Chasing the sun and warmth. That was the goal of our winter campervan expedition to Albania. Our route took us through Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Macedonia, and finally Albania. A natural stopover on this route is the beautiful Lake Ohrid, sitting right on the border of Macedonia and Albania. It turns out that in winter, this usually packed tourist hotspot with its beautiful Church of St. John is practically empty.
O tym przeczytasz
The Icon of the Balkans at Lake Ohrid
We arrived in Ohrid at night with the thermometer still showing freezing temperatures. We parked our campervan in a large lot right next to Lake Ohrid itself. In the morning, we were woken up by the sun streaming into the car through every possible crack in the windows. It promised wonderful conditions and a potentially great day in Ohrid.
Not really having a specific plan, we headed toward the Church of St. John at Kaneo. It’s probably the most photographed monastery in Macedonia, if not all of Europe. The map showed two routes. The first, longer one, goes through a pine forest with paths right along the lake; the second is an asphalt road leading first to Samuel’s Fortress on the hill. Naturally, we took the longer one, and that’s the one we recommend to you, too. Along the entire path, you get breathtaking views of Lake Ohrid and the snow-capped Jablanica mountains.
The Church of St. John at Kaneo Without the Crowds
Three kilometers—that’s how long it took us to walk from the parking lot to the highlight of the trip, the Church of St. John at Kaneo. In the summer, this place must be under siege by crowds trying to take a photo—you know, the Instagram kind. In January, there were maybe ten people on the cliff.
While we were soaking up the sun with a view of the lake, the kids turned the area around the church into a hide-and-seek playground. Running around and jumping off low walls quickly resulted in our favorite phrase: “I’m hungry.” That’s our signal that it’s time to pack up, head to town, and find something to eat.
Experiencing the Peace. Why is Ohrid in Winter a Bullseye?
The walk down to the Old Town gate in Ohrid is pretty simple and leads past Samuel’s Fortress—the same one you would have passed if you chose the shorter route mentioned earlier. The narrow, empty streets of Ohrid first led us to the Ancient Theatre from 200 BC. If you’re expecting the Roman Colosseum, we hate to break it to you. Currently, it’s a resting spot for tourists and locals, with a terrible roof over the main stage and a relatively large amount of trash lying around.
The Interesting History of the Greek Theatre in Ohrid
Considering when it was built, we were surprised that the theatre is preserved in such good condition. A few moments of Googling its history and everything became clear. The Greeks built it. The Romans rolled in to conquer these lands, decided the theatre was cool but preferred games, and turned it into a gladiator arena. When there were no games, the arena was used for executions. After Rome fell, the local population—due to the traumatic history—buried it with rubble and dirt. The theatre was discovered in the 1980s, completely by accident while houses were being built.
It was opened to tourists and residents in 2001, and that’s when disaster struck—that steel roof over the stage, which sticks out like a sore thumb. Apparently, a competition for a new architectural design for the roof has already been announced. Let’s hope it won’t look like another warehouse shed.
Heading Back to the Ohrid Promenade
We finally popped into wintery Ohrid for a hot lunch. There are plenty of little restaurants in Ohrid; even in winter, you can find something to suit everyone. We ended up at a restaurant on the promenade with a beautiful terrace and a view of the lake. The sun, which stayed with us the whole time (making the temperature feel higher), really set the mood. Three hamburgers, one Macedonian burger (the version without the bun), and a safe chicken breast allowed us to regain our strength—while simultaneously putting us in a food coma and making us reluctant to drive further into Albania. It just felt too good sitting in that sun.
Another Pearl of Lake Ohrid – The Monastery of Saint Naum
We left the sleepy-at-this-time-of-year Ohrid behind and pointed our home-on-wheels toward the south of the lake. Ahead of us was one of those stretches of road that make driving to the Balkans worth it in the first place. The drive from Ohrid to the Monastery of Saint Naum is only 40 km. It is a spectacular 40 km. On the right, the infinite blue of the lake sparkles in the winter sun. On the left, the rugged, snow-capped walls of Galičica National Park rise above us.
In the summer, you probably couldn’t fit a pin in here, but now? We have this space all to ourselves. We aren’t rushing anywhere. We’re driving in slow mode, soaking up every curve and enjoying how bravely our little bus handles the kilometers. Our goal is the Albanian border and the famous peacocks at Saint Naum. If you’re here in winter, definitely do this stretch at sunset. Pure magic!
We drove to the very end of the lake, right up to the Albanian border. The Monastery of Saint Naum in winter is a whole different story—zero stalls, empty, and quiet. Well, almost quiet, because the peacocks rule the roost here. They walk on the roofs and in the trees. It was the first time we’ve seen peacocks sitting on branches. Aside from the birds, the main attraction here is the monastery itself, with its beautiful iconostasis and frescoes.
We timed our day of attractions at Lake Ohrid—quite accidentally—so that we finished perfectly at sunset. Now all we have to do is cross the border into Albania. Then buy Albanian SIM cards, exchange Euros for Leks, and start our full-blown Albanian winter campervan adventure.
Stay with us longer!
