Ohrid and Prespa, the two lakes of North Macedonia

Around Lakes Ohrid and Prespa

Lake Ohrid is explored one shore at a time. To the west, the road follows the water to Struga, where the Black Drin flows out of the lake, then passes below two churches cut into the cliff, at Kališta and Radožda. To the east, it runs past the beaches of Peštani and the fishing village of Trpejca to the monastery of St Naum, at the far end of the lake.

Above the east shore, a mountain road crosses Galičica National Park. It climbs in hairpin bends to just over 1,560 metres. From the pass, you can see both lakes at once: Ohrid on one side, Prespa on the other. Prespa, shared with Albania and Greece, is quieter, with few big hotels. From Konjsko, boats go out to Golem Grad, the island of snakes, with its ruins and churches.

North of Prespa, apple orchards surround Resen. A pass road then drops down to the plain of Bitola, at the foot of Mount Pelister. The town has kept its long pedestrian street, the Širok Sokak, and its old bazaar. Just to the south, the ruins of Heraclea Lyncestis still have mosaics from the 6th century.

At the end of the 10th century, Tsar Samuel made Ohrid his capital; the fortress above the town bears his name. St Sophia, the former cathedral of the Archbishopric of Ohrid, has frescoes from the 11th to the 14th century. The Ottomans turned it into a mosque.

In 1295, the church of the Holy Mother of God Peribleptos was painted by Michael Astrapas and Eutychios. The two painters slipped their names into the frescoes, on the sword and cloaks of soldier saints. Just below the church, an ancient theatre recalls that Ohrid was once called Lychnidos. It is said that the town once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year.

Two lakes linked under the mountain

Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest in Europe: its sediments go back more than a million years. It is 288 metres deep and is home to more than 200 endemic species. Prespa, at 853 metres above sea level, has no river flowing out of it. Its water seeps into the limestone of Galičica and comes out as springs on the Ohrid shore, 160 metres lower down. So the two lakes are connected under the mountain.

The Ohrid region has been on the Unesco World Heritage List since 1979 for its nature and since 1980 for its cultural heritage. Building along the shores threatens it. In 2026, according to the press, Unesco once again put off adding the region to the List of World Heritage in Danger. North Macedonia and Albania have until 2030 to act.

What not to miss

1. 1St John at KaneoA small church, probably from the 13th century, on a rock above the lake.
2. 2The Ohrid Icon GalleryByzantine icons, on display next to the Peribleptos church.
3. 3The springs of St NaumA boat trip over the springs, then the peacocks in the monastery courtyard.
4. 4The Bay of BonesA Bronze and Iron Age village on stilts, rebuilt above the water.
5. 5St George at KurbinovoFrescoes begun in 1191; the church is often locked.
6. 6RadoždaA church cut into the cliff above the lake, at the top of a long flight of steps.

Ohrid and Prespa in pictures

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The monastery of St Naum on its cliff, beside the turquoise water.

Food in Ohrid and Prespa

By the lake, people eat fish. As Ohrid trout is endangered, it is worth asking where the one on your plate comes from. Everywhere you will find tavče gravče, beans baked in the oven, and ajvar, a purée of roasted peppers.

Around Resen, Prespa apples are sold by the roadside in autumn. The red wine comes mainly from Tikveš, in the centre of the country. In Ohrid, you will also find the Ohrid pearl on sale, made from the scales of a small fish from the lake.