Executive Summary: The town of Ohrid sits on the lake of Ohrid in the south-western part of North Macedonia. It is a cool town that warrants a visit for those stumbling around The Balkans but not for those flying cross world for a two week holiday. Cool vibes, good hikes and historic castle/churches as well as beach side restaurants but nothing super noteworthy.
Full analysis: Its hard not to like Ohrid but maybe hard to love with nothing to bring you back unless you live next door. It held a certain charm to it with an old fortress on the hill, a few older churches overlooking the lake, orange tiled roofed homes flowing down the hill leading to the stereotypical resort town catwalk, and a lone mosque in the outskirts. The beach front is unideal and overcramped but the hikes in and around the town and hanging out in lakeside cafes can be calming:
| Thing | Scale (0 = bad, 10 = Great) |
|---|---|
| Beaches | 3 |
| Geography | 7 |
| Architecture | 6 |
| Locals | 4 |
| Weather | 8 |
| Food/Drink | 7 |
| Travel Infrastructure | 6 |
| Parties | 6 |
| Chill out | 7 |
| History | 5 |
| Culture Uniqueness | 3 |
Overall: 5.7
Beaches – Most the lakeside experience is bumper to bumper towels and chairs in pebbly waterfront property or a few concrete slabs that offer a break from the crowds but little comforts. If you walk a bit to the backside of the main hill you’ll find less crowds but similar amounts of pebbles.
Geography – The lake is surrounded by some mini-mountains and hills which makes for great walks and hikes. Go to the Galichicha National Park for short day hikes and long day hikes depending on how much altitude you want to gain. The viewpoints are pretty amazing and have small villages mixed in making for a fun experience.
Architecture – The biggest draws are the old churches overlooking the lake and hilltop fortress (since the resorty lakefront square is pretty non-noteworthy). Pictured below are the orthodox churches and fortress walls. Wonder around each for a mix of history and just plain fun to gawk at buildings. The fortress walls can be summited and provide a vantage point to look out over the flatter interior, mountainous national park, and gorgeous lakes. Go at sunset for a selfie satisfying time of day. The churches are all situated on the hillside so walking around the forest paths can give difference vantage points to gaze over the churches with a lake backdrop.
Locals – I am guessing the local population of Ohrid is quite small and swells considerably with the tourist season. It’s certainly a hot spot for those from around the Balkans so there is not a western dominance in the area so those of us from other areas will basque in a foreign feel. Want something more culturally intoxicating? There are a few day trips that offer a chance to visit local villages that maintain older traditions such as unique cooking styles and dancing however much of this is for show and tourism but hey it’s still fun.
Weather – Great weather is to be expected most times of the year with summer reaching above 35 celsius which makes it hard to hike in the daytime but great for laying near the massive lake. Expect Greece like weather, since this is basically Greece’s interior. Side note: Although don’t tell the Macedonians I said that, there is some argument on the Greece versus Macedonian front, much of it in the name.
Food/Drink – Ample opportunities to drink at the bars of course and the local food is very tasty. Savory hardy meat stews is the local fare. They are cooked in clay pot and eat them with bread. Hard not to enjoy. Try the “Village Meat” dishes.
Travel Infrastructure: A fairly straight forward bus system connects Ohrid to the rest of Macedonia and neighboring Albania, Greece, and Bulgaria though much of the travel has to go back through the capital Skopje. You might encounter an embracive attitude from the bus counter but you’ll get what you need eventually.
Parties – There are some clubs in town and they are easy to find. The music picks up in the night time. The parties are not just for the clubbers, in the summer time there are Balkan traditional presentations that offer dancing and music from the other countries in the region that are better for the not 18 to 35 crowd. These take place in the main square.
Chill out – The restaurants over the water were a great place to read a book while drinking a coffee. Some others were better for snacks and beers, and others had lounge techno and cocktails. The most relaxed beach is a bit of a walk up over the main fortress hill which gets less foot traffic.
History – Alexander the Great was ruler of the Macedonian people so there is definitely some history here, as well as Orthodox churches, and of course the Yugoslavia civil war, though don’t expect too much here more than a few photos with old churches and old ruins. Read up on them because the local signage wont give too much information. No one I talked to was jazzed up on the history lessons.
Cultural Uniqueness – This is not a knock on Ohrid but there is nothing here you cant find somewhere else. You’ll find bigger churches in Belgrad and Sofia, you’ll find better beaches in Greece but when you want an adequate mix of all the above, swing on by!
Pro Tips:
- Cannot stress enough, if you are bumming around the Balkans put this in the itinerary, if not don’t worry about allotting the time to come here.
- Hostels and guesthouses will find room for you so unless you need a private room no worries booking ahead of time. A lot of people stay on the shoestring by camping or setting up hammocks.
- For day trip tours to remote villages, trips to Albania, or certain national park tours; booking ahead is important for most since they aren’t offered every day and have limited space. Boat tours are plentiful and mostly consist of boat boozing.
- Renting a scouter is hard. Lower powered ones only if no motorcycle permit and not permitted to civrcumnativage the lake because you cant go into Albania with them.
- Renting bikes is popular for riding around the area but be in good shape for the whole lake loop.
- Nice sunsets from around Ohrid:
Culture Capital 