Lake Ohrid
★ 4.8🇲🇰 OhridSuggested visit 1-2 daysBest season May to September, when the lake is warm enough to swim
World HeritageLakeHistoric site
Among the oldest lakes in the Balkans, paired with a lakeside town of ancient churches as a mixed World Heritage Site.
Overview
Straddling the border with Albania and about three million years old, Lake Ohrid is among Europe's oldest and deepest lakes, with as many as two hundred endemic species. The old town on its shore is dense with Byzantine churches and Ottoman buildings, and the church of St John at Kaneo on its cliff is the defining image of North Macedonia. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979.
History
In the 9th and 10th centuries Ohrid was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire and a centre of Slavic Orthodox culture, said to have once held 365 churches.
Highlights
- •The church of St John at Kaneo
- •The ancient theatre of Ohrid
- •Samuel's Fortress
- •The lakeside old town and its pearl workshops
Practical tips
- •The lakeside path is made for an evening walk
- •Boats run to the monastery of Saint Naum
Practical information
- Best time
- May-September
- Tickets
- The old town is free; the fortress about MKD 200
- Opening hours
- Old town open all day
- Local food
- Ohrid trout, ajvar, cheese pie
- Getting around
- About three hours by bus from Skopje.
- Visa
- Visa-free for stays up to 90 days with a valid passport.
Traveller reviews
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