How Do I Get From Ohrid To St Naum?

St Naum is the monastery complex at the southern end of Lake Ohrid, beside the springs of the Crn Drim and about 4 km from the Tushemisht border crossing into Albania. From the town of Ohrid you reach it by water, on a full-day cruise from Ohrid port, or by road along the southern shore. This page on the Ohrid Travel Guide sets out both routes with the fares the operators publish, what the monastery itself charges, and how the organised day trips fit in, including St Naum trips that start from Ohrid.

You get from Ohrid to St Naum either by boat from Ohrid port on a full-day cruise along the southern shore, or by road heading south past the lakeside villages toward the monastery at the far end of the lake. The Boat Armada cruise, a year-round operator on this route, runs a seven-hour round trip from Ohrid port from 1,200 den per adult and 600 den per child, while the road route passes close to the Albanian border at Tushemisht.

Both routes cover the same stretch of water from opposite directions of experience: the boat gives you the lake and its shoreline stops, the road gives you the villages and the freedom to linger. The choice usually comes down to season and to how much of the day you want to spend on the water. Boat services on the lake are generally a spring-to-autumn proposition, with the crossings to St Naum running about May to October and a reduced winter schedule, while the road to St Naum stays open through the year. If you are pairing the trip with the rest of the lake, the two-day Ohrid itinerary usually puts St Naum on the second day for exactly this reason: it is the farthest point south and it eats a full day.

Prefer the freedom to linger in the villages along the way? Book a private transfer here.

Getting To St Naum By Boat From Ohrid Port

The published boat option is Boat Armada's full-day cruise from Ohrid port to St Naum, a seven-hour round trip priced from 1,200 den per adult and 600 den per child, with stops along the southern shore and roughly two hours of free time at the monastery. The cruise operator's own tour page lists the St Naum monastery entrance, at 150 MKD per person, as not included in the fare.

That exclusion is the detail worth planning around. The boat fare covers the crossing and the stops; the monastery ticket and the rowboat ride through the Crn Drim springs, which the same operator lists at about 5 EUR, are paid separately on the spot. Budget for both if you want the full visit rather than the grounds alone. The cruise format also fixes your time at St Naum: the free-time window is generous enough for the monastery, the springs and a look at the pebble beach beside the complex, but it is a schedule, not a choice. Season matters here too, since lake cruises are reported to run about May to October with a reduced winter schedule, so a shoulder-month crossing is possible but thinner on departures. For the wider picture of lake transport, see the Ohrid boat tour overview, which covers the shorter harbour cruises as well, and for anyone weighing the water against the shore, the answer usually depends on whether the stops along the way matter more than flexibility at the far end.

Driving To St Naum: The Road Route South

The road route from Ohrid runs south along the lakeshore through the villages of the eastern shore toward St Naum, which sits about 4 km from the Tushemisht border crossing, where a taxi for the short hop to the border post has been quoted at 400 den. Boats aside, this road is the year-round way in, and it is the one the lakeside villages such as Trpejca and Ljubanista sit directly on.

The border proximity is the route's hidden bonus. If you are exploring under your own steam rather than with an operator, the Trpejca and Ljubanista area guide covers the villages you drive through on the way down. Two practical cautions from the 2026 record: a resident-only parking regime took effect on old-town streets such as Ilindenska, Kosta Abrash and Car Samoil in summer 2026, with clamping for non-residents, so a car stays outside the old lanes; and the lake's 2026 navigation limits, set by government decision on 2 June 2026, restrict jet skis and night boating in high summer, which affects the water side of the trip rather than the road.

The straight-line distances below are computed values, not road kilometres, and they give a sense of how the southern lake is arranged.

Organised Day Trips That Include St Naum

Organised St Naum trips come in two flavours: products that start in Ohrid and follow the routes above, and day trips that start in Tirana or Skopje, cross into North Macedonia and pair Ohrid with St Naum in one itinerary. A product flagged as starting in Tirana or Skopje departs from there, so it suits travellers based in those cities rather than visitors already sleeping in Ohrid.

The strongest-reviewed example in the second group is the North Macedonia: Ohrid & St Naum Day Tour from Tirana/Durres, which covers both the town and the monastery in a single day from the Albanian capital. You can Check availability on the operator's live listing; the block below prints its current price and rating. For anyone starting from the Macedonian side, the same logic applies to the Skopje departures, which reach Ohrid after a long morning on the road and spend their afternoon between the old town and the lake. If you are already in Ohrid with several days, a dedicated Ohrid-based St Naum trip usually beats both, because the travel day stays short and the monastery gets visited at your own pace rather than against a coach timetable.

What A Visit To St Naum Monastery Costs

The St Naum monastery entrance is 150 MKD per person, as listed by the lake cruise operator that includes the site on its route, and the rowboat ride through the Crn Drim springs runs at about 5 EUR. Both are paid on site and neither is bundled into a boat fare or a day-trip price unless the operator's listing explicitly says so.

That makes a St Naum day cheap by any European standard, but the add-ons are where the arithmetic lives. A family taking the full-day cruise from Ohrid port pays the adult and child boat fares, then the monastery ticket and possibly the rowboat per person on top. The Galicica National Park fee only enters the picture if your route crosses the park itself, and the rule is precise: 250 MKD per vehicle with no per-passenger charge, and 100 MKD only for someone entering on foot through the Ohrid-side gate. A simple lakeshore drive to St Naum does not involve that fee at all. Inside the complex, the St Naum monastery guide covers what the site holds and how the visit is structured; whether the stop justifies the journey is weighed separately in is St Naum monastery worth visiting.

Pairing St Naum With The Rest Of The Southern Lake

St Naum works best as the anchor of a southern-lake day rather than a lone out-and-back, because the boat route stops at the Bay of Bones and the shoreline villages, and the road route passes the same string of places from the land side. Trpejca, Ljubanista and the Bay of Bones at Peshtani are the natural companions, and a two-day Ohrid plan typically assigns them all to the same day.

The Bay of Bones, the Museum on Water at Gradishte near Peshtani, is itself on the museum institute's ticket system: 150 den for foreign visitors, 120 den domestic, 60 den for children and students, open 09:00 to 16:30 in the summer schedule that runs 1 May to 30 September and 09:00 to 15:30 in winter, closed Monday. The full-day cruise format is built around exactly this pairing, which is why the boat and the road give such different days over the same geography. Whatever the route, the day ends where it started, in Ohrid's old town, where the evening options run from the harbourside to the lanes under Samuel's Fortress.

Common Questions About Getting From Ohrid To St Naum

How Do I Get From Ohrid To St Naum?

By boat on a full-day cruise from Ohrid port, from 1,200 den per adult, or by road south along the lake through the eastern-shore villages. The road is the year-round option; lake crossings run roughly May to October.

How much is the boat from Ohrid to St Naum?

The published Boat Armada full-day cruise costs from 1,200 den per adult and 600 den per child for the round trip, with the monastery entrance of 150 MKD paid separately on site.

Can you drive from Ohrid to St Naum?

Yes. The road follows the southern shore to the monastery, which sits about 4 km from the Tushemisht border crossing with Albania. Note the resident-only parking regime on old-town streets in Ohrid in force since summer 2026.

Is the St Naum monastery entrance included in tours?

Generally not. The cruise operator lists the 150 MKD monastery entrance and the roughly 5 EUR springs rowboat as extras, so check what your specific day-trip listing includes before booking.

When do the boats to St Naum run?

Lake crossings to St Naum are reported to operate about May to October, with a reduced winter schedule, while the road stays open through the year.