How much is parking in Ohrid: If you want clean water for swimming, prepare 300 denars
Visitors report that at some locations all-day parking has reached 300 denars, and hourly rates and additional services further increase the costs.
All-day parking at certain Ohrid beaches this summer is being charged at 300 denars per vehicle, say tourists who were on site and report higher rates at locations with cleaner water, farther from the town center.
Visitors state that the most expensive daily rates this year are at the parking lots near Gradishte and Ljubanista, where the fixed daily price reaches 300 denars per car. "The official parking in Ljubanista cost 300 denars, but I found one 'illegal' spot where a local lifted the barrier for 150 denars," one of the tourists who decided to move a little farther from the town told us.
What the final bill looks like
Other tourists describe different prices during the week: "It was 200 denars on Thursday, and for the weekend I don't know what the price is. If you add two sunbeds at 400 denars each, then the sum is high. Not to mention the fuel, which is quite expensive right now and is needed to get there," say tourists from Skopje, pointing out that parking is now a significant part of the cost of a day at the beach.
In some places the hourly rate also increases the bill: at "Gorica 3" this year parking is charged at 50 denars per hour — which means that for an eight-hour stay at the beach the driver would pay 400 denars. Last year at the same place the daily tariff was 200 denars; because of the change, according to field reports, some drivers are leaving their cars by the woods and on unregulated surfaces instead of in organized parking lots.
Besides the prices for sunbeds, food and drinks, parking this year is among the most frequently mentioned topics among visitors to Ohrid's beaches. Tourists say that higher parking fees together with the cost of fuel affect the choice of where they will spend the day by the lake.
There is no official position from the municipality or precise rules for charging parking in the available material — the reports are based on field submissions and reflect the prices seen during the summer season.
Photo: press material from the event
