Lake Prespa

Prespa is a region shared by North Macedonia, Albania and Greece, containing two highest tectonic lakes on the Balkans, at an altitude of 853 meters. Most people visiting North Macedonia heard of Ohrid, and Prespa is less than hour away, divided just by National Park Galicica. The region is a home to idyllic beaches and villages, but also a large number of endemic species, all making it a favorite vacation spot for both Macedonians and tourists. Here are the ways how to get to the lake and how to spend time in this natural beauty.

What places to visit near Lake Prespa:

The area around the Lake Prespa has plenty of small towns and villages, as well as a National Park Galicica and Ohrid Lake. Consider these places while in the region:

• Oteševo, Stenje and Konjsko lie on the shore of the lake, on the eastern end of NP Galicica, Pretor and Dolno Dupeni lie on the eastern shore of the lake.
• Resen is located on the very North in the Prespa basin, historically rich city
• If possible, combine Prespa with Ohrid, as well as NP Galicica, for an amazing vacation
• If staying a bit longer in the area, you can consider cities like Bitola and National Park Pelister.

Also read

Lake Ohrid

How to get to Lake Prespa:

By car: If you’re arriving from the direction of Skopje, you can either take the route E-65 via Tetovo, or via Petrovec and Bitola. When you get to Resen or Kozjak (depending on the side) follow the signs to continue all the way to Konjsko (Lake Prespa). The ride takes around 3 hours. The same route takes you to Ohrid, from there you can also continue for another hour to get to Lake Prespa.

If arriving from the direction of Thessaloniki, the quickest route is E-90 but you have to pay a toll fee, the other option is E-02, without the toll fee. Both routes pass through Bitola and the approximate travelling time is around 3,5 hours (20 minutes more/less). NOTE: Remember, this route has a border crossing to the North Macedonia’s share of the region so make sure you have the valid documents with you.

If arriving from any Northwest or Southwest direction, you can join the SH-3 route which goes to Ohrid and then just continue to Lake Prespa.

By train: North Macedonia has a well-developed railway system and most of the bigger cities are connected. The railway is connected to Belgrade (Serbia) on North and Thessaloniki (Greece) on South, making Belgrade-Skopje-Thessaloniki the busiest route in the country. Still, there is no direct train connection to Prespa, nor Ohrid, the closest station is in Bitola from where you need to take a bus to Brajčino (Prespa) or a taxi.

By bus: Getting around North Macedonia by bus is very common and probably the most used mean of transport.

Since Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa are very close to each other and can be both visited together, one of the options is to go to Lake Ohrid and then continue to Prespa. There are direct routes from Skopje and Tirana to Ohrid which you can easily check bellow:

From Ohrid, you can continue by taxi since it is less than an hour ride, just make sure you agree on the price before the ride.

If you, by any chance, don’t want to visit Ohrid first, then you can take a bus from Skopje to Oteševo or Stenje (Prespa). If arriving from Greece, the closest city is Florina which is well connected with bigger Greek cities. From Florina you can take a bus to Prespa, the journey lasts around an hour.

NOTE: Taxis in North Macedonia need to have a permission to cross the Greek border so make sure you check that before the ride!

IMPORTANT: You should know that you cannot enter the Greek side of Lake Prespa from the North Macedonian side. If already on the side of North Macedonia, you will have to go to the crossing between Bitola and Florina and continue back southwest to get to the Greek side. The other option is to go to Stenje and cross to Albania from where you can cross the Greek border on the south where Small Prespa lake is.

From Ohrid Airport: Ohrid Airport is the closest to Prespa, around an hour away but there are only shuttle bus lines that coincide with WizzAir flights that go to Ohrid, in that case the best is to check the details with the company. Besides that, there are no bus lines to neither Ohrid nor Prespa, so you should consider a taxi or a private transfer.

From Skopje Airport: There is no direct route from the airport to neither Ohrid nor Prespa, so you should take a shuttle bus to Skopje main bus station and continue your journey to Ohrid or Prespa.

What you can see and do in Lake Prespa:

Prespa region is a tranquil place which offers some quite interesting sights, so besides exploring the lakes with a boat and hiking through the region, here are some additional things to see and do in the area:

• Located in Small Prespa Lake, on the Greek side, is a small picturesque islet called Agios Achilios with the ruins of the Byzantine basilica bus also other small churches, in the hotel you also get to see the art exhibitions. Also, you get to see plenty of flora and fauna of which many are endangered species. You can easily access the islet via bridge.
• Visit the only North Macedonian island Golem Grad (Big Citadel), located in Lake Prespa. It is also known as Snake Island due to many snakes (!), but also a lot of other species of which some are endangered. There you will find ruins of ancient Roman and medieval periods, some of the churches are well preserved. You can reach the island by boat from either Stenje or Konjsko.
• Visit museum in Resen, located in French-style Resen castle, and discover the collections of archaeological and ethnological findings of this area.
• Truly picturesque village lies on an altitude of 1100 meters – Agios Germanos. This village is a perfect destination for hikers since they only have to follow the path that leads to the top of the mountain Varnoundas. And, of course, the view from above is simply stunning.
• Visit the church of St. George in the village of Kurbinovo from the 12th century, although very renovated, art lovers will love its fresco paintings.
• Hiking is an ideal activity since there are many paths in the region that lead to small villages, also, National Park Galicica is right in the middle of Prespa and Ohrid and it offers numerous paths inside the park with the highest peak Magaro reaching over 2000 meters. If visiting Ohrid too, there are also mountains reaching over 2000 meters around with several paths that lead to lovely villages.
• If arriving in summer months, you can go for swimming on the beaches such as Dupeni or Slivnica beach in Resen. The lake temperatures go up to 24 °C in the warmest period.
• With more than 260 bird species in the area of which many of them are endangered, birdwatching is also a common activity here. If you’re new to birdwatching you can find organized tours in village of Laimos done by the Society for the protection of Prespa.
• In case of arriving in the winter time, skiing and snowboarding in Vigla is possible, right where the mountain ranges of Varnous and Verno are connecting.

Useful tips when visiting Lake Prespa:

Visiting Lake Prespa as a day trip could be possible, but to thoroughly explore the area it would be way better to stay at least 2-3 days. Also, National Park Galicica and Lake Ohrid ar in the close vicinity, so you can explore all of it together. There are many activities on offer such as hiking, cycling, swimming, as well as many interesting sites.

Lake Prespa is not a crowded tourist destination, but the true peace can be found in pre and post-season. With the mixture of Mediterranean and continental climate, summers are never too hot, and winters are never too cold. The best period to visit the lake would be from May to September, autumns are with lots of rain, but winters are rarely with snow.

If you arrive to Lake Prespa from Greece to North Macedonia, have in mind that you are entering different time zone (from CET to EET). Therefore, you need to set your clock back 1 hour.

It is good to mention that Prespa Lake region is considered a national park in Albania and Greece, in North Macedonia it is not considered a national park.

Prespa agreement went into force in February, 2019 and it solved the long-standing dispute over the name of North Macedonia (ex FYROM Macedonia). Still, it is good to know that this area, being on border between North Macedonia and Greece, is a bit sensitive. There is a Macedonian minority in region of Florina and surrounding villages (southern areas of Prespa). So, while in that area, the best thing to avoid hostility would be not mentioning any names of the country, just focus on the beautiful surroundings and enjoy.

Have in mind that for most European tourists, North Macedonia is a very affordable country. Basic lunch outside can cost 5€ and a beer in a bar costs around 1 €.

If you’re staying in North Macedonian part of Prespa, the currency is as in the rest of the country – Macedonian Denar (MKD). If staying on the Greek side, the currency is Euro.

If visiting National Park Galicica with your own vehicle, you will have to pay around 50 MKD for the vehicle and around 30 MKD per person. There is an additional entrance fee for the park of around 200 MKD (around 3 €) but if you refuse to visit the park and you just want to pass to get to Prespa, you won’t need to pay it.

Staying overnight in the area:

It is definitely better to stay overnight on Lake Prespa than to make it as a day trip, as we already stated. There are hotels and apartments to stay at such as Hotel Pretor and Lakeview Hotel and Resort. Also, there are many airbnb options in the area.

If you maybe prefer to stay in the nature, consider camping which is available in several campsites such as Pretor.