Discover a land of sun, sea and sand, and of course, an exciting treasure trove of things to see and do in the Mediterranean.

A popular cruise destination with many, the Mediterranean boasts year round sunshine, mouth-watering cuisine and a refreshing laid-back lifestyle.

Many cruise lines – like Royal Caribbean – offer fabulous itineraries to the Mediterranean. Choose from Western Mediterranean or the Eastern Mediterranean. When it comes to deciding, you’ve got to ask yourself what you want from your cruise…

A glimpse into the Western Mediterranean

In the Western Mediterranean you’ll discover beaches, bustling cities and island resorts. When setting sail on a Western Mediterranean adventure, cruise ships usually leave from awe inspiring places like Barcelona, Palma, Genoa or Rome.

Mainly bordering Italy, France, and Spain, on a Western Mediterranean cruise you’ll sail to ports of call like the Balearic Islands (including Majorca, Ibiza, and Menorca Formentera). Italy is another destination – it is here you can explore fascinating historical destinations including Pompeii, Rome Pisa. Western Mediterranean cruises also can include stops in Portugal, Morocco, Monte Carlo, Malta and Croatia and Dubrovnik.

Something for everyone, a Western Mediterranean is a firm holiday favourite with families and couples alike.

Example of Eastern Mediterranean itinerary

Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas has a 12 night cruise from Barcelona to Florence, Venice, Rome and Naples.

One of the top things to do:
Admire Gaudi’s architectural works of art in Barcelona, such as Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia Church.

The Eastern Mediterranean

An Eastern Mediterranean cruise calls at the ports that stretch from the Aegean Seas to the Adriatic. Main ports of embarkation and debarkation in the Eastern Mediterranean include Athens, Greece; Istanbul, Turkey and Venice. On your Eastern Mediterranean journey, you can explore the ancient cities like Olympia in Greece or Ephesus in Turkey. Other popular cruise destinations in the Eastern Mediterranean include Dubrovnik and Corfu – found on the Croatian coast. TheGreek Islands such as Mykonos, Rhodes and Santorini are sought after cruise destinations too.

Example of Western Mediterranean itinerary

Norwegian Cruise line’s Jade has a 7 night cruise from Venice, Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos and Katakolon.

Which Ship?

Now you need to decide which ship you want to go on your Mediterranean voyage with. If it’s your first time visiting the Mediterranean, your best bet will be a larger ship as these cover more ‘major’ ports of call. There’s a good selection to choose from too, including Royal Caribbean, Costa, Carnival, Celebrity and Holland America. And, of course, going on a larger ship you have more to pick from when it comes to on-board facilities, entertainment, places to dine and so forth.

If you’ve travelled to the Mediterranean before, you may want to venture where the large ships aren’t able to go… The smaller ships – like Windstar, Silversea, SeaDream, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania – offer wonderful itineraries that will not only take you to the popular ports of call, but to off-the-beaten track ports of call too.