Mist lifts off Lake Ohrid, and the first cups of coffee appear on café terraces by the water. Rivers run through green valleys, smaller lakes sit tucked between mountain ridges, and every shoreline has its own swimming spot and its own stories told over a long meal.

The climate is continental with a Mediterranean touch in the south, so summers are warm and dry, winters are cold with snow in the mountains, and lakeside days between May and September feel easiest. A Local Friend shares a favourite spot and the story behind it, whether that is a quiet cove, a family kitchen or a viewpoint at sunset.