Up in the gods around the western side of Vodno, the village of Gorno Nerezi is home to this 1164 monastery, one of North Macedonia's most significant churches. Its Byzantine frescoes, such as the Lamentation of Christ, depict a pathos and realism predating the Renaissance by two centuries. It's 5km from Skopje city centre and it takes about 20 minutes to get here by taxi (350MKD, using the meter) because of the steep, windy road. The views from the monastery's terrace are sublime.
Sveti Pantelejmon Monastery
North Macedonia
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
22.7 MILES
Tetovo's beautiful Painted Mosque is like something out of the Arabian Tales and quite unique in the Balkans. First built in the 15th century, it was…
5.96 MILES
Framed by mountains and with a serene, peaceful atmosphere, Sveta Bogorodica is a special spot. Still home to nuns, this working monastery has 18th…
1.86 MILES
The Daut Paša Amam (1473) were once the largest Turkish baths outside of İstanbul and they make a magical setting for the permanent collection of Skopje's…
1.99 MILES
Čaršija is Skopje's hillside Ottoman old town, evoking the city's past with its winding lanes filled with teahouses, mosques, craftspeople's shops, and…
1.87 MILES
Dominating the skyline of Skopje, this Game of Thrones–worthy, 6th-century AD Byzantine (and later, Ottoman) fortress is an easy walk up from the Čaršija…
Archaeological Museum of Macedonia
1.75 MILES
This supersized pile of Italianate-styled marble has been a giant receptacle for Skopje's recent splurge on government-led monuments to boost national…
26.62 MILES
Sitting in the inconspicuous village of Staro Nagoričane, some 15km northeast of Kumanovo, this 14th-century church has some magnificent frescoes and…
1.95 MILES
Partially submerged 2m underground (the Ottomans banned churches from being taller than mosques), this church dates from the 14th century and is the most…
Nearby North Macedonia attractions
0.52 MILES
Framing Skopje to the south, Vodno's towering mass – pinpointed by the 66m Millennium Cross – is an enduring symbol of the city. A popular (shaded) hiking…
1.14 MILES
This outpost of the National Gallery of Macedonia hosts temporary exhibitions. It's a bit of a hike from Skopje's city centre and sometimes lies empty;…
3. Museum of the City of Skopje
1.31 MILES
Occupying the old train station building where the stone fingers of the clock remain frozen in time at 5.17am – the moment Skopje's devastating earthquake…
4. Memorial House of Mother Teresa
1.44 MILES
This extraordinary retro-futuristic memorial is the most unique church you'll see in North Macedonia. Inside the building there's a small 1st-floor museum…
1.58 MILES
This gigantic square is the centrepiece of Skopje's audacious nation-building-through-architecture project and it has massive statues dedicated to…
6. Museum of the Macedonian Struggle for Statehood & Independence
1.74 MILES
Part history museum, part national propaganda machine, this is a formidable memorial to North Macedonia's past occupation, land struggles and…
7. Archaeological Museum of Macedonia
1.75 MILES
This supersized pile of Italianate-styled marble has been a giant receptacle for Skopje's recent splurge on government-led monuments to boost national…
8. Holocaust Memorial Center for the Jews of Macedonia
1.76 MILES
The mirrored-glass entrance is bizarrely unwelcoming, but once inside this is a moving museum with fascinating displays that commemorate the all-but-lost…