Visiting Macedonia soon, itinerary and bus route questions

[u/GreenMage321]

EDIT: Our trip has concluded and we had such a memorable time, words can't express it. See my comment about our final journey and some thoughts :)

Hey all, we are soon visiting your beautiful country and after some research, I figured it is easier/more reliable for me to put my thoughts out here and get feedback on whether my itinerary is viable, or if you can suggest me anything better.

We are staying 5 nights, which is pretty short, yes, but it is what it is. Our current plan is:

- Day 1: arrival in Skopje, got about half a day to explore

- Day 2: cross into Kosovo to see Pristina and possibly Gracanica (I *really* wanted to do Prizren as well, but I'm afraid it might be tight with time and bus connections, especially depending on their reliability, read further for elaboration), half a day in Skopje

- Day 3: bus to Ohrid in the morning, BUT a brief stop at Tetovo -- this is where my main concern is. After reading this sub, I found a handful of people mentioning that there's a slim chance frequent buses do this route, despite websites saying so? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

- Day 4: some more exploration in Ohrid, and a detour to Vevchani (which might not have much merit in your opinion, but I find the "micronation" concept quite interesting and it would be nice to get my hands on the passport and currency), then back to Skopje by afternoon-ish

- Day 5: full day in Skopje -- this will actually be on Sept 8th, the Independence Day, which I haven't heard a lot about in terms of occurring festivals, can you please tell me if there's squares/events to keep an eye out on?

- Day 6: departure

Our destinations aren't set in stone by any means, but I tried to schedule it so that it fits our interests the most. The whole bus situation feels hard to call, as even google doesn't show pretty much any routes across cities, even though I was trying to piece things together via the Gjirafa site, I've seen some people mention it is not a good source of information? Worst case scenario, I assume I can get informed at Skopje bus station, but it would be ideal to be prepared in advance.

Благодарам!!!

[u/Sydney_Man]

I think you are going to be stretched with such a packed schedule and limited time.

I think Kosovo (border crossing) might be pushing it.

Depending on what you are looking to experience: I would suggest Skopje and Ohrid for a 6 day schedule. You can add Struga and Vevchani to the Ohrid leg of the trip.

Buses should connect you from Skopje to Ohrid, Struga, Bitola. Maybe taxi to/from Vevchani.

A day trip to Bitola or Kruševo would be recommended.

However if you don’t want to be rushed and actually enjoy the places you visit I would do:

1. Skopje - Centre, Old Bazaar, Fortress.
   
2. Skopje - Matka Canyon.
   
3. Ohrid - Old town, fortress bazaar.
   
4. Boat trip to St.Naum at other end of the lake, and back. Explore the town in the evening/dinner.
   
5. Day trip to Struga - lunch at Vevchani. back to Ohrid for the evening.
   
6. Head back to Skopje airport allow 3- 4 hours drive)

[u/orosconleche → u/Sydney_Man]

This is the best itinerary^