Discover Ohrid

Ohrid combines a lakeside setting with a rich cultural and historical heritage. The city is one of Europe’s oldest human settlements. When looking for a hotel in Ohrid, you can shape your stay around the city’s different facets: the Old Town and sacred architecture, icons, archaeological sites or the Ancient Theatre.

Old Town, architecture and archaeological traces

Ohrid’s Old Town is an exceptionally well-preserved, authentic ancient urban ensemble. Its buildings are adapted to the lakeside location and terrain; sacred and secular architecture together shape the townscape. Ohrid’s architecture is considered the best-preserved and most complete ensemble of ancient urban architecture in this part of Europe. Numerous archaeological sites lie in the town centre, including early Christian basilicas known for their mosaic floors. The townscape thus brings together architectural forms and archaeological evidence rather than foregrounding a single era.

The Church of St. Sophia is considered Ohrid’s largest and most important surviving cultural and historical monument, and one of the most significant in North Macedonia. The Church of St. John at Kaneo has a different, direct connection to the landscape: it stands on a high cliff in the Old Town, on the shore of Lake Ohrid and above the former fishing settlement of Kaneo. The frescoes in the Church of St. John at Kaneo also carry on the artistic tradition of the Comnenian era.

Icons and church art

The Ohrid Icon Gallery offers insight into another facet of the city’s art history. Most of its icons were created in medieval painting workshops in Ohrid; about ten are decorated with silver revetments. The Gallery of Ohrid Icons is located in the museum complex of the Church of St. Mary Peribleptos and displays the collection’s most valuable examples. In the wider Ohrid destination, more than 800 Byzantine icons are also part of the cultural heritage; they date from the 11th century to the end of the 14th century. The oldest Slavic monastery, dedicated to St. Panteleimon, is also located there.

The Ancient Theatre and its history

The Ancient Theatre was built in the late Hellenistic period, around the end of the 3rd or beginning of the 2nd century. It was intended for dramatic, musical and poetic performances. Its original function can therefore be clearly distinguished from the later use of the reconstructed open-air stage: theatre and music performances, along with other events, began there in 2001. If a particular event is important to your trip, check its date.

Lake and landscape in the wider Ohrid destination

The wider Ohrid destination encompasses the natural and cultural heritage of the surrounding region. Deep Lake Ohrid is of tectonic origin and has existed continuously for around two to three million years. Its oligotrophic waters preserve more than 200 plant and animal species found only in this lake. These include algae, flatworms, snails and crustaceans, as well as 17 endemic fish species, including two trout species; the birdlife is also diverse. The Lake Ohrid region is designated as a mixed World Heritage property covering approximately 94,729 hectares.

East of Ohrid rises Galicica National Park; its highest peak, Magaro, reaches 2,582 metres. Approximately two-thirds of the national park lies within the boundaries of the World Heritage property Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid Region. This landscape adds a regional perspective to the view of the city without replacing the Old Town and its architectural history.

More cultural sites in the Ohrid destination

Other historic sites include Samuel’s Fortress, one of the largest medieval fortifications in North Macedonia, and Plaoshnik. This remarkable archaeological complex preserves cultural layers from prehistory, antiquity and the Middle Ages. Archaeological work there uncovered the remains of the old Church of St. Clement and the tomb of St. Clement of Ohrid. The Robevi House offers another perspective, with its 19th-century urban architecture: it is protected as a valuable cultural and historical architectural heritage site and displays distinctive features of Ohrid town-house architecture.

The Ancient Theatre lies below Samuel’s Fortress, near Gorna Porta, and offers views of Lake Ohrid and the surrounding mountains. In the Bay of Bones, Plocha Mikjov Grad is an appealing museum complex featuring a reconstructed pile-dwelling settlement over the lake water. The complex also includes a conserved and restored Roman fort, presented on the highest plateau of Gradishte Hill. Together, these places show different ways of exploring the destination’s history: ancient and medieval sites, urban buildings and archaeological reconstructions.

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View the main travel overview: Ohrid.