Skopje offers two cities in one: the Ottoman old bazaar and the surreal neo-baroque construction project that has colonised the modern centre. The Čaršija (Old Bazaar) is the essential Skopje experience — a genuine working quarter of craft workshops, mosques, and hans that survived the 1963 earthquake. The new centre is worth seeing for its sheer audacity, particularly Macedonia Square with its enormous equestrian statue and the triumphal Porta Macedonia arch.
The Skopje Fortress (Kale) above the bazaar gives the best overview of the city and the Vardar River. The Museum of the Macedonian Struggle and the Holocaust Memorial Center are the most serious museums. The Memorial House of Mother Teresa, marking the birthplace of Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, is a pilgrimage point. The Mustafa Pasha Mosque and the Daut Pasha Baths are the finest Ottoman structures. The Skopje Aqueduct north of the city is an unexpectedly impressive ancient ruin.