After an intense road trip through Slovenia, Romania, Moldova, Transnistria and Bulgaria it was a relief to finally come across a tranquil location where we could relax for a few days. Ohrid is the main town on the Macedonian side of Lake Ohrid and we were lucky enough to find a room right on the waterfront. The locals can get boisterous when a football or basketball game is on but come morning Ohrid is calm and peaceful.
Lake Ohrid is split between Macedonia and Albania but the most interesting sights are found on the Macedonian side of the border including the UNESCO listed town of Ohrid and my favourite spot, the Bay of the Bones.
The Bay of the Bones is the reconstructed site of a prehistoric settlement. These ancient people lived directly on the lake in stilt houses constructed using relatively sophisticated tools. The history is fascinating but I loved the area for the serene landscape and crystal clear water. I might have jumped in if I hadn’t seen a sea snake patrolling the lake floor.
Further along the lake just before the Albanian border is Sveti Naum, an Orthodox monastery. It’s another relaxing spot for lunch and maybe a quick swim. There are countless signs around the monastery warning of the vicious peacocks which may attack at any moment but we survived the visit unharmed.
Albania is well known for its ridiculous bunkers which line much of the border regions but Macedonia has it’s own pointless bunkers too. This huge concrete specimen is on the main road from Ohrid to Sveti Naum and it’s the perfect place to make fun of earlier governments.
Back in Ohrid we stopped for Turkish tea in a small cafe off the main square. Macedonia can be cheap, even by Balkan standards, but 20 cents for tea was unexpected. I can’t imagine how cheap things would be outside of a major tourist destination like Ohrid.
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Ohrid is a special place! My wife and I visited in September 2009. It was a beautiful day, however, the serenity of the lake and town was shattered when an overloaded sightseeing boat sunk, causing 15 Bulgarians to lose their lives. As we drove along the lake shore, we saw the ambulances and people standing around in the water, but didn’t realize initially what had happened. We couldn’t imagine that an incident with a boat sinking so close to shore would be so tragic! This ruined our Ohrid experience and we left early to travel back to Skopje.
That’s so sad to hear. I understand you couldn’t enjoy the town when such a tragedy occurred. Hopefully you’ll be able to return one day and have a better experience. On a lighter note, while we were there a Bulgarian man swam across the lake tied up in a bag to set a Guinness World record. You never know what you’ll find at Lake Ohrid!
This places looks absolutely beautiful and those little huts on stilts are gorgeous. It’s so sad to hear about the boating tragedy that Ellis speaks of.
It really is a beautiful, pristine location Monica.
It was a great place to be, and rather under-visited for something so pleasant. I’ve always thought the whole Balkan region was underrated, but it sounds like it’s getting busier all the time. In some places, anyway.
I agree that the Balkans is underrated. I imagine Ohrid has always been popular with domestic visitors but is probably just starting to get on the international radar.
It looks like an interesting place to visit. I don’t know this part of Europe at all.
The Balkans is an interesting and beautiful region. It’s one of my favourite parts of Europe and I expect it to become more popular in coming years.
Nice piece: Just shared it to https://www.facebook.com/groups/easterneuropeadventure/ hope you don’t mind!
Oh and great pictures too BTW
Thanks Andy 🙂
Catching up on my emails. Lake Ohrid looks spectacular. Will have to add for 2014.
With one word: PERFECTION! 🙂
Lake Ohrid is amazing!
I see you have not visited the springs in St.Naum.That is one of the most beautiful places in the Balkans