Gostivar is city in the Republic of Macedonia, located in the upper Polog region.Gostivar is situated on the foothills of one of the most important mountains in the region: Šar Planina mountain.

Tourism, attractions

As you leave Gostivar, on the way to Kičevo and Ohrid, in the Vrutok village is the gorge of the biggest river in Macedonia, Vardar, that is 388 km long and flows in the Aegean Sea, at Thessaloniki. Gostivar is one of the biggest settlements in the Polog valley. The Polog valley can be observed from the high lands of Mavrovo and Galicnik, seeing the villages scattered through the valley like some kind of beautiful mosaic.
Some 26 km from Gostivar is located one of the best Ski - Resorts in Macedonia "Zare Lazarevski" in the Mavrovo National Park. Mavrovo is an interesting tourists attraction with unique natural beauties. This tourist centre is believed to be one of the most beautiful tourist attractions in Macedonia.
Šar Planina (Shar mountain) is one of the most important Alpine mountain ranges in Macedonia together with neighbouring Mount Korab and Bistra mountains. At summer time, Šar Planina can be described as an ocean of grass. In fact, Shar mountain is considered the largest compact area covered with pastures on the European Continent.
Located in the north-western part of Macedonia, Popova Shapka is one of the most popular winter ski resorts in the country. It is situated on the beautiful Šar Planina, 1780 meters above the sea level, just 35 kilometres from the capital Skopje.