Select a cruise that visits as many of the Southern European locations you desire. Novice and experienced travelers sometimes find visiting a foreign country intimidating because of language barriers and unfamiliarity with the surroundings. Aboard a cruise, staff members hold seminars before disembarking at a port of call to help you get you acquainted with the destination. Consider a Mediterranean cruise as the "sampler plate" of what the cities of the Mediterranean have to offer.
The majority of Mediterranean cruises take place between April and November. During other times of the year, major cruise lines tend to reposition their ships for the holiday passenger market in the Caribbean Sea. That is not to say that you will not find a Mediterranean cruise during the course of other months. Cruising is popular within the European nations, and major cruise lines have left one or two ships from their fleet in the Mediterranean for year-round travel.
There are two different categories of Mediterranean cruises that offer insights into the legacy of ancient lands of Europe; the Western Mediterranean or the Eastern Mediterranean. Major cruise lines' trips can go from seven to 14 days of targeted ports. During the winter season, Mediterranean cruises can veer further south and include North African nations such as Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt and the Canary Islands.
Cruises might originate in Barcelona, Spain or Civitavecchia, Italy on Western Mediterranean voyages. Eastern Mediterranean cruises can include the same embarking cities as on the Western journey, or Venice, Italy or Savona, Italy. The port of entry and the locations the ship makes port in might vary, but major cruise lines have remained relatively consistent the past few years.
Barcelona, Spain: Capitol of Catalonia filled with Picasso, Miro, Dali, and Gaudi and Casals.
Cannes, France: Romanesque churches, Gothic cathedrals and an endless stream of marble sculpture are within the film festival capitol.
Civitavecchia, Italy: All roads lead to the sagas, which depict the gods and Rome.
Livorno, Italy: The birthplace of painters and composers is the gateway for a visit to Pisa and Florence.
Naples, Italy: Among the shadows of Mount Vesuvius and Pompei, pizza was born right in Naples and is ready to sample.
Valletta, Malta: St. Paul brought Christianity here in 60 A.D., when he was shipwrecked on the island.
Villefranche, France: Above the crystalline waters of the Cote d' Azure sits an impressive hilltop fortress built by the Duke of Savoy in 1560.
Dubrovnik, Croatia: An attractive city of the Mediterranean of world-famous cultural heritage and beauty as designated by UNESCO.
Kusadasi, Turkey: Nearby Ephesus is one of the greatest finds and best restored of an ancient Greek-Roman city.
Messina, Sicily: The active volcano Mount Etna sits above the region that presents antiquities dating from the third century B.C. Greece.
Mykonos, Greece: Mykonos is a picture-perfect city of white houses trimmed with blue, domed churches, windmills and magnificent sunsets.
Piraeus, Greece: Piraeus leads to the Acropolis of Athens, the city known as the original cradle of democracy.
Rhodes, Greece: The medieval walled city of Rhodes is filled with Byzantine and Turkish architecture and treasures.
Venice, Italy: Surrounded by water, the quiet canals are like city streets crossed by little bridges, making it a pedestrian haven.
