This was published 6 years ago
Cruise holidays on the Mediterranean: Seven different styles of cruises
SeaDream off the Italian coast.
Sail the Mediterranean and you're travelling in the wake of ancient Phoenicians traders and Greek heroes, Barbary pirates and conquering navies, Victorian-era adventurers and today's island-hopping partygoers.
The Mediterranean has lured all types over the centuries, and these days its crumbling history, glorious landscapes and legendary lifestyle continue to lure cruise visitors too. The happy news is that this single destination has a myriad of options to suit any type of holidaying sailor. Here are ways to cruise the Mediterranean in suitable style.
LUXURY CRUISE
A Viking ship sails out of Venice.
You could hanker for the Mediterranean every year for the rest of your life and never run out of luxury cruises to take you there, with a flotilla of ships from companies as diverse as Crystal Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Silversea, Oceania Cruises, Ponant, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Tauck and Viking Cruises. SeaDream Yacht Club has a series of new wine voyages, and Azamara Club Cruises has added a range of overnight shore excursions to some itineraries for a more in-depth exploration. Many luxury cruises offer large suites, butler service, dining notable for its quality and choice, and personalised, privileged-access shore excursions.
OUR PICK
Silversea's 10-day Venice to Piraeus (Athens) cruise is a gorgeous swoop down the Adriatic coast to Greek islands such as Corfu, Santorini and Rhodes. There are over 150 shore-excursion choices, from an evening gondola serenade in Venice to a tour of Olympia or Mycenae. Recently launched 596-passenger flagship Silver Muse epitomises luxury cruising with its eight restaurants, high-end suites and attention to detail. From $8910pp, departs September 28, 2018. silversea.com
CRUISE UNDER SAIL
Travelling on a sailing ship offers a very different and often exhilarating cruise experience. You can watch the crew working the ropes and sails, and some cruise lines might allow passengers to assist, or climb into the crow's nest. Vessels are generally small and relatively cramped, without the bling and amenities of large cruise ships, but you can't beat the sociability, sense of relaxation and thrill of sails billowing in the wind. Most sail ships tend to visit an interesting range of smaller ports. Ponant, SeaDream, Sea Cloud Cruises, Star Clippers and Windstar Cruises all operate sail ships in the Mediterranean.
OUR PICK
Star Clippers' seven-night Amalfi & Sicily cruise on Royal Clipper sails return from Civitavecchia (Rome) and takes in Italy's Pondine Islands for snorkelling and swimming off pink-coral beaches, and the Aeolian Islands for a sail past volcanic Stromboli and a call at Lipari.
It also visits elegant resort town Taormina in Sicily and two ports on the Amalfi Coast. From $3330pp, numerous departures between May and September 2018. starclippers.com
THEMED CRUISE
Themed cruises are a good way to combine an organised, stress-free holiday with personal interests, whether you're keen on wellness or wine, photography or music. The range of themed cruises is steadily growing, as is the number of special-events cruises visiting the likes of the Cannes Film Festival or Monaco Grand Prix.
Ponant has new Mediterranean voyages in 2018 themed on gastronomy, art and literature and music (such as jazz, opera and Chopin). Seabourn, Star Clippers and MSC Cruises have wellness itineraries. The Mediterranean is, of course, especially rich in culture, a big focus of Cunard's Insights program and Seabourn's collaboration with UNESCO.
OUR PICK
Luxury French company Ponant tempts with an eight-night Secrets of the Greek Islands cruise on Le Lyrial, round-trip from Athens and visiting destinations such as Patmos, Santorini, Delos and Mykonos. The cruise is run in partnership with Cuisine et Vins de France magazine, and rolls out culinary and wine-tasting experiences and various gala dinners. Noted chefs, sommeliers and gastronomy specialists guide passengers through lectures, workshops and degustations. From $22,660pp, departs July 5, 2018. ponant.com
EXPEDITION CRUISE
While the Mediterranean isn't the most obvious expedition destination, some itineraries do incorporate active, adventurous elements in smaller ports. Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Expeditions both have Sea Cloud voyages that visit the Dalmatian Coast, Sicily and Malta, or the Greek islands, accompanied by an historian and naturalist and including hikes and Zodiac excursions. AdventureSmith Explorations has 10 Mediterranean cruises such as a Croatia Island Hopper on the 36-passenger Avangard that offers cycling and kayaking, as well as exploring Mljet National Park and offbeat destinations such as Kuna village for a farm visit.
OUR PICK
APT's 12-day From Moors to Rome cruise between Casablanca and Naples on the luxury, 108-passenger Island Sky visits big-name destinations such as Gibraltar, Granada and Rome. Smaller ports, though, allow for exploring Roman ruins in Cartagena, canoeing and bird-watching in Albufera Natural Park, hiking on the island of Mallorca, snorkelling in Minorca, and boating into grottoes off the coast of Sardinia. From $12,795pp, departs April 20, 2018. aptouring.com.au
RIVER CRUISE
The Rhone River is associated with Mediterranean region Provence and cities such as Avignon and Arles, with every big river-cruise company offering itineraries. CroisiEurope has a unique dedicated cruise on Spain's Guadalquivir River between Seville and coastal port Cadiz. You can also cruise the Nile River with Sanctuary Retreats – which charters a bespoke 12-passenger sailing boat and two regular river-cruise ships – and (from next year) Viking Cruises. Blurring the definition of cruising, companies such as Le Boat (motor vessels) and Belmond (canal barges) offer myriad opportunities to explore the canals of France's Mediterranean fringes.
OUR PICK
Uniworld's 10-day Gems of Northern Italy starts on land in Milan, but its main focus is a cruise on luxury vessel River Countess that concentrates on a small section of the Po River and an exploration of the Venice Lagoon, including fishing villages and islands such as Burano, Mazzorbo and Torcello. There are also excursions to Padua, Bologna and Verona. From $5799pp, regular departures between March and November 2018. uniworld.com
SMALL-SHIP CRUISE
Small ships of under 200 passengers offer intimacy and luxury in the style of a boutique hotel. They can tender passengers ashore in remote coves and beaches, or dock in small ports that include some the Mediterranean's most charming destinations, such as Portofino in Italy, Rovinj in Croatia or St Tropez in France. Small-ship cruises are often very destination focused, since they don't have the on-board amenities of large cruise ships. You also have an embarrassment of choice: APT, Botanica World Discoveries, Crystal Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions, Star Clippers and Tauck are among companies operating small ships in the Mediterranean.
OUR PICK
Botanica World Discovery's 14-day Wildflowers tour starts in the Italian Lakes and Venice and follows with a seven-night cruise on the 36-passenger Princess Eleganza that finishes in Kotor, approached along one of the Mediterranean's most stunning inlets. It's timed for the wildflower season and visits many notable Italian gardens, as well as big-name Croatian destinations such as Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik. From $11,595pp, departs May 31, 2018. botanica.travel
FAMILY CRUISE
If you think the kids won't cope with tumbled ruins, gilt-laden palaces and yet another cathedral, or you'd rather just have an overview of the best of the Mediterranean, then consider a large-ship cruise. These offer abundant on-board distractions for children, as well as good kids' clubs, while still allowing plenty of adult options. Among the many choices, Carnival Cruise Line does circuits out of Barcelona and Disney Cruise Line from Barcelona and Civitavecchia (Rome). Holland America Line is more wide ranging; its 24-day itinerary covers a good many pan-Mediterranean highlights. Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean also offer many alternatives.
OUR PICK
Celebrity Cruises' new 11-night Best of the Western Mediterranean cruise on Celebrity Reflection visits the French, Italian and Spanish coastlines (plus Gibraltar) and overnights in Barcelona. Shore excursions visit Granada, Pisa, Florence and other highlights, as well as the French Riviera. The ship has a range of family amenities and supervised events, including an XClub for teens and Fun Factory for three to 11-year-olds. From $2419pp, departs October 1, 2018. celebritycruises.com.au
EXPLORE THE MED
The Mediterranean claims many of the world's most visited tourist destinations. Its long history is highlighted in spectacular ancient Greek and Roman ruins, teetering medieval villages and an eruption of mad baroque churches, yet this is also a destination of lively street markets, eclectic neighbourhoods and modern style. The region additionally has a balmy climate, great cuisines and famously relaxed lifestyle. No surprise, then, that the Mediterranean is a key cruise destination, absorbing nearly a fifth of all cruise-ship deployments.
Cruise itineraries tend to stick to one half of the Mediterranean or the other, with Italy the dividing point. Eastern Mediterranean cruises usually depart from Venice, Athens and (until recently, though some cruise lines have been spooked by political upheavals) Istanbul. A dense concentration of historical, religious and archaeological sites will sail you through several millennia of history.
Landscapes impress too, however, from the volcanic caldera of Santorini to the sapphire, island-scattered coasts of Turkey and Croatia and the fiord-like approach to Kotor in Montenegro. More regional cruises focus on the beauties of the Adriatic coast (mostly Croatia) or the Greek islands. A few companies make it as far as Egypt and Israel.
Western Mediterranean cruises are all about Spain, France and Italy and the famous places – Cannes, Granada, Seville, Monaco, the Amalfi Coast – that everyone dreams of visiting. Barcelona and Civitavecchia (an inconvenient 90 minutes from Rome) are the main departure ports, though small luxury ships favour Monte Carlo. Small-ship cruises visit very rewarding smaller ports, and this region also has some outstanding islands, including Malta, Corsica, Sicily, the Balearic Islands and very worthy minor destinations such as Elba and Sardinia.
Brian Johnston has travelled as a guest of many cruise companies.
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.