Private Ohrid Day Tour and Authentic Village from Tirana & Durres

This excursion was the biggest waste of money. There were several options for this same tour offered through Viator and Trip Advisor; however, we chose this one even though it was more costly than some of the others. Since there seemed to be some contradictions in the description (i.e. private tour versus cancellation if not enough participants as well as sites visited), I requested information from the provider. The following is the email that I sent: I am hoping that you can answer a few questions. The details given for the trip seem to contradict one another. First, it says, “Only your group will participate.” The it says, “Requires a minimum number of travelers.” How many travelers are required for the trip to run? Will this be cancelled due to an insufficient number? Will the hour between 8-9 be designated for pick up? Will we be returned to the hotel at which we were picked up or is there a designated pick-up spot for the return? The time designated for the visit to Ohrid is 1 hour. Other tours suggest three hours. Do you visit any sites while we are there? If so, how many? My preference is to not visit several churches, but at least one that is representative of the city. What do other tours include that yours doesn’t? Many tours with the three hour stops in Ohrid are also ten hours. What is included in your tour that is not included in others to account for the time discrepancy? The details do not say, but the reviews say that you stop for lunch. Is this a long stop? Where is it? Are there other options for those that do not want to sit and eat a long lunch? One review indicated that the tour guide allowed them to choose how long to spend at each location. Who makes that decision? Another review indicated that there was time for swimming. What do other participants do while some are swimming? How many people are currently registered for this activity? Is there a possibility that it will be cancelled? What is the estimated time of return to the Hotel Rogner? I received a detailed accounting of the sites visited and was told that the tour was a private tour and that we could adjust the itinerary to our liking. I was also told that the maximum number was four, and if two more joined us, we would receive a $50. rebate. Again, this seemed to be a contradiction; however, I had read on previous reviews that this had occurred and the company had refunded the $50. in a timely manner. This gave me confidence in the integrity of the company. I inquired about the length of the tour as well as the return time. I did so because we were scheduled to have a welcome meeting with our tour group at 6:00pm. I was told that the return would be at approximately 7:00pm. Regardless, we decided to book the trip. Things started on a positive note. We were picked up at our hotel at the precise time of 8:00 am. We were happy that we were the only two participants. At the onset, we told the guide, a 27 year old young man, that we would like to return by 6:00 pm if possible. We drove directly to Ohrid, approximately 2 ½ hours with one stop at a coffee shop where we were told we could use the ladies’ room while the guide purchased a coffee for himself. We also had to stop for gas while on the tour. I thought this unusual and felt this should have been addressed prior to pick-up. One of the participants used this as an opportunity to purchase water. I could not believe that no bottled water was provided. When we arrived in Ohrid, the guide parked at the top of an incline near the fort pictured on the brochure. When we asked about it, the guide said there was nothing inside, that it wasn’t worth seeing, and that we would see many more forts during the guided tour. We passed by an amphitheater but no information was provided. We then walked past a rather lovely church along the water’s edge. When I asked if that was the church that was featured on most brochures touting Ohrid as a place to visit, I was told no. We were given no further information on that church, nor did we stop to explore or visit it. We descended a wooded incline and reached the church that I had seen in many brochures. I asked the name and age of the church. We were told that it was built in the 1300’s and was Byzantine in design. The guide sat on the wall as we watched several helicopters scooping water to douse a near-by fire. I asked if we could go in the church. I was told that we would have to pay entrance. No other information was given regarding this most important icon. We then walked a lovely path down to the town center. There we strolled though the bazaar, and down to the pier which we were told was the port for the city. We took a few pictures. Information? Nothing. We then walked to the edge of the main street which we had taken to ascend the incline near the fort. We were told to wait there as the guide could more quickly retrieve the vehicle. I am sure that at this point the readers of this review might think that such a shortened itinerary may have been due to our age or inability to navigate the inclines. Despite our age, we are both quite healthy and were very capable of keeping up with the guide very easily. The guide was very knowledgeable about American and Albanian politics. He could name politicians and cabinet members serving under the Trump and Biden administrations, but when it came to the city of Ohrid, we came away knowing nothing but the fact the church was built in the 1300’s and was Byzantine in design. No history was provided. The young man was very nice, but hardly attentive to anything but current political climates. We had told the driver that we were not really interested in having a long lunch, but we were never given the opportunity to even buy a snack. No reference whatsoever was made regarding time for swimming if that was what we chose. Once the car was retrieved, we drove to Struga (which I only know because my photos of those diving from the banks of the river are labeled as such) where we parked. We walked a very short distance to a river bank where many men were diving into the flowing river and floating with the current to nearby stairs. That was it. Again, no information was provided. The guide stopped at a little shop to buy a snack for himself. He never suggested our purchasing anything, never referenced lunch, never offered even a bottle of water. We got back in the car and drove back to the hotel. We arrived at 4pm, not 7 pm as offered as the suggested time of return provided in my email and not 6pm as requested. Unfortunately for us, I had not brought the expected itinerary with me. My fault. As a result it was difficult to question the failure to visit the Monastery or the Tsar Samuel’s Fortress. We never visited Tushemisht referenced in the itinerary. We were told that this our early arrival back at the hotel was because the border crossing was not crowded. The guide was a very nice young guy very interested in politics, but as a guide providing historic information he failed. I know nothing about Ohrid. This was, in my opinion, the biggest waste of $163.per person when booked in November of 2023 and is now considerably more. Save your money and book with someone else.

Fabulous one day tour to Ohrid. Very comfortable ride and such a knowledgeable guide. I cannot believe how much I learned about Albania and its history. Highly recommend this day tour.

This trip was simply amazing,the guide /driver Endri was very knowledgeable about the places we visited.Endri was very patient on the routes as my wife has asthma and we never felt rushed going up the hilly parts of the excursion.Ohrid was a beautiful town where we stopped for lunch,then onto to Struga.I definately would recommend this trip

All the logistics with Go as Local were fine - initial communication by email, later by WhatsApp in Albania, hotel pickup, driving and drop-off. The guide Xhulio was very friendly, informative and accommodating throughout the day. As for Ohrid itself, this place is a real gem, one of the nicest spots in the Balkans. The view over the St John the Theologian church onto Lake Ohrid is possibly the most picturesque view of a church you could ever see, and the downtown area has a nice 'sea'side vibe. Our other stop at the Monastery of Saint Naum round the lake was pretty good too. If you like Byzantine church architecture, and you have a day to spare whilst in Tirana, go on this trip.

Wonderful tour of ohrid. The guide was knowledgable and allowed us time to walk and take as many pictures as we wanted. Never felt rushed at any time. Wish we could have swam by the lake but everything was great.