It often happens that large crowds form at border crossings to Greece during the summer season. There are no rules or a sure way to avoid the crowd, but a general piece of advice is to avoid traveling on weekends and before holidays. Typically, there are fewer crowds at night and at alternative border crossings. This last statement does not always hold true, as sometimes there are crowds even at alternative crossings.

For a trip to the Ionian coast during the high season, we would use the border crossing at Medzitlija - Niki, for traveling to Halkidiki Dojran, and for traveling to Thassos, Promahonas or Exochi (via Bulgaria). An increasing number of our people are using the Dojran border crossing and simultaneously taking a break there for an overnight stay.

There are three options for reaching Dojran:

  1. Exit at Demir Kapija and then take the old road through Udovo and Valandovo to reach Dojran. The length of this road is 61km, the drive takes an hour, and the road is excellent.
  2. Take the new highway to Smokvica where you exit, and then drive through the village of Marvinci to Valandovo and Dojran. The length of this section is 65km, the drive takes 55 minutes, and the road is excellent.
  3. Take the new highway to Gevgelija, where you exit and drive through the town of Bogdanci to Dojran. The length of the journey is 74km, it takes about an hour, but the road is in worse condition, so we recommend that you use the first or second option.

If you are taking a break on your way to Greece, Dojran can be an excellent place for that. The place is located on the shore of Lake Dojran, one of the three major lakes in North Macedonia. The place is popular during the summer season, so you will find plenty of children’s activities, a long promenade along the coast, many restaurants, and cafes. Overall, a stay in Dojran can be a very pleasant break on the way to Greece.

As this place is becoming increasingly popular, there is a growing choice of accommodations every year. From our guests, we always receive excellent reviews for Villa Stefani in Stari Dojran. You can contact the owners of the villa directly through the website.

The place has a large number of restaurants, and local recommendations include the restaurants ‘‘Fuk Tak” and “Graniko”. The most famous local specialties are carp from Lake Dojran and roe meatballs, while the specialty of “Fuk Tak” restaurant is fish soup. At the ‘‘Vavilon” pizzeria, you can try excellent pastrmajlija. We have written about Macedonian pastrmajlija here.

There are several bakeries and fast-food kiosks in the village. A Macedonian grilled specialty is the šarska pljeskavica, something similar to our stuffed burger.

Food prices are lower than in Serbia and Greece.

Once you cross the border, there is a Free Shop on the Greek side. According to our members, working hours are half a week from 9-18h and half a week from 9-21h. It is open 24 hours on Sundays.
Opening hours:
Sunday: open 24 hours,
Monday: 09:00–18:00,
Tuesday: 09:00–21:00,
Wednesday: 09:00–18:00,
Thursday: 09:00–21:00,
Friday: 09:00–21:00,
Saturday: 09:00–18:00.

After a lovely evening spent in Dojran, you can continue towards Greece. If you are heading to Thassos and Kavala and enjoy exploring new landscapes, you can go through Lake Kerkini. We have written about it here.

Read about the toll and other costs of traveling to Greece HERE.

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