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Day Trip to Ohrid N. Macedonia from Tirana
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12 Hours
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Max People : 15
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Pickup: 08:30 AM
Description
Ohrid, Saint Naum & Drilon 1 Day Tour
This full-day, 10-hour guided tour from Tirana crosses into North Macedonia to explore Ohrid, one of Europe’s oldest cities and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The journey continues through Galičica National Park to the clifftop Saint Naum Monastery on the shores of Lake Ohrid, before returning to the Albanian side for a final stop at Drilon National Park. Prices start from €55 per adult. The tour operates daily, children travel free, and the itinerary brings together four distinct stops across two countries in one guided day.
Who This Tour Is For
Ohrid is one of the Balkans’ most remarkable cities, with a compact old town filled with Byzantine churches, medieval fortifications, and cobbled streets overlooking one of Europe’s oldest lakes. The city became an important centre of Orthodox Christianity and Slavic literacy from the 9th century onward, and its remarkable concentration of churches, monasteries, and cultural monuments makes its historic centre particularly rich to explore.
Around 30 kilometres along the lake from Ohrid, close to the border with Albania, Saint Naum Monastery occupies a rocky promontory overlooking the water. Surrounded by peacocks and spring-fed pools, the monastery offers a peaceful and highly photogenic setting that feels very different from the busier streets of Ohrid’s old town.
This tour is designed for travelers who want to experience North Macedonia without arranging their own transport, border crossing, or itinerary. It combines Ohrid’s UNESCO-listed historic centre with the monastery and lakeside landscapes of Saint Naum, followed by a final stop on the Albanian side. It is well suited to culture and history enthusiasts, first-time visitors to the region, and travelers based in Tirana who want to explore one of the Balkans’ most celebrated destinations in a single day.
Tour Highlights
• Samuel’s Fortress, with panoramic views over Lake Ohrid and the surrounding mountains
• The Plaoshnik Academy Complex, the site associated with the first university in the Balkans
• The Church of Saint Sofia and its Byzantine frescoes
• The Church of Saint John the Baptist, Sveti Jovan Kaneo, perched above Lake Ohrid
• Scenic drive through Galičica National Park
• Saint Naum Monastery, with its clifftop setting, spring-fed pools, and resident peacocks
• Final stop at Drilon National Park on the Albanian shore of Lake Ohrid
• Cross-border day trip covering two countries in a single guided experience
Good to Know Before You Book
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Duration |
10 hours |
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Starting price |
From €55 per adult |
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Group Size |
Minimum 2 Travelers |
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Pickup |
Tirana at your hotel |
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Best for |
Culture and history lovers, first-time visitors, cross-border explorers |
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Group Size |
Price |
Per |
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1 Person |
€170 |
Per Person |
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2 Persons |
€90 |
Per person |
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3 Persons |
€70 |
Per person |
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4+ Persons |
€55 |
Per person |
Group Rates
Prices may vary depending on the final group size, date, availability, and booking conditions. The current published website price should therefore be used as the reference starting rate.
Children Policy
Children aged 0–2 years travel free of charge.
Children aged 6–12 years pay 50% of the applicable tour price.
Children aged 12 and above are charged the full adult price.
Payment and Booking
Full payment is required when confirming the booking. Payment can be made by credit or debit card through a secure payment link provided during the booking process. Once the booking is confirmed, travelers receive a tour voucher containing the final confirmation, tour manager and customer care contact details, as well as other useful information for the trip.
Cancellation Policy
Liberty Travel does not charge a cancellation fee for tours and excursions cancelled due to force majeure or circumstances beyond the traveler’s control. For standard cancellations, the tour can generally be cancelled up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, minus any applicable administrative fees.
Price Includes
Return transport from Tirana
Guide throughout
All stops as listed in the itinerary
Price Excludes
Meals and drinks
Museum and site entrance fees (paid on site)
Gratuities
Personal purchases
Travel Styles
Cultural
Nature & Adventure
Itinerary
The tour departs Tirana at 8:30 AM, heading east and then north through the Albanian highlands toward the North Macedonian border. The drive follows a route that rises through mountain terrain before descending toward the lake basin, arriving in Ohrid in time for a morning guided tour of the old town.
The guided visit to Ohrid begins at Samuel’s Fortress, the medieval citadel built by the Bulgarian Tsar Samuel at the end of the 10th century on the ruins of an earlier Hellenistic fortification. The walls enclose the highest point of the old town and offer sweeping views across Lake Ohrid and the surrounding mountains. From the fortress, the tour descends to the Plaoshnik Academy Complex, the site of the church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon and one of the most significant early Christian and medieval sites in North Macedonia. Saint Clement of Ohrid established a literary and theological school here in the 9th century that is widely regarded as the first university in the Balkans. The walk continues through the old town, taking in the Church of Saint Sofia an 11th-century cathedral whose interior frescoes are among the finest surviving examples of Byzantine art in the region — and the Church of Saint John the Baptist (Sveti Jovan Kaneo), the iconic 13th-century church perched on a cliff directly above the lake, one of the most photographed landmarks in the entire Western Balkans.
After the old town visit, the tour follows the western shore of Lake Ohrid south through Galičica National Park a mountainous protected area straddling the border between North Macedonia and Albania, known for its biodiversity and its dramatic views over both Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa simultaneously from its higher ridges. The drive through the park is scenic throughout and offers some of the best lake panoramas of the day.
Saint Naum Monastery sits at the southern tip of the North Macedonian shore of Lake Ohrid, on a rocky headland just a few hundred metres from the Albanian border. Founded in the 9th century by Saint Naum of Preslav, a contemporary and colleague of Saint Clement, the monastery’s setting is genuinely extraordinary: peacocks wander the courtyard, spring-fed pools of crystal-clear water emerge at the base of the cliffs below, and the lake stretches north toward Ohrid under the mountains. The current church dates largely from the 17th and 18th centuries and contains well-preserved frescoes and the tomb of Saint Naum himself.
The final stop before the return journey is Drilon National Park, a small but beautiful park on the Albanian shore of Lake Ohrid near Pogradec. Fed by underground springs and surrounded by old plane trees, Drilon is a place of calm after the busier monastery visit a chance to sit beside the water, enjoy the lake views, and take in the quiet before the drive south back to Tirana.
Location
FAQs
Ohrid was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for both its cultural and its natural significance one of only 28 sites in the world to hold both designations simultaneously. The old town contains over 800 Byzantine-era icons and more than 365 churches within a remarkably compact area, while Lake Ohrid itself is one of the oldest and deepest lakes in Europe, estimated to be between 2 and 3 million years old and home to dozens of endemic species found nowhere else on Earth.
Yes. The tour crosses an international border, so a valid passport is required. EU and most Western citizens can enter North Macedonia without a visa for short stays. It is advisable to check the entry requirements for your nationality in advance of the tour.
Museum and site entrance fees at all stops including Samuel’s Fortress and the churches of the Ohrid old town are paid on site and are not included in the tour price. Your guide will advise on the amounts at each stop.
No. Meals and drinks are not included. There are restaurants in the Ohrid old town and near the Saint Naum Monastery where most travelers choose to have lunch during the free time built into the itinerary.
Drilon National Park is a small protected area on the Albanian shore of Lake Ohrid, near the city of Pogradec, fed by underground springs that emerge as clear pools amid old plane trees and riverside gardens. It is a calm and scenic final stop on the return journey, offering lake views and a peaceful contrast to the busier sites visited earlier in the day.
Yes. The walking through Ohrid old town involves some uphill sections on cobbled streets, but nothing strenuous. The monastery and Drilon park stops are gentle. Children travel free of charge, making this an accessible option for families.
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60€
55€
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