Top 10 Southern European Cities to Visit on a Cruise Ship
From a cruising point of view, the easiest definition is to say that Southern Europe could easily be renamed Mediterranean Europe and the great news for those wanting to explore the region is that the Med is one of the worlds busiest and most popular cruse destinations.
Just about every cruise line in the world operate in the region that is also home to a great mix of ships, with everything from the worlds biggest to the world’s most luxurious homeporting in the region.
It is also home to many of the world’s busiest cruises ports, major tourist destinations but plenty of places that can often get overlooked so with that in mind, just which h ar ethe best cruise port sin Southern Europe?
That is just what I looked to answer in this list based on my own experiences of cruising and holidaying in the region and the research I have done on the region and its incredible cruise ports.
Our Top 10 Southern European Cities to Visit on a Cruise Ship
Barcelona
When it comes to the south of the continent, there is one location that stands out for a list such as this one and that is the Spanish city of Barcelona.
Barcelona is somewhere I have visited on both a cruise holiday and anon-cruise holiday and it is somewhere I would have no issues going back to on either type of getaway.
Despite been a huge city, it is easy to explore Barcelona on your own thanks to a vast public transportation system, but lots of it main attractions can be explored on foot from the port gate.
Home to popular tourist attractions including the likes of Parc Guell, the Camp Nou and the iconic Sagrada Familia are all must visit if you are new to the city but with so much more on offer, it is one of those places where there is something for everybody.
One of the best aspects of Barcelona for a list such as this one is that it is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, with one of the widest ranges of itineraries, ships and lines for cruisers to choose from.
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a mix of the new and old but in all honesty, it is its historic walled old town that attracts many visitors as it gives visitors the chance to get a sense of the cities past, take in incredible sea views from the walls themselves and sea many of the posts made famous on numerous television programmes and Hollywood blockbusters.
Its place as a filming location has created a new tourist trade for the city with many walking tours taking you around some of its more famous spots, such as those that appeared in the Lord of the Rings movies.
Aside from its old town, there is plenty of offer including the chance to take a cable car ride up the hills surrounding the city and you can also spend a day at the beach via a short water taxi ride to a nearby seaside holiday resort.
For this list, it is the growing number of lines and ships that visit the port that makes it such a great choice with any now also homeporting there and offering the chance to add a stay in the city before or after your cruise holiday.
Athens
The historic capital city of Greek is one of the world’s most popular tourist hotspots with people flying from across the globe to visit sights such as the Parthenon and the Acropolis.
Whilst ancient Greece dominates things for most visitors, modern Athens has lots to offer as well and makes for a great day ashore simply strolling around its narrow streets and seeing what you come up to before heading to a local bar of café and trying some incredible Greek cuisine.
The port of Piraeus acts as the gateway to the centre of Athens and has grown over the past few years to become the main cruise port in southeast Europe with numerous lines and ships homeporting there to offer guests the chance to enjoy cruising around the Greek Islands or the Adriatic Sea, whilst plenty more lines and ship call in their as part of wider Mediterranean cruises.
Istanbul
Many places call themselves a city of contrasts, but few can match up to the most famous city in Türkiye has it is where east meets west, where Europe and Asia collide and where numerous factions down the year have claimed as their own.
Istanbul is an incredible city to explore and by taking a ferry ride across the Bosphorus you can visit two continents on one day ashore and there are not many places you can have that experience.
Aside from that, the city is home to many must see attractions including the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cisterns and the always popular Grand Bazaar.
As well as been a popular tourist city in its own right, Istanbul has invested heavily in its cruise infrastructure to where it now has one of the biggest and best cruise terminals on the continent.
That has helped attract many more ships and lines to homeport there with even more offering the chance to overnight in the city and take in more of what awaits you.
One of the highlights of visiting the city is the incredible entry into the port where e you exit the Eastern Mediterranean, sail through the Sea of Marmara and then enter into the narrow Bosphorus strait.
Kotor
If you love to sail through fjords but don’t like the cold, Kotor is the port for you as the Bay of Kotor has the nickname of the ‘Fjord of the Mediterranean’.
Whilst it’s not technically true as it isn’t actually a fjord, it has all of the characteristics of what cruisers love about fjords as you sail through a narrow channel banked by steeply sided mountains, cruise past small villages and settlements before sailing the to the ‘head of the fjord’ to dock in the centre of your destination.
In the Montenegrin port of Kotor, that allows you to stroll from your ships and straight to the historic city walls which allow you to enter through a gate and into the old town of Kotor which is now home to cafes, shops and a historic cathedral.
Split
The Croatia port of Split is perhaps best known as the gateway to the stunning Krka National Park, but it is well worth staying in the city itself.
There are a couple of places where you can dock in the city, with the old port been in walking distance to the incredible Riva waterfront, which is a park and pedestrianised area that runs along the seafront in the city and links some of its historic sites, including a couple of Bastion.
Even those docking in the newer port are not too far away from the city centre and the old town, which makes it easy to explore the best of split on your own including the area around Narodni Trg, a beautiful square.
There are many art galleries, museums and must-see building, including a stunning cathedral although if you simply want a day at the beach, the city and surrounding area has many stunning examples awaiting you.
Zadar
Zadar is a quintessential city on the Dalmatian coast that offers all you would want from a city in the region including narrow winding historic streets, a stunning cathedral, city squares surrounded by bars, cafes and historic buildings and stunning beaches with crystal clear seas.
The city is a mix of cultures which isn’t too surprising for a city in a region that has often had a turbulent history at best but in the modern era, that just adds to your visit as you can explore its Roman past, from where the cities walls and layout came from, it Middle Ages past when it was under Venetian rule and its more modern sights developed out of a mixture of Italian and Croatian styles.
With so many ships visiting the port to allow cruisers to explore the stunning national beauty of surrounding area, you really should take advantage of those options and save your money by exploring the city itself.
Gibraltar
Gibraltar maybe a surprise to many for a list such as this one but after ‘The Rock’ applied to become a new city, it was found to already be one and everybody kind of forgot.
Now a city once again, it deservedly takes its place on this list as the small part of ‘Britain in the Sun’ makes for a great port day as Gibraltar is the perfect size to explore on your own.
As a Brit, there is something interesting about visiting Gibraltar, especially on a cruise holiday where you go from one Mediterranean port to the next and whilst many are similar, Gibraltar stands out instantly as you dock next to a Morrisons supermarket and British customs officer await your arrival.
It’s not just the interest of seeing all of the comforts of home that make sit such an interesting place to visit for me, but it is exploring the Rock of Gibraltar itself that makes it such an incredible port of call.
Either by driving its winding road or taking the cable car to the top, you can enter a cave with a cavern that hosts musical concerts, have incredible views of the entrance into the Mediterranean and you can interact with wild Barbary macaques- just make sure you have no food in your pockets.
All of that is easy to do on your won and just a short walk from your ship, as is the town centre and many of its other attractions.
Valencia
Valencia is a city that doesn’t mix the new with the old but has activity separated them, which h give two distinct areas of the city for tourists to explore.
I should say that the old town in the city is much my favourite and is a great part of town to walk around and take in the sights, for which there are many.
But if you are travelling as a family, the newer parts of the city maybe better for you, with the Oceanogràfic aquarium hugely popular.
The city has all that you would expect from a major Spanish city but with a slight Catalan twist.
It would have placed higher on a list such as this one as it does have a wide range of cruise line sand ships calling in their and is increasingly becoming a turnaround port for line sin the region but the cruise port itself is miles form the city centre and even shuttles to the port gate drop you off a fair distance from any tourist areas.
Cadiz
The Andalusian city of Cadiz is one that often gets overlooked by cruisers and it’s not surprising why.
Far too many lines promote the city as either Cadiz for Sevilla or even as just Sevilla itself and that leads many heading there to book an excursion and head inland to Sevilla- which is just what I didn’t for my first visit there.
That is unfair on the city those as it has an incredible history of its own and as a leading port for 100’s of years, it has developed from the arrival of different cultures across the globe.
That has led to many fascinating sites of interest in the modern era with its Cathedral, its Constitution of 1812 monument and the Genoves park been amongst popular options for those exploring the city, which is easy to do as you dock in the heart of its old town and just about everything is within walking distance.
