Skopje Residency
Hotel
Day 1
Ohrid & the Lakes - 5 Days (Skopje, Matka, Sveti Naum, Galicica & Bitola)
Five days around a three-million-year-old lake. Five days with a private vehicle, an old-town guesthouse on the Ohrid waterfront and a guide on the Galicica ridge.
Meridian Overland
Runs this trip
Walking / cultural tour
Five days around a three-million-year-old lake
Group Tour
Join a fixed-date departure with other travellers
Top Highlights
Stone BridgeSkopje 2014 covered the centre in neoclassical facades and several hundred statues, at enormous cost and considerable local objection. Matka canyonVrelo cave at Matka is one of the deepest underwater caves in the world and has not been fully surveyed. Sveti Jovan KaneoLake Ohrid is between one and three million years old, one of the oldest in the world, and holds species found nowhere else.
Itinerary
Skopje 2014 covered the centre in neoclassical facades and several hundred statues, at enormous cost and considerable local objection. The Ottoman bazaar across the river is the older and better half.
SkopjeHow the day runs
- 1 hrsTransfer into the centre
- MealsDinner
- AccommodationSkopje Residency
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Hotel night
LANDMARKS Stone Bridge Old Bazaar Skopje 2014 statues Start point Skopje, Skopje International Airport (SKP), North Macedonia 00:00 - 23:59Vrelo cave at Matka is one of the deepest underwater caves in the world and has not been fully surveyed.
Skopje, Matka, OhridHow the day runs
- 1 hrs8:30 AM — out to the canyon
- 2 hrs9:30 AM — kayaks up the gorge to the caves
- 3 hrs2:00 PM — south to the lake
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationOhrid Courtyard
Included Activities
- Kayak hire
- Transport
- Old-town guesthouse night at Ohrid
LANDMARKS Matka canyon Vrelo cave Ohrid old town Lake Ohrid is between one and three million years old, one of the oldest in the world, and holds species found nowhere else.
OhridHow the day runs
- 9:00 AM — Sveti Jovan Kaneo, the amphitheatre and Samuel's fortress
- 2 hrs3:00 PM — out on the lake
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationOhrid Courtyard
Included Activities
- All church and fortress entries
- Lake boat
- Guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Sveti Jovan Kaneo Samuel's Fortress Plaosnik Lake Ohrid From the Galicica ridge you see Ohrid on one side and Prespa on the other, with Albania and Greece across both.
Ohrid, Sveti Naum, GalicicaHow the day runs
- 1 hrs8:30 AM — south along the shore to the monastery
- 4 hrs12:00 PM — up onto the ridge between Ohrid and Prespa
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationOhrid Courtyard
Included Activities
- Monastery entry and spring boats
- Guided ridge walk
- Guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Sveti Naum Springs Galicica ridge Lake Prespa Heraclea was founded by Philip II of Macedon and its floor mosaics are among the best in the Balkans.
Ohrid, Bitola, SkopjeHow the day runs
- 2 hrs8:30 AM — east to Bitola and Heraclea
- 3 hrs1:30 PM — north to the capital
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationNot included — onward travel
Included Activities
- Heraclea entry
- Transfer to Skopje airport
LANDMARKS Heraclea Lyncestis Shirok Sokak Bitola
- Day 1Airport transfer
- Day 1Hotel night
- Day 2Kayak hire
- Day 2Transport
- Day 2Old-town guesthouse night at Ohrid
- Day 3All church and fortress entries
- Day 3Lake boat
- Day 3Guesthouse night
- Day 4Monastery entry and spring boats
- Day 4Guided ridge walk
- Day 5Heraclea entry
- Day 5Transfer to Skopje airport
- Day 1 · 1 nightSkopje Residency
- Day 2 · 3 nightsOhrid Courtyard
- Day 1Skopje to SkopjeTransfer into the centre
- Day 2Skopje to Matka8:30 AM — out to the canyon
- Day 2Matka to Ohrid2:00 PM — south to the lake
- Day 4Ohrid to Sveti Naum8:30 AM — south along the shore to the monastery
- Day 5Ohrid to Bitola8:30 AM — east to Bitola and Heraclea
- Day 5Bitola to Skopje1:30 PM — north to the capital
Where you'll stay
All accommodations are subject to change
Ohrid Courtyard
Hotel
Days 2–4
What you'll eat
4 breakfasts and 1 dinner across 5 days, at the lodges you sleep in. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 5.
- DinnerServed on day 1
- BreakfastServed on days 2–5
5 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered; Jain, gluten-free and allergies on notice at booking
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Customer reviews
Overall rating
4.4/5
Based on 14 reviews
Review summary
Food4.1/5
Guide4.2/5
Itinerary4.4/5
Transport4.2/5
Accommodation4.4/5
Tour operator4.2/5
Sort by:Recommended
5
A
Arjun Pillai – Chandigarh2026-02-27 · Verified booking
Well paced over 5 days with enough free time to not feel herded. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. Worth every rupee.
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4
M
Manav Sethi – Lucknow2026-02-27 · Verified booking
Ohrid & Skopje done well. The itinerary had room to breathe. Good value for what's included.
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3
R
Rohit Verma – Hyderabad2026-02-27 · Verified booking
Hotels were a step below what I expected for the price. The lead was calm and knew when to slow the group down.
Reply from Meridian Overland
Thank you for travelling with us — glad the route worked out.
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5
A
Ananya Gupta – Pune2026-02-27 · Verified booking
Everything was arranged properly — transfers, entries, all of it. Plenty to eat and they were happy to work around a gluten allergy.
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5
I
Ishita Ghosh – Kolkata2025-07-08 · Verified booking
Ohrid & Skopje done well. The itinerary had room to breathe. Rooms were comfortable and the locations meant we could walk most evenings. The cooking was a genuine surprise — better than most places we'd have picked ourselves. Worth every rupee.
Reply from Meridian Overland
Thank you for travelling with us — glad the route worked out.
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5
O
Owen Clarke – Auckland2025-07-08 · Verified booking
Everything was arranged properly — transfers, entries, all of it. The cooking was a genuine surprise — better than most places we'd have picked ourselves. Recommended.
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5
O
Owen Clarke – Dubai2025-07-08 · Verified booking
Well paced over 5 days with enough free time to not feel herded. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. Worth every rupee.
Reply from Meridian Overland
Thank you for travelling with us — glad the route worked out.
Was this helpful?
5
E
Elena Petrova – Berlin2025-07-08 · Verified booking
Well paced over 5 days with enough free time to not feel herded. Meals were good throughout and the vegetarian options weren't an afterthought. Worth every rupee.
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Questions people ask
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