Ohrid Old Town Panoramic Boat Tour

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. The Church of St. Sophia, with its medieval architecture and frescoes, is one of the most important monuments in Macedonia. It is believed to have been built in the 9th century, the present church is a reconstruction of the 11th century, but the courtyard was built later, in the 14th century. In the second half of the 15th century, with the Ottomans, the church was transformed into a mosque and all the frescoes were covered with lime, the dome of the church was flattened, minarets were erected over the northwestern domes. Left abandoned in the first half of the 20th century, restorations carried out immediately after the Second World War revealed the frescoes again.

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2. Saint John the Theologian or simply Saint John at Kaneo is a Macedonian Orthodox church situated on the cliff over Kaneo Beach overlooking Lake Ohrid in the city of Ohrid, North Macedonia. The church 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. The construction date of the church remains unknown but documents detailing the church property suggest that it was built before the year 1447. Archaeologists believe that the church was constructed some time before the rise of the Ottoman Empire very likely in the 13th century. Restoration work in 1964 led to the discovery of frescoes in its dome

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3. Plaošnik is an archaeological site and holy place in Ohrid, North Macedonia, located 250 meters below Samuil's Fortress. The site is in the process of being restored to its original condition. Church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon was built by St. Clement in the year 893, on the foundation of an earlier Christian basilica, and dedicated to St. Panteleimon. After the advent of the Ottoman Empire, St. Clement's church was converted to a mosque, known as the Imaret Mosque, of which only a small enclosure remains. The Imaret Mosque was torn down in 2000 with the reason given that it was constructed over the remains of a church in the Plaošnik area. On 10 October 2007, a deposit of approximately 2,383 Venetian coins was discovered by archaeologists while excavating the monastery. A prominent archaeologist of the Republic of Macedonia, Pasko Kuzman, stated that the coins are of special significance because they indicate that Ohrid and Venice were commercially linked.

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4. Ohrid fortress, the symbol of the city without which its urban physiognomy and history can not be imagined is one of the largest medieval fortification constructions in Macedonia. The oldest historical data on the city Lychnidos (the antique name of Ohrid) and the fortress itself, dates from antique historian Livy from 209 BC, where it is said that the fortress was built and functioned in all the crucial moments of the history of the city. The chronicler Malchus (Malala) noted in 478 that such the fortified city had strong defensive power because of which the Ostrogoth king Theodoric the Amalian, in its military march toward the New Epirus did not succeeded to conquer Lychnidos “Because the city layed on an fortified stronghold and abounded with springs within the walls.

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5. Lake Ohrid is a lake on the border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes. It has an unique ecosystem of worldwide importance, with more than 200 endemic species.[9] It is the second-biggest lake on the Balkans. Most of the lake is part of North Macedonia, the rest belongs to Albania. The biggest cities on the shore are Ohrid and Struga, in North Macedonia, and Pogradec in Albania. Around 200.000 people live in the area around the lake.

   1 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 58 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 5Six Hours of Pure Enjoyment on Lake Ohrid

  Fantastic boat tour in Ohrid today. Nikola was an excellent guide and made our 12:00–18:00 trip memorable. Definitely recommended.

  erguno173August 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Fabulous way to experience the lake!

  Awesome experience! Dimitri is a great guide and nothing beats being on the lovely Ohrid lake in a beautiful boat like the Caballero. Ask him about the sunset wine boat ride!

  Prithi_RJune 2026via Viator

• 5Definitely recommend!

  We had a great experience! Captains are friendly, told us interesting facts about this area and overall nice friendly people. Boat is clean and new and captain is expert and responsible.

  _G9094VWJune 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Lovely day on the lake!

  We had a wonderful private boat tour with Nikola and Dimitri. Highly recommend! The boat, Caballo, was sleek and beautifully finished with a classic wooden aesthetic, and very comfortable. We visited the main sites at a leisurely pace with hardly anyone else around, which made it feel very special. The lake itself is simply stunning, it genuinely exceeded expectations in person. Photos cannot do it justice! Nikola and Dimitri were fantastic hosts, sharing stories and personal anecdotes throughout that made the experience even more memorable. They also had great food recommendations. A truly lovely day on the lake!

  annabeltttMay 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Amazing boat ride with everything you can imagine

  We went for bay of bones private boat tour. We had a wonderfull experience from the beggining. Captain Nikola was extremely helpfull and easy to talk even before the boat tour. We were able to make all araingments that were importatnt for us (we ordered wine, food, chose day, time). The boat ride was just perfect. From interresting insights, to beatiful places, music, swimming, prolongation of the ride, and return with sunset. Amazing experience would recomend to everybody.

  Departure12556477544May 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Ohrid Old Town & Tito Villa Tour

  Nikola is a very friendly and knowledgable guide. We enjoyed the tour very much and will hopefully return one day!

  lukas_sccMay 2026via Tripadvisor

Know before you go

How it compares in Ohrid

• Its from-price is 63% below the median of the 82 experiences we list in Ohrid.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 7 of 82.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Ohrid

Ohrid is a lakeside town in North Macedonia on one of Europe's oldest and deepest lakes, with a hilltop fortress and Byzantine churches.

Ohrid stands on the north-east shore of Lake Ohrid, which North Macedonia shares with Albania and which UNESCO lists for both its nature and its culture. The old town climbs a hill from the water to Samuel's Fortress, and the church of St John at Kaneo perches on a cliff above the lake. Frescoed Byzantine churches, among them St Sophia and St Clement's at Plaošnik, record the town's role as a centre of Slavic learning.

Top-ranked sights in Ohrid: Lake Ohrid.

See all 82 experiences in Ohrid