Bitola

Understand

thumb|350px|Neo-classical buildings in Bitola Bitola is quite nice, and it is favourite city for the Macedonians, since it has the most European atmosphere. It was a seat of consuls in the 19th century and with them they brought the European culture and influenced the local aristocracy, who started living in European fashion and building their houses in mixed neo-classical styles. Bitola is a nice place to visit since Pelister National Park is close, the ancient city of Heraklea is there, it has nice Ottoman architecture and 19th-century romantic architecture, so some good examples of everything. It can all be done in a day including enjoying coffee on Shirok Sokak, but you have to put aside a separate day for Pelister National Park.

The friendly and helpful Tourist Information Office is on Ulice Sterio Georgiev, just a few metres from the clock tower (though it has at times been 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 (October 2011).

Get around

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.

See

280px|thumb|Head of the Clock Tower and the Yeni Mosque minaret thumb|280px|Magnolia Square thumb|280px|Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on Širok Sokak Bitola has been a major city in this region for most of its history, evidenced by ancient Macedonian and Roman ruins, a significant bazaar and other Ottoman monuments, multiple military cemeteries, a dozen consulates, and important churches. The city is known for having perhaps the most neoclassical architecture in North Macedonia, giving it a more European feel than elsewhere in the country. thumb|280px|Church of St Demetrius thumb|280px|Overview of Heraclea Lyncestis, with the portico and theatre in the distance thumb|280px|A typical street of the Old Bazaar, on a Sunday thumb|280px|Gazi Haydar Kadi Mosque

Buy

Wide Alley (Macedonian: Sirok Sokak) or Marshal Tito is the street where you will find any kind of clothes, books, wines, antique items and jewelry, and decorations for home.

Eat

Bitola also has a good selection of bars, pubs and restaurants with fair prices.

Drink

Try local beers: Skopsko and Zlaten dab (Golden Oak), local brandy called "rakija" (Antika, Antika 5, Bovin). Macedonia is famous for its wines, and you should never leave the country without trying or buying. There are a lot of varietal wines such as Merlot, Pinot Noar, Riesling, but you should try the local ones red wine Vranec and white ones Traminec and Temjanika.

Produced in North Macedonia, the Vranec wine T'ga za Jug is semi-dry and ruby-red in colour. It has been described as being similar in taste to the Italian or Californian Barbera. You can have it in Special selection or Limited edition.

Go next

thumb|250px|Mt Pelister, a part of the Baba mountain range that overlooks Bitola Pelister National Park Brajčino Prilep — about 45 km NE. Several buses a day (130 den, or €2). A taxi is about €10. Florina — some taxi drivers are not willing to go from Bitola to Greece. Macedonian taxi drivers need a green card to enter Greece which they obtain for a fee. Many are not prepared to pay this fee and so cannot provide the service. (See more details under Florina). Mariovo — Novaci Municipality covers a large portion of this historic region, now largely deserted.