MŽ trains

MŽ, short for Makedonski Železnici, is North Macedonia's national railway operator. It runs the country's domestic passenger trains from a network centred on Skopje, the capital, with lines running south to Gevgelija, southwest to Bitola through Veles and Prilep, and north to Kumanovo and Tabanovci. This is a modest network by European standards. There's no separate premium or high-speed brand: domestic trains are simply Skopje's regional and express passenger services.

You won't need to book ahead for domestic North Macedonian trains. Seat reservations aren't required on the country's regional services, and that includes journeys covered by an Interrail or Eurail pass. A small supplement can apply on the faster domestic express trains for pass holders, so it's worth asking at the station if your service is one of them, but this isn't the compulsory reservation system you'll find in neighbouring countries.

International rail travel through North Macedonia is more limited than the map suggests. The historic Corridor X line, which links Belgrade in Serbia to Thessaloniki in Greece via Skopje, has been the main route for cross-border rail traffic in the region. In the current timetable, ongoing construction work on this line means there's no through international train service to either Belgrade or Thessaloniki. Older guides and some booking tools still list this corridor as if it runs end to end. Don't take that at face value. Confirm current cross-border availability with MŽ or a European rail forum before you build a route through North Macedonia, and be ready to use a bus connection for the affected legs.

Both Interrail and Eurail sell a North Macedonia one-country pass, and the country is also included on the Global Pass. Interrail passes are for European residents; if you live outside Europe, you'll use a Eurail pass instead, though both work the same way on MŽ's network. Because reservations aren't the main issue here, your real planning task is confirming which cross-border services are actually running before you build them into an itinerary.

Prices for MŽ tickets are set in Macedonian denar (MKD). If you're buying a point-to-point ticket rather than travelling on a pass, budget in denar and pay at the station, since Skopje is the natural starting point for most journeys around the country.

Because North Macedonia sees far fewer international rail travellers than its western Balkan neighbours, don't expect English-language signage or online booking to match what you'd find on MÁV or ÖBB. Buy tickets in person at the station rather than assuming a website will work, and build in extra time for connections, since domestic services run on a modest, largely single-track network rather than a dense timetable. If you're combining North Macedonia with a wider Balkan itinerary, treat this as the slower, more improvised leg of the trip rather than the smooth international link the old Corridor X route once offered.