The 14-day bicycle tour of northern Macedonia and northern Greece begins in the town of Ohrid, also called the "Pearl of the Balkans. The first 4 days you will cycle through northern Macedonia in a southeastern direction to the border with Greece. On the 3rd day you will spend the night at the 700-year-old monastery of Sveti Naum. The cycling routes go via Ohrid and Prespa lakes to the foothills of Pelister National Park. Just before the border with Greece, you will pass the historic town of Bitola. During Ottoman rule, Bitola was the trading city of the Balkans.

The 1st overnight location in Greece is the town of Florina, located at the foothills of the Pelister Mountains. On the way to the lake area at Agios Panteleimon, you will pass one of the 4 best wine regions in the world. On the way to Kastoria, the route passes several natural areas with rare bird species.

During the rest day in Kastoria, it is great to relax on the many terraces on the promenade. The route then continues south through sleepy villages and a beautiful natural area to the old trading town of Grevena. Grevena is located in the middle of nature and surrounded by rivers, waterfalls and an ancient forest.

The last part of the cycling trip continues south to the region of Thessaly through the valley of the Pinios River, to Kalambaka, located at the foot of Meteora. Meteora, one of the most extraordinary monuments in the world and also the highlight of this cycling trip. The unique and impressive rock formations with ancient monasteries on top make it a truly surreal spectacle.

This cycling vacation concludes with a visit to the Greek port city of Thessaloniki, named after Alexander the Great's sister. Thessaloniki has many historical monuments, as well as Aristotle Square with many terraces, not to mention the Ladadika neighborhood with an array of traditional restaurants.

Southwestern northern Macedonia and northern Greece
Until the early 20th century, Macedonia was part of the Ottoman Empire. After the various Balkan wars, large parts of Macedonia were incorporated by the Serbs, Bulgarians and Greeks. The Greek district of "Macedonia" is a district that stretches across northern Greece and borders Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north. Today, the Greek district of Macedonia is home to some 2.5 million residents who are Greek and at the same time Macedonian (meaning "great man" in Greek). Macedonia was part of the former Yugoslavia and has been independent since 1991. The Republic of Macedonia has about two million inhabitants, most of whom live in the capital Skopje. The population consists mostly of ethnic Macedonians (65%), ethnic Albanians (25%) and about 4% are of Turkish origin.

Macedonia is officially called the Republic of Northern Macedonia as of February 2019. The name Northern Macedonia was a compromise in a years-long struggle with Greece. That country insisted on a new name because a province in northern Greece is also called Macedonia.

Northern Macedonia itself and the district of Macedonia in northern Greece are both great "unknowns" when it comes to cycling. Strange when you consider that these areas contain all the ingredients for a great cycling vacation! Beautiful cycling areas with rich culture and history, good roads, unspoiled nature and warm-hearted people. In short, an absolute must to explore these areas by bicycle.