100% customisable travel idea
From Skopje to Lake Ohrid North Macedonia from a new perspective
North Macedonia - Skopje - Lake Ohrid
100% customisable travel idea
North Macedonia - Skopje - Lake Ohrid
100% customisable for you
Transfer. Stay two nights in the centre of Skopje. From the terrace of your hotel, you can see Macedonia Square. The decor is resolutely international while the design embraces a certain modern classicism. White and grey dominate, enlivened by touches of plum, russet and crimson. Breakfast is served in a neat, functional dining room. The bedrooms offer a good overall level of amenities.
Already included - Skopje Old Town and modern neighbourhoods. The Balkans just as you imagine them: diverse, colourful, outgoing and welcoming. A medieval castle crowns the town. Below, the narrow alleys of the bazaar still lead to notable Ottoman landmarks, such as the 15th-century Mustafa Pasha Mosque; Daout Pasha Hamman, also from the 15th century, which now houses the National Gallery of Macedonia; the 16th-century Clock Tower, and also Orthodox sites, like the Church of the Ascension, dating from the 17th to 19th centuries. But that’s not all. You also have the Art Nouveau and modernist buildings in the new town. The conquerors built in their own image, then left. The Skopjans, however, remained. They have embraced modernity and now construct buildings of glass and steel, while still eating tavtché gravtché and drinking mastika.
Already included - the unique Painted Mosque of Tetovo was built in 1438 and rebuilt in 1833. Inside and out, it is entirely painted in an unusual Islamic rococo style. The Arabati Baba Tekke, built in the 16th century, was home to Bektashi dervishes until the Second World War. Today unoccupied, it remains an iconic monument and a fine example of Ottoman carpentry. In Mavrovo National Park, explore the Šar (or Sharr) Mountains. Geology has produced some spectacular effects here. The terrain seems to have enabled the appearance of water features, with springs, streams and waterfalls giving life to the landscape throughout. The Korab Waterfall, on the Dlaboka River, is the highest in the Balkans.
Stay three nights just a few minutes from the lake, in a modern house with a large garden, in typical post-socialist chic. All the decor contributes to this effect. Your room shows all the outward signs of comfort and, in practice, lives up to its promise. From the bedding to the jacuzzi, you won’t be disappointed. There is also an on-site restaurant and bar where you can eat and drink your fill. The wellness area is clearly designed, offering a hammam, sauna, spa treatments, and two pools - one outdoor and one indoor.
The crystal-clear waters of Lake Ohrid owe their clarity to oligotrophy and karst filtration of the inflowing water. Together with the surrounding hills and mountains of the Galicica range, they create one of the most beautiful landscapes in southern Europe, on the border between Macedonia and Albania. The city of Ohrid, located on the northeastern shore of the lake, is typically Macedonian, with layers of military, religious and civil architecture - Christian, Muslim and a hint of socialist. Along with this, the well-kept town has a cheerful atmosphere, no doubt linked to a long-standing tradition of leisure pursuits. Freshwater hedonists were quick to join the monks in this remote region. This quiet, peaceful part of the Balkans has been recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for its nature and culture.
Optional - lunch with a local family in Elshani.
Already included - Ohrid, Macedonian city. Join your guide for a tour of the Old Town, nestled at the foot of 10th-century Samuel’s Fortress, with its row of square towers. The medieval layout of the streets and the 17th to 19th-century houses form a cohesive whole that is charming and picturesque. Notable landmarks include the Hellenistic theatre, dating from the 1st century; the Cathedral of Saint Sophia, with its unforgettable 11th to 14th-century frescoes; Robevi House, a splendid urban residence from the 1860s; the Church of Saint John at Kaneo, a 13th-century gem of Byzantine architecture that can only be reached on foot; and the Church of the Holy Mother of God Perivleptos, also from the 13th century, whose frescoes are truly breathtaking - the painters Michael and Eftychios Astrapas worked here as worthy sons of Saint Luke!
Transfer to Skopje airport. Return flight.
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