Data for Skopje, Ohrid and the road between, installed before you arrive. North Macedonia is outside the EU roaming zone and on the Balkans plan and the Europe plan, so a trip that comes from Kosovo or goes on to Greece stays on one eSIM.
The North Macedonia plan covers North Macedonia only.
The same 10 GB in a package that keeps working past North Macedonia.
10 other countries share the package with North Macedonia. A few of them:
What's included, when it starts, and how to get connected.
Roam-like-at-home stops at the Greek and Bulgarian borders. Regional roaming agreements cover Western Balkan SIMs, not visitors. A package that covers the country and its neighbours is the simple answer — the Balkans plan for the region, the Europe plan if the trip continues into Greece or Bulgaria and on.
There is no useful train; buses from Skopje’s main station run several times a day and fill in summer, so buy the ticket the day before. In Ohrid the old town is walked, the lake is done by boat, and the monastery at Sveti Naum is a boat or a bus along the shore. Taxis in Skopje are cheap; agree the fare or make sure the meter runs.
The denar is the currency, and euros are taken by some hotels and tourist shops at a rate that favours them. Cards work in Skopje’s restaurants and hotels and in the better places in Ohrid; markets, buses, taxis and village guesthouses are cash. ATMs are easy to find in both cities. Prices are among the lowest in Europe.
The lake is swimmable from June to September and the town is full in the school holidays, with the Ohrid Summer Festival in July and August. Skopje is hot in high summer and pleasant in spring and autumn. Winter brings snow to Mavrovo and a small ski season.
The centre was rebuilt in a neoclassical style in the 2010s and divides opinion; the Old Bazaar across the stone bridge is Ottoman and genuine, with the best food in the city. Tap water is safe in the cities. A coffee at the lakeside in Ohrid costs about a euro.
North Macedonia is on the Balkans plan and on the Europe plan. Either covers Skopje, Ohrid and the road between; the difference is where the trip goes next. The Balkans plan carries on into Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece; the Europe plan into Greece, Bulgaria and the rest of the EU. The Prishtina–Skopje–Ohrid–Tirana loop many visitors drive fits the Balkans plan end to end.
Coverage follows the local network: strong in Skopje, Ohrid, Bitola and the towns, good on the main roads, and thin in the mountains of Mavrovo and Pelister and on the lake’s far shore, as it is for everyone.
Answers about data, coverage and setup for North Macedonia.
No. North Macedonia is outside the EU and the EEA, so roam-like-at-home does not apply and a European SIM charges its non-EU rate, capped by an agreement between the EU and the Western Balkan operators rather than free. The package on this page covers North Macedonia and, on the Balkans plan, the countries around it; on the Europe plan, Greece, Bulgaria and the EU as well.
In Ohrid town, Struga and along the eastern shore, yes, strongly. Out on the water the signal holds near the shore and fades towards the middle of the lake and the Albanian side, on any SIM; the mountain villages above Ohrid and the Galičica pass are patchy. Download the map and your boat booking before you leave the town.
Yes. Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece are all on the Balkans plan with North Macedonia, so the phone picks up a partner network a minute or two after each border and the allowance carries on. On the Europe plan, Greece and Bulgaria are covered but Kosovo is not, so a route through Prishtina wants the Balkans plan. Check the list on this page against every stop.
