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If possible, I don't want to spend most of my days in the bustling and hustling capital city but at least, try my best to make a trip or two to nearby towns or small cities which not far away from the big city. And so on my second day in Skopje, I decided to make a short day trip to the Lake Ohrid, the oldest existing lake in Europe.
If possible, I don't want to spend most of my days in the bustling and hustling capital city but at least, try my best to make a trip or two to nearby towns or small cities which not far away from the big city. And so on my second day in Skopje, I decided to make a short day trip to the Lake Ohrid, the oldest existing lake in Europe.
TAKING BUS FROM SKOPJE TO OHRID
#1: Bus from Skopje to Ohrid
Sometimes, transportation isn't that easy to master and can be frustrating too, especially when travelling within Balkan Peninsula. And that's happen when I was in North Macedonia as it's really hard for me to search for ticket machine in order to hop on into the local bus. Therefore, I chosen to walk from the hostel I was staying in Skopje to Skopje Bus Station which takes about 25 minutes. Like I mentioned in my previous post, travelling alone in Skopje especially for female traveller is pretty safe and I didn't encounter any issue throughout my days in North Macedonia.
When I arrived in Skopje Bus Station, I went and look for the information counter first as I wasn't sure which bus company that offer the trip to Lake Ohrid. I was told that I need to get bus ticket from Galeb and it will depart at 8am. Luckily, I arrived 20 minutes earlier. The bus timetable posted in the hostel was totally different from what shown at the bus station. Same goes to Wikitravel too, which I heavily rely on shows different timetable. The actual timetable I saw from the Skopje Bus Station is; 6am, 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4.30pm and 6.30pm and a-single bus ride costs 520 denar (approx. to RM39 / €8.50) for 3 hours and 30 minutes journey. Pretty cheap right?
ARRIVING IN LAKE OHRID
#2: Ohrid Bus Station
So now I have arrived in Ohrid Bus Station, what's next? According to Google Map, in order to get to the Ohrid town and the lake, the distance is about 1.5km away and it indicates that it's about 20 to 25 minutes of walking. Because there is no public bus to get there and taking taxi isn't best option as I was travelling alone, looks like my one and only last resort is to walk again. Walking to the town isn't that hard - head to the petrol station and turn right to 7 Noemvri street and walk straight until you see main square with fountain in the center.
MAIN SQUARE & LAKE OHRID
The town of Ohrid is pretty small and compact, hence you can cover almost everything simply on foot. A fascinating walk that takes in the main attractions begins in the main square and leads you further to the turquoise clear water lake. While walking through the main square, I found out that it cause some distractions because there are plenty of souvenir stores on both of my left and right side. Postcards, magnets, keychains are keep running around my mind but hey, I'm here for the lake, please.
#3: Main square filled with various shops, restaurants, cafe and boutique stores.
#4: What a sunny day in Ohrid. And the blue sky too.
#5: A restaurant overlooking the stunning and amazing lake view
#6: Me, myself looking the lake view alone
#7: How I wish there is someone to help me to take photo of myself at this spot
#8: The shore
#9: Love the formation of this rock
#10: Lake Ohrid
#11: Catamaran Cruising. Not sure about you but €20 seems pricey for me.
Apart from the lake which is the main highlight of the town, Ohrid is also well-known for its ancient churches, basilicas, and monasteries which completely look different from what you've seen in other parts of Europe. However, due to I arrive this place with unprepared, I only managed to dropby St. Sophia Church. Those must-see like St. Naum, ancient theater, fortress and Plaoshnik - I tend to give a miss. What a shame!
#12: St. Sophia church front view
#13: The overview of St. Sophia church
#14: Caught this gorgeous view from somewhere on a hill
#15: Old town of Ohrid
Ohrid is like a hidden gem of Macedonia. This town is largely unexplored and the tourist crowds are nowhere to be seen here. It seems like I was the only Asian lady who wandering around the town. The only thing I regret the most is not spending a night here. So if you intend to include Ohrid in your itinerary, don't be like me - try to stay at least for a night cause I heard that the accommodation is pretty affordable.
#16: Grab at least one magnet before leaving the town - it's a must. I will do my fridge magnet tour someday.
ARRIVING IN LAKE OHRID
#2: Ohrid Bus Station
So now I have arrived in Ohrid Bus Station, what's next? According to Google Map, in order to get to the Ohrid town and the lake, the distance is about 1.5km away and it indicates that it's about 20 to 25 minutes of walking. Because there is no public bus to get there and taking taxi isn't best option as I was travelling alone, looks like my one and only last resort is to walk again. Walking to the town isn't that hard - head to the petrol station and turn right to 7 Noemvri street and walk straight until you see main square with fountain in the center.
MAIN SQUARE & LAKE OHRID
The town of Ohrid is pretty small and compact, hence you can cover almost everything simply on foot. A fascinating walk that takes in the main attractions begins in the main square and leads you further to the turquoise clear water lake. While walking through the main square, I found out that it cause some distractions because there are plenty of souvenir stores on both of my left and right side. Postcards, magnets, keychains are keep running around my mind but hey, I'm here for the lake, please.
#3: Main square filled with various shops, restaurants, cafe and boutique stores.
#4: What a sunny day in Ohrid. And the blue sky too.
#6: Me, myself looking the lake view alone
#7: How I wish there is someone to help me to take photo of myself at this spot
#8: The shore
#9: Love the formation of this rock
#10: Lake Ohrid
#11: Catamaran Cruising. Not sure about you but €20 seems pricey for me.
Apart from the lake which is the main highlight of the town, Ohrid is also well-known for its ancient churches, basilicas, and monasteries which completely look different from what you've seen in other parts of Europe. However, due to I arrive this place with unprepared, I only managed to dropby St. Sophia Church. Those must-see like St. Naum, ancient theater, fortress and Plaoshnik - I tend to give a miss. What a shame!
#12: St. Sophia church front view
#13: The overview of St. Sophia church
#14: Caught this gorgeous view from somewhere on a hill
#15: Old town of Ohrid
Ohrid is like a hidden gem of Macedonia. This town is largely unexplored and the tourist crowds are nowhere to be seen here. It seems like I was the only Asian lady who wandering around the town. The only thing I regret the most is not spending a night here. So if you intend to include Ohrid in your itinerary, don't be like me - try to stay at least for a night cause I heard that the accommodation is pretty affordable.
#16: Grab at least one magnet before leaving the town - it's a must. I will do my fridge magnet tour someday.
Beautiful blue sky. I like the rock formation.
ReplyDeleteI love your beautiful photos very much. They gave me a happy feeling by looking at the blue skies and magnificent lake ππ
ReplyDeleteI often encountered same headaches when buying bus or train tickets in overseas. I had to run around in stations at China, Japan and even London esp when their online sales did not work.
The magnets on sale looked colourful and really attractive. Some countries sold boring magnets with dull colours which made me think that their artists had no taste and no sense of designs. Hahaha