Ohrid on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Yes, Ohrid is one of the easiest budget destinations in Europe: rooms, food and tickets are all inexpensive. A realistic minimum is about MKD 2,700 (about €45) a day per person sharing a room — around MKD 1,200 for a bed, MKD 1,000 for food, MKD 300 for sights and MKD 200 for transport.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | MKD1,200 | MKD2,300 | MKD5,000 |
| Food & drink | MKD1,000 | MKD1,800 | MKD3,500 |
| Sights & tickets | MKD300 | MKD700 | MKD1,500 |
| Local transport | MKD200 | MKD600 | MKD1,800 |
| Per person, per day | MKD2,700 | MKD5,400 | MKD11,800 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Ohrid day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Walking the lanes of the old town from the Upper Gate
- The ancient theatre (free to see from the lanes outside concert times)
- The path through the pines from Plaošnik down to St John at Kaneo (the church itself has a small fee)
- The wooden boardwalk along the water below the cliffs
- The Čaršija (Old Bazaar) by the harbour
- Swimming at the small beaches below the old town
Cheap eats
- Burek with drinking yoghurt for breakfast — about MKD 80–150
- Tavče gravče in a traditional restaurant — about MKD 200–350
- Šopska salad — about MKD 150–300
- Kebapi with bread and onion — about MKD 250–450
- Ajvar with bread as a starter — about MKD 150–250
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers stay in family guesthouses and small apartments below the old town, 5–10 minutes from the harbour, at about MKD 1,800–3,000 a night for a room. A small tourist tax per person per night is usually added.
Getting around cheaply
Walk the compact (but steep) old town. Taxis within town cost a few hundred denars. Buses from Skopje take about 3 hours (roughly MKD 600–700), and local buses run to Struga and St Naum. From St Paul the Apostle Airport, about 10 km north, a taxi costs about MKD 600–800.
A sample budget day
- Morning: burek and coffee (about MKD 200), then Samuel's Fortress (roughly MKD 300)
- Lunch: tavče gravče and šopska salad (about MKD 500)
- Afternoon: walk down to Kaneo and swim at a small beach (free)
- Evening: kebapi and a glass of Vranec (about MKD 600)
- Total: about MKD 2,700 including a shared guesthouse room (about MKD 1,200)
More ways to save
- Pick a few key churches — Kaneo, St Sophia and Perivleptos — rather than paying for all of them.
- Bring your own snacks and water for the Galičica day; there are few places to buy food on the mountain.
- Share a taxi or the rowing boat at St Naum's springs; the boat is priced per boat, not per person.
- Ask your guesthouse about bus times rather than booking transfers.
- Drink local wine and rakija, which are much cheaper than imported drinks.
- Travel in May or October for low prices and good walking weather (though the lake is cold).
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Common questions
Can you visit Ohrid on a budget?
Yes, easily. Guesthouses, food and church tickets are cheap. Plan on about MKD 2,700 a day per person sharing a room.
How do I get from Skopje to Ohrid cheaply?
By bus. It takes about 3 hours and costs roughly MKD 600–700.
What is the cheapest way to get to St Naum?
The local bus or a shared taxi, about 45 minutes. The boat from the harbour is slower and costs more but is part of the experience.