Top Things To Do In Ohrid, North Macedonia Full City Tour (S1EP18)

One of the Oldest Cities in Europe — Here’s What to See!

We’re exploring Ohrid, one of the most beautiful and historic cities in North Macedonia. From the shores of Lake Ohrid to ancient churches, amphitheatres, and fortress views — this full city tour covers the top things to see and do.

Whether you’re planning a trip or just curious about this UNESCO-listed gem, we’ll show you the best sights, local tips, and why Ohrid deserves a spot on your travel list.

📍 In this video:
– Church of St. John at Kaneo
– Ohrid Fortress
– Ancient Theatre
– Lake Ohrid Promenade
– Local food, views & more

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good morning from Lake Orid H we arrived here lateish last night but we’ve woken up to a beautiful day here today We just checked with the hotel to see what time check out was And unfortunately it was 10:00 So we’ve decided that there’s so much to see here We wanted to explore the lake see the castle walk around the town a little bit So we’ve decided to stay another night here as well So that’s great So we don’t have to rush around and leave this lovely place Yeah it gives us a good opportunity to see everything that is around the area as well today It’s quite a um interesting place here There’s a lot of history and it’s a UNESCO her world heritage site So it’s going to be nice to spend an entire day exploring eating all of the food finding all of the coffee and just having a relaxing day And then tomorrow we’ll make our way to Greece But yeah I’m really excited about this We have been here before but we were literally here for a day and it was so foggy that we could hardly see the lake In fact it was that foggy that um just realized that there is a huge castle here as well which is going to be good to go and see So yeah it’s going to be a nice relaxed slow paced day today which uh makes a change from It really does We’re slowly uh slowing down on this tour But first coffee Let’s go This bakery here smells fantastic I’m resisting the urge to get a pre- cafe snack I know But this ro This is a roastery here on Lake Ored I am very excited So we’re just going to walk through the town center Is this the old town center I guess i think so It’s quite busy today though Yeah You can really see the old building techniques of these houses here This must be a really really old town So just behind us there is apparently the oldest tree in North Macedonia It is a oriental plain tree according to the back over there And how old was it 1100 years old which is hard to even believe or fathom Yeah it’s uh it’s seen better days It kind of looks like it’s split into two I think I don’t know if it’s one tree or two trees but it’s being propped up And yeah it’s really cool that it still stands here today And it’s just by the main street which we’re walking up now which we totally missed this the last time we were here I do appreciate the flooring in this town It’s beautiful And this going to lead us all the way down to the lake Yeah we’re in the town quite early this morning It’s around 8:00 and nothing opens till around 10:00 But all the shop owners are out cleaning the floor setting up cleaning the windows Pretty much every single shop is really nice to see how much they’re looking after the the town But I am smelling coffee It’s getting closer I can smell it We are going to a place called Roastery on Lake Orid So I have very very high hopes for this Emily has raced ahead as she caught a whiff of the coffee and she’s in here already Looks a great place It’s bigger than I thought it was going to be It looks tiny up front but you get in Do you want to sit here or it’s anywhere near the front no way Oh wow That’s a bonus and a half If the coffee is good here this might be topping your earth Wow Well they roast their own beans here as well don’t they yeah the complete roastery And the machines look I thought it was a little cafe but turns out it’s a a full restaurant as well I’m so excited What a great way to experience the lake for the first time We get that one in the corner there Yeah Good morning Good morning Hello You happy with that one that’s unbelievable Yeah Look at it The water is crystal clear as well Can see little fishes floating about Coffee has arrived We went for flat whites with oat milk because that’s what we tend to drink all over Europe So I’m going to give this one a try Oh it’s lovely It’s a quite a mild coffee I would like to try their espresso Maybe we’ll get another one in a bit But the views here are simply sensational when it comes to like views This might be one of the best roastery views in Europe But it’s got to be top five coffees I’ve had Really impressed Cheers What have you got there Sean well again because we’re so early in the season the full breakfast menu is not available but they do have these chai pots with granola and some berries as well So I’m going to have that for starters And then I think I’ve got a cinnamon bun in there as well which we’re looking forward to That sneaky looking that That looks really good So I’m very happy with my flat white but I am going to order an iced coffee as we walk along the bay going to head in that direction just over there towards the um the amphitheater and the very famous Lake Orid’s church in a bit So Sean has gone to order a second round of coffee He’s gone for a double espresso and I have gone for a um Fredo double espresso So like an iced one so we can try them both cuz the coffee tends to change a little bit when it’s cold So we can try it hot and we can try it cold Um but so far definitely top five groceries and coffee shops I have been to in Europe This view is definitely giving it a very very high ranking And uh I can’t quite imagine what this place must be like in summer when it’s like bustling busy But uh yeah I’m definitely thinking about jumping into the lake at the moment All right best way to rate the coffee is just a double espresso It’s pretty good actually Yeah that hits the spot I’m not sure what beans they’re using I think they’ve got three different options here Yeah there’s four I think They got Ethiopian Colombian um Indian I think as well I didn’t catch the last one as well but yeah it’s a great little shop So my second drink I have gone for a double espresso Fredo So like an iced one but I’m going to give it a try Looks like it’s been whisked up as well Ooh that’s lovely Is it sugar or is it yeah completely unsugared and no milk Probably just like a little bit of water in it but it’s very strong This is definitely one of the best coffee shops I’ve been to You try this Thanks Sam Do I have to use the straw you don’t have to use the straw Yeah not bad That’s really nice So I think I prefer hot dough but that’s a nice drink for a summer day like this Well we’re both officially three espressos deep so I think it’s time to tackle the walk up to the amphitheater You’re buzzing i am buzzing Yeah I don’t think you’d find that place unless you put it in Google Maps Little opening at the front but it goes all the way right back So yeah definitely It’s in New Zealand It is Yeah it’s the old um Waffle and Doorb thing We’re still at the lake level now But we’re walking past one of the first churches here And something that stood out to me is the building technique here of having like the big brick with the two smaller ones either side and then the skinny ones on top and that’s continued all the way up to the top So I think when we walk up the hill we should see the same building technique on the other churches Now interesting fact about this town is apparently there was 365 churches here which meant there was a different one for every day of the year and so much so that it was nicknamed the Jerusalem of the Balkans We’ve seen quite a few interesting cars while we’ve been here this morning And I’ve just seen this one a Zasta Never heard of that brand before It’s so cute It is I’m guessing that must be like what 30 40 50 years old That car It looks really cool It’s the equivalent of the FIA 500 I think for Macedonia Hopefully we’ll see a few more of those today So Orid is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Europe So there’s so much to explore when you’re here We’re heading up now and we’re going to see what we can find Oh as we head further up It’s going to be quite a walk I think I think that’s quite a steep set of stairs there Is that for the water do you think to drain in the middle well it’s not for suitcases That’s true Oh I guess they could have pulled carts and stuff up there Possibly It’s got an emblem of a diaper but I don’t think they’d have been here in that time I don’t think it’s a lauder It’s too big No but it looks cool I like the boxiness of it Yeah it’s in good conditions They should make cars more boxy I think today you can kind of see the size difference can’t you yeah you can I also like the good sturdy bumper You could actually bump something with that and you wouldn’t have to replace the entire front wing Are we walking downhill now i think it dips down briefly and then comes back up So okay To get to the famous church around the corner This way Okay I like your backpack today Sean Thank you very much I am sporting the Matador backpack You might be wondering where this was stowed away but this actually rolls down into a little ball and takes up almost no space whatsoever And I like this one because the main compartment is 100% waterproof It’s um it’s got a zip on it and you roll it over as well So if we ever get caught in the rain we can at least put the electronics in there and it’s going to be safe And I think if we ever did like a boat trip or canoe not that we’re going to do a canoe but if we did I reckon you could drop this in the water and it’d be okay So Orid has been settled in since prehistoric times So by the time that the Greeks and the Romans actually arrived here it was already a wellestablished city Oh wow So here it is This is the church of St John that sits perched on the edge there and overlooks this incredible lake It became known as the city of lights and under the rule of the Bisantine Empire it became the center of religion and culture here Built in the 13th century this church here has become iconic symbol of the area of Orid Just about to enter the church now There’s a few things that are not allowed but it’s pretty obvious and goes without saying for modest dress No smoking and no camping So if anyone’s planning to wild camp here you can’t a duck Entrance to go inside is €3 There’s no cameras or video cameras allowed inside but we’re just going to have a little look inside ourselves now Now the architecture of the church here itself is quite fascinating but the thing that sticks with me the most about here is the view of the lake and the surrounding mountains You can really see why it was chosen to put the church here It’s quite a beautiful and serene little spot I totally agree with M about the views here They are spectacular In fact on the horizon there is Albania where we rode through the other day And this lake actually is quite an important site It’s protected by UNESCO as it has apparently 200 unique species living in the lake So just a few steps up from the church you can get a great viewpoint from the top And there’s still we can walk even further up So should we head up there now i think we should Yeah It’s getting hot now Even I’ve taken off my jacket as well It’s actually lovely to be outside in the warm weather for a change It is Let’s head on out then Just a couple of minutes away from the church there’s a walking path and it’s led us into this quite dense forest which is a nice shade from the sun And according to the signpost just up here is the castle which we’re going to have a look at now You think it’s this way but this appears to be a path Here beneath the walls of the fortress We can see the shy tortoise trying to find some shade in what would otherwise be a sunny day Here we have a wild Sha taking a photo of a wild tortoise in the wilds of North Macedonia So we’ve arrived at Samuel’s Fortress Yeah Saw Samuel’s Fortress It’s quite big isn’t it it’s quite It is You can see out through here all the way out to the lake Again we’ve got a great view of Albania over there and a good general overview of North Macedonia Apparently on a clear day the top of that mountain over there you can even see as far as Greece where we’ll be heading tomorrow But um yeah some of the walls are still standing here There’s not much in the middle of the fortress but uh the outer walls are still standing strong I think they’ve been uh restored quite a lot so that’s good that they’re going to be here for a long time to come Making our way back down the hill now towards the ancient theater I think it was a theater or an amphitheater I’m not sure which one it was We briefly saw it the last time we were here It was freezing when we were here last wasn’t it it was freezing and foggy so it’s going to be nice to see it I think they still actually do um like concerts and music and plays there So hopefully we can get in and have a look Just taking a rest and sitting where people have sat for thousands of years This uh amphitheater here was actually built in 200 BC in the Hellenistic style And during the Roman period it was used for gladiator fights and even executions but it was actually lost over the ages and it was covered over and it was only rediscovered in 1980 when a local worker was doing some building work and he found it Fortunately it’s all been dug out now and I think you can even see some plays here in the summertime How many people do you think could have sat around here in that time um I was just guessing I reckon I reckon you could get about 2,000 people like squeezed in Yeah 2 3,000 maybe I don’t know if it was originally circular Could have been It doesn’t look like it as it’s completely like a harsh abrupt end there But I don’t know You think these walls behind us are from a different maybe era maybe they were added on by a Yeah they look quite recent those I think But uh overall really cool place I think we’re going to head back through the town now I’m starting to get hungry so I think lunch is on the cards So the outer walls of Samuel’s Fortress extend pretty much around the whole town here And what a great entrance into the old town of Oid Just around the corner from the amphitheater is another church perched on a bit of a hill here It’s another magnificent building Wow This one’s been really well preserved Hasn’t There’s a little courtyard over there It’s like another another viewpoint It’s awesome car Is that the one we looked at before i think so likely Just picked up some lunch from this cafe behind us called Drop It comes very well recommended We got a couple of salads and a couple of sandwiches and an iced coffee and a juice as well So we’re going to take it to go and walk down to the lake now So we found a spot down by the lake to eat lunch and we’ve got these giant salads which were around €350 each and two sandwiches full of all fresh vegetables I’ve got avocado and beans in mine and these were €2.70 So absolute bargain for lunch today And you can’t beat that view Heat Heat [Music] Heat Heat [Music] Heat Heat N [Music] Heat Heat [Music] Heat up [Applause] here [Music] [Music] Heat up here [Music] [Music] Heat up here [Music] Next up on our tour of Lake Ark we’re going to take the boardwalk which is going to take us along the cliffs Let’s go Again no charge for the boardwalk which is quite generous because it does go quite far and a bit of work’s gone into making this There’s uh plenty of boat tours as well that you can do I think they’re around about €25 and I think that’s for an hour The We did get offered a very short boat taxi which takes you from the other side of the town basically to the steps of the church and that was €15 for the two of us which again not bad at all Don’t know if you can make it out but just around that rock there is a couple of snakes which has pretty much decided whether we’re getting in the water or not It’s about quart 3 in the afternoon and we’re just heading back to the hotel just to get a break from the sun It’s been really hot this morning but it’s been great exploring the town and the castle and the the other We’ve had such an awesome day here on Lake Orid but as I say back to the hotel a little bit of a relax We might venture out later but the sun has sapped me today Yeah it’s like the first full sunny day we’ve had and it uh takes your energy away a little bit So so we’ve done a huge round loop really of the town and pretty much seen a lot The only thing we haven’t done is a boat tour which you know whether we need to do that I don’t know Um but yeah we’re going to head back to the hotel So we’ll catch you a bit later We’ve managed to leave the hotel again and we’re heading back to town Yeah We’re going to go and grab some dinner aren’t we we are Yeah It got a little bit later than we thought it was It’s coming up to 9:00 now Watch out This guy’s reversing Oh okay But uh restaurants and stuff are open late here so no problem there That’s the problem with these long sunny days You think that it’s earlier than it is So when it was 8:00 and it was still light out We were like “Oh we’ve got loads of time.” And then very quickly dusk was upon us and it’s now 9:00 But the plan is we don’t have a plan We’re just going to head to the town center and have a little wander through I think grab a few little bits Maybe a kebab a bit of this a bit of that We’ll just kind of see what we see open But I think we were a little bit too much in the sun today My face is on fire I My arm is on fire I have one I’m like self-heating myself I don’t need a heated vest anymore I can just use my own arm because the thing is I didn’t put any sun cream on today cuz when we left the house the plan was that we were going to look around come back and check out But then we realized that check out was like really early So then we decided to stay an extra night and we’re already out So that’s my excuse anyway Hopefully this will be the first and last time that we get sunburnt We’ll see how uh we’re not burnt We’re just toasted We might be we’ll see how lobster red we are tomorrow But no comments about it Yeah Right I think we’re about 5 or 10 minute walk away from the city center now Right So we’re sitting in the street of Owing sushi It’s quite a surreal moment It is a little bit but at the same time this place comes very highly recommended and there’s a lot of people around please Um I think we’re all right Thanks honestly Thank you very much That’s really kind No problem And the lady here that runs it is very very sweet So we’ve got some sushi Sean also got some noodles to start with And these are like big massive manly sushi rolls I like a sushi burrito they described them as Yeah And these ones are just some vegetarian sushi I think it’s got cucumber uh avocado some peppers and some carrot That’s good Two pistachio Two Two pistachio please Yes And then maybe two of this kind What is this one this is a classic only one Oh perfect Thank you sir And maybe um the Yes Two of these Yes This is your shop yes Yes You’ve been here a long time or yes Yes Long time Perfect That’s perfect Thank you very much 190 190 It’s traditional Ah okay Grandfather Grandpa Oh grandfather and grandfather Wow Here we go Thank you Well I’ve got some traditional bat club and when I was speaking to the guy that’s running it in there he said he’s been running this business for generations and generations His grandfather started it So this is very special I’m looking forward to trying it That’s something I’ve noticed about here that I really like is there seems to be like a shop for everything Like just walking past now that’s the bike repair shop Yeah We walked past the cement sales guy shop before That’s the backlover shop Uh everything has like its own individual little business instead of all being like grouped together which is nice isn’t it it creates that that nice community We we saw that in India as well actually where those those streets where there was each individual shop and it was great to see and and it’s the same here You see people nipping into each little shop getting the little thing that they need and then going to the next one It’s also really lovely that he said that his great greatgrandfather had started that business and he can still keep it going The price of high street hasn’t skyrocketed to the point that he can’t do that anymore and just sell back to them Would have had to expand and sell coffee and sell everything else But no it’s still how it was He’s he’s making them not like buying them from a big wholesale and just adding a price on So it’s great isn’t it i tried to buy a lot there and it came to 190 What’s that like two two pounds I think or two three pound or something You’ve got quite a bit there aren’t you Going to have a sugar high before we sleep What a great dessert to have and a fantastic experience So this is the box that they come in And I don’t think that I can wait till we get back to the hotel to try it But it is or it’s got a little piece of tape on it Going to make it hard for me I was going to keep you out of that determination You know I got your Swiss Army now I do actually in my bag Oh you’re falling at the first herd No no I’m I’m in I’m in I’m in I’m in So he said that we got two pistachio and two traditional I think I’m going to try the traditional one first All right Do you Oh it’s so um Okay I’m going to try the pistachio one first Now the loose one Yeah Ready Whoa I don’t even know how to describe that It’s so It’s so succulent A good cut of back lovers It’s like so juicy and like you’ve got the walnuts and the pistachios Oh man I’m don’t think I can share this Hey I hear you I chase you through the streets of Oakland All right Em’s decided to share She realized she’s got loads here So I can have a bit Go for the same one as you We’re just going to put that all in No you can’t You can’t Why not it’s too much I saw it dripping when you were It was Yeah Go half M It’s succulent isn’t it it’s not dry at all is it it’s like syrupy and and just fresh Squeeze it and that honey that’s coming out Is it i don’t know It’s delicious though Come back I would also like to point out that it is well past I think 10:30 It’s nearly 11:00 now here in Orid It’s um perfectly calm Yeah perfectly chill I have to say I feel really safe here There’s um like up until late there’s still children playing out in the streets on the bikes and on their scooters and things None of the shops had any shutters going down They just put the things in lock the door and they’ve gone home The only real danger is these random random pointy things You don’t want to trip up on that he says as he trips up All right I’m going for this next one I think No no no no no no no Why not can I try it i haven’t tried that one It was hard to break out isn’t it it’s impossible Just bite it Let me try I want to try I want to try I want to try I want to try Oh that one’s the best This one’s more honey M Oh I think I prefer the first one No the classic is good We’re just walking back to the hotel now We’ll be tucked away safely in about 5 minutes and we’ll finish off the rest of this backlover But don’t worry we’ll give you three rings once we’re in and we’ll catch you in the next episode Good night