The Best Ways to Get From Tirana to Lake Ohrid

Lake Ohrid is one of the highlights of the Balkans, and it’s a must-visit if you make it to this corner of Europe!

Whether you’re going to Ohrid as a part of a bigger journey through the Balkans, or if Ohrid is your only destination and you’re flying into Tirana simply because that was the easiest connection for you (like it was for us), this post will help you get from A to B.

The journey from Tirana to Ohrid is a pretty easy one, even with a border crossing, and there are a few different ways you can go about this 130 km and roughly 2.5 to 3-hour drive (depending on how long the border crossing takes).

In this post, you can find the different ways, including the estimated cost, time, convenience, and how to book, including which option we suggest.

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How to get from Tirana to Ohrid in 2026

The trip from Tirana to Ohrid is going to take you anywhere from 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on traffic and how long it takes at the border between Albania and North Macedonia.

Generally speaking, the border is pretty quick to cross, but it does depend on time of day, day of the week, and seasonality. The busiest time will be on the weekends during peak season. For us, on a Saturday in May, it took about 10-15 minutes to cross.

On this trip, we took the bus from Tirana to Ohrid, and it was actually really chill and easy. It does take a bit of extra time since you have to get to the bus station first. We’ll cover that experience in the next section, along with what other options are available to get you between the two cities.

We decided to take the bus from Tirana to Ohrid for a few reasons. We do like to rent cars wherever we go, so we have the freedom to hike, explore, and get off the beaten path, but since we weren’t planning on returning to Tirana after our time in Ohrid, we wouldn’t be able to drop the car rental off again. So we went by bus!

If you’re looking for an affordable, easy, and reliable way to get from Tirana City to Ohrid, I’d say taking the bus is your best bet! The bus runs multiple times a day, and it’s super easy and affordable.

The only downside is if you’re flying into Tirana and hopping straight on a bus to Ohrid like us, you need to have at least a few hours’ buffer because it doesn’t leave from the airport, and we found Tirana airport to be super slow with our baggage delivery (took 50 minutes)!

You can see the bus schedule from Tirana online here. While there are multiple companies that operate this stretch, the only “universal” website we could find to book the buses was on Flixbus. They show all the different departures, and they surprisingly have better pricing, too.

This will give you an idea of what time you can leave. Be careful, though, because there are two different bus stations in Tirana! Most buses leave from Tirana East Terminal (TEG) and not downtown (35 minutes from downtown), but occasionally, some buses leave from the Tirana Shatervan Center.

It’s a smooth and effortless journey once you’re on the bus. There’s a quick stop at the border between Albania and North Macedonia, and in a quick few hours, you’ll get to one of the most beautiful places in the country, Lake Ohrid!

🚗 Tip: If you tend to get car sick, you might want to take some remedies. While the road is pretty chill, it is also very windy!

Most of the time, we actually rent a car if we’re going somewhere for a longer period of time. But because on this trip we were going directly from Tirana to Lake Ohrid and then continuing on to spend the summer in Bansko (Bulgaria), it didn’t make sense to rent a car since we wouldn’t be able to drop it off in Tirana again.

If we were starting and finishing our trip in Tirana, though, then we would have 100% went for the car rental option. There’s something so nice about having the freedom to stop wherever you want and explore places you need a car for. Plus, there’s a ton of cool places to explore close to Ohrid, so a car would’ve come in handy.

If you’re planning a trip to Lake Ohrid while also planning to finish your trip (or at least come back to) Tirana afterwards, then renting a car is a solid option.

I would say the only inconvenience of renting a car for this trip is that you need a “Green Card” and international insurance since you’re going to be crossing from Albania to North Macedonia, which does add an additional fee and requires a bit of planning.

This is usually around €50 depending on the supplier, and you will have to select this option when you book the rental car (or give them notice at least 5 days in advance).

Thankfully, renting a car is super easy and quite affordable in Albania, so even with the mandatory Green Card and international insurance, it still works out. Check out availability and pricing here.

If you’re a larger group and you don’t want to drive yourself, a private transfer is the way to go. You can get picked up directly from your hotel (or Tirana Airport), and they’ll drive you straight to Ohrid.

This way, you’ll also get dropped off at your accommodation in Ohrid rather than the bus station, which is a 20-minute walk from town.

It’s slightly more expensive than taking the bus, but for the convenience of it (and the time you save), if you’re travelling in a group, it’s 100% worth it.

You can choose the style of vehicle you prefer, how many passengers there are, and just enjoy a relaxing trip through the Albanian countryside before crossing the border into North Macedonia and continuing to Lake Ohrid.

We’ve looked at a few different transfer websites, and this one seems to be the most reliable and affordable one. You can pick the time and date you’re looking for + book your private transfer here.

If you’re limited on time during your visit to Tirana, it is also possible to go on a day trip from Tirana to Ohrid. While we highly recommend spending more time in Ohrid, we do understand that this just isn’t always possible.

So if you want to just go on a day trip to Lake Ohrid (and Ohrid City), this is definitely possible!

You’ll get picked up at your place of accommodation in Tirana, from where you will start the 2.5-hour journey to Ohrid. Remember to bring your passport as this includes a border crossing.

Once you make it to Ohrid, you will go on a guided walk through the city and up to the famous St. Jovan Kaneo (Church of Saint John) by the lake. The total time in Ohrid is roughly 3.5 hours, and this includes a lunch break.

We really enjoyed Restaurant Pod-Drum, but if you want to make the most of your time in Ohrid, you could also pack a lunch or try out one of the Döner places in town (there are lots in the Ohrid Bazaar) since 3.5 hours go by fast!

After your visit to Ohrid City, the tour continues to the Bay of Bones Museum and the Saint Naum Monastery before it’s time to head back to Tirana.

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Conclusion on travelling from Tirana to Ohrid

Now you have a few options to get between the two destinations. Even though there’s a border crossing and you’re going between two different countries, it’s a chill trip.

You can relax and take the bus, get picked up directly from the airport by a private transfer, or rent a car for unlimited freedom!

If you have any doubts or questions about the trip or anything related to getting from the airport to Tirana and then to Ohrid, you can always reach out to us on Instagram or leave a comment on this post.

Have the best time in Albania and North Macedonia! Lake Ohrid is stunning and worth spending some time in this part of the country. We spent a few weeks there and absolutely loved it.

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