More and more tourists traveling from Serbia to the Ionian coast and the Ionian islands (Lefkada, Kefalonia…) are choosing the Niki/Medzhitlija border crossing instead of Bogorodica/Evzoni.

For everyone traveling to Lefkada, Parga, Sivota this summer, there is great news.

In North Macedonia, the Fariš–Drenovo expressway (10.2 km) has been opened, which, together with the previously completed Gradsko–Drenovo section (15.5 km), connects the eastern and western parts of the country - without the need to pass through Skopje, thus shortening the journey.

This new route:

  • shortens the journey to Medzhitlija,
  • avoids the most congested Bogorodica and Dojran crossings,
  • enables faster, safer and more comfortable transit through Macedonia.

The travel time from Prilep to Skopje is now about 1 hour and 20 minutes, and the entire route is made up of a modern road with tunnels through the mountain range - one of the most demanding routes in the country.

The new route to the Ionian coast looks like this:

  • Entering Macedonia at Tabanovac.
  • Highway A1/E75 (Skopje–Veles–Gradsko).
  • At the town of Gradsko - turn onto the new expressway.
  • Expressway Gradsko–Drenovo–Prilep (new 25+ km with tunnels).
  • From Prilep, the route continues towards Bitola.
  • Further to the Medžitlija border crossing, which leads to Greece (towards Florina, and then to Lefkada, Parga, Sivota…).

Instead of crowds at classic crossings, you can use the Medžitlija border crossing (near Bitola) and then enjoy a less busy and faster route to the Greek coast.

There are conflicting opinions about whether it is a better or worse option, and we will list some advantages and disadvantages.

The road via Evzoni to the Ionian coast is about 40 km longer, but it is significantly better, almost the entire length is a highway, so you can reach your destination in about an hour and thirty minutes faster than if you go via Niki.

As an advantage of driving via Niki, we would mention a new experience and the opportunity to visit Ohrid and Bitola in North Macedonia and Edessa in Greece along the way and enjoy beautiful and new landscapes both through North Macedonia and through Greece, which we wrote about here.

According to the experience of many of our tourists, the Niki border crossing during the season is not as crowded as the Evzoni border crossing, so this crossing is often a way to avoid the crowds at Evzoni.

Upon entering Greece, drive along an excellent main road that looks like a highway all the way to Kozani, where you join the Kozani–Igoumenitsa highway (Egnatia odos) and continue on.

If you decide to use the Niki crossing yourself this year, you need to turn off for Prilep after the third ramp in Macedonia, to which you will have a 50 km drive on a two-lane regional road (one on the way back). There are both plains and passes on this section. Later, the road from Prilep to Bitola is somewhat better and passes through the plains the entire time.

Bitola is the administrative, university, economic, industrial and cultural center and the second largest city in North Macedonia. Bitola’s history is one of the oldest in Europe.

In addition, Bitola is a very beautiful city, with long promenades, interesting architecture, a beautiful park in the city center. It is also a great place to spend the night on the way to the Ionian coast. You can find accommodation in hotels in the walking area. From Bitola to the border and the North Macedonian border crossing Medzitlija is about 20km.

Once you enter Greece you can reach the highway via Kozani or through one of Greece’s most beautiful towns in Kastoria. It is located on the lake and is one of the options for lodging to the destination crane.

All in all, in our opinion, the better option for traveling to the Ionian coast is Evzoni, for the simple reason that the journey is shorter in just over an hour. The only reason we would possibly go over Bitola is because of the traffic jams of Evzoni, which are not usually found at the Niki border crossing.

However, we would always choose Niki for our return trip, mostly because of the on-the-go tours, so if you have a day or two available, be sure to take this route at least once on your return. A trip via Niki can be the most beautiful part of your trip.

Kastoria will delight you with its lake and mountains. Edessa, the city of water, is also a city that should not be bypassed. Impressive waterfalls, beautiful nature, interesting position, promenade, liveliness …

We wrote about Edessa here.

And then in North Macedonia the beautiful Ohrid, the Galicica National Park, the spring of the Drim river that literally left us without text, the monastery of St. Naum, Prespa Lake, the town of Bitola… Depending on your organization, you can also visit these beautiful places on the way to the sea, but then usually everyone rushes to get there as soon as possible :)

We also stopped in Krusevo and visited the mausoleum of Tose Proeski (late famous Balkan singer), grave and monastery, which also left a strong impression on us.

Whichever route you choose, we wish you a happy journey!