Macedonia’s Lakeland

By Michelle Salater

Travel in Macedonia is cheap and easy. Four to five hours south of the capital Skopje is the Lakeland region, home to the tectonic lakes of Lake Prespa and Lake Ohrid (a one-way bus ticket from Skopje to Ohrid is $5.75). The cities of Ohrid or Struga are great places to use as a base. There are more than 365 churches filled with century-old mosaics, frescos, and iconography. Hike through the mountain trails and explore the numerous medieval cave churches or bike through remote villages and the Galicica National Park.

While there are plenty of hotels, the cheapest and best way to meet the locals is to rent a private room. During the summer months a room with a double bed and a shared bath costs between $9 and $20. Risto and Marija Bosalev offer two spacious rooms and use of an outdoor, covered kitchen (Gligor Prlicev 19, Ohrid; Tel: 46-265-640). In the small fishing village of Kaneo, Stefan Kanevce rents clean rooms that sit directly on Lake Ohrid (Koco Racin 47, Kaneo; Tel: 46-34813).

The following web sites provide excellent information on private accommodations, restaurants, and tours in the Lakeland Region: www.lakes-travel.com, www.ohrid.org.mk, and www.ohrid.com.mk. For general information on Macedonia’s sights and lodging: faq.macedonia.org. Also, the Ministry of Culture, www.gov.mk/kultura, provides information on cultural heritage, archeological sites, and museums.

Daily flights arrive and depart from the Skopje airport. Trains run daily from Thessaloniki, Greece to Skopje for $28 and from Belgrade, Yugoslavia for $45. Buses run daily to and from Sofia, Istanbul, Tirana, and Belgrade.

MICHELLE SALATER, a freelance writer living in St. Louis, MO, has lived and worked in Macedonia and Kosovo and frequently travels to the Balkan region.