First Visit Samuel's Fortress in Ohrid
Leaving Tirana at 09:00 we will head toward the southeast of Albania. After crossing the Macedonian Border we’ll reach the first city, Struga, named after an ancient local legend of a young boy.
Ohrid, situated next to Struga, on the shore of the same lake, has for centuries been a place of clash of different cultures. Founded by ancient Illyrian and Greek tribes it was part of various empires and states throughout the ages, such as the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Serbia, and Yugoslavia, before recently becoming part of the Independent Republic of North Macedonia.
Samuel’s Fortress situated on a hill near the old town of the city, was built under the rule of Bulgarian Tsar Samuil in the 10th century. It is believed that it was built on the settlements of an ancient fortification of 4 th century BCE, built by King Philip II of Macedonia.
Second Visit Church of St. John
Located on the cliff over Kaneo Beach overlooking Lake Ohrid in the city of Ohrid, the Church of St. John is dedicated to John of Patmos, the writer of Revelation, who has been by some considered to be the same person as John the Apostle.
Third Visit City Tour and Old Bazaar
Next, we are going to explore the city center and the neighborhood of the Old Bazaar where we will see the typical houses of Ohrid. Most of the city is paved in stone, the reason why it was first called Lyhnidas coming from the Latin language and meaning a precious stone that emits light.
4th Visit Monastery of St. Naum
After visiting Ohrid, we will drive toward the Monastery of Sveti Naum. This monastery was founded in the 10th century by the writer and missionary Naum who is buried here. It is considered a holy place where people from all over the world come to practice their religion. Furthermore, the monastery complex was part of Albania from 1912 – 1925 before it became part of Yugoslavia.
Visit at Tushemisht
Leaving North Macedonia we will head toward Albania and stop at Tushemisht. Unlike in most villages in Albania, the main religion here is Orthodox Christianity, similar to Ohrid.
After that, we will drive to Tirana where we will finish our tour.
