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Ohrid

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Church of St John at Kaneo at dawn, Lake Ohrid.

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Overview

Sublime Ohrid is North Macedonia's most seductive destination. It sits on the edge of serene Lake Ohrid, with an atmospheric old quarter that cascades down steep streets, dotted with beautiful churches and topped by the bones of a medieval castle. Traditional restaurants and lakeside cafes liven up the cobblestone streets, which in high summer can be very lively indeed. Outside of July and August, the tourist circus subsides and the town becomes more lived in.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Ohrid Boardwalk & City Beach

    Ohrid Boardwalk & City Beach

    Ohrid

    Skimming the surface of the water along Ohrid's shore, snaking towards Kaneo fishing village and the town's most famous church, this over-water boardwalk…

  • Church of Sveti Jovan at Kaneo

    Church of Sveti Jovan at Kaneo

    Ohrid

    This stunning 13th-century church is set on a cliff over the lake, about a 15-minute walk west of Ohrid's port area, and is possibly North Macedonia's…

  • Plaošnik

    Plaošnik

    Ohrid

    Saluting the lake from Ohrid's hilltop, Plaošnik is home to the multidomed medieval Church of Sveti Kliment i Pantelejmon, the foundations of a 5th…

  • Sveta Bogorodica Bolnička & Sveti Nikola Bolnički

    Sveta Bogorodica Bolnička & Sveti Nikola Bolnički

    Ohrid

    Bolnica means 'hospital' in Macedonian; during plagues visitors faced 40-day quarantines inside the walled confines of these petite churches, which are…

  • National Museum

    National Museum

    Ohrid

    Ohrid's National Museum is housed over three floors of this remarkably well-preserved Old Town house, which dates from 1863 and was once owned by the…

  • Classical Amphitheatre

    Classical Amphitheatre

    Ohrid

    Ohrid's impressive amphitheatre was built in the Hellenistic period (around 200 BC); the Romans later removed 10 rows to accommodate gladiators and used…

  • Church of Sveta Bogorodica Perivlepta

    Church of Sveta Bogorodica Perivlepta

    Ohrid

    Just inside the Gorna Porta, this 13th-century Byzantine church, whose name translates as 'Our Lady the Most Glorious', has vivid biblical frescoes (newly…

  • Sveta Sofija Cathedral

    Sveta Sofija Cathedral

    Ohrid

    Ohrid's grandest church, 11th-century Sveta Sofija is supported by columns and decorated with elaborate, if very faded, Byzantine frescoes, though they…

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