Where to Stay in Ohrid: Old Town or the Lakefront?

Quick answer: On a first trip of two or three nights, stay in the Old Town (Varoš), on the hill between the lake and Samuel’s Fortress. The churches, the Ancient Theatre and the boardwalk to Kaneo are all a walk from your door. Choose the flat center and lakefront around Kej Makedonija instead if you are driving, carrying heavy bags or don’t want to climb stairs every evening. If you want a pool and quiet, look south along the St. Naum road toward Lagadin, and plan on a car or taxis.

Old Town or the lakefront: how to decide

Ohrid is small. The Old Town climbs the hill west of the harbor. The modern center and the Kej Makedonija promenade spread out flat to the east. You can walk from one to the other in ten minutes. The real difference is gradient and cars.

• Best for a first visit: the Old Town. St. Sophia, the Ancient Theatre, Plaošnik and the cliff walk to Kaneo are all on foot.
• Best for drivers and easy walking: the center and lakefront promenade. It is flat, and hotels here can usually help with parking.
• Best for nightlife: the lower Old Town, where Kosta Abrash street runs along the water past most of the late bars.
• Best for a pool and quiet: the hillside above town, or Lagadin, a lakeside village to the south.
• Best base for St. Naum: it barely matters. The monastery is about 29 km south, and the boat trips leave from the town harbor.

Old Town (Varoš): the classic first-timer base

Varoš is the part of Ohrid on every postcard: white houses with upper floors jutting out over steep lanes, stacked from the waterline up to the walls of Tsar Samuel’s Fortress. Staying here means you can walk down to St. Sophia for the frescoes before the tour groups arrive, then out along the cliff path to the Church of St. John at Kaneo for sunset. The Ancient Theatre is still a working venue. In 2026 the Ohrid Summer Festival ran from July 12 to August 20, with concerts on its stone seats.

For food, Viva Ksantika kaj Tanja on Tsar Samoil cooks musaka and sarma at local prices. Restaurant Antico serves lake fish in an old stone-and-timber house; book ahead in high season. After dark, Jazz Inn, on the waterside end of Kosta Abrash, opens at nine and doesn’t get going until ten. A few doors along, Cafe Liquid is a quiet coffee on the water by day and a party by midnight.

Where to stay in the Old Town, by style

• Lake views from the top floor: Villa Varosh, a small family-run guesthouse on Boro Shain, steps from St. Sophia. Its apartments include a penthouse with a big balcony over the lake. Ask the owners where they are eating this week. Check dates at Villa Varosh
• Wine at the source: Villa & Winery Mal Sveti Kliment, a family B&B with its own boutique winery, in a quiet lane by the Lower Gate on Metodi Patcev. You are 50 to 100 steps from the lake and spared the steepest climb. Breakfast is a buffet in a stone wine bar. Check stays near the Lower Gate
• The big view: Vila Kale, high on Kliment’s University street just below the fortress, by Gorna Porta, the Upper Gate. The lake, the rooftops and the Ancient Theatre are all in the frame. Holy Mary Perybleptos, with its 13th-century frescoes, is a couple of minutes away. Check dates at Vila Kale
• Traditional house: Villa St. Sofija, a three-star in a timber-framed Ohrid house on Kosta Abrash, about 75 meters from the church it is named for. Rooms vary, so ask which ones face the lake. Check dates at Villa St. Sofija

The trade-off: the lanes are steep, narrow and mostly closed to cars, so many guesthouses sit up a stairway with no vehicle access to the door. Pack light. If you are driving, ask your host before you arrive where to leave the car. Rooms at the bottom of Kosta Abrash also hear the bars late on summer weekends. Compare all Old Town stays on a map.

The center and lakefront: flat, easy and close to the boats

East of the harbor, the town flattens out along Kej Makedonija, the lakefront promenade where café and restaurant terraces spill toward the water. The excursion boats tie up here. The Lion on the promenade is the all-day restaurant for when you have eaten trout three nights running.

Behind the promenade, the Old Bazaar runs uphill toward the old chinar tree. This is also where to buy Ohrid pearls. Talevi is one of two families that still hold the recipe for the coating, which is made from the scales of a small lake fish.

• On the promenade: City Palace Hotel, at Kej Makedonija 31, right on the water and about 300 meters from the Old Town. Many rooms look over the lake, and there is a spa (extra charge). Check dates at City Palace

The trade-off: you give up the Old Town atmosphere when you close the door, and the promenade is busy on summer evenings. In return you get flat walks and a much simpler arrival by car or taxi. Compare stays along the lakefront.

South toward St. Naum: pools, quiet and a car

The road to St. Naum runs south along the eastern shore past beaches and small lakeside villages. Staying out here is a different holiday: more swimming, less sightseeing.

• Hillside with a view: La Vista Luxury Villa, on Naum Ohridski in the hills above town, about 4 km from Plaošnik. It is a small, newly built place with an infinity pool (summer only) looking over the lake and the Old Town. It has free parking, and you will want a car or taxis. Check dates at La Vista
• Family stay with pools: Villa Bisera in Lagadin, about 7 km south of the center and a few minutes’ walk up from the shore. It is family-run, with three outdoor pools that open in summer. Check dates at Villa Bisera

The south shore is also where you will find the Bay of the Bones, a reconstructed Bronze Age village built on stilts over the water. In summer, Cuba Libre runs a beach club on the shore just south of the center.

The trade-off: pools, beach clubs and summer-garden restaurants are summer things. Out of season you are a drive from dinner. Compare stays around Lagadin.

Getting there, and what the season changes

• By air. Ohrid St. Paul the Apostle Airport is about 10 km from town, roughly 15 minutes by taxi. Flights are concentrated in the summer schedule, which runs from late March to late October. In 2026 that included Wizz Air from Milan, Bratislava, Wrocław and Katowice and Austrian Airlines from Vienna. Out of season, check Skopje too; its airport has far more routes.
• By bus from Skopje. Plan on about three hours, and closer to four on slower departures. Ohrid’s bus station is a few kilometers from the center, so take a taxi to your door and agree the fare first. Our Skopje neighborhood guide covers the other end.
• Summer versus shoulder season. July and August bring the Summer Festival, full beach clubs and the highest prices. Late May, June and September are calmer, and the town still works. Book Old Town rooms with views well ahead for festival weeks.

Boat trips: book these once you know your dates

Seeing Ohrid from the water is the best way to understand how the town is built. The hour-long Old Town cruise runs along the cliffs below Kaneo and past Villa Biljana, the lakeside residence used by Tito. Compare Old Town and Tito residence cruises.

For a full day, the boat trip to St. Naum runs the length of the lake to the monastery near the Albanian border, about seven hours in all. Wherever you stay, it leaves from town, so the Old Town and the lakefront are the easiest bases for it. Compare St. Naum boat trips.

A local tip

Walk the wooden boardwalk around the base of the cliffs in the late afternoon, heading west so the sun is ahead of you over the water. It ends at the Kaneo shore, and the only way to reach those restaurants on foot is this walk. Stay for dinner at Kaj Kanevche and order the tavče gravče, baked beans that arrive bubbling in a clay pot.

Frequently asked questions

Is it better to stay in Ohrid Old Town or by the lakefront?

For a first visit of two or three nights, the Old Town, because the churches, the Ancient Theatre and the walk to Kaneo are all on foot. Choose the flat lakefront around Kej Makedonija if you are driving, have heavy luggage or want to avoid steep stairs.

Can you drive and park in Ohrid Old Town?

Not easily. The Old Town lanes are steep, narrow and mostly closed to cars, and many guesthouses have no vehicle access to the door. Ask your host where to park before you arrive, or stay on the flat lakefront.

How do you get to Ohrid from Skopje?

Buses from Skopje take about three hours, and closer to four on slower departures. Ohrid’s bus station is a few kilometers from the center, so take a taxi to your accommodation and agree the fare first.

When is the best time to visit Ohrid?

Late May, June and September are calmer than July and August, and the town still works. Come in high summer for the Ohrid Summer Festival and the beach clubs, and book well ahead.

How many nights do you need in Ohrid?

Three nights is the sweet spot. Spend one day on the Old Town and Kaneo, one on the water or at St. Naum, and keep the third for the south shore or simply the lake.

More North Macedonia: Where to stay in Skopje · Things to do in Skopje. Or browse the full Ohrid guide.

Featured image: Ohrid’s Old Town seen from the lake, by MiroJP, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.