Valandovo offers different ways to explore its history and landscapes: Roman mosaics stand alongside Iron Age burial practices, while long-standing festivals reveal a distinctive cultural side. There is also the Sveti Gjorgji Monastery and the waterfalls on Belasica. When planning your trip, you can first decide whether to focus on archaeology, a festival date or the landscape.
The town, the valley and regional orientation
The town of Valandovo lies at the foot of Mount Plavush, partly arranged like an amphitheatre on a slope, at an elevation of 110 to 150 metres. At the municipal level, Valandovo lies in the Valandovo Valley, characterised by a strong Mediterranean climate influence, warm days and fertile land. The Vardar highway, also called Via Axia, runs through the municipality and serves as a regional reference point.
Archaeological traces from the Iron Age to the Roman period
The Valandovo Archaeological Complex contains extensive remains from Roman antiquity in all three zones. In Zone 1, a mosaic area of about 200 square metres was discovered in the north-western part of the town. Stakina Cesma, near Valandovo, is another Roman site. A palace and several rooms with exclusive mosaics in opus sectile and opus tessellatum were discovered there. The site has not yet been sufficiently explored.
At Melezik, in the village of Dedeli, there is an Iron Age necropolis dating from the 7th to the 6th century BC. The burials include inhumations in stone cists and burials in large ceramic vessels—two different forms at the same site.
North-west of Valandovo, Isar Kula lies on a long, rocky mountain ridge with steep slopes. A defensive tower is still visible there and remains in good condition. The combination of the ridge-top location and the preserved tower gives this archaeological site a different profile from the sites with mosaics and burials.
A nearby archaeological destination
Nearby, Isar Marvinci is located 7 kilometres south-west of Valandovo, near the village of Marvinci. An ancient settlement and a necropolis can be seen at the site. Continuous habitation spans from the 7th century BC to the 6th century AD. In the area of the site, a prehistoric settlement developed during the Hellenistic period into an important economic, transport and cultural settlement in the region, known in antiquity as Amfaxitida.
The tourist trail on Mount Plavush is also one of the options near the town. Local residents use the existing path for hiking and cycling.
Festivals with different focuses
The HID-Bah Shen Festival has been held every year continuously since 1992, at the beginning of May, in the village of Chalakli near Valandovo. The four-day event includes folk performances, exhibitions of handicrafts and photography, concerts, theatre performances, traditional wrestling and a football tournament. Check the specific festival dates before your trip.
The Folk Fest Valandovo is also held every year in May and has been running continuously since 1985. Valandovo’s May calendar therefore includes two festival traditions with different histories: one festival takes place in Chalakli and combines a varied programme, while the other bears the town’s name.
The Valandovo Rakija Festival celebrates the centuries-old tradition of rakija production in the municipality. The festival date announced for 2026 is 8 November. The programme includes a competition for the best rakija, with awards for first, second and third place. Check the date before your trip; competition details may change between editions.
A sacred site and natural features
The Sveti Gjorgji Monastery is a religious sanctuary in a scenic setting on Mount Plavush, north-west of Valandovo. Its grounds are prepared for picnics, relaxation and recreation. The site thus combines religious significance with the explicitly stated use of its grounds for leisure and relaxation.
The municipality’s natural features include the Kochula Waterfalls and the Ring Waterfalls on the western side of Mount Belasica. Both groups of waterfalls are counted among the most attractive natural features of Valandovo Municipality. Together with the valley, the slope of Plavush and the archaeological sites, they illustrate the range of landscapes and historical themes that can shape a trip to Valandovo.
Discover more travel destinations: Valandovo, Bogovinje, Prilep, Struga, Kichevo, Mavrovo and Rostuša, Mogila, Staro Nagorichane.
For the main travel overview: Macedonia.
