Mediterranean Cruise Holidays
The Mediterranean is an almost enclosed sea with just a small access point to the west that makes the area relatively calm and with only small crossings from one port to the next and even one continent to the next, a cruise holiday in Med allows you to explore culture, history, area of stunning natural beauty and all the while you can still spend time topping up your tan!
Cruises to the Mediterranean
Cruise Holidays in the Mediterranean
When it comes to both Fly Cruises and NoFly Cruises from the UK there is one destination that stands out as the most popular and that is the Med.
When you think of cruising it is a region such as the Med that you instantly think of as it so much to offer.
Firstly, the ports of call on offer include everything from major cities full of culture and history (Barcelona, Rome) to popular holiday resorts (Palma, Valencia, Monte Carlo) and from North Africa (Egypt, Tunisia) to the Middle East (Cyprus, Israel) via a bit of the UK (Gibraltar), the Med is a place full of interest and full of contrasts.
Secondly, as such a popular region of the world from cruising, there is a huge choice when it comes to cruise liens and cruise ships that operate in the Med. From some of the biggest all action ships to smaller, luxury ships and everything in between, if it has been built, the Med has it.
Thirdly, the Mediterranean is relatively compact so you get more time on shore and more time exploring. It is also close enough to the UK that you can see a most of the best ports directly from a British port with a usual 10-14 day cruise or for those in a rush or who only have limited time, you can take a cheap and quick flight to major ports including the likes of Barcelona from most regional airports and explore the best of the Med in 7 days.
Mediterranean Cruise Guide
Popular Ports
The Med is home to a massive number of cruise ports including those where ships call into, those where ships start from and those that accept cruise passengers by tender but there are some ports that stand out above the rest and it is these ports that are our picks for the most popular.
Barcelona (Spain), Civitavecchia (for Rome, Italy), Marseille (France) and Gibraltar.
Mediterranean Cruise Destinations
If you are looking to cruise the Med, why not read our guides to everything from the most popular destinations to hidden gems away from the crowds.
The Mediterranean coast of Spain offers lots of choice for those on cruise holiday. From the sunny beaches easily reached from the port of Malaga, to the thriving city of Barcelona and from the culture of Seville and Cadiz to the always popular Balearic Islands, there is something for everybody on the Spanish Med coast
The Rock of Gibraltar dominates the entrance to the Mediterranean and is well worth a visit to the top off during a stop of at this little bit of Britain in the Med.
Enjoy the culture of the Catalan region of France, best enjoyed at a Catalans Dragons rugby match in the city of Perpignan, or head for the French Riviera to walk around the multi-million pound yachts laden marinas and luxury shops on a cruise to the south of France.
Monaco and its capital Monte Carlo is a place to see and to be seen. Take a walk around the famous F1 racetrack, head for the marina or simply stroll around town and wait to bump into a celeb in one of the world’s most luxurious countries / principality.
Italy is one of the jewel of the Med when it comes to cruises as you have the choice of everything from huge metropolitan cities, historic towns, must see landmarks and beautiful islands all waiting to be explored.
Take a stroll around the historic streets of Valletta, the capital of the small island of Malta or head to the neighbouring Gozo for a relaxed day in the sun.
Slovenia is an often overlooked cruise destination, thanks in no small part to only having a small coastline but it is well worth visiting the port town of Koper or heading inland for visits to the capital city of Ljubljana or a day at the beautiful Lake Bled.
From the visiting the stunning city of Split and the nearby beautiful of the Plitvice Lakes National Park to the historic walled city of Dubrovnik, Croatia is an up and coming and hugely popular stop on many Mediterranean cruises that head to the Adriatic Sea.
Bosnia may only have a coastline of around 20km in length but it still has a popular cruise port at Neum, the only Bosnian town on its coast.
Whilst the small Adriatic country of Montenegro may get overlooked by many holidaymakers, for those who do visit, it is somewhere that will live long in their memory.
The main cruise port of Kotor offers one of the most stunning entrances in the Mediterranean with a fjord like river entrance banned by vast mountains that flow down to the port town of Kotor which has lots of historical sites, beautiful scenery, and local shops to keep all cruisers happy.
Another often overlooked country for cruises, the port of Sarande is located on what is known as the Albanian Riviera and is a great port of call for those wanting sun, sea, and sand with a mix of local culture.
Greece is the perfect destination for a cruise holiday with so much of the country made up of small islands that are ideal for a day visit although the mainland should not be overlooked with Athens one of the great ancient cities.
The majority of cruises that head to Turkey call into the fascinating capital city of Istanbul which is many a holidaymakers bucket list but there is much more to this country that literally is where east meets west.
Cruises to the small Mediterranean islands of Cyprus call in at the capital city of Limassol and offers a great day of soaking in the sun for those who want to relax of a day of exploring Akrotiri Bay for those wanting more action.
From the port town of Ashdod, holidaymakers can enjoy a day on shore visiting many of the most famous religious sites on earth or simply roaming the historic streets of the nearby Jerusalem.
Whilst some cruises do call into Port Said and the large historic city of Alexandria, the majority of cruises to Egypt sail through the iconic Suez Canal for a cruise with a difference.
From the cruise port at La Goulette visitors can head to the historic capital city of Tunis for a day of exploring the many sites of interest or why not head further south to the stunning El Jem Roman amphitheatre near to Sousse?
Whilst there are a number of ports in the North African country of Algeria, the small number of cruises lines that call into the country tend to use the Port of Bejaia which is ideally located for visiting the UNESCO world heritage site at Djemila.
Cruises to Tangier make it easy to visit the historical capital city of Marrakech for a day of exploring the narrow streets and bazars of one of Africa’s great cities.
Popular Cruise Lines
Here are our top cruise lines offering holidays in Mediterranean.
The vast majority of any cruise line operating in Europe will offer cruises in the Med including the likes of P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Cunard, Princess, Costa, Marella (TUI), MSC, Royal Caribbean (RCL) and Oceania amongst others.
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean and a number of embayment’s that make up the Mediterranean Sea, has 20 sovereign countries that have a shoreline on the sea and get of all, the majority of them are not only well worth visiting but they also have cruise ports.
The 20 countries, which can be found in Southern Europe, the Levant and North Africa are;
Southern Europe Coast from West to East
Spain, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Malta (an island nation), Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey
Levantine Coast from North to South
Syria, Cyprus (an Island nation), Lebanon, Israel, Palestine
North Africa Coast from East to West
Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco
Best Time To Visit
Here at CruiseHols.co.uk we bring you all of the information you will ever need to choose the right cruise destination for you and your family.
Our destination guides include everything from ports to attractions and excursion to the positives and negatives of the destination.
