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Bitola Travel Guide, Macedonia

Due to its wonderful landscapes offered by the surrounding hills and mountains, the emerald green valley of the Dragor River, captivating historic sites, Bitola attracts lots of tourists every year.

Bitola Travel guide – Location

Bitola is a Macedonian city located in the southern part of the country at the border with Greece. At a distance of only 32 miles from Ohrid, 67 miles from Skopje and 155 km to the Adriatic Sea, Bitola is a both tourist and economically significant city.

Bitola Travel guide – Geography

The city is located on the banks of the Dragor River surrounded by hills and glacial valleys and having an average height of 650m. Bitola offers diverse landscapes from one side to the other, a higher ground in the western part of the city and a lower, plain area in the east.

As a consequence of location and elevation the city has a temperate continental climate without any significant Mediterranean influences in spite of the nearby presence of the sea. There are four distinct seasons here with summers characterized by high temperatures and little rain, winters and springs with low temperatures and abundant rainfall.

The only water flow in the city is Dragor, a small river coming from the nearby Baba Mountain and flowing into the Crna River.

Bitola Travel guide – Flora and Fauna

The local flora is not quite the same as it used to be many years ago due to the intense industrial and agricultural activities many of the indigene species being replaced with cultivated ones. Still, some of the hilly areas are forested and one can find here species of oaks and on the banks of the river weeping willows, poplars and alders. Among the cultivated species the representative ones are the vineyards, vegetables, cereals and tobacco.

Fauna has suffered the same as a result of the human activities but we can still find some species of foxes, rabbits and turtles, frogs and raccoons in the wetlands areas.

Bitola Travel guide – Transports

Although an important Macedonian city, most Bitola travel guides state that it does not have its own international airport. You can reach the international airport of Ohrid, the nearest one at about 70 km away, and then travel to Bitola by bus or train. For getting around the city the most popular is the bus and the taxis or you can rent a car from the many local companies. There is also a small train station in the city connecting Bitola with other Macedonian cities and also with Greece’s nearest city, Lerin.

Bitola Travel guide – Population and Economy

Bitola numbers about 125.000 people among which 88% are Macedonians and the remaining percent is represented by other nationalities like Turks, Albanians, Serbians and more. The city is an important commercial and administrative center having as main activities agriculture, industry, tourism and banking. Foreign investments help transforming the city into a modern and more attracting one but still showing a high interest in keeping Bitola’s historic places intact.