Cruising In The Mediterranean

The Mediterranean Sea is the only place on earth where cruises offer so much adventure in history, culture, food and wine and good times. From Western Europe to Greece, the Middle East, North Africa and hundreds of islands there are ancient wonders to see, gorgeous natural scenery to appreciate and radically different types of local food to enjoy.

Why Choose A Cruise?

One thing five continents and many countries all have in common is the warm hearted and generous people who are happy to receive visitors. This is not only because visitors bring much needed income, but also because the local people genuinely like visitors to appreciate their homeland.

Cruises usually ensure a good level of luxury from the cabins (going right up to state rooms), have world leading facilities (includes surf pools, wave machines, skydiving fans et al.) and of course have casinos, food on tap and cabaret, black tie dances and time on shore in various places.

Why The Mediterranean?

Cruising the Mediterranean is a very convenient way to visit the area. Your holiday is prepaid when you book your cruise and you will not have to pay any more for hotels, transportation between cities and meals except when you eat locally ashore. This is a huge savings because hotels and restaurants in all the ports of call are expensive. It’s all right for a night out, but would be too much for the daily food.

The most popular ports of call in the Western Mediterranean are Barcelona for Spanish culture, tapas and art museums, Monte Carlo with its glamour and luxury and the French Riviera with more glamour, excellent wine and a vibrant night life. Italy is next where there is so much to see starting with Naples and Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius and breezy outdoor cafes on the Ligurian coast. Florence and Pisa are easy day trips by train and the ship’s tour staff will arrange things so everyone is back on board in time for sail away. Cicitavecchia is the port that is about 90 minutes from Rome. At least two full days are needed to see the Eternal City. Malta is one island stop that is not mainly a tourist trap. It has fascinating architecture and history.

The Eastern Mediterranean

On the eastern side of Italy there is Venice and the Eastern Mediterranean. From here cruises go to Dubrovnik in Croatia, around the Greek Isles, to Istanbul, Turkey and to the Black Sea through the Bosphorus. Israel and Egypt are also popular stops. At least one day and a night should be spent in Athens to see the Acropolis and other ancient ruins. A cruise could be made only to see the legendary Greek Isles. Celos, Santorini with Thera the mountain town and Mykonos, Rhodes, Crete with Minoan ruins from 2000 BC, Cyprus, Lesbos and Naxos are the most famous.

Dubrovnik in the Adriatic Sea was a rival of Venice in the 1200s and has the world’s oldest pharmacy still in use. Corfu is the northern most Greek Isle and is completely different from the southern isles. Close to Turkey it is verdant and beautiful. Turkey has so many Roman ruins as well as the Hagia Sophia on the Bosphorus and the fascinating Archaeology Museum. The pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx can be visited from the stop at Alexandria, Egypt. Tunis, Tunisia and Morocco are north African stops that are also full of history, culture and great shopping.

In Summary

The Mediterranean has the advantage of mild winters and ideal weather the rest of the year, so any time is a good time to cruise the Med. It's close to the UK for transfer times, so pretty much no chance of any jet lag affecting your holiday for the first few days. The differing destinations around the Med provide a wealth of discovery and contrast that suits many travellers. Enjoy.