From Lake Ohrid to the Albanian Riviera: a summer road trip

Ohrid: the old town and the lake

Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes in Europe, more than a million years old and nearly 300 metres deep, fed largely by underground springs that keep it astonishingly clear. UNESCO listed the lake and the town as a natural and cultural World Heritage Site in 1979–80, and extended the site to the Albanian shore in 2019.

The old town climbs from the harbour to Samuel’s Fortress through steep cobbled lanes of white houses with overhanging upper floors. Enter by the Upper Gate, see the frescoes of St Sophia, and come down to the water for grilled lake fish as the evening cools. Give Ohrid at least two nights: the town is at its best early in the morning and after the day visitors have gone.

Our Lake Ohrid guide →   Ohrid old town →

St John at Kaneo at sunset

The little 13th-century church of St John the Theologian at Kaneo stands alone on a rocky point above the lake, below the old town, and it is the image of Ohrid that everyone carries home. Reach it along the cliffside boardwalk from the town beach, or down the lanes from Plaošnik, where St Clement’s monastery once stood. Come at sunset, when the water turns gold and the church glows against it; a small fee is charged to go inside.

Church of St John at Kaneo →

Ohrid pearls: a family secret

Ohrid pearls are not real pearls, and that is their charm. Their soft lustre comes from an emulsion made from the scales of the plasica, a small silvery fish of the lake, brushed layer after layer by hand over a bead. Only two families, the Talevs and the Filevs, are known to keep the recipe, and they have passed it down within the family for about a century.

Both have shops in the old town, a short walk apart, and buying from the makers themselves is the surest way to take home the real thing. Supply is small, as each necklace takes time, so a single strand or a pair of earrings is a souvenir with a story.

The road west: Ohrid to the coast

Be honest with yourself about this leg. From Ohrid the road runs past Struga to the border at Kafasan – Qafë Thanë, then down through the mountains to Elbasan and on across the plain to Fier and Vlorë. To Dhërmi it is about 260 km, and a route planner will show five hours or so; with the border, a lunch stop and summer traffic, plan on most of the day, and drive the mountain stretches in daylight.

If you would rather not do it in one go, stop for a night in Vlorë, on its wide bay, or detour inland to Berat, the town of a thousand windows. Without a car, buses link Ohrid and Struga with Tirana in about three to four hours, and from Tirana buses run to Vlorë in about two and a half hours and on over the mountains to the Riviera: possible, but a long journey with changes. If you hire a car in North Macedonia, check that the company allows it to cross into Albania and that the insurance covers it.

Skopje to Ohrid →   Tirana to Ohrid and Skopje →   Getting to Vlorë →   Berat →

Over the Llogara Pass

South of Vlorë, the coast road climbs through the pine forest of Llogara National Park to the pass, more than 1,000 metres up, where restaurants serve roast lamb and mountain tea and paragliders launch from the slopes. Then comes one of the great moments of any Balkan journey: the road drops in hairpins towards the sea, with the whole Riviera laid out below you, down past Palasë and Dhërmi towards the islands on the horizon.

Since 5 July 2024, the Llogara Tunnel, about six kilometres long, has carried the main road under the mountain between Dukat and Palasë, cutting that stretch to around seven minutes. It is the quick way in, and the sensible one in bad weather; but take the old road over the top at least once, in clear daylight, for the view.

Llogara Pass →

Dhërmi, Drymades and Palasë

At the foot of the mountains lie three of the most beautiful beaches on the coast. Palasë, where the Llogara road and the tunnel come down to the sea, is a long sweep of white pebbles and astonishingly blue water; the Green Coast resort community, with villas, hotels and restaurants, now runs along part of it. Drymades, the long beach between Palasë and Dhërmi, is lined with small hotels and beach restaurants.

Dhërmi itself has pebble beaches below an old village on the hill, with churches and lanes worth a wander in the cool of the evening. Just to the south, Gjipe, a bay at the mouth of a limestone canyon, is reached on foot or by boat and is one of the loveliest swims on the Riviera; bring water and good shoes for the walk.

Dhërmi & Gjipe →   Our Albanian Riviera guide →   Himarë →

When to go and how to plan

Our advice: see Kaneo at sunset and the old town at dawn, buy your pearls from the families who make them, set off west early, and save the Llogara road for the afternoon light. Then stay put on the Riviera for a few days: after the drive, you will have earned it.

• June and September are ideal: warm water, long evenings and room on the beaches
• July and August are hot and busy on both shores; book rooms well ahead, especially in August
• Allow a week: two or three nights in Ohrid, a night on the road, three or four on the Riviera
• Fly into Skopje or Ohrid and out of Tirana to avoid doubling back
• Carry your passport: the border at Kafasan – Qafë Thanë is an international crossing

Ohrid airport →   Getting to the Riviera →

Questions and answers