Skopje or Belgrade?
 

I have an upcoming business trip to both, and have the opportunity to choose one for an extra weekend at the beginning. Which is better?

I haven't spent much time in the region, and am looking for the most interesting restaurants and bars (of course these places aren't known for their food!), hotels, and attractions in general. Just looking for the best place to wander around for a couple of days.

Short answer: Belgrade - simply more choice of things to do

Long answer: Depends on your interests - find out more at somewhere like inyourpocket.com which has downloadable online guides to both cities

Are you kidding me? I LOVE Macedonian food. If you search through Trip Reports for Skopje or Macedonia, I think I wrote some detail on this a few years ago. If I had a free weekend there I would go to Lake Ohrid. It's very beautiful and you will eat and drink well.

I'll second that - Lake Ohrid is beautiful. Plus there's a small bakery nearby (can't remember the name) that had these fresh warm chocolate-filled croissants (for something like 30 cents) that were the best things I've ever had.

If you just want some good basic food, there's even an Irish pub in Skopje that has decent and widely varied menu.

Thanks for the tips; inyourpocket.com seems like a very useful resource. I will see if I have time to go to Lake Ohrid, though I will mostly likely spend my extra couple of days in Belgrade, partially because the hotel selection in Skopje seems meager.

I would never go to an Irish pub if I am in a new city for only a couple of days. I am sure that they have some locally-inspired dishes, but better to hunt down the truly authentic local spots I think.

Belgrade for sure. Ohrid is for sure nice, but if the choice is Belgrade or Skopje, 100% go with Belgrade. There just is nothing to do really in Skopje for more than half a day.

While I agree with the choice of Belgrade, any city of Skopje's size is going to have something to do for a few days, even if it's just exploring the parks (and Skopje has a large and great one right next to the center).

I agree. And the restaurants!