Stobi
4.5
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4.5
85 reviews
Excellent
51
Very good
27
Average
6
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Film G
New England1,051 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
We had a wonderful tour, with our guide being friendly and well informed. Excellent English. Large and diverse site, with an Isis temple, houses, an amphitheater, a basilica, baptistery, and even a synagogue. Built and abandoned by the Romans, this is one of the best such sites in North Macedonia. Clean toilet.
Written 15 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nataliegoes
Maslin Beach, Australia250 contributions
Aug 2011 • Friends
Stobi is a well documented, well controlled site. The archeologists are carefully conserving this site and doing it properly with current methods. They think that they have only uncovered a tenth of the potential size of the old, abandoned Roman city. The location is not one of the prettier parts of Macedonia, but the history makes up for it. The best part of our visit was going on the free tour. Our guide spoke in both English and Macedonian. Her explanations really enhanced our understanding of what we were looking at. Some of the highlights were the baths and the mosaics.
Written 27 August 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Retired_Miami
Miami, FL347 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
Our local guide did a fab job in explaining this archaeological site. She was gracious in answering all questions, taking our photos, and beautiful. Walking this site was one of the highlights of our trip to Macedonia.
Written 20 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
montgomcl
Florence, SC26 contributions
Sept 2019
I highly recommend this tour. The ruins of the houses tell you quite a lot about life inside the walls, and the guides are very knowledgeable and helpful. It's really a hidden (and maybe underfunded?) gem of history in North Macedonia.
Written 17 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Daniela S
Tremelo, Belgium916 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
but it's my experience. I was very curious and it was very hot.
One thing is sure : the mosaics were very beautiful : very complicated models, peacocks, deers, etc.
I tried very hard to imagine how Paeonia looked like during the reign of Alexander the Great...my imagination was melted by the harsh sun. I'll look it up in the book over Alexander's enormous empire.
The amphitheater, it seems to me, is not as big as the one in Ohrid...maybe I'm wrong, the archaeologists might tell me..
One thing is sure : the mosaics were very beautiful : very complicated models, peacocks, deers, etc.
I tried very hard to imagine how Paeonia looked like during the reign of Alexander the Great...my imagination was melted by the harsh sun. I'll look it up in the book over Alexander's enormous empire.
The amphitheater, it seems to me, is not as big as the one in Ohrid...maybe I'm wrong, the archaeologists might tell me..
Written 22 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
olympus h
greece81 contributions
Jun 2013 • Friends
- Preparation: Be prepared with some background information before you get there.
- Location: Next to E-75 highway and close to Gradsko village. An hour drive from Skopje and an hour drive from the Greek border.
- Admission cost: Not expensive. It was worth every dinar of the cost of entry.
- Duration of visit: I spent an hour there and managed to see everything.
- Site description: Adequate Signage about what the ruins represent.
- At the ticket booth you can buy souvenirs and postcards.
- Recommendations: Take a bottle of water and a hat for the sun (in the summer). Wear comfortable shoes!
- Location: Next to E-75 highway and close to Gradsko village. An hour drive from Skopje and an hour drive from the Greek border.
- Admission cost: Not expensive. It was worth every dinar of the cost of entry.
- Duration of visit: I spent an hour there and managed to see everything.
- Site description: Adequate Signage about what the ruins represent.
- At the ticket booth you can buy souvenirs and postcards.
- Recommendations: Take a bottle of water and a hat for the sun (in the summer). Wear comfortable shoes!
Written 9 November 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Angelika N
Melbourne, Australia22 contributions
Oct 2012 • Family
If you have even the slightest interest in ancient history or the slightest curiosity of what might be hidden buried under the soil, then you must make a trip to Stobi. Centrally located (as it was in ancient times), it is reachable from wherever in the country you happen to be, so you have no excuse.
The history of Stobi as a living city stretches from the 7th-6th centuries BC to the 6th century AD, in which time it existed under the auspices of the Roman Empire and later kings and became an important Episcopal seat under the new state religion, Christianity. How such an important and central location disappeared under the fields for so many centuries is curious, but Stobi was not discovered again until 1861, when walls, columns and astonishingly beautiful mosaics were uncovered by French historian and traveller Leon Heuzey, who must have been thrilled.
The site is rather large, with several sites of excavation cordoned off (to an extent) between which we were led in a tour group. There are signs at all the points of interest in both Macedonian and English to help you recognise what you are looking at and the tours can be presented in Macedonian or English. We found the tour guide who showed us around to be
genuinely involved and passionate about the history he was presenting and explained things very well.
The excavation sites have uncovered lavish private villas, public baths, other public buildings, a theatre and some very early churches (when we visited they were still busy excavating what is one of the earliest churches in the region). Plenty of carved stones and columns to look at but the highlights are definitely the beautiful mosaics, the most beautiful and well preserved of which is that surrounding the early baptistry. This mosaic is famous and features on the ten denar note.
You do have to pay entry to the site, which helps in the work being done there, the maintenance and the tour guides, and is not too high a price to way to see what has been uncovered. Souvenir trinkets and postcards are available at the ticket booth as well as some very good T-shirts.
The history of Stobi as a living city stretches from the 7th-6th centuries BC to the 6th century AD, in which time it existed under the auspices of the Roman Empire and later kings and became an important Episcopal seat under the new state religion, Christianity. How such an important and central location disappeared under the fields for so many centuries is curious, but Stobi was not discovered again until 1861, when walls, columns and astonishingly beautiful mosaics were uncovered by French historian and traveller Leon Heuzey, who must have been thrilled.
The site is rather large, with several sites of excavation cordoned off (to an extent) between which we were led in a tour group. There are signs at all the points of interest in both Macedonian and English to help you recognise what you are looking at and the tours can be presented in Macedonian or English. We found the tour guide who showed us around to be
genuinely involved and passionate about the history he was presenting and explained things very well.
The excavation sites have uncovered lavish private villas, public baths, other public buildings, a theatre and some very early churches (when we visited they were still busy excavating what is one of the earliest churches in the region). Plenty of carved stones and columns to look at but the highlights are definitely the beautiful mosaics, the most beautiful and well preserved of which is that surrounding the early baptistry. This mosaic is famous and features on the ten denar note.
You do have to pay entry to the site, which helps in the work being done there, the maintenance and the tour guides, and is not too high a price to way to see what has been uncovered. Souvenir trinkets and postcards are available at the ticket booth as well as some very good T-shirts.
Written 1 December 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
swampbeastie
Accrington, UK328 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
Just off the motorway, the ruined city of Stobi is well worth an hour of your time. Well preserved mosaics and various Roman buildings with much more to be excavated.
No refreshments on sale when we visited, which seemed to be missing a trick.
No refreshments on sale when we visited, which seemed to be missing a trick.
Written 28 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ukienomad
Fleming Island, FL6,710 contributions
Sept 2019 • Friends
Never realized how many archeological sites there are here and this one is the most famous in Macedonia and about 15 km from the town of Kavadarci. It contains 26 buildings, a synagogue, palaces, houses and bath houses for men and women, a theatre and even a casino where supposedly a priest lived at one time. To date, it’s only been excavated 20% and it’s amazing already. I can imagine how its going to look like 10 years from now. It’s definitely worth the trip here. Make sure you get a tour guide to explain the history of this amazing ruin. There is a tiny tiny gift shop with a few items.
Written 11 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lindsaykupf
Oslo, Norway61 contributions
Aug 2019 • Couples
We had trouble finding the site as it is poorly directed. It is.literally between 2 big roads. The site makes an effort by providing a free audioguide but it is not so engaging. Regardless the site is fantastic and you get a feel for life in Stobi under the Roman Empire. I would just recommend going later in the day as there is no shade.
Written 3 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Just wondering what a good time frame would be to see the ruins? We'd like to go to a winery for lunch but don't want to be rushing around. Would 1 hour be enough for this place or should I allow for 2? Also, we're going end of March, will tour guides be available during this time at the site itself?
Thank you!!
Written 24 February 2020
Can anyone offer a tour to Stobi, I don’t know which agency to use?
Written 5 October 2019
We use viator a lot and have had great success in every country we’ve been to. Also, google free tours in stobi. The free tours are the best. They usually have very passionate knowledgeable individuals that do them. It’s tips only. Never had a bad free tour. You won’t go wrong with either one or both. Have fun.
Written 5 October 2019
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