Everything you need to know before and during your stay in Struga, from entry rules and money to phone data, opening hours and a few useful words in the local languages.
📋 Quick facts
- Country: North Macedonia
- Currency: Macedonian denar (MKD)
- Languages: Macedonian, Albanian
- Time zone: CET (UTC+1), summer UTC+2
- Emergency: 112
- Electricity: 230 V, plug type C/F
- Driving: on the right
- Tap water: safe to drink
🛂 Border Formalities & Visa Requirements
- Visa-free entry for citizens of the EU, UK, USA, Canada, Australia and many other countries, for up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
- EU citizens can usually enter with a valid national ID card; others need a passport.
- Nationals of countries not on the visa-free list must apply at a Macedonian embassy or consulate before travelling.
- Passports should be valid for at least 3 months beyond your stay.
- Customs: declare cash over €10,000 or equivalent. Duty-free allowances include about 200 cigarettes, 1 litre of spirits and personal items.
- Tip: rules can change, so check the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or your embassy before you travel.
🚑 Healthcare & Safety
- Emergency number: 112. You can also call police 192, fire brigade 193 and ambulance 194.
- Facilities: Struga has a general hospital, private clinics and many pharmacies (look for the green cross); at least one pharmacy is on night duty.
- Insurance: North Macedonia is not part of the EU, so the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is generally not valid; some countries have bilateral agreements. Travel insurance with medical cover is strongly recommended.
- Safety: Struga is a safe, friendly town. Use normal precautions: licensed taxis, keep an eye on valuables in busy places, and take care when swimming.
📱 Mobile & Connectivity
- Electricity: 230 V, 50 Hz, European two-pin plugs (type C/F).
- Roaming: North Macedonia is not part of the EU “roam like at home” area, so data from EU and other foreign SIM cards can be expensive. Check your operator’s tariffs before you go.
- Local SIM cards: A1 and Makedonski Telekom sell prepaid packages with generous data (roughly €5–10); bring your passport to buy one. An eSIM is another easy option.
- Wi-Fi: free in most hotels, cafés and restaurants.
🍽 Water & Food
- Tap water is safe to drink; bottled water is cheap and widely available.
- Cuisine: fresh lake fish, grilled meats, seasonal vegetables, cheese, bean stews (tavče gravče) and pastries such as burek.
- Vegetarian and international options are available in most restaurants.
- Tipping: around 10% in restaurants is appreciated; rounding up is common in cafés and taxis.
🕘 Opening Hours
- Shops: usually 08:00–20:00 (Mon–Sat); supermarkets often until 22:00, some also open on Sundays.
- Restaurants & cafés: often open until midnight in summer.
- Museums: generally 09:00–16:00/17:00, closed on Mondays; check each museum’s current hours.
- Banks & post offices: 08:00–16:00 on weekdays, some banks also on Saturday mornings.
- Public holidays: many shops and offices close on national and religious holidays.
💶 Currency
- Official currency: Macedonian denar (MKD). Euros are sometimes accepted, but prices are in denars and change is given in denars.
- Banknotes: 10, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000 and 5000 MKD.
- Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10 and 50 denars.
- Exchange: banks and exchange offices (menuvačnica) usually offer better rates than hotels.
- ATMs: widely available in the centre; Visa and Mastercard are accepted.
- Payments: cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants and larger shops; keep cash for taxis, small cafés, buses and markets.
🗣 Local & Official Language
- The official languages in Struga are Macedonian and Albanian.
- Turkish and Aromanian (Vlach) are also spoken, reflecting the town’s multicultural character.
- English is widely understood in hotels, restaurants and tourist services, especially by younger people.
A few useful words (Macedonian / Albanian):
- Hello: Zdravo / Përshëndetje
- Thank you: Blagodaram / Faleminderit
- Please: Ve molam / Ju lutem
- Yes / No: Da, Ne / Po, Jo
- Good morning: Dobro utro / Mirëmëngjes
- Goodbye: Prijatno / Mirupafshim
Locals appreciate it when visitors try a word or two, so don’t be shy!
🧭 More travel info
- Travel to Struga: by air, bus, car and taxi.
- Bus, Taxi and Rent a car: getting around.