Ohrid Itineraries for Two to Four Days
Ohrid supports a stay of two or three days without leaving town, and a few add-ons stretch that to four. Distances are by road and fees are in Macedonian denars (MKD), at about 61.5 MKD to the euro. Ohrid itself is the base, and the rest are day outings from it.
Two or three days in Ohrid
Spend the first day on the Old Town sights, from St Sophia and the Ancient Theatre to Samuel’s Fortress, Plaosnik and Kaneo. Give the second day to the water, with a boat to St Naum and the Bay of Bones. A third day can go to a beach, a pearl shop visit or a paragliding flight from the Galicica ridge.
Add Struga and Vevcani
Struga is about 14 km northwest of Ohrid, and Vevcani is about 14 km beyond it by road. The pair makes a comfortable extra day by car or bus, with the Black Drim bridge in Struga and the springs at Vevcani. If your dates fall on 13 or 14 January, Vevcani holds its carnival.
Over Galicica to Prespa and Bitola
For a three or four day loop, drive the Galicica park road over the ridge to Lake Prespa, then continue to Bitola and the ancient site of Heraclea Lyncestis. Expect a small park fee on the way, and bring cash.
Crossing to Albania
The St Naum border crossing leads to Pogradec on the Albanian side of the lake. Bring your passport and check the current entry rules before you go.
Skopje and Ohrid together
Skopje is about 170 km from Ohrid, around 3 to 3.5 hours by bus. Buses cost about 460 to 490 MKD one way on aggregator sites. A three-day pairing works well, with a day in Skopje, the bus on day two and a day at the lake. Several operators run the route from different stations, so check where your bus leaves.
Where to stay
Ohrid is the natural base for every plan above. Places to stay can be compared on Booking.com .
Planning notes
Hours at churches and museums are shorter from October to March, and some sites close on Mondays, so build in slack. The US State Department rates North Macedonia at Level 1, with normal precautions, on its advisory page . Boat times to St Naum are on Sailing Stone Travel .
Read more: Day trips from Ohrid has the distances and fees for each outing.