One of the very few places on earth inscribed by UNESCO for both its culture and its nature — and the setting for PCFM 2027.
Most conference cities are places you fly into, sit inside for three days, and fly out of. Ohrid is not that kind of place.
The old town climbs a hill straight out of the water: cobbled lanes, wooden houses leaning over the street, Byzantine churches with frescoes that have been looked after for centuries, and a fortress on the ridge above it all. At the bottom, a lakefront promenade of cafés and fishing boats. You can walk the entire town in an afternoon — and still be finding new corners on the third day.
The lake itself is the other half of the story. It is one of the oldest lakes in the world and among the deepest in Europe, home to species found nowhere else. In late June the water is warm enough to swim, the evenings are long, and dinner on the shore is the natural end of a day of sessions.
And it remains, by European standards, remarkably affordable — a coffee by the water, a full dinner with local wine, a boat across the bay: all at a fraction of what the same evening costs in most conference cities.
All of it within walking distance of the lakefront — a free afternoon is enough for most of this list.
The image everyone knows: a small 13th-century church on a cliff directly above the water. Ten minutes' walk from the harbour, and the best light is in the evening.
The medieval fortress on the ridge, from the time when Ohrid was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire. Walk the walls for the view over the whole lake.
The site where, in the ninth century, one of the first Slavic centres of learning was founded — a university before universities. Rebuilt church, mosaics, excavations.
A Hellenistic theatre from around the third century BC, still in use for summer performances, tucked between houses in the middle of the old town.
An eleventh-century basilica with some of the most important Byzantine frescoes in the region — and, in summer, a courtyard used for concerts.
Ohrid pearls, hand-made paper from the workshop that still uses a replica Gutenberg press, and a promenade built for the evening walk.
Click any photograph to open it full size.
The conference closes on Thursday. Everything below is within an hour or two — enough for a Friday, a Saturday, and a very good reason not to fly home immediately.
Short answers to the questions people ask before they book.
Ohrid St. Paul the Apostle Airport (OHD) sits a few minutes from town, with seasonal European connections. Skopje (about three hours by road) and Tirana are the usual alternatives, and both are well served.
North Macedonia is visa-free for holders of ordinary Turkish passports and for EU/Schengen citizens, among others. Requirements vary by nationality — the secretariat can issue invitation letters on request.
Late June and early July are typically warm and dry, with the lake already warm enough to swim and the peak-season crowds still a few weeks away.
The currency is the Macedonian denar; cards are widely accepted. By European standards, eating out and getting around cost noticeably less than in most conference cities.
Macedonian is the official language, but English is widely spoken in hotels, restaurants and by anyone working with visitors. Turkish is also understood by some, a legacy of the region's history.
The old town, the lakefront and the conference area are close together. Taxis are inexpensive, and boats run along the shore in summer.
PCFM 2027 — 29 June to 1 July 2027, on the shore of Lake Ohrid.
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