Region guide · a long day from Skopje
The hill town of Kratovo, the stone dolls of Kuklica, the Bronze Age observatory at Kokino and the monasteries of Lesnovo and Osogovo.
North Macedonia feature
A town in a hollow of the hills, figures carved by the wind and a hilltop where the Bronze Age watched the sun.
Start early at Kokino, walk among the stone dolls of Kuklica and end the day on Kratovo’s little bridges.
Plan your trip with our favourites below.
Bridges and towers
A small hill town of stone houses, medieval towers and little stone bridges over the river that runs through it.
Earth pyramids
A field of earth pillars shaped by erosion into figures, 13 km from Kratovo, with a folk tale of a wedding turned to stone.
A Bronze Age observatory
A Bronze Age sacred site on a volcanic hilltop, discovered in 2001, whose stone markers align with the sunrise at key points of the year.
14th-century frescoes
A 14th-century monastery of the Archangels on the slopes of Osogovo, with some of the best-preserved frescoes of its time.
St Joachim of Osogovo
The monastery of St Joachim of Osogovo in the forests above Kriva Palanka, one of the country’s great monasteries.
Best by car
Kratovo, Kuklica and Kokino are easiest by car or on a guided day trip from Skopje.
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