Struga & Vevchani Tour Review: Is This Day Trip From Ohrid Worth It?
Looking to spice up your trip to North Macedonia? A day tour to Struga and Vevchani from Ohrid could be just what you need! Ohrid itself is quite a stunner, what with its antique charm and breathtaking lake views. Still, taking a short trip to the neighboring areas opens up even more chances for discovering culture and beautiful scenes. Very much, this review gets into the specifics of that experience. You know, the real experiences had when checking out these cool places nearby.
First Stop: Struga, a Town Divided by a River
So, just a quick jaunt northwest from Ohrid, you’ll come across Struga, which is basically sliced in two by the Crn Drim River, believe it or not! This river then flows right out of Lake Ohrid itself. You could say that Struga has a relaxed feel compared to the usually energetic vibe of Ohrid. Rather, there’s almost a sleepy atmosphere that invites you to actually wander without all the craziness.
Things to Do in Struga: A Laid-Back Adventure
A super great spot to kick things off is The Bridge of Poetry. This isn’t your regular bridge; oh no, it has statues of notable poets that watched over the spot, actually. It sort of celebrates the town’s love for literature and, too it’s almost, gives great picture moments. Almost everybody that visits likes the calming effect the river has, as well as cafes by the water, giving perfect places to sit and chill while seeing everyday local life as it rolls on.
Now, it tends to be that a cool thing to do in Struga is visit the Saint George Church, just a little bit away from the main drag. Often, the spot provides interesting art made by local hands; plus, very few places can say they deliver the kind of quiet meditation spot that St. George does.
Lunch by the Lake: Struga’s Culinary Scene
You know, as for eats, Struga usually shines with its selection of eateries near the water where you can find freshly grabbed fish straight from Lake Ohrid. It turns out, that flavors here tend to be simple and good, a real representation of Macedonian dishes and food that hits the spot after a walk around town.
Vevchani: A Village of Springs and Tradition
Not so far away from Struga, at the base of the Jablanica mountains, rests the place of Vevchani. Vevchani delivers quite a vibe, compared with the flat plains of Struga. This mountain area comes jam-packed with traditional design and crazy cool spring water spots.
Exploring the Vevchani Springs
The springs at Vevchani arguably draw most people; clearly, this complex array of water sources pours from a hill and scatters, delivering awesome scenes to see. First, the water gushes and winds through thick foliage that you could wander around and find some amazing views in some respects.
When you just walk up some of the assigned trails, expect many lookout spots, which is really pretty much what landscape fans are looking for when searching in nature, really. What really happens, in a way, is this crazy mix of running water and leafy scenes, so the trip is super cool and worth the trouble. What else might catch your eye, too it’s almost, would be the old mills close to streams; still, these things offer a super cool glimpse at ways people worked closely with nature.
Vevchani’s Unique Architecture and Culture
As a matter of fact, another cool thing is Vevchani is its cool old-school buildings, built rock-solid with cool old stones. First, you will get narrow paths that show historical-style houses which have maintained their looks throughout time; still, the trip in Vevchani goes farther than nice building peeks because the traditions held are rich.
The village of Vevchani has their Vevchani Carnival. By the way, a way locals show appreciation is that each year it turns into something quite fun and wacky, loaded with very cool custom garments that show various satirical takes with what’s happening now locally and country wide.
Dining in Vevchani: Traditional Macedonian Cuisine
As I was saying, you have to enjoy authentic Macedonian meals when there. Right, different local restaurants make great meals for tourists that tend to bring many people near. Now, it tends to be you’ll find “tavče gravče” and local grilled meats which are super good here. Just a little, you need the spot of mountain-town meal richness to have you coming again and again.
Planning Your Trip: Guided Tour or DIY?
As for seeing these spots, it would seem that travelers can select from guided trips from Ohrid, plus doing personal trips. Arguably, using the former shows convenience seeing as transports tend to be all managed and knowledge by the tour expert during transit. Then again, people that love doing things alone probably like doing it by themselves while checking spots for a fun individual-style travel, really.
Benefits of a Guided Tour
- Transportation is handled.
- Tours tend to have good info on where things lie.
- It makes a way for problems and stuff for transit to almost cease to happen.
Benefits of a DIY Trip
- Seeing spots per person is super great.
- More chances to see things you wanna do or stop anywhere.
- Might cost much less than pre-arranged sets.
What to Expect: A Realistic Look
A trip going to Struga with Vevchani gives views of cool stuff and great spots, yet a handful of things will probably occur on such expeditions. You know, travelers should prep with putting on right walk sets and should hydrate well enough given the physical terrain.
Things to Consider
- Best go in Spring to avoid heatstroke issues that may be hard.
- Cash talks well as not many local spaces get card options.
- Some natives might know some basic common foreign ways, and knowing local slangs may do it, too.
Final Thoughts: Worth the Trip?
By the way, so doing trips from Ohrid to Struga coupled with Vevchani? Absolutely you get more sights, yet. Almost, there you would see super distinct takes from lakeside vistas to mount stuff. Too, it’s almost, great stuff.