It was small and very basic, and only took 20 minutes to get off the plane and out through immigration. St Paul the Apostle is the only airport in Ohrid. While I was there the hostel only charged £6 a night for a 8 bed dorm!Īs mentioned before, Ohrid was a place I hadn't heard much about and honestly I wasn't entirely sure what to expect upon arriving into this small city. It had a kitchen which meant I had the option to cook, even though eating out is unbelievably cheap anyway, and each floor had a balcony overlooking the mountains and lake below. I really enjoyed my stay and while it wasn't the cleanest hostel, it was in a great location (right by the lake) with a very helpful owner who gave me endless recommendations of what to do during my stay in this quaint city. There is only 2 or 3 different hostel options in Ohrid, so I ended up staying at Sunny Lake hostel, which had the best reviews on Hostelworld. I ended up meeting two English boys from my flight in the line for immigration and we split the taxi, which cost £9, between the three of us so only cost us £3 each. The most straight forward way to get into the city is by taxi which you can find right outside the airport. Getting from the airport into the city is very straight forward, and don't worry if you don't have any cash because there is a currency exchange after you get through baggage claim (although you will need some cash on you because they don't accept card). Including 3 nights accomodation, taxis, food, attractions, souvenirs and a day trip to St Naum I spent a total of £70 (average £24 a day), which is NOTHING! It was so cheap and you could definitely do it for cheaper if you chose not to eat out and cook for yourself instead! Everything was super affordable and it truly felt like I was in the heart of Eastern Europe. It was HARD to spend money in North Macedonia. I landed by midday and was eager to get straight into it all, as I hadn't seen a lot of people visit this part of the world. Located in North Macedonia's southwest, it is known for its medieval old town, monasteries, ruins, and most of all, Europe's deepest and largest lake. After a quick google I see that Wizzair also has routes to Ohrid from Milan, Vienna, Malmö and a few others!Īfter a 3am wake up and an hour and a half drive to London Luton I hopped on my Wizzair flight and fell straight asleep before waking up three hours later flying over Ohrid. The air route from Luton to Ohrid doesn't run very frequently, only 2-3 times a week, so the price definitely depends on the time of year you visit and how much you'll be spending on the flight. My flight was with Wizzair and cost me £22 plus £12 for priority boarding and an extra carry on bag, whereas the flight home from Athens was a lot more expensive and ended up costing me €60 one way including baggage. I really loved this experience and was so glad to have found such a fun time out of an unsuspecting country. As I travelled down towards Athens everything started to become more and more expensive (for Eastern European standards) and I noticed more flocks of tourists turning up. The locals were friendly and everything was cheap. While there were a few long term travellers around, it didn't scream 'tourist central' which was quite refreshing. This trip was unique compared to a lot of others I had previously experienced. Ohrid, while popular for Macedonians, isn't widely popular for most young backpackers. Seeing as the two countries neighbour it is very easy to travel between them. The Baltic landscape of North Macedonia made it seem like a dream driving through deep gorges and mountains, while Northern Greece hosted very dry, flat land. As my 21st approached I thought it would be best to fly a little earlier, then work my way down into Greece where I would finally end up in Athens for a big party on my actual birthday. It seemed like one of those countries that had been relatively untouched by tourists, which excited me. After a quick 20 minutes of googling and a glance over some blogs, I realised I had to go. I'm not going to lie I hadn't really heard a lot about Ohrid nor would I have been able to locate it on a map, however, I was curious. One of the things I love most in life is adventure, and as I scoured Skyscanner for yet another cheap flight I stumbled across a £22 one way trip to Ohrid, North Macedonia.
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