Skopje and Ohrid in 3 days: the Old Bazaar, Samuel's Fortress and the lake

The mosque on the slope above the Old Bazaar was built for Mustafa Pasha at the end of the 15th century and is one of Skopje's best-known Ottoman buildings. TİKA restored its outbuildings, interior and exterior, portico, ablution fountain and tomb, and also renewed its lighting and grounds.

The Mosque of Murad II was built in 1436 and still stands after three fires, two major earthquakes and four wars. A clock tower stands in its courtyard, with the tombs of Beyhan Sultan behind it and Dağıstanlı Ali Pasha on its left side.

The Old Bazaar north of the Vardar is Skopje's Ottoman core. The Museum of the City of Skopje has branches in the bazaar, and the permanent display in Suli An tells the history of the Old Skopje Bazaar. Wander its inn and market lanes before stopping for lunch.

Take a lunch break in the Old Bazaar, then cross the Vardar and walk to the south bank.

Founded in 1949, the museum has occupied an adapted section of the old railway station since 1970. Its 2,000 square metres of exhibition space use archaeology, history, ethnology and art-history collections to tell Skopje's story from prehistory to the early 20th century.

There is no railway between Skopje and Ohrid; the journey is by road. We could not confirm intercity bus times or journey length from an official source, so check with the bus station or operator before you set off. Spend the evening by the lake in Ohrid, or stay the night in Skopje and leave early the next morning.

The fortress is Ohrid's symbol. The oldest record of Lychnidos (Ohrid's ancient name) and its fortress comes from Livy, writing about 209 BC. In 478 the Ostrogothic king Theodoric failed to take Lychnidos because the city stood on a fortified hill with plenty of springs inside its walls. Look out over the lake and the old town from the walls.

Below Samuel's Fortress, near Gorna Porta, one of the walled city's main gates, the theatre was built in the late Hellenistic period, between the late 3rd and early 2nd century BC. After the Roman conquest of 148 BC it was turned into an arena for gladiator and wild-animal fights, and a later addition raised its capacity to 5,000 spectators.

The plateau below the fortress brings together prehistoric, ancient and medieval layers. Excavations in 1942–1943 inside the remains of the Sultan Mehmed Mosque found the old church of St Clement and the tomb of St Clement of Ohrid; work in 1999–2002 uncovered an early Christian three-aisled basilica and a baptistery with mosaic floors. The church of St Clement and Panteleimon was rebuilt on the old foundations and consecrated in 2002. Traces of the Ottoman-era Sultan Mehmed Mosque are also displayed on the site.

Walk down from the old town to the lakeshore for a lunch break.

According to the Municipality of Ohrid, Ohrid and Lake Ohrid have been under UNESCO protection since 1980. The 6.5-metre monument to the city's patron saint, Clement of Ohrid, was unveiled on 9 August 2006 in the square near the harbour. Walk along the shore and end the day by the lake at sunset.

Underwater excavations took place from 1997 to 2005 in the Bay of Bones, on the southern shore of the Gradište peninsula near Peštani; in 2007–2008 part of the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age pile-dwelling settlement was rebuilt. The site combines the reconstructed settlement on the lake, a Roman castrum on Gradište hill and the museum entrance building.

Head back to Ohrid for lunch by the lake.

Take a last walk through the old town's sloping lanes and along the shore; fly home from Ohrid airport or travel back to Skopje.