Exploring Amazing Macedonia

TOUR AVAILABLE ON DEMAND

Itinerary:

EXPLORING AMAZING MACEDONIA

Day 1  Skopje ‐ Struga ‐ Ohrid

Morning departure from Skopje to Struga (the city of world famous Struga Poetry Evenings) (via Kichevo).

Check-in at hotel, followed by lunch.

After lunch, the group will be transferred to Ohrid, where there will be a guided walking sightseeing tour of the UNESCO protected old town. The walking tour starts from “Dolna porta”, the entrance to the old town, near two small churches ‐St.Nikola and St.”Bogorodica Bolnicki”. You’ll see some of the old and new architecture of Ohrid, of which Robevci house (nowadays the city museum of Ohrid is placed) dominates the scenery. Today the house hosts the museum of Ohrid ‐ which keeps the most important archaeological discoveries of Ohrid and its area.

Next we will visit and enter church St. Sofia ‐ the former cathedral church of the Ohrid archbishopric.

This church from the XII century is impressive for its construction as well as the frescoes ‐ Byzantine style of painting cultivated in the former capital, Constantinople. In this tour the ages are mixed because Ohrid is one of the rare towns with continuous living for millennia. We’ll continue with a visit to the ancient amphitheatre, built in I century BC, accidentally discovered and revived again today (used for holding plays and concerts). On our tour we will also include Plaoshnik ‐ a place that is the spiritual and cultural center of the city Lychnidos (Ohrid), and it’s a complex which consists of an old Slavic church (St.Clement) and the newly built university (which stands on the very same location where the first Slavic literary school was founded by St. Clement in the IX cent.), is also included in our tour. Nearby there are also remains of two early Christian basilicas that hold impressive mosaics. Tsar Samuel’s Fortress, the fortress which dominates the town of Ohrid, is our last stop of the tour. Other amenities that will be also covered on the tour are the church St. Jovan Kaneo, most photographed location of Macedonia, from where one gets the most wonderful view of the entire city and emerald blue Ohrid Lake. We will return to the city center by walking through the Ohrid Bazaar. Dinner is served at a restaurant with traditional setting in the center of Ohrid, where the guests will be entertained by acoustic band and traditional dance performance by a folk group. Transfer to Struga hotel after dinner for overnight.

Day 2  Ohrid ‐ Gradiste ‐ St.Naum ‐ Janche ‐ Skopje

Checkout from hotel after breakfast. Transfer to St. Naum (ca 50 min). En‐route visit of the Museum on water located in the Bay of Bones in Gradishte (replica of neolithic fishermen village recently discovered in the coastal waters). The trip continues to the St.Naum monastery complex (founded in the X century by St.Naum of Ohrid), one of the most remarkable amenities of Macedonia, important for its architecture, artistic and historical legacy. Lunch is served at a restaurant located by the lake shore, overlooking the springs of the Crn Drim River, unique wonder of nature in the Ohrid area. After lunch, guests are transferred to the Mavrovo national park (via Debar), where we will visit the legendary Monastery of St. John the Baptist Bigorski (famous for its wooden carved iconostasis, masterpiece of Macedonian arts) and the nearby village of Janche, enjoy its typical Miyak architecture and customs. We will also have the chance to meet the hospitable locals and taste exquisite local dishes over dinner in the hotel Tutto. Return transfer to Skopje after dinner. End of program.