This is not the usual city tour of Ohrid that most people do. If you’re looking for a city tour that takes you along the most interesting sights of Ohrid, please check out my Ohrid City Walk (7 km).
Although there is some overlap with the other tour, the current tour has the Old City Wall of Ohrid as a theme. It even has a little off-road part in it!
The first fortifications at this place were built in the 5th century BC, but the oldest remains are from the 3th century BC. The fortifications were reinforced many times throughout history and what we see today is from the 10th century.
According to the Bradt Guide North Macedonia, the town was completely enclosed by the city walls until the Ottomans arrived in 1395. Only two gates, the Upper Gate and the Lower Gate, existed to enter the town. The Upper Gate was connected to the Ancient Theater by a portico, that is a roof supported by columns. The Lower Gate was used by regular visitors to enter the city. Other sources say there were also two additional gates, the Front Gate and the Water Gate. The Front Gate was located at the Church Of St Bogorodica Chelnichka and was the main entrance, but it does not exist anymore. The Water Gate allowed access from the lake.
After the arrival of the Ottomans, the town expanded beyond the walls, with the Christians living inside the town walls and the Ottoman Turskish population outside of the walls.
The hike starts at the old plane tree called Cinar at the central square in Ohrid. The Cinar is believed to be over 900 years old.
From there you walk uphill and pass the Church of St Bogorodica Kamensko, built in 1832 on the foundations of an older building. It’s worth a visit.
From there you go further uphill via a small pedestrian road until you reach a new (or restored) gate in the city wall. This is also the finish of the tour.
You go left before the gate, into the wilderness where there is a trail along the old city wall.
Soon you’ll pass the first old gate in the city wall. I don’t know what the purpose of these additional gates/openings was, or from which period these gates are.
Not far from that first old gate there is a second old gate that leads to the terrain of the Meteorological Station.
You continue along the wall and at a certain point you leave the “wilderness” until you reach a low tunnel in the city wall. The old city wall continues straight to the terrain of St Bogorodica Chelnichka, but you have to make a little detour because you cannot pass here.
You’ll pass the old school building of the primary school St Sava from 1898 and after a short walk you reach the city wall again at the Church of St Bogorodica Chelnichka.
This is were the Front Gate used to be.
You follow the city wall downhill and with a small detour you reach the Lower Gate. In contrast to the Upper Gate, there are no doors anymore in this gate.
The metal grate at the foot of the Lower Gate is not for the sewer system, but to display the original pavement.
Continue towards the lake until you reach the part of the city wall with the Church of St Nikola Bolnicki behind it (see main picture). This church and the nearby St Bogorodica Bolnicki are from the 14th century. These two small churches were built with dormitories around them which were used as quarantine stations for visitors of the city. After the coming of the Turks the structure of the city changed and they lost their purpose, so they were turned into hospitals. That is where the name Bolnicki comes from: bolnica = hospital.
From here you walk to the Church of St Sophia from the 11th century. After the church you walk towards the lake where there is a wooden walkway over the water. Before it was possible to get from the walkway to the Water Gate, but nowadays this is not possible anymore without getting wet feet. The entrance is gated off now as well, while it was still open in 2016.
After the wooden walkway you continue walking to the west while you pass a couple of beaches and bars that are full with sunbathers during the summer until you reach the cave church St Bogorodica.
From here you take the stairs up to the most famous church of Ohrid, St Jovan from the 13th century on the cliff called Kaneo.
Next you walk along the lake until you reach the most western part of the Old City Wall.
Follow the wall uphill from the cliff at lake Ohrid until Samuels Fortress.
In fact, this trail is mostly on top of the Old City Wall!
Of course you should visit Samuels Fortress as well, this trail is all about fortifications. But this route does not pass the entrance, so make a detour or wait until the end of this trail.
The waypoint “Gate3” is an iron fence in the wall of the fortress. You follow the path along the back of the fortress, which was new for me and interesting to see the fortress from the other side!
You walk through the parking to the Upper Gate. After admiring this impressive gate, you walk a bit over 100 meters along the outside of the city wall towards the gate where the hike along the city wall started.
This is a good start for further sightseeing in the old town, or shopping if you follow the trail back to the Cinar tree on the central square.
You can view and download the GPS track of this tour here: https://www.wikiloc.com/walking-trails/ohrid-around-the-old-city-wall-v2-189939767
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