The Clock Tower
The tallest of Kratovo's medieval stone towers, later given a clock and a bell stage
Look for the absence of stairs at ground level; these towers were built to be hard to get into.
Old TownClock TowerMedieval Mining
Kratovo, North Macedonia
Ideal: 1 dayBest: Apr–Jun, Sep–OctPrice: Inexpensive
In 60 seconds
Kratovo in 60 seconds
Kratovo sits in the bowl of an extinct volcano, and the town has grown down the sides of it and across the ravines at the bottom. Mediaeval mining money paid for a set of tall stone towers — more than any other town in the country, of which six still stand, the best known now carrying a clock — and for the carved stone bridges that stitch the quarters together above the stream. Nothing here is on a large scale and very little has been tidied up, which is why Kratovo is the most unexpected townscape in North Macedonia. The volcanic country around it holds the eroded earth pillars of Kuklica and the rock-cut site of Cocev Kamen.
Stone TowersArched BridgesVolcanic CraterMedieval MiningStone Dolls
Best for
Known for
- Six surviving medieval stone towers, the largest group of its kind in North Macedonia
- The Clock Tower, the tallest of them, adapted to carry a clock in the modern era
- Carved stone arched bridges crossing the ravines between the town's quarters
- A setting inside the bowl of an extinct volcano, which shapes every street in the town
- Kuklica, the field of eroded earth pillars known as the Stone Dolls, a short drive away
Skip if
You need museums, restaurants or anything organised; Kratovo is a half-day of walking and looking.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Kratovo fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
The surviving towers
Six stone towers standing among the houses on both banks of the ravine
Walk between them rather than to them; the point is how casually they sit among ordinary houses.
Old TownDefensive ArchitectureOld Town
The stone bridges
Carved stone arches over the Kratovska stream, the best known called Rada's Bridge
Cross Rada's Bridge and then look back up at it from the streambed; that is the view worth having.
Old TownArched BridgesRavine
Kuklica (the Stone Dolls)
Field of eroded volcanic earth pillars capped with harder rock, a short drive from town
Go in low light, when the pillars throw shadows and look as much like figures as the name promises.
KuklicaErosion PillarsStone Dolls
Eat
Where to eat
A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?
More places to eat
Too few picks yet for their own heading, so they share this list.
Kratovo town kitchens
InexpensiveA few small restaurants near the centre serving grills and regional home cooking
Choice is limited and prices are low; ask what is cooked that day rather than reading a menu.
Old TownGrill HouseHome Cooking
Kratovo square cafés
InexpensiveCafés on the small central square below the towers
Where everyone in Kratovo ends up; sit outside and the whole town walks past within an hour.
Old TownCoffeeSmall Town
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Cocev Kamen
Volcanic rock outcrop with cut chambers, steps and basins, used from prehistory onward
Unsigned, unfenced and genuinely odd; the cut steps and seats are what make the visit.
Šopsko RudarePrehistoryRock-Cut Site
The old mine galleries
Traces of the medieval gold and silver workings that paid for the towers
Ask locally before going near any of them; the point is understanding where the towers' money came from.
Around KratovoGalleriesIndustry
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Old Town
The crater floor and its sides: towers, bridges, stepped lanes and the central square
The whole town is the sight, and it takes about two hours to walk properly.
Old TownStepped Lanes
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Kratovo town
A small number of guesthouses in the old town, some in restored stone houses
Very limited, and most people come for the day from Skopje; book ahead if you do want to stay.
GuesthousesQuiet
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting There
- Kratovo is about 1 hr 15 min east of Skopje by car; buses run but infrequently, so a car is easier.
- Getting Around
- The town is walked, steeply. Kuklica and Cocev Kamen are short drives on minor roads.
- Currency
- Macedonian Denar (MKD). Bring cash; card acceptance in the town is patchy.
- Towers
- Most towers are seen from the outside only; interior access depends on local arrangement.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- Antiquity
A settlement called Kratiskara is recorded in the volcanic basin, on the route between the Vardar and the Morava.
- Middle Ages
Gold, silver and lead mining made the town wealthy, and its merchant families built the stone towers.
- Ottoman period
The towers were kept, some used to store ore, and the stone bridges were built and rebuilt over the ravines.
- Modern era
Mining declined and the town shrank, leaving the towers and bridges standing among ordinary houses.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Skopje
The capital, with its Ottoman bazaar, hill fortress and monumental centre
Kratovo is almost always visited from Skopje, and a day trip is the right length.
1 hr 15 min drive westCapitalFortress
Berovo & Maleševo
Pine-forested highland in the far east, with a lake, monasteries and long ridge walks
A long drive, and the natural pairing if you are working your way through the eastern half of the country.
2 hr drive south-eastBerovo LakeHighland