Ohrid in 3 days

Go uphill first. Start in Varoš, the old town, and climb past the Church of St Sophia to the Upper Gate and the ancient theatre, then reach the fortress when it opens at 9.00. The ticket is €2.43, paid in cash in denars, and the walls run for about 3 km, although much of what you walk on was rebuilt in 2003. The view of the lake, 100 m below, is real enough.

Plaošnik is the plateau between the fortress and Kaneo, and St Clement, a pupil of Cyril and Methodius, died in 916 and was buried here. The church of St Clement and St Panteleimon was rebuilt in 2002 on the old foundations, so everything above ground is a reconstruction, while below it lie a baptistery with a mosaic and the remains of an early Christian basilica from the 5th and 6th centuries. Entry is €1.60–2.45.

Walk down to Kaneo and look at the Church of St John on its cliff above the beach. It is a working church, so whether the door is open is a matter of luck, and the view from outside is free at any hour. Return along the wooden walkway by the lake, which costs nothing either.

Eat on a terrace in the Kaneo cove. Letna Bavča Kaneo sits on the pebbles, and Kaj Kanevče is the cheaper of the two and known for fried plašica, the small fish of the lake.

Swim from the Kaneo cove, or go indoors to the Icon Gallery in the courtyard of the Church of the Virgin Perivleptos. From May to September it is open from 9 to 17, and its permanent display shows 37 icons from the mid-11th to the mid-19th century.

Finish on the Kej, the lakefront promenade, and in the Čaršija, the main pedestrian zone. Dinner at Antiko, an old stone house with a courtyard, is traditional cooking at its easiest.

The Armada boat leaves the main harbour and takes about 1 h 20 each way, with a stop by the Bay of Bones on the way. The fare is €20 return, tickets are sold online from May to September, and they are not refunded.

The monastery was founded in 905 by St Naum, close to the Albanian border, and the springs of the Black Drin that feed the lake rise beside it. A boat through the springs costs extra. The beach here has sand and asks a small fee.

The boat back leaves at 15.15 and reaches Ohrid at about 17.00. That return ticket allows no later boat, so anyone who wants more swimming should take a minibus home and forget the second half of the ticket.

Drive over the P-504 pass in Galičica National Park, where the road looks down on both Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa. Magaro, at 2,254 m, is the high point. No bus goes up, so it means a car or a tour, and the pass closes in winter.

Struga lies 14 to 15 km from Ohrid, and the minibus takes 20–30 min and costs €1.60 one way. The Black Drin leaves the lake through the town, so the walk along the river is the reason to come, and every August the town holds its poetry evenings.