Travel to Matka
Alternately you can take a bus from the airport to the city and then follow the directions below.
Traveling to Matka by bus:
First make your way to the central bus and train station in downtown Skopje. Your goal is to reach approximately the tip of the blue arrow:
The station is a huge raised concrete monstrosity with trains above and a central area for booking long distance busses indoors below. Off to one side and in the open, but still below is the terminal for local busses. As you are walking toward it on Nikola Karev the entry looks as it does in the photo:
Once you get there, at either end is a small booth. I think you are able to buy a bus card from either one, but if you show them a picture of the bus card, they should either sell you one or direct you to the right place to buy one. The small booths at the bus station are grey/white. You can see one of them just under the green light on the other side.
The station is a huge raised concrete monstrosity with trains above and a central area for booking long distance busses indoors below. Off to one side and in the open, but still below is the terminal for local busses. As you are walking toward it on Nikola Karev the entry looks as it does in the photo:
Once you get there, at either end is a small booth. I think you are able to buy a bus card from either one, but if you show them a picture of the bus card, they should either sell you one or direct you to the right place to buy one. The small booths at the bus station are grey/white. You can see one of them just under the green light on the other side.
You may top up with 10 rides at a time at a price of 250 Denars, but they remain valid for only 2 weeks. Rides can only be purchased in blocks of 10.
Alternatively you may top up with credit. Credit may be purchased in any size block and remains valid indefinitely. However, when using credit to pay on the bus the cost is 35 Denars per trip.
You will notice on the bus that there is also an option to pay by mobile phone. Unfortunately this is only available if you have a Macedonian SIM card and a (post paid) contract.
Here is what the bus card looks like:
“Below you will find the schedule for buses to and from Matka. This was accurate at the time of the website creation. Further down this page you will find instructions for downloading an app that will give you the most up to date and accurate times”
Busses leave to Matka from the Transport Center at the following times:
07:00
14:00
08:45
15:30
20:10
10:30
16:50
22:30
12:10
18:35
07:00
10:30
14:00
16:50
20:10
08:45
12:10
15:30
18:35
22:30
07:00
08:45
10:30
12:10
14:00
15:30
16:50
18:35
20:10
22:30
Busses leave from Matka to the Transport Center at the following times:
07:45
14:55
09:40
16:20
19:20
11:20
17:45
21:00
13:05
19:20
07:45
11:20
14:55
17:45
09:40
13:05
16:20
19:20
21:00
07:45
09:40
11:20
13:05
14:55
16:20
17:45
19:20
21:00
**Please note that buses in the afternoon are often late. Note as well that during the peak season even if the bus dropped you as far as the Fresh Bar, a later bus may only go as far as the Glumovo Police Station.**
If you are staying at Riverside Haven, you need to get off in the second stop in Dolna Matka (providing the bus did not terminate at the police station). If you Pass Kulla Alinea with a fish sign you have gone too far. If that happens, no panic. Just ride the bus all the way to the end, don’t get off, ride back and hop off just after the Kulla.
If you are visiting one of the other attractions below the canyon, take note of their location on the map and disembark or travel by foot accordingly. (For example if you are going to Kayak Adventures, hop off at the first bus stop in Dolna Matka if the bus is going all the way to the Fresh Bar, or walk from the Glumovo Police station if the bus terminates there.)
Please note that busses in the afternoon are often late. Note as well that during the peak season even if the bus dropped you as far as the Fresh Bar, a later bus may only go as far as the Glumovo Police Station.
If you get stuck and need a taxi please call Lezi (pronounced lazy) on +389 70 906 059 He doesn’t speak a lot of English, it may take him awhile to reach you, but he is very reasonable and honest. If you have called him and then the bus suddenly appears, please have the courtesy to immediately let him know or wait for his arrival. Simple instructions work best, eg ‘I am at Glumovo Police. I want to go to Saraj’.
App Installation Guide
The bus system here can be challenging. There is an official app called “JSP on the Go” which can be found in the app/play store. Find and download it to track the 60 bus and other lines in real time. First look for and download an app that looks like this:
JSP now offers an English option straight away, but the English version is still half in Macedonian
