Lake Ohrid, the old lake Albania shares with North Macedonia

Most lakes are young, geologically speaking. They fill with sediment and disappear within a few tens of thousands of years. Lake Ohrid is an exception. Formed in a deep basin between mountains, it is thought to be well over a million years old, among the oldest lakes in Europe and indeed the world. In that time, isolated from other waters, it has developed a remarkable range of plants and animals found nowhere else, including its own species of trout. Its water is famously clear, and it is deep, reaching nearly three hundred metres.

The lake straddles the border between Albania and North Macedonia, at an altitude of nearly seven hundred metres, ringed by mountains. Its natural and cultural heritage is a World Heritage Site, first listed on the North Macedonian side and extended in 2019 to include the Albanian shore.

Ohrid, the town of churches

The town of Ohrid, on the North Macedonian shore, is one of the oldest settlements in the Balkans and was once an important religious centre. In the late ninth and tenth centuries, two disciples of the brothers Cyril and Methodius, the missionaries who had created a script for the Slavic languages, came to the region. Clement and Naum founded monasteries and schools there that trained clergy and helped to spread literacy and Christianity among the Slavs, and they played a part in the development of the Cyrillic alphabet now used across much of eastern Europe.

Ohrid was later the seat of a powerful archbishopric, and it is often said to have once had 365 churches, one for every day of the year. Many fine churches survive, with Byzantine frescoes and icons. The little church of St John at Kaneo, perched on a cliff above the lake, is one of the most photographed sights in the Balkans. The old town climbs the hill to the walls of a medieval fortress, with a Roman theatre below.

St Naum and the springs

At the southern end of the lake, close to the Albanian border, stands the monastery of St Naum, founded by Naum himself. It sits beside springs where water, filtered through the limestone mountains from Lake Prespa, wells up into clear pools before flowing into Ohrid. Boats can be hired to row among the springs. The monastery's church, rebuilt over the centuries, holds the saint's tomb, and peacocks wander its gardens.

Above the lake, the Galičica National Park rises between Ohrid and Lake Prespa, its higher neighbour. Prespa is a quieter, reed-fringed lake shared by three countries, Albania, North Macedonia and Greece, and home to pelicans.

The lake's fish is famous. The Ohrid trout, found only in this lake, is a protected species, and fishing for it has been restricted in an effort to save its dwindling numbers. The lake's eels, which once made an astonishing journey from the Sargasso Sea up the Adriatic and the River Drin to reach Ohrid, have been largely cut off by dams. Other lake fish appear on menus in the restaurants along the shore, and a meal of grilled fish by the water is part of any visit.

The towns on the shore also have a long tradition of filigree jewellery and pearl-making, using an essence made from the scales of a small lake fish to coat beads.

The Albanian shore

On the Albanian side, the town of Pogradec lies on the lake's southern shore, with a lakeside promenade and views across the water to the mountains of North Macedonia. It is a popular summer resort for Albanians, and the lake fish is a local speciality.

Explore Worldwide's Undiscovered Balkans, thirteen nights, crosses three countries. Its places include Tirana and Elbasan in Albania, and Struga, Lake Ohrid, St Naum, Galičica National Park, Lake Prespa and the capital, Skopje, in North Macedonia. In Kosovo, they include Pristina, Peja and the White Drin waterfall, as well as Boga in the mountains of northern Albania.

Explore Worldwide's Highlights of Albania, ten nights, includes Pogradec on the lake, with Korçë, Gjirokastër, Butrint and the Ionian coast.

Late spring to early autumn is the best time to visit. The lake is warm enough for swimming in summer, and in spring and autumn the light on the water and the mountains is especially lovely.