"Stenje at Lake Prespa" Stenje by Pijlmans

Stenje Travel Guide: 5 reviews and 26 photos

West shore of Lake Prespa at Stenje - Stenje

Lake Prespa, next to Lake Ohrid in the south-west of Macedonia, is the second largest lake of Macedonia. It must be one of the most multicultural lakes in the world, since Macedonia, Greece and Albania all own their part of the lake. The Galicica National Park separates both lakes.

Lake Prespa is located higher than Lake Ohrid, and it is therefore cooler at its beaches than at Lake Ohrid. The water from Prespa feeds Lake Ohrid, as you can witness at the springs near St Naum at lake Ohrid. The lake is not a lot deeper than 50 m, and therefore the lake itself can get comfortably warm, with its sandy shallow beaches more suitable for children than Lake Ohrid. The east shore of Lake Prespa has hotels and a campsite.

The legend narrates that a town once stood where now Lake Prespa can be found. The son of the king of the town met a wood nymph of mesmerizing beauty, and he fell in love with her. Although he begged her to become his wife, she refused because she could not marry a mortal being without bad consequences for the groom. Desperately, he kidnapped her and locked her up until she married him. At that moment, the heavens opened and it rained until the town and all its citizen had drowned. The moral of this story being that when a woman says "no", she really means "no"....

Stenje and Konsjko.

West shore of Lake Prespa at Stenje

On the east side of Lake Prespa, are two villages, called Stenje and Konjsko. Stenje has the beautiful beaches shown on the pictures. In 2007, the asphalt road between the two villages stopped shortly after Stenje.

You need a 4WD to get to Konsjko, or not to be afraid to drive your normal car on unpaved roads. Alternatively, you can walk to Konsjko, it is about 8-10 km.

Between the two villages is the small Church of St Ilija, that you can visit after a short walk through the woods from the road.

Golem Grad

Golem Grad in lake Prespa

From the village Konsjko, you can ask one of the locals to take you by boat to the uninhabited island Golem Grad in Lake Prespa. Golem Grad means "Large City" but the island is also called Zmiski Ostrov, meaning "Snake Island", and not without reason!

See my Golem Grad page for more info on the island.

Last visit to Stenje: Aug 2007
Intro Updated May 20, 2008
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Reviews (5)

Slivnica Beach Things to Do (4)

Stenje itself has a nice sandy beach, but I've not been swimming there yet. According to the locals, the village... more travel advice

Hotel Riva Restaurants (1)

When we came from St Naum to visit Lake Prespa, we had a small lunch and beers in this hotel/restaurant. The hotel is... more travel advice

Pictures of Lake Prespa Things to Do (4)

Some impressions of Lake Prespa during a trip from the village Stenje to the uninhabited island Golem Grad. more travel advice

Church close to Stenje Things to Do (4)

If you take the road from Stenje to Konjsko, you will see a small church on your right, just where the asphalt road... more travel advice

Comments (4)

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johngayton Sep 15, 2011 at 6:37 AM

Definitely agree on the relative peacefulness of Lake Prespa compared to Ohrid. We stopped off there for lunch during Euromeet 2011 and it was beautifully calm and tranquil.
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nickandchris Jun 19, 2009 at 3:00 PM

This looks like my sort of place....
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janetanne Jul 13, 2008 at 2:17 PM

Very nice pics of Lake Prespa. Did you swim there?
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ATLC Apr 3, 2008 at 2:07 PM

Those skies are amazing. Especially in that 3rd tip.