Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo: Ohrid, Skopje and Prizren
9 days round trip from Tirana across three countries: two nights each in Tirana, Ohrid and Skopje, a boat to St Naum, Matka canyon, then Pristina and Prizren in Kosovo.
9 days · Round trip from Tirana · up to 12 guests
Ohrid's ancient theatre above the lake Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_Ohrid_and_Ancient_Theatre_of_Ohrid,_North_Macedonia,_2022-08-29.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Tirana
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 3 h on day 3No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Moderate
About 2 to 3 hours a day on foot, on cobbled and sometimes steep old-town lanes in Kruja, Ohrid and Prizren and on a riverside path at Matka. The climbs to Samuel's Fortress in Ohrid and Prizren fortress take about 20 minutes each and can be skipped. Travel days drive 1.5 to 3 hours plus border waits; none goes over 4 hours.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 715 (estimated price)
- Season
- May to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Sunset at the church of St John at Kaneo on its rock above Lake Ohrid
- A boat along the lake to the monastery of St Naum and a rowing boat on the springs of the Black Drin
- Samuel's Fortress and the frescoes of St Sophia in Ohrid
- Matka canyon by boat in the morning, with Vrelo Cave and St Andrew's Monastery
- Skopje's Old Bazaar, the Stone Bridge and the view from Kale fortress
- Gracanica's 14th-century frescoes on the way into Pristina
- Prizren's stone bridge, Sinan Pasha Mosque and the fortress at sunset
- Kruja's castle and old bazaar above the plain of Tirana
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 715 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 3 h, on day 3.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Tirana
Tirana International Airport to your hotel in Tirana
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Tirana
- Drive about 30 min
Evening
Fly into Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza (TIA) at Rinas, about 17 km northwest of the city, in time for the evening meeting: plan to land by about 4 pm (the exact latest arrival is confirmed with your final itinerary). A driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the drive of 25 to 40 minutes to a central hotel, where we stay two nights. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the route ahead: three countries, three currencies, three border crossings and what each day asks of you on foot. Then we walk to Skanderbeg Square and climb the steps of the Pyramid, the former Enver Hoxha museum reopened in 2023, as the city lights come on. Dinner together follows in a restaurant nearby, a first taste of Albanian cooking: fërgesë of peppers and cheese, grilled lamb and a glass of local wine or raki.
Included
- Pick-up at Tirana International Airport (TIA)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Evening walk to Skanderbeg Square and up the Pyramid
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Tirana and Kruja
Tirana, then Kruja and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Tirana
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
After breakfast your guide walks the group through central Tirana. We step into the small Et'hem Bey Mosque on Skanderbeg Square, its walls painted with trees, bridges and waterfalls, and walk past the mosaic on the National History Museum to Bunk'Art 2, a Cold War bunker built for the Interior Ministry and now a museum of the police and secret police under communism. Late in the morning we drive about 45 minutes north to Kruja, on a mountain ledge above the plain.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in the town, then we walk up the cobbled old bazaar, lined with wooden shops selling felt, carpets and copper, to the castle where Skanderbeg held off Ottoman armies in the 15th century. The Skanderbeg Museum inside the walls tells his story, and the Ethnographic Museum next door shows an old merchant's house.
Evening
We are back in Tirana by late afternoon, and the evening is free for the cafés and restaurants of Blloku.
Included
- Tirana walk with your guide: Skanderbeg Square and the Et'hem Bey Mosque
- Bunk'Art 2
- Sit-down lunch in Kruja
- Kruja old bazaar and castle
- The Skanderbeg Museum and the Ethnographic Museum, Kruja
Optional experiences
- Dajti Express cable car (price shown at booking)
Easier option: In Kruja the van drops you near the castle gate, so you can skip the climb up the bazaar.
Free time: Evening free in Tirana
Activity: About 3 hours on foot: flat streets in Tirana, then a steep cobbled lane in Kruja.
Over the mountains to Lake Ohrid
Tirana to Elbasan, across the border at Qafe Thane, then Struga and Ohrid
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ohrid
- Drive about 3 h
We leave Tirana at about 9 am and drive east through the tunnel to Elbasan, then up the Shkumbin valley to the North Macedonian border at Qafë Thanë, about three hours of driving in all plus the border check, where your guide handles the paperwork.
Afternoon
Lake Ohrid opens below as we come down to Struga, where the Black Drin river leaves the lake, and we stop there for a sit-down lunch. Ohrid town is twenty minutes on. We check in for two nights and set out on foot in the late afternoon: the 11th-century church of St Sophia with its frescoes, the ancient theatre, then up to Samuel's Fortress for the view over the roofs and the lake.
Evening
From the fortress the path drops through the pines past Plaošnik, where St Clement founded a school in the 9th century, to the small church of St John at Kaneo on its rock above the water, which we reach at sunset. Dinner is your choice in the old town.
Included
- Border crossing into North Macedonia with your guide
- Sit-down lunch in Struga
- Ohrid walk with your guide: St Sophia, the ancient theatre, Samuel's Fortress, Plaošnik and St John at Kaneo
Easier option: Skip the climb to Samuel's Fortress and meet the group at Kaneo by the lakeside path.
Free time: Evening free in Ohrid
Activity: About 2.5 hours on foot in the late afternoon, with a 20-minute climb to the fortress and steps down to Kaneo.
By boat to St Naum
Ohrid by boat to St Naum, then by road back via the Bay of Bones
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Ohrid
- Drive about 45 min
Morning
Mid-morning we board a boat at Ohrid harbour and cruise south along the eastern shore of the lake, past beaches and villages under Galičica mountain, to the monastery of St Naum near the Albanian border. Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes in Europe, and the town and lake are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. St Naum founded the monastery in the early 10th century, and the church on its headland holds his tomb and later frescoes; peacocks walk in the gardens. Below it, the springs that feed the lake rise in clear pools, and a local boatman rows us through them under the willows.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal at St Naum, usually Ohrid trout. The van brings us back by road, with a stop at the Bay of Bones, a reconstructed Bronze Age village on stilts with a small museum over the water.
Evening
The late afternoon is free for a swim, then we meet again for dinner together in the old town.
Included
- Boat from Ohrid to St Naum
- The monastery of St Naum
- Rowing boat on the springs at St Naum
- Sit-down lunch at St Naum
- The Bay of Bones museum
- Dinner in Ohrid
Easier option: Stay on the level paths at St Naum and skip the steps down to the Bay of Bones platform.
More active option: Walk the lakeside path from the Bay of Bones to the next beach before the van collects you.
Free time: Late afternoon free in Ohrid
Activity: About 1.5 hours on foot, on level paths; the boat out takes about an hour and a half, depending on the boat and the season.
North to Skopje
Ohrid to Skopje by Kicevo and the motorway
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Skopje
- Drive about 3 h
We leave Ohrid at about 9 am and drive north through the wooded hills around Kičevo, then join the motorway past Gostivar and Tetovo, about 175 km and three hours of driving with a coffee stop on the way.
Afternoon
We reach Skopje at about midday and stay two nights. Lunch is a sit-down meal in the Old Bazaar, the Čaršija: kebapi, tavče gravče of baked beans, and peppers. Then your guide walks you through the bazaar's lanes to the Kuršumli An caravanserai and the Mustafa Pasha Mosque, and up to Kale fortress for the view over the Vardar and the city. Skopje was largely rebuilt after an earthquake in 1963, and again in the 2010s, when the river banks filled with statues and new classical facades; your guide explains both. We cross the 15th-century Stone Bridge to Macedonia Square and finish at the Mother Teresa Memorial House, near where she was born in 1910.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Sit-down lunch in Skopje's Old Bazaar
- Skopje walk with your guide: the Old Bazaar, Kuršumli An, the Mustafa Pasha Mosque and Kale fortress
- The Stone Bridge and Macedonia Square
- The Mother Teresa Memorial House
Easier option: Skip the walk up to Kale fortress and wait in a café in the bazaar.
Free time: Evening free in Skopje
Activity: About 2.5 hours on foot in the afternoon, mostly flat, with a short climb to the fortress.
Matka canyon
Skopje to Matka canyon and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Skopje
- Drive about 1 h
We leave at about 8:30 am for Matka, about 17 km southwest of the city, where the Treska river has cut a deep limestone gorge, dammed in the 1930s into a narrow green lake. Arriving early means the boats are not yet queuing and the canyon walls are still in shade. First we visit the small church of St Andrew's Monastery by the dam, painted with frescoes in the 14th century, then take a boat up the lake between the cliffs to Vrelo Cave, where a guide takes you inside to see its stalactites.
Afternoon
Back at the dam, lunch is a sit-down meal on a terrace above the water. We return to Skopje by about 2 pm, and the afternoon is free: ride the cable car up Mount Vodno to the Millennium Cross for the view over the city, visit the National Gallery in the old Daut Pasha Hammam (entry included), or sit in the bazaar over a coffee.
Included
- St Andrew's Monastery, Matka
- Boat on Lake Matka to Vrelo Cave, with the cave visit
- Sit-down lunch at Matka
- The National Gallery in the Daut Pasha Hammam, Skopje
Optional experiences
- Millennium Cross cable car on Mount Vodno (price shown at booking)
- Kayak hire at Matka (price shown at booking)
Easier option: Stay on the boat and skip the cave steps; or wait on the terrace by the dam.
More active option: Walk the cliff path along the canyon instead of taking the boat back, or climb about an hour with your guide to the monastery of St Nicholas above the gorge.
Free time: Afternoon free in Skopje
Activity: About 2 hours on foot on a riverside path with some steps; the active climb is steep and rocky.
Into Kosovo: Gracanica and Pristina
Skopje across the border at Blace to Gracanica, then Pristina
- Breakfast
- Stay in Pristina
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive north to the Kosovo border at Blace, about 20 minutes from Skopje, and on through Ferizaj, about 100 km and an hour and three quarters of driving plus the border check. Before Pristina we stop at Gračanica, a Serbian Orthodox monastery built by King Milutin in about 1321 and part of the UNESCO-listed Medieval Monuments in Kosovo. It is still a working convent, so dress with shoulders and knees covered; inside, the frescoes cover every wall up into the domes.
Afternoon
We reach Pristina, Kosovo's capital, at about midday, check in and have lunch on your own along Mother Teresa Boulevard, the pedestrian street through the centre. In the afternoon your guide walks you to the Newborn monument, unveiled on independence day in 2008, the National Library with its domes and metal lattice, the Sultan Mehmet Fatih Mosque from the 15th century and the Ethnological Museum in an Ottoman family compound.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Border crossing into Kosovo with your guide
- Gračanica Monastery
- Pristina walk with your guide: the Newborn monument, the National Library and the Sultan Mehmet Fatih Mosque
- The Ethnological Museum, Pristina
Free time: Lunch on your own; evening free in Pristina
Activity: About 2 hours on foot on flat city streets.
Prizren
Pristina to Prizren
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Prizren
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
A relaxed start, then we drive about an hour and a quarter southwest on the motorway to Prizren, under the Sharr mountains, arriving mid-morning. Your guide walks you through the old town along the Bistrica river: Shadërvan square with its fountain, the Ottoman stone bridge, the Sinan Pasha Mosque of 1615 and the complex of the League of Prizren, where Albanian leaders met in 1878. We visit the 14th-century church of Our Lady of Ljeviš, part of the same UNESCO listing as Gračanica, when it is open to visitors.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal by the river. The afternoon is free for the silver filigree workshops in the bazaar, a coffee in the square or a rest at the hotel.
Evening
In the early evening we walk up together to the fortress, about 20 minutes on a steep lane, to watch the sun go down over the roofs and minarets, then come down for the farewell dinner.
Included
- Prizren walk with your guide: Shadërvan, the stone bridge and the Sinan Pasha Mosque
- The League of Prizren complex
- Our Lady of Ljeviš, when open
- Sit-down lunch in Prizren
- Sunset walk to Prizren fortress
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Skip the fortress climb and watch the sunset from a terrace by the river.
Free time: Afternoon free in Prizren
Activity: About 2.5 hours on foot, mostly on cobbles, plus the 20-minute climb to the fortress.
Back to Tirana and home
Prizren across the border at Vermica, then the motorway to Tirana International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
After breakfast we leave Prizren at about 8:30 am for the Albanian border at Vërmica and Morinë, twenty minutes away. From there the motorway runs past Kukës and through the mountains of the north, by tunnel and long bridges, down to the coastal plain: about 200 km and three hours of driving to Tirana International Airport, with a coffee stop on the way. We aim to reach the airport by about 12:30 pm, so book a flight leaving after about 3 pm and allow for border waits, which can be longer on summer weekends. Your guide checks your flight times before the trip and comes with the group to the airport. If you would like more time, we can add nights in Tirana at the end, and the driver drops you at your hotel instead. If you would rather fly home from Pristina, ask us when you book.
Included
- Border crossing into Albania with your guide
- Drop-off at Tirana International Airport (TIA)
Activity: Book a flight from Tirana leaving after about 3 pm.
- Tirana2 nights
- Ohrid2 nights
- Skopje2 nights
- Pristina1 night
- Prizren1 night
- Tiranaend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May, June, September and October are warm and the best months for walking; Lake Ohrid is warm enough to swim in from about late June to September. July and August are hot in Skopje and Pristina, often over 35 C, and Ohrid is at its busiest. The Ohrid to St Naum boat runs mainly in summer; outside its season we drive to St Naum and take a boat there.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want three Balkan countries in one week and a half without public buses
- A mix of Orthodox monasteries, Ottoman bazaars and recent history, with a lake and a canyon
- Two nights in each main base and drives of three hours or less
- Solo travellers who want a small group and a fair single price
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: Kruja, Ohrid and Prizren have steep, cobbled lanes
- Hiking in the Albanian Alps or the Rugova valley, which this trip does not visit
- A beach holiday: Lake Ohrid gets a free afternoon, not a week
- Travellers planning to cross from Kosovo into Serbia afterwards without checking the border rules first
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Tirana2 nights
- Ohrid2 nights
- Skopje2 nights
- Pristina1 night
- Prizren1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights in central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard: 2 in Tirana, 2 in Ohrid, 2 in Skopje, 1 in Pristina and 1 in Prizren
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Tirana International Airport (TIA)
- A private air-conditioned vehicle and driver for the group throughout, across all three borders
- Boat from Ohrid to St Naum and a rowing boat on the springs
- Boat on Lake Matka to Vrelo Cave
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip in all three countries, with local guides where sites require them
Activities
- Tirana walk: Skanderbeg Square, the Et'hem Bey Mosque and the Pyramid
- Bunk'Art 2, Tirana
- Kruja castle and bazaar, the Skanderbeg Museum and the Ethnographic Museum
- Ohrid walk: St Sophia, the ancient theatre, Samuel's Fortress, Plaošnik and St John at Kaneo
- The monastery of St Naum
- The Bay of Bones museum, Lake Ohrid
- Skopje walk: the Old Bazaar, Kuršumli An, Kale fortress and the Stone Bridge
- The Mother Teresa Memorial House, Skopje
- The National Gallery in the Daut Pasha Hammam, Skopje
- St Andrew's Monastery and Vrelo Cave, Matka
- Gračanica Monastery
- Pristina walk and the Ethnological Museum
- Prizren walk, the League of Prizren complex and Our Lady of Ljeviš when open
- Prizren fortress at sunset
Meals
- Breakfast daily (8)
- 6 sit-down lunches, on days 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8
- 3 dinners: welcome dinner in Tirana, dinner in Ohrid, farewell dinner in Prizren
Not included
- International flights to and from Tirana
- Visa, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance
- Lunches on days 7 and 9 and dinners on days 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities: the Millennium Cross cable car, kayak hire at Matka, the Dajti Express
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 715 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the Balkans trip price include?
Eight nights in central hotels, breakfast daily, six sit-down lunches and three dinners, airport transfers in Tirana, a private vehicle and driver across all three borders, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, the boats to St Naum and Vrelo Cave, and every visit in the day plan, from Bunk'Art 2 and Kruja castle to Gračanica and Prizren fortress.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, so the group fits in one boat at Matka and one table at lunch, and border checks are quick. Other trips on this route run with up to 16.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the welcome dinner in Tirana to the airport on the last day, through Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo. Local guides join where a site requires one, and our own driver stays with the group throughout.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately. Expect 2 to 3 hours a day on foot, on cobbled and sometimes steep lanes in Kruja, Ohrid and Prizren. The climbs to the fortresses in Ohrid and Prizren take about 20 minutes and each has an easier choice, such as waiting in a café or on a terrace.
I am travelling solo. What does a room of my own cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 715 more, shown before you book, with no surprise later. Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and with three dinners and six lunches together nobody eats alone unless they want to.
When is the best time to visit Ohrid, Skopje and Kosovo?
May to October. May, June, September and October are the most comfortable for walking. July and August are hot in Skopje and Pristina, often over 35 C, but it is the best time to swim in Lake Ohrid, and the boat to St Naum runs most often then.
How does booking work and how much does it cost?
The small group starts from CAD 4,195 per person sharing a room, taxes included; private trips start from CAD 7,550. Pick your start date and request to book, and we confirm your trip within 24 hours. No payment is taken until then.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same route and hotels.
Do I need visas for Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo?
Canadian and US passport holders do not need a visa for a trip of this length in any of the three countries, and none is in the Schengen area. Your passport is checked at each of the three borders, so keep it with you. We confirm the rules for your passport when you book.
How do the border crossings work?
We cross three borders in our own vehicle: into North Macedonia on day 3, into Kosovo on day 7 and back into Albania on day 9. You stay in the van or step out briefly while passports are checked. Waits are usually short but can reach an hour on summer weekends, which the day plans allow for.
Is Kosovo safe to visit?
Pristina and Prizren are busy, welcoming cities that receive many visitors, and this trip does not go to the north of Kosovo, where tensions have flared in recent years. Read the Canadian or US government travel advice before you book; we check it before every departure and will change the route if it changes.
Can I fly home from Pristina instead of Tirana?
Yes, ask us when you book. The trip ends at Tirana airport so you can fly in and out of one airport, but we can drop you at Pristina airport instead or add nights in Pristina or Tirana at the end.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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