Undiscovered Skopje

The capital of Macedonia is one of the undiscovered gems of the Balkans. It is Macedonia's political and cultural centre and is one that have been overlooked not only as a Balkan destination but a European one at that. It lies between Belgrade and Athens, looking over Vardar River. Once occupied by neolithic people, Romans, Ottoman Turks who were finally ousted at the onset of the Balkan War in the early 1990s. This city, as you can imagine, has a lot to offer in the realm of historical monuments, a collection of lingering influences from the many people that once inhabited the city.

The city had to rebuild itself after a devastating earthquake in the 1960s, tearing down most of the city's infrastructure that was built up after the Second World War and damaging many of the city's ancient ruins. The city rebuilt and today has a trendy and modern feel to it.

What to see:

Stone Bridge: This bridge dates from the time of Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror, around 1450s. It has become an emblem of the city.

Old Town: The city bazaar is found between the Kale Fortress and Vardar River. It was historically, as it is today, the the economic centre of the city. The city's best Ottoman architecture can be found here as well, head to the part known as Charshi (which means market place).

Kale Fortress: On the hill is a large fortress that was built by the Turks. The castle walls still stand today and was originally built in the 6th century. From here you can see the entire city.

St. Pantelejmon: A humble monastery, St. Pantelejmon was built in the 12th centuryand houses some of the more impressive examples of Byzantine artwork, not only in Macedonia but in Europe. There is a restaurant on-site that gives visitors a chance to taste authentic Macedonian cuisine, cooked up by the resident monks.

If you want to just hang out in Skopje, there are dozens of cafés and bars that line the Vardar River, always busy on summer evenings. Many have outdoor patios too. A popular place to watch the locals is called New Age, its a garden shed that was turned into a coffee house and is located beside the Catholic Church. There's a treasure trove of old wooden chairs, wobbly tables, very used chess boards and soft cushions and herbal tea.

Kiev is undoubtedly the city of churches

Kiev is located in beautiful Ukraine. The city scape can be a bit confusing but when you really explore the streets and take a look at a history book, it all makes sense. The city's buildings are made up of part modern skyscrapers and office buildings, part Soviet nationalist design, part Ukraine nationalist style, a bit of Russian influence and a few others and you have Kiev. There is nothing surprising about the montage of Soviet monuments and modern glass and steel buildings anymore, Kiev is embraced as one of the most beautiful cities in Ukraine because of it.

Apart for the city's architecture and its natural beauty, one can really see that Kiev is undoubtedly a city of churches. Tall and glimmering in the summer light, these cathedrals are magnificent. You can grab cheap flights to Kiev all the time from London. and Wizz Air Austrian Airlines are the two airline that fly this route the most. Kiev is a perfect spot to spend a few days, a long weekend, especially in the summer when you can take full advantage of Hydropark, taking walks along the Dnipro River or strolling the city's streets like Khreshchatyk.

The first place you should check out is without a doubt St. Sophia's Cathedral. It is the main monument of the city and is well worth a visit. It is open for visitors daily from 9:00 to 19:00. Inside you can find incredible mosaics and frescos, some of which date back to 1017 when the cathedral was first built. There is also a really nice bell tower in the front of the church. If you need a place to stay in Kiev, I recommend looking for a cheap hotel in this area. There are many walking streets around and if you're lucky you can find a room with a view of St. Sophia's many spindles.

Next head to Andreevsky Spusk (Andrew Street), the city's most famous and oldest street. Walk along it and visit the many shops and galleries. Don't be surprised if this neighbourhood reminds you of Paris' Montmartre! At the end of the street is St. Andrew's Cathedral, a perfect example of Baroque architecture.

 

If you are heading up to the top of the hill, make time to stop at Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavr, a huge monastery dated back to 13th century. It is a very sacred place and is a popular destination for Orthodox Christians that are making pilgrimages. Parts of the property were destroyed during the Second World War but the monastery remained unscathed from the bombings.

 

The city of Kiev has really been shaped by its history, picking up influences from the different eras since it was inhabited. This montage of influence makes Kiev a perfect city to visit for those travellers who love architecture, love culture and love history. There are countless opportunities to find preserved cathedrals and their frescos that managed to not be destroyed during the war, something more rare in Western cities that were heavily bombed at that time.

Lower prices in Montenegro hotels

I guess no one will be surprised to hear what I‘ve just read, that is, this season the vast majority of visitors in Montenegro were from foreign countries, and the last week of August in Herceg Novi has passed with a great number of tourists, enjoying the sunshine on the gorgeous Riviera.


Prices of accommodations are already 10% to 20% lower now, in the majority of hotels; and the rest of the hotels should be also lowering their prices this week, or in the second half of September.


Half board in a Herceg Novi hotel costs around EUR €24 (up to €180). The 10-15% discount will start from 1 September.



According to Zeljko Andric, Hotel Keeping Manager of the Institute Dr Simo Milosevic, they are expecting more visitors from Denmark, Holland and Sweden in the following period.


Time to pack our suitcases for an after-season holiday in Montenegro, isn’t it?

Montenegro

Montenegro is easily available from Central Europe by car, train or bus, but there are several cheap airlines to Podgorica as well, which offer you flight tickets for quite reasonable prices.

As for accommodation, there is a huge variety of hotels, and in summertime, nice seaside camps are at your disposal. The Montenegrin seaside has plenty of gorgeous beaches, not to mention that temperatures are above 18°C at least for six months a year.

The mountainous parts of the country contain 35 bigger lakes (!) and 4 national parks, which are said to be the most attractive and ecologically best preserved nature reserves (Durmitor, Biogradska gora, Lake Skadar, and Lovcen). They want to establish two more (Orjen and Prokletije) in the near future.

Lake Plav is one of the most popular starting points for hikers - you can make some really good excursions from here, into the Prokletije Mountains on the Albanian border.

Gusinje, the last village before the border, is also famous for its mosque.
Lake Shkoder – once there, you should definitely make a boat excursion on this beautiful lake, located along the peninsula, covered by dense reeds. It’s a complete labyrinth of islands, and in many places there are water lilies - ideal living conditions for about 270 species of birds, which are very much endangered.




Rijeka Crnojevica also has a compelling landscape, and a breathtaking panorama unique to the whole Europe. Take a short walk along the river, and to the charming village of Rijeka Crnojevica, a small settlement that used to be a busy commercial centre in the Middle Ages. The first books in Cyrillic script were printed here, now it is a quiet fishing town.

For more information about tourism and programs in Montenegro, one can visit the official site of National Tourism Organization of Montenegro.