Ohrid is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia, on the northeast coast of Ohrid Lake. Ohrid and Lake Ohrid are one of the main tourist destinations in North Macedonia. Due to the large number of churches and monasteries, the city of Ohrid is known as Balkan and European Jerusalem. It is also known as the “City of Light”, a literal translation of its old name, Lychnidos. The Ohrid region is included in the UNESCO World Heritage. According to one legend, written by the Miladinov Brothers, when the Ohrid fortress was made, Emperor Justinian climbed the hills on which the city lies, and, looking at the beautiful surroundings, exclaimed “oh-hill”, which means, a beautiful hill. Since then, the city is called Ohrid. Modern Ohrid is the heir of the ancient Lychnidos. According to the data, the city was first mentioned 2,400 years before the new era. Lihnidos was on the Via Egnatia road, the oldest and most significant Roman traffic route in the Balkans.
DISCOVERY HIGHLIGHTS
This tour takes you to the city Ohrid from Tirana. The drive from Tirana to Ohrid takes about 2.5 hours. Upon arrival in Ohrid, we start the tour with a visit to the church of St. Sophia, which dates back to the 11th century. Then we will go up to the Roman amphitheater, which dates back to the 3rd century B.C. Afterwards you will continue walking to the Icon Gallery, home to a range of some of the most famous and valuable icons in the world. In the vicinity of the gallery is the Church of St. Clement’s, or the Church of the Holy Mother of God Most Glorious, which dates back to the 13th century and possesses some of the most beautiful and valuable frescoes from the 13th century not only in this country but in the whole of the Balkans. After that we will carry on walking to Tsar Samoil’s Fortress, named after the first tsar of the Macedonian Slavs, who, having conquered Byzantium, brought most of Macedonia under his rule.
Then we will walk to Plaoshnik, where we will visit the newly built St. Clement’s Monastery Church. Dedicated to St. Clement, the patron of Ohrid and St. Panteleimon, it stands beside the original site of St. Clement’s University, the first university of the Macedonian Slavs, founded in the 9th century A.D. Inside the church you can also see the tomb with St. Clement’s relics. Beside the church you can see the foundations of the 5th-century basilica with beautifully preserved mosaic floors and some swastikas also discovered on the floors. From here we will head towards the Church of St. Jovan at Kaneo, which was built at the end of the 13th century, and is one of the most frequently visited churches in Ohrid because of its beautiful location on the cliffs directly above the lake. After this you will go back to the town on foot. Another option is to return to the town by boat and at the same time to make a tour of the lake providing you with a great view of the town. After a short break you will return to Tirana.
Return to Tirana..
Tour Itinerary: Ohrid, Full Day Trip from Tirana
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