Travel and Venue Information on the 7th ICT

Innovations Conference

Ohrid, October 1-4, 2015

http://ictinnovations.org/

1. Conference Venue

The conference will take place at the Metropol Lake Resort, a complex of three hotels

(Metropol, Bellevue and Tourist) located on the shore of the lake just 6 km south of the city

Ohrid. The photo below shows a view of the hotel complex from the lake side. Hotel Metropol

where the conference presentations will be held is in the middle, while Hotel Bellevue is

on the left and Hotel Tourist is on the right. The buildings of Hotel Metropol and Tourist are

connected with an indoor corridor.

Metropol Lake Resort1

Available are beaches, plus many possibilities for outdoor sports and activities (swimming pool,

tennis courts). The average climate for the period of the conference suggests daily high

temperatures of the 25 (Celsius) and temperature of the water that should be warm enough for

swimming in all sunny days.

Address: Settlement Konjsko B.B., 6000 Ohrid

Phone: + (389) 46 203001

Fax: + (389) 46 277212

e-mail: info@metropol-ohrid.com.mk

website: http://www.metropol-ohrid.com.mk

1 Printed with permission from the Hotel Complex Management

2. Travel to Ohrid

2.1 Visa Information

If you are not citizen of the host country, then you should carefully read the instruction provided

on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Visas are not required by visitors from the following countries for visit up to 90 days. You can

find more information for the rest of the countries on this link.

Albania, Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas,

Barbados, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile,

Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland,

France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel,

Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao,

Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand,

Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino,

Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, St Kitts and Nevis, Sweden,

Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City and

Venezuela.

Citizens of the following countries are not required to have entry visa:

- EU member countries and signatories of the Schengen Agreement have the right to

enter the host country with a valid ID card.

- Third countries with permanent stay in an EU member country or signatory country of

the Schengen Agreement may stay in the host country for up to 15 (fifteen) days upon

every entry to the territory of the host country, and the total amount of the subsequent

stays in the host country must not be longer than 3 (three) months within a six-months

period, starting from the date of the first entry.

- Third countries with multiple entry short stay Schengen visa type C valid at least 5 (five)

days beyond the intended stay in the host country, may stay in the host country for up

to 15 (fifteen) days upon every entry to the territory of the host country, and the total

amount of the subsequent stays in the host country must not be longer than 3 (three)

months within a six-months period, starting from the date of the first entry.

More on the different types of entry visas can be found on this link.

Here is a list of the host country’s embassies and consulates worldwide.

2.2 Flights to Ohrid airport

The Ohrid airport is approximately 6km from Ohrid and 12km to the conference venue. During

summer season there are several flights per week to Amsterdam. Flights from/to Amsterdam

are operated by Corendon. The second route is to Basel, carried by WizzAir. WizzAir's aircraft

will operate on this route every Wednesday and every Sunday regularly. The third route is to

London Luton also every Wednesday and Sunday, but until the 13th of September.

We expect to have more charter flights to/from other European cities offered by several other

companies in the near future. The venue and the town Ohrid are reachable by taxi from the

airport (around EUR 8 depending on the desired location). The route from the airport to the

conference venue is shown in the following map.

2.3 Flights to Skopje airport

Skopje airport has daily direct flights to and from Vienna, Zurich, Istanbul, Ljubljana, Zagreb and

Belgrade. Daily one-hop connections are available to all major towns in Europe. WizzAir

operates low cost connections to Barcelona, Basel, Brussels, Cologne, Dortmund, Eindhoven,

Frankfurt Hahn, Friedrichshafen, Geneva, Gothenburg, Gothenburg Landvetter, Hamburg,

London Luton, Malmo, Milano Bergamo, Munich Memmingen, Nuremberg, Oslo, Paris,

Stockholm and Venice Treviso. Also a low cost connection to Istanbul is operated by Pegasus.

Updated list of current destinations and timetable can be found on the following link

http://skp.airports.com.mk/Upload/Downloads/Doc/S2015.pdf

Transport Skopje - Ohrid

Option A: Bus from Skopje to Ohrid

When you arrive to the Skopje airport, the center of the town of Skopje and the intercity bus

station are reachable by taxi (1220 MKD= 20 EUR) or by bus (150 MKD ~ 3 EUR). The distance

to the Skopje intercity bus station and the center of the city is about 20km.

Ohrid is 170 km southwest from the capital Skopje, reachable by daily frequent bus lines that

depart from the centrally located intercity bus station. A bus from Skopje intercity bus station

to Ohrid bus station takes about 3.5 hours and costs 520 MKD one way or about 750 MKD return

ticket (http://galeb.mk/?lang=en).

Option B: Taxi from Skopje airport

Taxi from Skopje airport to Ohrid should cost €95 - this service is from the official taxi company

serving the airport.

On the other hand, if you decided to visit Skopje, you don't need to go back to the airport to

take a taxi to Ohrid since there are several dependable taxi companies: InTaxi, DeLuxe, Lotus,…

Option C: Car rental from Skopje airport

This is a good alternative since there are eleven car rental companies located at the Skopje

airport. Links and contacts are available on the airport web-site.

Skopje – Ohrid routes

There are two alternative roads to go to Ohrid from Skopje Airport. Both are in good condition

with many stops and gas stations, parts of both roads lead through mountain ranges with nice

landscapes. Both roads are in very good condition and would take approximately 3h in average.

The roads are scenic and there are many interesting places to visit along the way (monasteries,

lakes, wineries, historic excavation sites, etc.)

Route A: 208km - Skopje Airport - Skopje - Tetovo - Gostivar - Kicevo - Ohrid

There is motorway only to Gostivar, the rest is mostly regional roads limited to 80km/h,

exceptions are two parts of the road that are mountain passes with three lane wide road limited

to 50 or 60km/h, these sections are Gostivar-Kicevo and Kicevo-Ohrid. This alternative is

shorter, but the volume of traffic especially on sections Tetovo-Gostivar and Gostivar-Kichevo

is much higher. Note: On Friday evenings and Sunday evenings many people from Skopje and

Tetovo use this road to go to Ohrid for the weekend, with a significant increase in the volume

of traffic.

Route B: 230km - Skopje Airport - Veles - Gradsko - Prilep - Bitola - Resen – Ohrid

There is motorway only to Gradsko, the rest is mostly regional roads limited to 80km/h,

exceptions are three parts of the road that are mountain passes with three lane wide road

limited to 50 or 60km/h, these parts are on the sections Gradsko-Prilep, Bitola-Resen and Resen-

Ohrid. This alternative takes a bit longer, but it has usually lower volume of traffic with the only

exception for the section Gradsko-Prilep.

You should drive safely and obey road signs and speed limitations, regulations are especially

strict in urban areas. Driving is on the right side of the road and all signs are using metric system.

Do take into account that you will need an international driver license.

2.4 International bus lines to Ohrid

Ohrid can be reached by direct bus lines from Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia

and Bulgaria. Time tables and price lists can be found on the Galeb Ohrid website.

Ohrid bus station is located approximately 2km from the city center as shown on the map.

2.5 International bus lines to Skopje

Albania, Kosovo, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Czech, Montenegro, Denmark, Germany,

Greece, Croatia, Italy, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden and Turkey. Time tables and price

lists can be found on the Skopje bus station website.

Skopje bus station is located approximately 2.5km from the city center as shown on the map.

3. Touristic information and points of interest

The City of Ohrid

Ohrid2 is city located in the south-western part of the country, on the banks of the Lake

Ohrid3 at an elevation of 690 meters above the sea level. It has about 42,000 inhabitants and

is located 160 km southwest from the capital Skopje (180 km from the Skopje Airport) and 80

km from the border with Greece. The city is rich in picturesque houses and monuments.

Left: Museum House of the Robevi Family4 Right: Ohrid and Samuil’s Fortress5

2 http://www.ohrid.com.mk 3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Ohrid 4 Source: By Elif.s (Own work), License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 via Wikimedia Commons,

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AOhrid.ohrid.JPG 5 Source: by Mihal Orela, License CC-BY-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File

In 1979 and in 1980, Ohrid and Lake Ohrid were accepted as Cultural and Natural World

Heritage Sites by UNESCO. In fact, Ohrid is one of only 28 sites that are part of UNESCO's

World Heritage that are both Cultural and Natural sites, referred also as a "European

Jerusalem" or “Slavic Jerusalem”. There is a legend supported by observations by Ottoman

traveler from 17th century Evliya Çelebi that there were 365 chapels within the town

boundaries, one for every day of the year. Today this number is significantly smaller.

Church of Saint John at Kaneo6 Church of Saint Sofia7

The shores of Lake Ohrid have been inhabited since prehistoric times. Archaeological findings

speak of settlements from the Neolithic period (the early Stone Age) 6.000 years B.C.

(Museum on Water / Bay of bones reconstruction) and the Iron age (golden funeral masks

from VI and V century BC found in Trebenishta8).

Photo Museum on Water / Bay of Bones9

%3AСамуилова крепост%2C_Охрид%2C_Македония.jpg 6 Source: Diego Delso, License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AIglesia_San_Juan_Kaneo%2C_Ohrid%2C_Macedonia%2C_2014- 04-17%2C_DD_16.JPG 7 Source: Photo By Rašo, License: GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 via Wikimedia Commons

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASv._Sofija_Ohridska.JPG 8 Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebeni%C5%A1ta 9 Source: Photo by Stolevski, via Wikimedia Commons, License CC-BY-SA 3.0,

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zaliv_Na_Koskite_1.JPG

From the Hellenic and Roman period the settlement is known as Lychnidos (meaning Light

giving), located along the Via Egnatia, at the times during which, among others, the

amphitheater in II century BC was built. Archaeological excavations (e.g., the Polyconch

Basilica from 5th century) demonstrate rather early adoption of Christianity.

Since the first part of IV century the town of Lychnidos became an Episcopal centre. At the

end of the 9 century AD, Saint Clement10 (the best student of Saints Cyril & Methodius),

established the Ohrid Literary School11, where together with Saint Naum, he taught around

3500 students. He has written or translated about 50 works, which established Ohrid as pan-

Slavic literature and culture center of that time.

Lake Ohrid

Lake Ohrid, is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, preserving a unique aquatic

ecosystem that is of worldwide importance, with more than 200 endemic species. Especially

known are fishes Ohrid Trout and Belvica, and Ohrid Eel. The importance of the lake was

further emphasized when it was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1979 and

when, in 2010, NASA decided to name one of Titan's lakes after Lake Ohrid. The towns

situated at the lakeside are Ohrid, Struga and Pogradec (Albania).

View on the Lake from Ohrid City Church of Saint Zaum

Nowadays Ohrid is predominantly tourist and congress town. As a result of geographic

location, proximity of the Adriatic Sea and existence of geographic barriers, the climate of

Ohrid Lake basin is mostly determined by Mediterranean influences (from south), as well as

continental ones (from north). Specific climatic characteristics of Ohrid region are

significantly conditioned by the influence of Ohrid Lake which appears as a climatic modifier.

Trapped in the mysticism of early Christianity roots, its natural aura with mountains peaks

around and depths of the lake, Ohrid brings peace to mind, body and soul. The month of

September is the peak of the congress season with an average temperatures of 25 C̊ that

10 More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_of_Ohrid 11 More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohrid_Literary_School

allow pleasant working environment, with possibilities of swimming in the lake or taking

sightseeing tours.

Points of interest

Positioned on the old Roman caravan road, known as the Via Egnatia, this region is a

bond with the ancient history - II century B.C. In the V cetury A.D. when the town

Lychnidos was an important Early Christian Episcopal center, was built famous

basilica at Plaoshnik.

● In the close surrounding are the remains of the Tsar Samuel's Fortress - 3km of

towers and high walls - crown of the evening landscape of Ohrid.

● On the unique cliff near by the old fisherman's settlement of Kaneo, is one of the

most photographed churches in the world, St. John Kaneo (XIII century).

Church of St. John at Kaneo12

The cathedral temple of the Ohrid archbishops, the church St. Sophia, is a frescoes

gallery from XI century, and her west-facade architecture gives a spirit to

exceptional performances of "The Ohrid summer festival".

12 Source: Diego Delso, at Wikimedia Commons, License CC-BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File

%3AIglesia_San_Juan_Kaneo%2C_Ohrid%2C_Macedonia%2C_2014-04-17%2C_DD_19.JPG

● On the eastern slope of the hill of Ohrid, close to the Upper Gate, is the Ancient

Theatre (Hellenistic - roman period) with its sensational monumentality.

● Cathedral church Mother of God Peribleptos (XIII century) during the Ottoman

domination was renamed St. Kliment Ohridski and is one of the most significant

mediaeval monuments.

● One part of the museum complex of St. Kliment is the Gallery of icons, collection of

more than 30 icons, one of the most valuable in the world, made by famous

mediaeval painters from the time of the Ohrid's Archbishops.

● In the national museum "The house of Robev family", guests can be surprised of

numerous artifacts, archaeological heritage and sculptures from the prehistoric

time, ancient period and mediaeval Ohrid, found on archeological locations in the

old part of Ohrid and its surrounding.

● Crossing by the Lake (daylight and evening) is enabled with bigger and smaller boats

which finally destination is monastery complex with the church St. Naum (XVI -

XVII century, present church) and in which programmers is visiting the church

Mother of God Zahumska (XIV century) at the shore of the Lake and can be reached

only by boat.

Monastery of St. Naum13

13 Source: Poppit2, at Wikimedia Commons, License PD, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File

%3ASvetinaum.jpg

● From the mediaeval artistic treasury of Ohrid also important are the churches

erected and painted in the caves on the shores or in the vicinity of the lake.

Cave Church near Village of Radozhda

4. Practical Information

Maps and Orientation

Google Maps and Openstreetmaps provide some online/offline based maps, but the level of

detail is not really sufficient except for basic orientation purposes.

Two good and informative downloadable maps for orientation in the city of Ohrid and

surrounding area are available from the Ohrid Municipality - Tourism Department14. The

maps have markers for many cultural and natural heritage sites.

Currency and Payment

Official currency is MKD. Although sometimes prices may be indicated in EUR, all transactions

are done in MKD and all receipts are issued in MKD. Amounts are usually rounded to a whole

value.

Banknotes in use: 5000, 1000, 500, 100, 50 and 10 MKD.

Coins in use: 50, 10, 5, 2 and 1 MKD.

Coins smaller than 1 MKD are not in use.

14 Downloadable Maps of Ohrid - http://ohrid.com.mk/maps/maps.asp?ID=405

Currency Exchange

It is possible to exchange currency in many private exchange offices throughout town and in

some of the banks. The exchange offices publish the rates in a public place. It is usually

required to show some personal ID document, and in a bank the procedure might take

longer. The exchange rates are typically:

● for 1€ you should get 61.35 MKD

● you need 61.8 MKD to get 1€

For other currencies and up to date mean exchange rates are published daily by the National

Bank15.

Payments in stores and venues

You should always be prepared to pay in MKD. Most of the stores accept credit cards (VISA

and MasterCard being most prominent) and many usually require PIN verification (even if

the card is not a debit or electronic one). Some smaller stores, groceries stores and small

food vendors might not accept credit cards. Restaurants are usually all covered.

You should always ask for a fiscal bill wherever you buy something, and especially if you pay in

cash, no matter on the amount, since there is a legal obligation to keep the bill with you at

least until you pass 15m from the store. If a store does not give you a fiscal bill, and you buy

something you could also be subject of fiscal inspection – so it is not worth the argument – if

the store does not have a fiscal machine, go to another one.

Some groceries and shops might accept a foreign currency (USD or EUR) in cash as exchange for

goods. You can ask if this is possible, but it is never recommended because it might be even

illegal depending on the case and you cannot get a fiscal bill in that way. They might even

charge you a rate that is much higher than normal and still return the change in MKD.

Payment of road tolls

It is possible to use credit cards and as of recently it is possible to use Euro coins.

Working hours

• Shops - Some shops are open between 6am and 8pm. Other shops and department

stores are open between 8am and 8pm. On Saturdays open between 8am and 3pm.

Closed on Sundays.

• Restaurants, cafes etc. - from 7am to 1am next day.

• Discos - 6pm to 1am.

• Night clubs – 8pm to 3am.

• Banks and post offices - 7am to 6pm (weekdays) and 7am to 1pm (Saturday).

15 Website of the National Bank - http://www.nbrm.mk

Electricity

Electricity: 220V 50Hz

Be careful, sockets are expected to be under voltage always, and only rarely a switch is installed

for turning the socket off. Typical sockets and plugs in use:

If you plan your own accommodation during the conference, especially when renting a

house/apartment, pay attention that many houses feature a 3-phase socket, typically in the

kitchen. Such sockets are rated at 16A, 380V, and are used to power stoves or heating units.

Hotels will not have such sockets.

3-phase plugs and sockets, 16A, 380V

Miscellaneous Facts

Weights and Measurements: Metric system

Tap water is safe for drinking.

Timezone: GMT/UTC + 1 hour

Emergency calls

Police (192)

Fire brigade (193)

Medical Emergency (194)

Regional crisis management centre (195)

On road assistance (non-stop) (9159)

Customs (197)

Smoking

Smoking is prohibited by law in all public buildings and publicly closed spaces, except on

specially designated areas that are outside and open from at least 3 sides.

Food and eating out

Pastries typically consumed with cheese and yogurt for breakfast or light supper:

Gjomleze (a type of pie with vegetable based filling)

Komat (multilayered pastry / layers are crepes but are baked in an oven instead)

Appetizers:

● Makalo (a dipping sauce made of garlic)

● White cheese

Fish:

● Tresena Pastrmka (open trout prepared on the grill)

● Jagula (eel)

Meat:

● Chomlek (oven baked/simmered dish with meat and vegetables)

Tips

Service charge is usually included in the price, although some cafes and venues might charge a

different rate to have a seat. You don't have to give a tip to the personnel, especially if you

are not satisfied. Otherwise the usual practice is to tip for receiving an excellent service up to

10% (depending on the total cost).

Restaurants ANTIKO

DALGA

PANORAMA

Car Samoil 30 Kosta Abras 3 15-ti Korpus bb

075-397-908 046-255-999 046-230-200

BILJANINI IZVORI EVROPA ORFEJ

Biljanini Izvori Partizanska bb Partizanska bb

046-266-816 046-263-088 046-250-005

BELVEDERE DAMAR RIBEN RESTORAN

Kej Marsal Tito bb Kosta Abras bb Petar Caule 1

046-231-520 046-255-554 046-269-200

CUN MOMIR GURMAN

Кosta Abras 4 Кosta Abras 2 Zeleznicka 16

046-255-603 046-262-117 046-611-500

POTPES RIVIERA FONTANA

Kosta Abras bb Kej Marsal Tito 4 Partizanska,Kej 1

070-595-906 046-268-735 046-231-905

Pizzerias

NEMO

DE LAGO

LEONARDO

Car Samoil bb Car Samoil 16 Car Samoil 31

046/253-355 046/258-635 046/260-359

LA BELLA COSSA NOSTRA LA PIOVRA

Кej Marsal Tito 21 Кosta Abras 50 Кej Marsal Tito 36A

046/209-092 046/230-240 046/250-564

STAZIONE DI ANGOLO LA PIAZZA

Кej Marsal Tito 101 Petar Caule 31 Car Samoil 38

046/260-406 046/260-003 078/850-700

DJ PIZZA LUCCIA VIA SACRA

Partizanska 4А Dimitar Vlahov 59 Ilindenska 36

078/949-949 046/522-446 075/440-211

Patisseries, Cake Shops

PALMA

KORZO

МIS

T. C. Amam - prizemje Кlimentov Univerzitet 22 Dimitar Vlahov bb

046/262 772 046/252 866 046/267 044

BAJADERA OAZA

Gradski pazar bb Goce Delcev 2

046/251 463 070/501 594