What in your opinion are the top must-see ports in the Mediterranean?

[NalCruiser]

not sure where to post this, as there is no general forum, but focused on regions.

I LOVE the Princess Ruby's itinerary this year, but don't see anything similar for next year.

If you had a dream itinerary for a first time visit to mediterenean, what would it be? (if you could literally pick and choose your port of calls to add to a menu a la carte)? :)

[baggal]

It really depends on your personal bucket list. Each country and city is a separate and distinct experience. It also depends on how much time and money you want to spend.

 

For starters, I would be sure to include Venice, because rumor has it that in the next few years cruise ships won't be allowed to dock in Venice proper. The sail-in is breathtaking.

[NalCruiser]

wow, really? I didn't know that! How soon are we talking?

Is next year too late?

[NalCruiser]

never been to Europe and don't have the budget to go yearly or anything, so would like to include as many MUST-SEE places as possible

[TLCOhio]

It really depends on your personal bucket list. Each country and city is a separate and distinct experience. It also depends on how much time and money you want to spend. For starters, I would be sure to include Venice, because rumor has it that in the next few years cruise ships won't be allowed to dock in Venice proper. The sail-in is breathtaking.

 

Super excellent point is made above about Venice. It's a super city and great to experience via a sail-in and/or sail-out as we did last June. Check out my live/blog noted below for many of my pictures, highlights and details on many key cities and areas, including Rome, Dubrovnik, Naples/Amalfi Coast. We also super loved the Greek Islands, Athens, Turkish Coast, Istanbul, plus charming Barcelona, etc.

 

Lots of options. Can't do it "ALL" in just one cruise.

 

Tell us more about your party size/make-up, budget, ages, personal and travel interests, past travel experiences, etc. How much are you interested in history? Countryside vs. cities? Museums, food, wine, art, music, shopping, architecture, culture, beaches, etc.? How much of it in a leisurely style versus fast-paced? Time of year when planning to travel? Where are you from? Then, with more detailed information from you, we can make better, more specific suggestions on what best fits your needs and interests.

 

Below are a few of of my visual samples for some my "best of the best" that we loved.

 

Super loved Dubrovnik!!! See more details and lots of great visual samples at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227

 

Since Venice could be one of your key stops, you might look at this earlier posting that I did on the Italy board that shows many options and visual potentials for this city that is so great for "walking around", personally sampling the great history and architecture.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

 

You can check out my earlier post on “Athens Tips, Suggestions, Examples to Enjoy!” for many details, ideas and interesting visuals on this great city. Lots of ideas here from me and others experienced with Athens.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

 

Reactions and added questions?? Look forward to hearing more from you. Don't be shy!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 81,517 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

On Acropolis hill with our very knowledgeable private guide we lined up at the site, she helped us appreciate all of the history and architectural details there at this famed site going back 700 years before Christ.:

 

 

 

Looking downhill towards the library and other ruins from when Ephesus, along the Turkish Coast, was Rome's capital of Asia Minor. The history here is real and totally amazing! Ephesus has the famed outdoor theater that hosted Saint Paul preaching, plus rock stars, etc. At this large, 25,000 seat outdoor theater in the 1st century AD, the Apostle Paul did a famed sermon condemning pagan worship. He spent over three years in Ephesus preaching the Gospel.:

 

 

 

Here’s a sampling of the narrow, flowered street in Mykonos in the Greek Isles with its many shops. The streets were made so narrow in order to fend off pirate attackers. It is an island with lots of history and legend dating back thousands of years, including connections to ancient Greek mythology. Ionians settled on Mykonos in the early part of the 11th century BC. As Delos developed as a sacred center, Mykonos was under the influences of the different people, including Phoenicians, Macedonians and Athenians. With the rise of Alexander the Great, the fate of Mykonos became a commercial center for agriculture and maritime trade. Mykonos flourished with enormous wealth during Roman occupation during the reign of Augustus Caesar. During the Middle Ages, Mykonos fell under the Venetians and later were victimized by the Saracens and latter the Turks. Starting in the 1950’s, its unique architecture, seclusion and hospitality have made it a haven for the rich and famous.:

 

 

 

Overlooking Positano along the Amalfi Coast, this is the view as we dined, family-style for lunch, at La Tagliata during our private tour for our small group through RomeInLimo. The views here were super and the sun came out in strong force as we enjoyed our three-course lunch with local wine and drinks. Their website is http://www.latagliata.com.:

 

 

 

As we sailed into Venice, here is a tighter shot of the main square and the crowds that were there around 1 pm on June 14. Love Venice so, so much! Don’t miss this great sail-in and sail-out from the top deck of the ship!:

 

 

 

This is a view of the historic Dubrovnik wall at an upward and outward point built on top of the rocks and where it overlooks the Adriatic Sea. Walking this wall is a wonderful and unique way to sample and see up close and personal what makes this city so special.:

 

[jwds]

My top three:

 

Venice, Istanbul, Athens.

 

I would rank Barcelona even with these except most Barcelona cruises stop at "Florence" and "Rome". While these are great cities I feel that the travel time from the port is too much for a cruise stop. I think that these are much better to do on a land tour. A cruise beginning or ending in "Rome" is great if you can spend a few days there.

 

Other great stops:

 

Kusadasi and/or Rhodes for history.

 

Santorini and/or Mykonos for the "typical" Greek Isle.

 

While it is not in the Med Lisbon is a great stop.

[NalCruiser]

those are amazing photos!!!

And thank you for the insight jwds!

I am interested in everything - since I have never been, so it is hard to choose. Almost every mediterenean cruise post card I have seen features Santorini. Its just hard to choose for a first time cruise, especially when I don't know when I can go back again.

I have heard the greek isles are amazing. But it seems that cruises either focus on those, or on major port cities. Not much so on both.

Any thoughts on the french riviera?

[texancruzer]

My list - in order - of all the ports I have been to and what I like about them: some I have been twice or three times.......

 

1. Rome Italy - everything (food, history, art, ambience - LOVE ROME !)

2. Istanbul Turkey - also everything. Different culture - friendly people, great food

3. Naples Italy (for Amalfi coast) Pompeii and Amalfi coast is gorgeous

4. Athens Greece - history (always wanted to visit Parthenon)

5. Chania (for Crete) we loved Crete ! beautiful and great food. Warm people

6. Kusadasi Turkey (for Ephesus) We just like Turkey .... food and history !

7. Livorno Italy (for Florence) Florence is wonderful ......

8. Santorini Greece - gotta go there once ! views are amazing

9. Villefranche (for southern France) French riviera we liked - especially the smaller towns/villages

10. Barcelona Spain - clean - good food (tapas - yum) sights

11. Dubrovnik Croatia - old town is unique and very charming

12. Corfu Greece - very lush - not like most of Greece. Beautiful beaches etc

13. Messina Sicily (for Taormina) Beautiful views, great cannolis :rolleyes:

14. Toulon France (for Provence) Provence is very nice.....

15. Mykonos Greece - my least favorite altho still a great place to visit

 

We always start our cruises out of Rome (just worked out that way) but we like it and will never tire of it........ hope this helps. Europe is wonderful and there truly is something great about every port !

[paul929207]

Venice

Rome

Athens

Alexandria

Kusadasi/Ephesus

Istanbul

[Cruzer Two]

Here are a couple of interesting port calls that don't appear on too many itineraries.

 

Malaga, Spain – Excursion to Alhambra

 

Casablanca, Morocco – Excursion to Marrakech

[NorbertsNiece]

Gibraltar, Malta, Florence, Pisa, Lisbon, Barcelona to add to those above. In no particular order.

[TLCOhio]

those are amazing photos!!! And thank you for the insight jwds! I am interested in everything - since I have never been, so it is hard to choose. Almost every mediterenean cruise post card I have seen features Santorini. Its just hard to choose for a first time cruise, especially when I don't know when I can go back again. I have heard the greek isles are amazing. But it seems that cruises either focus on those, or on major port cities. Not much so on both. Any thoughts on the french riviera?

 

texancruzer: My list - in order - of all the ports I have been to and what I like about them: some I have been twice or three times....... 1. Rome Italy - everything (food' date=' history, art, ambience - LOVE ROME !) 2. Istanbul Turkey - also everything. Different culture - friendly people, great food 3. Naples Italy (for Amalfi coast) Pompeii and Amalfi coast is gorgeous [/quote']

 

Texancruzer and others have made many more and great added suggestions. Istanbul is very special. The southern part of France has some great options. Barcelona is wonderful and a great place from which to start a cruise. Since NalCruiser liked my photos, here are some more to enjoy and get people excited about this part of the world.

 

Villefranche sur Mer is set in one of the world's most beautiful bays. The original Old Town is at the base of a natural amphitheater of mountains and terraced hills. The views are wonderful and it is easy to see why so many people fall in love with Villefranche. The bay itself is very deep and many of the Mediterranean's largest cruise ships stop in the bay. Nearby are Mount Boron, which looks down over the bay from the west; Nice to the west and St. Jean Cap Ferrat, Beaulieu sur Mer, Eze Village and Eze Bord de Mer to the east.

 

COASTAL SUGGESTION: The old village of Eze, along the coast between Nice and Monaco, hangs up in the mountains above the water and crowds. It's wonderful to visit. Great, great views! Totally charming! Have lunch or dinner there at one of the two great eating places and feel like you're sitting on the edge of paradise! We ate at the Château Eza. Its website: http://www.chateauezarestaurant.com. At 1,407 feet above the Mediterranean, Eze offers commanding views of cliffs, sea, sprawling estates and off-shore islands. The village's narrow streets or more really paths among the buildings lead to the Jardin Exotique It is a maze of paths flanked by mammoth flowering plants and spiky cactuses. For about $3, you can walk up to the best view on the French Riviera. On a clear day, you can see Corsica! It does not get much better than Eze. Their tourism office:

http://www.eze-riviera.com

 

Need more options and ideas??? Reactions??

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 81,835 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Here was our first view of Istanbul in 2006 from our just-docking cruise ship as we smelled the sweet blend of this historic Turkish city. YES, you could really smell how “special” is this unique city with so much culture, charm and interest!:

 

 

 

In 1856, Sultan Abdul Mecid I moved his court to the newly-built Dolmabahce Palace, the first European-style palace in the city. Located on the European side of the Bosporus, it served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922. Fourteen tons of gold in the form of gold leaf were used to gild the ceilings. It is the largest palace in Turkey. The world's largest Bohemian crystal chandelier is in the center hall of the palace. A gift from Queen Victoria, it has 750 lamps and weighs 4.5 tons. Dolmabahce has the largest collection of Bohemian and Baccarat crystal chandeliers in the world and one of the great staircases has bannisters of Baccarat crystal. Below the outside of this “new” Palace used by Sultans in Istanbul:

 

 

 

On the opposite side of the Mykonos village on the island, here's a sampling of the beachside activities. This includes Agrari, Elia and the long sweeping Kalafatis beach that has become famous to wind surfers:

 

 

 

 

 

The charming mountain top village of Eze is nearby and offers great view along the southern French coast to the west.:

 

 

 

The charm, style and beauty of Villefranche are clear in this picture of its harbor area greeting visitors as we arrived via tender from the ship.:

 

[maryann ns]

There are too many great ports to visit all of them in one cruise. Because it is easier to do land tours in the western Mediterranean, I would recommend starting with one that goes East. Start in Rome and be sure to see Venice*, Kusadasi and Istanbul. Others we have visited and loved: Sorrento, Dubrovnik*, Split*, Kotor*, Athens, Bodrum, Fethiye, and Antalya.

 

*We saw these during land tours, which gave us much more time.

[maryann ns]

There are too many great ports to visit all of them in one cruise. Because it is easier to do land tours in the western Mediterranean, I would recommend starting with one that goes East. Start in Rome and be sure to see Venice*, Kusadasi and Istanbul. Others we have visited and loved: Sorrento, Dubrovnik*, Split*, Kotor*, Athens, Bodrum, Fethiye, and Antalya.

 

*We saw these during land tours, which gave us much more time.

[maryann ns]

There are too many great ports to visit all of them in one cruise. Because it is easier to do land tours in the western Mediterranean, I would recommend starting with one that goes East. Start in Rome and be sure to see Venice*, Kusadasi and Istanbul. Others we have visited and loved: Sorrento, Dubrovnik*, Split*, Kotor*, Athens, Bodrum, Fethiye, and Antalya.

 

*We saw these during land tours, which gave us much more time.

[maryann ns]

There are too many great ports to visit all of them in one cruise. Because it is easier to do land tours in the western Mediterranean, I would recommend starting with one that goes East. Start in Rome and be sure to see Venice*, Kusadasi and Istanbul. Others we have visited and loved: Sorrento, Dubrovnik*, Split*, Kotor*, Athens, Bodrum, Fethiye, and Antalya.

 

*We saw these during land tours, which gave us much more time.

[Waihekean]

not sure where to post this, as there is no general forum, but focused on regions.

I LOVE the Princess Ruby's itinerary this year, but don't see anything similar for next year.

If you had a dream itinerary for a first time visit to mediterenean, what would it be? (if you could literally pick and choose your port of calls to add to a menu a la carte)? :)

 

Indeed the Princess Grand Med itinerary is the best of them all. The Ruby Princess Grand Med is going to be done next year by Princess newest ship the Royal Princess. That was my DH and my dream trip, but as was about double the price as going with the new Celebrity Reflection we are going with that one and doing Venice and Florence by land.

But sure would have loved to sail from Venice.

 

So my recommendation is to do the Royal Princess cruise if you can afford it and while it still is possible to sail from Venice.

[zqvol]

My list:

 

1. Istanbul Turkey

2. Athens Greece

3. Kusadasi Turkey (for Ephesus)

4. Paros Greece

5. Santorini Greece

6. Mykonos Greece - and Delos

7. Venice

8. Dubrovnik Croatia

[Solon]

As I read your question, I interpreted it perhaps slightly differently, and thought of the best "ports" of call. While Rome and Athens are great cities to visit, the ports where the ships dock are not "great". If you are thinking of great ports, then Venice is a standout. Huge ships pass by St Mark's and it is just magic! On a tall/big ship you get of view of Venice not achieved any other way. My next port would be (difficult decision here) probably Valetta. Approaching this city from the sea is stunning and the city itself feels mystical. Rhodes also gives you a similar mystical feeling and view as you approach by sea. Ships dock in both towns. Santorini is also special if the ship goes into the caldera. Sunsets here are stunning as is the view of the village from the inside of an ancient volcano. Going up the Bosphorus to Istanbul is a wonderful sight particularly at night with the Blue Mosque and other antiquites are bathed in light. These are definitely my favourite ports of call.:)

[Travelcat2]

Definitely Istanbul would be first. I agree that Valetta, Malta is amazing as is Santorini* and Venice. If you are looking for huge cities with lots of history and ruins, of course you would go to Rome and Athens. We have no desire to return to those cities -- ever!

 

 

 

*Only visit Santorini in May or October -- crowds there are some of the worst we've seen in the world. We were there last month -- only 1 other ship in port. It was wonderful. Most brochures you see advertising the Greek Isles show pictures taken from Oia, Santorini.

[texancruzer]

Definitely Istanbul would be first. I agree that Valetta, Malta is amazing as is Santorini* and Venice. If you are looking for huge cities with lots of history and ruins, of course you would go to Rome and Athens. We have no desire to return to those cities -- ever!

 

Hmmmm, as of 2012 Istanbul had 13.4 million residents while Rome has 2.8 million. Athens is about 3.8 million (2011)

 

I gotta say while I loved Istanbul, and Athens was pretty cool, Rome is truly my favorite place in all of Europe.

 

What could have happened that you would NEVER return to this wonderful city ? I think I am not the only one here that is curious to know ?? Share !!! Please !

[tartanexile81]

If I could design the ideal cruise for me I'd sail from Southampton so I could avoid flying and travel down on the cruise coach taking as much luggage as I wanted - essential for me! I'd also travel on P&O Azura in an aft cabin as it's my favourite ship so far.

• Malaga would be the first port of call so I could visit Granada.
  
• We'd sail north up the Spanish coast before docking in Monte Carlo so I could walk the Grand Prix course (again!) and admire the yachts.
  
• Next we'd sail across the Med with a sea day for basking in the sunshine before reaching Naples for the Amalfi coast or Herculaneum.
  
• We'd then sail into the Adriatic arriving in Korcula for a relaxing day before reaching Venice with an overnight stop there.
  
• Onwards then to the Greek islands of Rhodes and Santorini
  
• Istanbul would be next, with 2 days there.
  
• Finally we'd head home via Malta and le Havre (for Honfleur or Givenchy).
  

I hope the Chief Executive of P&O reads this and it's on the programme for 2014!!

 

I'd probably avoid the large cities as we cruise the Med in the Summer and Athens and Rome are stiflingly hot. Dubrovnik is beautiful but there are now too many cruise ships every day so it gets over-crowded.

[screwcork]

I believe that taking a cruise from Venice to Barcelona - or vice versa - for 10 - 14 days would be the best option.

Screwcork

[rebeccalouiseagain]

From a "port" standpoint, meaning that you don't have to do an excursion miles away...

 

The must see's are...

 

Venice (fantastic!- far and away the most dramatic sail-in)

Istanbul close second to Venice

Dubrovnik Croatia

Villefranche Sur Mer, France

Kusadasi Turkey

Santorini, Greece

 

Honorable mention goes to Katakolon Greece and Malaga Spain.

 

The following ports were ugly... Pireus Greece, Civitavechia Italy, Livorno Italy, Naples Italy.

 

Least favorite places I've been to were Barcelona, Lisbon and Gibraltar.

[KCcruisin07]

I haven't been to the Eastern Med, but I loved the cruise we took starting in Rome (starting there gives you time to see more of the sights)

Florence

Naples (Pompeii, Capri, Amalfi Coast)

Messina (Taormina)

 

and many more