Skopje Old Bazaar

Skopje's Old Bazaar is the Ottoman-era quarter on the east bank of the Vardar river, a web of narrow lanes with workshops, cafés, mosques and old caravanserais. It is the most atmospheric corner of an otherwise modern capital.

We would visit in the morning, when shops open and the lanes are quiet, and return in the evening for dinner. It is easy on foot from the centre across the old bridge. It is a good half-day for a first visit, and a useful wet-weather option too. Expect some crowded corners at weekends, and keep valuables out of sight, as the FCDO notes pickpocketing in busy areas.