Tourism in Bitola - Macedonia Travel & Leisure
Welcome to Bitola Travel & Leisure! Bitola is one of the most popular travel destinations in Europe, attracting tourists not only in summer and winter - which in the mountain regions is almost as busy a season as summer - but also in the in-between seasons. Visitors are drawn particularly from neighboring Serbia and Bulgaria, as for them there is no language problem, Serbia and Bulgaria, as for them there is no language problem, but also from Greece and Turkey. It is the scenic beauties to be found in all the places which are the main reason for inducing large numbers of tourists to spend their holidays in Bitola year after year. Walking is the best way to get around Bitola as all the sites are in a line one after another: first the old bazaar, then the city square, then Shirok Sokak street, then the city park, and last the ancient city of Heraklea. Friendly and helpful Tourist Information Office is on Ulice Sterio Georgiev, just a few metres from the clock tower (In June 2011 was closed). There is a tourist map billboard on the city square (at the river end of Shirok Sokak), but this appears to be the only tourist information in the city out-of-season. Old Bazaar – even though it is smaller than the one in Skopje, the bazaar in Bitola is cleaner and much more taken care of, so it is the most beautiful old bazaar in Macedonia. It has pleasant small squares with water fountains and many Ottoman monuments in and around it. A large portion of the old bazaar was demolished in the 1950s for the city square to be built. Fortunately the main monuments were left standing. Shirok Sokak Street (official name Maršal Tito) A pedestrian street lined with nice colourful romantic and neo-classical buildings. It is divided into three parts and even though the first part has the best preserved buildings it is worth walking all the way to the end. The street is very lively and lined with cafes which are excellent for relaxing and people-watching, especially since the girls from Bitola are known as the most beautiful in Macedonia and they love to parade up and down the street dressed in their sunday best. In the first section check out the Catholic Cathedral. Shirok Sokak ends with the old barracks, where the military academy where Ataturk studied was situated, and which today serves as the city museum. Opposite it stands the ball hall. Across the street as a continuance of Shirok Sokak the City Park stands, where the old Sokolana (physical education building) for the students of the former military academy is situated. For more nice houses walk in the streets left of Shirok Sokak, especially Duro Dakovik Street and see the building of the Bitola eparchy and visit. Bitola.
