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Ohrid Walking Tour: Explore the Mesmerizing Balkan Jerusalem and Samoil Fortress
4.9
20 Ratings
Ohrid
We’ll visit Ohrid’s stunning churches, often referred to as “the Jerusalem of the Balkans” for a reason. A climb to the top of the hill brings us to the “Samoil Fortress”, where we can take photographs and marvel at the awe-inspiring views of the lake.
We’ll visit Ohrid’s stunning churches, often referred to as “the Jerusalem of the Balkans” for a reason. A climb to the top of the hill brings us to the “Samoil Fortress”, where we can take photographs and marvel at the awe-inspiring views of the lake.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Saint Sophia - Inside the church, you’ll find portraits of six Roman popes, highlighting the relationship between the Eastern and Western churches before the 1054 schism. Unique features include the barefoot Christ and the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste cycle, making the gallery of “St. Sophia” a distinctive collection of paintings. Its stunning…
- Saint Sophia - Inside the church, you’ll find portraits of six Roman popes, highlighting the relationship between the Eastern and Western churches before the 1054 schism. Unique features include the barefoot Christ and the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste cycle, making the gallery of “St. Sophia” a distinctive collection of paintings. Its stunning architecture is considered one of the finest examples of Byzantine architecture.
- Ancient Theatre of Ohrid - Dating back to the 1st century BC.
- Holy Mary Perybleptos - Known for its unique 13th-century frescoes.
- National Ohrid Museum - Robevci House - This notable white house from the 19th century was once home to the prominent Ohrid family, the Robevis. The family donated the house to the town, which converted it into a museum. The museum features several small collections, including an ethnographic room, a golden collection, and a town room, among others.
- Plaoshnik - We will also visit the Pantheleymon church complex, built by St. Clement of Ohrid. We’ll climb to the top of the hill to visit Samoil’s Fortress, offering beautiful photo opportunities and stunning lake views.
- St. Jovan Kaneo - Our final stop for today is the 13th-century Church of “St. John the Evangelist” (Kaneo). Here, we can enjoy lunch at a restaurant on the shore. A return to the center of Ohrid can be arranged by small boats.
What's Included
- Experienced English-speaking tour guide
- Experienced English-speaking tour guide
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Entrance fees
- Personal expenses
- Food and drinks
- Entrance fees
- Personal expenses
Location
St. Clement of Ohrid
St. Clement of Ohrid City Square, next to the monument of Saint Clement
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(20 Ratings)
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Gary_a
Jun 22, 2025
Fascinating day . - Excellent day trip taking in Matka canyon, the Millennium Cross and the city tour . Sonja was very thorough and passed on a lot of very interesting background and history . The old part of Skopje was fascinating and we had a really good range of experiences . Would highly recommend this tour. Thank you Sonja.
Review provided by Viator
Antonia
Jun 18, 2025
A great experience! - So enjoyable to have Naumka as our guide, her expertise of knowledge provided us with a memorable experience - thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jennifer_c
Apr 27, 2025
Walking tour of Ohrid in 1/2 day - This was a whistle-stop tour through Ohrid. Ljubica was my guide for the morning and it was easy to meet up at the statue of St. Clement in the main square. This was a very comprehensive walking tour and we covered a lot of ground as the itinerary sets out. We did take time to visit a couple places and I was satisfied with the places that Ljubica selected for the more detailed stops, e.g. fortress and Church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon (it would have been too much to try to visit every church along the walking tour). We also stopped near the fortress for a rest break with a view of the lake; I enjoyed trying the local mountain tea as recommended. From the final sight St. John at Kaneo, I opted to take a boat ride back instead of walking back and it was nice to see the panoramic sights from the boat. I had limited time in Ohrid so wouldn't have otherwise been able to take a boat ride on the lake. Ljubica shared a lot of history during the tour and it was a nice surprise when she put me on the spot halfway through to check if I remembered anything she had told me - to my surprise, I had remembered quite a bit. In addition to the history, Ljubica gave me tips on local foods I should try and where to go for seafood. She also explained the Ohrid pearl to me and how to choose where to shop for them from the many shops in the town. I would recommend this experience. One last point - the entry fees, boat ride, and rest break are not covered in the tour price so were at an additional expense.
Review provided by Viator
Heidir018
Sep 28, 2024
A wealth of information on Ohrid! - My guide Bobi was very knowledgeable. I learned a lot from him about the places we visited. I’m glad I took this tour and I would recommend it to others.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Globetrotting540002
Aug 24, 2024
Best walking tour with Bobi - Bobi was such an incredible guide. Knowledgeable beyond our expectations, patient, friendly and knew so many people around town that we felt in very good hands. Bobi gave incredible insight into the history and current culture of Ohrid and wider Macedonia. We loved the depth of his knowledge and his allowance of our questions. I would definitely recommend this guide to everyone. Thanks Bobi
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jill_w
Aug 16, 2024
Friendly knowledgeable guide. - Great walking tour. Toni was our guide. Very friendly and knowledgeable. There is a lot to see and we could have taken a longer tour. We saw a lot in the time we had. We did this our first day which was a good idea because we got good recommendations for restaurants and activities.
Review provided by Viator
Edward_s
Jul 7, 2024
Great guide - Daniel was extremely informative and knowledgeable. He really gave us a great insight into Ohrid’s history. The personal tour was worth the extra money
Review provided by Viator
Elaine_d
Feb 26, 2024
Wonderful City and an Excellent Guide in Bobi - Our guide Bobi was excellent - He met us at the meeting point on time and then proceeded to gradually take us around the city, stopping adequately for us to catch a break or take photos at the scenic points.
Very knowledgeable, funny as well and accommodated all our requests. Ohrid is a beautiful gem of a city that we couldn't get enough of.
Review provided by Viator
658aleksandarn
Oct 13, 2023
Amazing Ohrid Cultural and Historical experience - We just completed the Ohrid City Walking tour. Our professional guide Bob was first class, very knowledgeable and extremely passionate. We learnt so much about Ohrid and I highly recommend this tour by Experience Balkan
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thomasfromdamascus
Aug 4, 2025
Plan to spend at least two to three hours touring this beautiful Old City of Ohrid... - We had a very interesting walking tour of the Old City of Ohrid, in Northern Macedonia this year in July.
The Old City is located directly on Lake Ohrid and is well worth the visit. The old Cobblestone streets are a bit difficult to maneuver, but not impossible.
Our first stop was to view the ‘oldest building in the city’. This unique architecture was used in many other buildings and also in the Old Cities Street lighting. It is a very unique feature of this Old City.
Just a bit further from the oldest house is the one of the oldest Monasteries in Ohrid. As a matter of fact, at one time the Old City of Ohrid had 365 churches and monasteries, so it gained the name: the “Jerusalem of the Balkans”.
The walk up to the Tsar Samuel’s Fortress was a bit too steep for me to walk so we simply talked about this famous citadel.
We stopped by several of the famous Ohrid Pearl shops, which are really an unusual “pearl” and only produced in the city of Ohrid.
Finally, we walked along the famous Old Bazaar Street. Here you can stop for a nice refreshing local beer or a nice glass of White Macedonian Wine. The shops offer a wide variety of merchandise.
Plan to spend at least two to three hours touring this beautiful Old City of Ohrid, you won’t be disappointed, trust me.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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