North Macedonia

Lake Ohrid and the Pearls of the South

Lake Ohrid is one of Europe's oldest and deepest lakes, harbouring endemic species found nowhere else on earth and earning dual UNESCO recognition for both its natural and cultural significance. The town of Ohrid clings to the hillside above it, strung with medieval churches, a fortress and timber-framed Ottoman houses reflected in perfectly still water. Nearby Struga marks where the lake breathes out into the Black Drin river, and the entire region rewards slow travel, unhurried swimming and long dinners of freshwater trout with local wine.

Mountains, Monasteries and Wild Terrain

Mavrovo, Pelister and Galichica national parks carve up the western and southern edges of the country with serious alpine terrain, brown bears, lynx and some of the most rewarding hiking in the Balkans. The Monastery of Saint John Bigorski near Mavrovo is a masterwork of Macedonian Baroque woodcarving, its iconostasis a dizzying swirl of figures that took generations of craftsmen to complete. Winters draw skiers to Popova Shapka and Mavrovo, while summers open up high ridgelines with views across Albania, Kosovo and Greece simultaneously.

A Table Worth Sitting Down To

Macedonian food is a proud convergence of Ottoman, Mediterranean and Slavic traditions, generous with peppers, aubergines, herbs and grilled meats. Tavche Gravche, a slow-baked bean dish cooked in a clay pot, is considered the national dish and turns up on every proper family table. The country produces its own wines, most notably from the Tikves valley, which supplies reds of genuine character from the indigenous Vranec grape. Local rakija, made from grapes, plums or quince depending on whose grandmother is pouring, concludes most meals and opens negotiations on most others.