Tourists planning to visit Macedonia must certainly pay attention to Ohrid. This amazing city, located on the shores of the picturesque Ohrid Lake, is famous for the large number of churches and monasteries. Unlike the harsh Skopje, Ohrid surprises travelers with its beauty and hospitality from the first minutes of staying on its territory. Small, but the cozy city is under the protection of UNESCO. Art historians with world names call this corner of Macedonia "Slavic Jerusalem". And all because there are enough architectural monuments associated with religion in the modern city. On the inspection of them all tourists will need about a week. And yet, in my opinion, the most important attraction of Ohrid is the lake and magnificent nature surrounding it.
Honestly, Ohrid recently began to cause interest among Russian-speaking tourists. But according to local residents, many holidaymakers from Russia, fascinated by a slow and wondrous atmosphere of the city, return here in a year or two. And a part of tourists comes to Ohrid on the advice of friends who had previously been resting here. However, despite all the charms, rest in Ohrid has its own characteristics, the knowledge of which can be useful to tourists.
Language and religion in Ohrid
Most of the population Ohrid is talking in the official language of the country - Macedonian. Their speech for Russian tourists sound very peculiar. She resembles a mixture of Bulgarian and Croatian languages. First, the feeling is that if you listen, it will be possible to disassemble what the townspeople say. However, after five minutes you understand that it is almost unreal. With all this, tourists should not be upset at all. The fact is that the local taxi drivers, waiters and workers of hotels own English well, and in some cases even German . So tourists who understand the international language of communication, there will be no problems.
Most of the inhabitants of Ohrid adheres to the Orthodox faith. And only a third of the population is Muslims. So Orthodox churches in the city more than mosques. Accordingly, the requirements for visiting the majority of religious monuments Ohrid tourists are well known. The female half will sufficiently cover your head. By the way, the scarves are provided to visitors for free before entering almost all the churches of the resort.
Weather and climate
The resort is located in the subtropical zone. The thermometer's column here does not go down to minus temperatures. Even in the coldest winter months in the city there is a daytime temperature within + 12-15 ° C, and at night it decreases to + 5 ° C. In addition to this, high humidity is held in the resort all winter period. But in summer in Ohrid, on the contrary, it is quite hot and dry. In August, a sultry heat is usually installed, which does not fall even at night. The sightseeing of the city in the daytime interferes with high air temperature - + 30 ° C. Given all this to visit Ohrid, it is better to take the end of spring or the beginning of autumn. The most comfortable month for rest is September.
Currency exchange
Chassis in Ohrid is the Macedonian Denar. Cash exchange in the city. Tourists can in banks and private exchange offices. By the way, many resort hotels offer their guests currency exchange service. However, the proposed course is not always profitable for tourists. It is better to go to the central post office of the city and there to make the necessary operation. As for credit cards, they serve all the banks of Ohrid. Relying on round-the-clock ATMs travelers are not worth it, since their number in the city is very small. All banks of the city work on weekdays from 7:00 to 19:00. On Saturday, the working day in financial institutions is pumped at 13:00, and Sunday is a day off.
Overnight in Ohrid
Ohrid lives at the expense of tourists, so all the necessary conditions have been created for their comfortable stay. Many hotels and hotels of various levels are scattered across the resort. Gorgeous night guests can book a room in one of the city's network.
Economical tourists will suit accommodation in a private pension or hostel. True, negotiating the owners of overnight stay, tourists should be clarified in detail how to get to the intended place of residence. Just some private guest houses do not have signs, and travelers may have problems with their search. Even the fact that most boarding houses are located in the heart of Ohrida will not save.
For active tourists and lovers of unity with nature in Ohrid work campsites. They usually provide the most budget accommodation. At the discretion of tourists, you can stay in a house or a tent. The resort has several campgrounds at once, among which "Lubanishta", located near the monastery of St. Nauma, and Gradiste - one of the most famous campgrounds of the country, located in the vicinity of the resort.
Regardless of the level of overnight stay in the peak period of place to stay in advance.
Internet and communications
Contact the house, being on vacation in Ohrid is quite simple. All over the resort has a multitude of telephone sets that make it possible to make a call to anywhere in the world. Payphones are working on special plastic cards sold in newsstands and on post offices. The cost of a minute of an international call from the machine is about 0.2 euros. Phones in the hotel rooms for communication with relatives is better not to use. Such a call will cost 3 times more expensive than from a street payphone, and the quality of communication may be worse.
Internet in Ohrid is available in hotels, cafes and shopping centers. Tourists can take advantage of them for a specific fee, which is usually up to 1 euro per hour.
Safety
Ohrid is considered one of the secure resorts of Macedonia. Locals are welcome to foreign tourists. And yet travelers should not lose vigilance. Especially attentive to personal belongs should be in crowded places.
And yet, smoking is prohibited in public institutions - restaurants, cafes, clubs, museums. Observation of the law strictly follows the local police.