Macedonia

Macedonia is a landlocked country to the north of Greece and to the south of Serbia. Macedonia gained independence peacefully from Yugoslavia in 1992, since which time it has started to work towards EU membership. The capital of Macedonia, Skopje, is situated in the north and is home to one of the country's two international airports, Skopje Airport - or Skopje Alexander The Great Airport, to give it its full name. The other international airport is Ohrid Airport, in the south of the country, which is named Ohrid St Paul The Apostle Airport. Both airports serve mainly central and northern European destinations.

Visitors to Macedonia will find that it offers a wide range of attractions. Skopje offers a blend of the historic and the modern; cobbled, Ottoman-era streets and historic buildings combine with modern hotels, cafes and shops to provide a vibrant and interesting experience.

Lakeside Ohrid offers a more relaxing pace of life - as well as a rich mixture of history. One of the oldest settlements in Europe (dating back to at least 353BC), it has been under both Ancient Greek and Roman rule in its time, leaving a rich architectural legacy. In the 9th century, Ohrid became home to the first Slavic university and throughout its history it has been an important trading post. Ohrid has hundreds of churches, monasteries and other historical buildings that have been preserved and now provide visitors with a fascinating glimpse into Macedonia's history.

It's not all history at Ohrid, however. Its lakeside location has made it something of an inland seaside resort for Macedonians. Lake Ohrid's sandy beaches combine with balmy summer weather and beautiful scenery to draw the visitors every year and hotels and accommodation remain cheap and plentiful around the lake. Both town and lake are UNESCO World Heritage locations and nature lovers will find that Ohrid makes an ideal base for exploring the nearby Galicica National Park, too.

Macedonia is also fast developing into a winter sports location - with ski resorts such as Popova Shapka, Mavrovo (whose lake is also popular for sailing in summer), Krushevo and Begova Chesma drawing increasing numbers of skiing fans.