Ohrid

Ohrid, tumbling down a hillside to the shore of its shimmering lake in the country's southwest, is North Macedonia's greatest treasure and a UNESCO World Heritage Site of both cultural and natural importance. This ancient, beautiful town, once said to hold 365 churches, one for every day, is a maze of steep cobbled lanes, terracotta-roofed houses and Byzantine chapels rich with frescoes. Crowning it all is the postcard-perfect church of Sveti Jovan at Kaneo, perched dramatically on a cliff above the blue water, alongside Samuel's Fortress and an ancient theatre.

What you actually see

• Sveti Jovan at Kaneo - the iconic clifftop church over the lake.
• The old town - the cobbled lanes and terracotta houses.
• Samuel's Fortress - the medieval fortress above the town.
• The Byzantine churches - the frescoed chapels and Sveta Sofia.

When to go

May to September, for warm weather and lake swimming, with July and August the liveliest and busiest, including the Ohrid Summer Festival; spring and early autumn are quieter and lovely. The lakeside town and its churches are atmospheric year-round, though many lakeside businesses slow in winter.

Honest expectations

In peak summer, Ohrid and its lakefront can get crowded and the shore quite developed, so late spring and early autumn reveal its quieter charm. It is a small town best savoured slowly rather than rushed. The beauty of the frescoed churches, the iconic clifftop chapel and the setting above the ancient blue lake, though, make Ohrid genuinely enchanting and the highlight of the country.

Nearby

Lake Ohrid, the Sveti Naum monastery and the town of Struga are close by.