are considered masterworks created between the 11th and 19th centuries. See frescoes that are among the best-preserved examples of Byzantine monumental art between the 10th and 13th centuries, including those connected with Erasmus of Lychnidos, one of the earliest Christian missionaries in the Balkans from the 3rd century.

Drive along the lake to the St. Naum Monastery near the Albanian border. Dating back to the 10th century, the remains of Glagolitic and Cyrillic inscriptions on the pillars of this church are silent witnesses to the beginning of Slavic literacy and the Cyrillic script. Explore the monk cells carved into the rocks above Lake Ohrid, where monks lived in isolation for centuries, fasting and praying continuously.

Deep in Galicica National Park, visit the church in Kurbinovo, one of the most important spiritual and cultural sites in the region. Walk among the ancient mosaics in the city of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great.

DAY 6: The Varosh Monastery

The Varosh Monastery complex of Prilep lies beneath the medieval towers of King Marko. This site has been home to cemeteries and settlements since the Bronze and Iron Ages, as well as Roman-era baths. Here we will visit several Byzantine treasures: the Church of St. Archangel Michael, the patron church of the city — considered one of the most important Byzantine architectural masterpieces in Macedonia — and the conservative frescoes of St. Dimitrija Church.

High in the mountains at Treskavec Monastery, meet Father Kalist, a remarkable personality always willing to discuss Orthodox principles and explain the Byzantine heritage of this monastery. Optional: visit Zrze Monastery for a true spiritual break in peaceful surroundings with a beautiful view over the Pelagonija plain. Enjoy dinner with a wine tasting of premium Macedonian wines in a château.

DAY 7 to DAY 9: Explore Spiritual East Macedonia

Visit two of the most important Byzantine sites — Vodocha (10th century) and Veljusa — with preserved architecture from the 11th century and one of the oldest known typika in Orthodox monastic history, describing church construction and early monastic life. Several temples from the pre-Christian era have been excavated in this region, including an Early Christian basilica and a cross-shaped church.

In the mountains of East Macedonia, visit the cave churches and monk cells carved into the rocks near Lesnovo Monastery, a church with a priceless iconostasis that once housed the largest monastic library in the Balkans during the Middle Ages.

We will also visit pottery producers in a small mountain village and the Church of St. George, known for its rare fresco of Christ depicted in two positions giving communion to the apostles, illustrating differences between Orthodox and Catholic traditions. Watch the sunset at the Kokino Megalithic Observatory and relax by the pool of your ethno-village hotel spa.

Depart Macedonia on Day 9, or extend this spiritual journey with a three-day tour of Kosovo’s UNESCO heritage.

Included in the Price

Accommodation: 4 × 4★ hotel, 3 × boutique hotel, 1 × ethno-village hotel
Meals: 8 × breakfast, 7 × lunch, 8 × dinner
Transport with an air-conditioned tourist van/coach
Full escort by a professional tourist guide
All entrance fees for churches and monuments visited
Wine tasting with dinner (Day 6)
Visit to clay pottery producers
Boat ride in Ohrid
Reforestation certificate for one tree planted in your name in Macedonia
Full organization and logistics by Macedonia Travel

Not Included in the Price

Drinks during meals
Personal expenses not mentioned under “Included in the Price.”

TOUR EXTENSION: KOSOVO UNESCO HERITAGE

DAY 9: Kachanik Gorge

Early in the morning, we will cross the Macedonia–Kosovo border and drive along Kachanik Gorge to our first stop, Gračanica Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its church dedicated to the Annunciation of the Holy Mother of God.

Continue to Kosovo’s most historic battlefield, where Sultan Murad I and Emperor Lazar fought in 1389. Nearby is the türbe (tomb) of Sultan Murad I, who was killed in the battle. From here, head to the Kosovo capital, Pristina, for lunch and an afternoon panoramic city tour followed by a walk along the main pedestrian street past monuments of Mother Teresa, Skanderbeg, and Kosovo’s first president, Ibrahim Rugova. Transfer to Peć for dinner and overnight.

DAY 10: Heritage Site

The Patriarchate of Peć is the next UNESCO World Heritage site on our tour, continuously active for over seven centuries. Here we will visit a complex of four churches built and fresco-painted in the 13th–14th centuries. Continue to Dečani to visit another UNESCO site — the Serbian Orthodox monastery of Visoki Dečani, renowned for its frescoes considered among the finest examples of the Palaeologan Renaissance in Byzantine painting.

Continue to Prizren via Đakovica and Terzi Most, an interesting 18th-century bridge. After a traditional lunch in Prizren, enjoy a walking tour of this historic city with preserved bazaars, mosques, Orthodox churches, a Catholic cathedral, bridges, and a fortress. See why it is known as the “Open-Air Museum.” Return to Skopje in the late afternoon for a grand farewell dinner. Overnight in Skopje.

DAY 11: Skopje

Free time to explore the capital center, extensively rebuilt during the Skopje 2014 project, with numerous monuments, baroque-style buildings, and fountains until departure home.

Included in the Price (Extension to Kosovo)

Accommodation: 1 × 5★ hotel, 1 × 4★ hotel
Meals: 2 × breakfast, 2 × lunch, 2 × dinner
Transport with an air-conditioned tourist van/coach
Full escort by a professional tourist guide
All entrance fees for churches and monuments visited
Full organization and logistics by Macedonia Travel

Not Included in the Price (Extension to Kosovo)

Drinks during meals
Personal expenses not mentioned under “Included in Price.”