Skopje

Knowing that I had to get to Greece within a couple weeks and that I also would have to exit Thailand within a couple days, I decided why not fly somewhere nearby Greece and see what else the area had to offer. What I ended up choosing was Skopje, the capital city of Macedonia. I only spent a day and a half here before moving on, but in case you pass through with a day to kill maybe this can help.

The Skopje Fortress is a relatively easy walk, and it's free so there is no excuse not to visit, from the walls of the Fortress you can get a nice view looking back down onto the city and a bit of a view of the old town. Exiting from the Fortress you should go east, cross the road and checkout Skopje Old Town Brewery(aka Pivnica Star Grad). This rustic bar sits on the edge of the Old Town with both the Old Town and the Fortress in view, so as your buzz kicks in you can soak in your surroundings and drift back in time a bit.

Looking out from the Fortress

Old Town Brewery

Now I sense confusion about the identity of the Turkish Bazaar vs the Old Town, however, my best understanding is that the Old Town is really the whole network of cobblestone streets north of the Vardar River, and the Turkish Bazaar is the little market at the very northern tip of this. Since it's further away, it's more psychologically pleasing to go up to the Turkish Bazzarr first and then work your way back. At the Bazaar, you will be able to get a less tourist painted view of the local culture while watching locals trade farm good and spices with one another, and you might also want to get a bite from one of the dirtier looking(but nice tasting) Turkish street food stalls while you're here. Afterward, you can just kind of wander around in a generally southern direction on the cobblestone roads while exploring the more touristy Old Town. Here there are dozens of places to eat, drink or shop for whatever Macedonian trinkets you might crave.

The Turkish Bazaar

Old Town

Once you hit the river and cross the stone bridge, you will stand before a giant statue of Alexander the Great, I'm not sure of the importance of this, however, if you turn to the left there will be a little open-air cafe looking thing which is actually a Brewery named "Pivnica Temov". I recommend hanging out here for a couple drinks, as I found that the choices here are more experimental, keeping you wondering what the next glass will taste like.

Alexander the Great 

Pivnica Temov