Eastern Mediterranean Cruise

Cruises from Venice/Trieste or Athens via Dubrovnik, Kotor, Corfu, Santorini and Mykonos to Turkey.

The Eastern Mediterranean cruise covers the Adriatic and the Aegean, and is the other main route besides the Western Mediterranean, typically lasting 7–10 nights. Home ports are mostly Piraeus (Athens), Venice (since 2021 large cruise ships have been barred from the St. Mark's Basin, so Trieste, Ravenna or Monfalcone are often used instead), Istanbul or Bari. Typical ports of call: Dubrovnik's old city walls; the Bay of Kotor, with superb views as the ship enters and leaves the fjord-like bay; Corfu's old town (a UNESCO World Heritage site); Santorini, where you tender ashore and then take a cable car or ride a donkey up the cliff; Mykonos; the old city of the Knights of Rhodes; Kuşadası (the ruins of Ephesus) and Bodrum in Turkey; plus Split, Istanbul and Crete. To plan your trip, add 2–3 days of city sightseeing before and after the home port, or use the cruise to link the Greek islands and avoid booking ferries yourself and changing hotels repeatedly. Time ashore is limited: queuing for the cable car in Santorini can take over an hour, so it is worth booking the cruise line's priority tender or transfer. Note that Greece, Turkey and Montenegro have different entry policies, and your visa must cover every country on the itinerary.

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Itineraries