Your favorite Mediterranean ports

[mickeysgal]

Still going around and around about what itinerary to choose for our next Med. cruise. (I know, what a great problem to have...)

 

What are your favorite ports? And probably most important...what are your favorite departure and arrival ports?

[NLH Arizona]

Still going around and around about what itinerary to choose for our next Med. cruise. (I know, what a great problem to have...)

 

What are your favorite ports? And probably most important...what are your favorite departure and arrival ports?

When I did my Celebrity Med. cruise, I went in and out of Rome. It was great, because I went in a few days early and stayed a few days after the cruise and was able to see all the wonderful sights of this fantastic city and the surrounding area.

 

I loved all the ports, especially Athens, Santorini, Naples and Kusadasi.

Edited December 14, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[barneyboy]

Venice is my favourite port to sail from, and very easy to get to from the airport or from the city if you stay a few days before.

[excitedofharpenden]

Barcelona round trip, with an overnight in Venice and visiting the Dalmatian Coast (including Kotor) is probably my favourite Med itinerary.

 

Phil

Edited December 14, 2014 by excitedofharpenden

[cirman52]

Barcelona ! I think the average American has no clue what Barcelona is like, but, it is in the top 5 spots for visitors in all of Europe.

[cruisemom42]

I think I like all of the most common departure cities: Rome and Istanbul particularly but also Athens, Venice and Barcelona. I enjoy going in a few days early and despite several visits to each (or in the case of Rome, MANY visits), I still find interesting new things to see and do. The Venice sail-in or sailaway is unparalleled.

 

As to ports, I am game to to anywhere there are some good ruins. :D I have particularly enjoyed Kusadasi, Naples, Thessaloniki, Tunis, Mykonos (for Delos) and the two ports in Israel, Haifa and Ashdod.

[WillWorkForCruise121]

We did a 12 night cruise out of Barcelona in October 2013 with an overnight in Venice. Barcelona was incredible. I think it was ideal for pre and post cruise. We loved so many of the stops but favorites had to be Rome, Venice and Dubrovnik. We visited Pompeii and Sorrento from Naples and Italy's Cinque Terre from La Spezia. These were incredible also.

 

Barcelona was easy to navigate with tons of walk-able areas as well as a great public transportation system. I would think departing from Rome would be nice since you could spend a few days there beforehand. However, the long distance to the port makes getting there with all of your luggage less convenient.

 

We loved Venice and were thrilled to have an overnight stop there. As far as a pre-cruise spot though I could see it being very expensive. The vapretto (sort of like a water bus) is expensive. A water taxi is a fortune! Venice was beautiful but incredibly touristy and priced high. It was nice having the cruise ship to go back to for some meals and a nice room that was already paid for.

 

If price is no object, I would think departing from Rome, Venice or Barcelona would be great. For me the value, convenience as well as things to do and see made Barcelona the hands down winner for departure port.

 

Also, we saved a lot of money by choosing to travel in October and the weather was absolutely perfect. Everything was busy but a far cry from how it is in mid-summer. If we went in mid-summer, we would've only been able to do a 7 night cruise for what we paid for 12.

[Presto2]

Love Rhodes & Santorini

 

Valletta (Malta) is wonderful too and, last but not least, Kotor - stunning views. :)

[ptrpanpens]

Istanbul, without a doubt. One of the least expensive large cities by far, fabulous food, the most fascinating sights, and a cornucopia of sounds, sights and smells, all coming at you simultaneously.

 

And the skyline rivals that of any city, even Venice, which I also love. A photographers dream.:D

[Turtles06]

I will also put in a plug for Valletta (Malta), one of the most beautiful sail-ins and sailaways you are likely to ever have.

 

In terms of picking arrival and departure cities, you might also want to keep in mind whether you can get a non-stop to/from your airport, or whether you'll have to take connecting flights. (Connecting flights might not be an issue for some, others really prefer a non-stop.)

 

Enjoy whatever you decide to do!

[Spursgirl]

My favourite embarkation ports are Barcelona and Nice.

 

Cruise ships go to so many spectacular Mediterranean ports - I love Portofino, Venice, Malaga, Mahon, Genoa and loads more.

 

Unfortunately Celebrity doesn't visit them all

[cruise kitty]

1. Rome for embark/debark so you can have a week or so land trip there

2. Istanbul... but it needs to be overnight at least

3. Venice, pure magic

4. Kotor, sail in is gorgeous, charming town & nice fortress hike

5. Dubrovnik

5. Naples... not for Naples itself, but because there are endless options for day trips

6. Athens, for the history, & ease of getting around on your own

Edited December 14, 2014 by cruise kitty

[downsmead]

We did a Med cruise this summer, and at the end, it felt like we had did a grand tour of Europe. We started off in Barcelona (stayed 3 nights before the cruise), which we love having visited before. Apart from Toulon, every port was so memorable, each for different reasons - Citavecchia (we did a tour of Rome), Livorno (took a trip to Pisa), Naples (took a trip to Pompei, and are going back in 2016 and plan to go to Capri or the Amalfi coast), Istanbul (the Grand Bazzar and mosques and so much more), Mykonos (so just laid back and great fun exploring the town), Kusadasi (possibly one of the the most under-rated ports - the ruins are probably the best in the Med), Athens (the Acropolis and other sites), then finishing in Venice (where we stayed for 3 nights). Even though we live in the UK and so, in theory, can pop over to Europe relatively easily, we all felt this ranked amongst one of our best holidays ever. I have booked on an Italy and Dalmation coast tour in 2016 to visit the sites in the Easter Med - Dubrovnik, Split, Koper, Kotar, Valletta which can't come round quick enough :).

My tip would be don't try to do too much in one tour ay each port, savour the moment!

Edited December 14, 2014 by downsmead

[Wiltonian]

From this year's itinerary on Equinox out of Barcelona, my favourites were probably Santorini, Valetta and Kusadasi (because Ephesus was amazing), But we enjoyed Athens and Pompeii from Salerno. Rome needs more than a day, so would be a good start/end port - but so does Barcelona! I think everywhere we could re-visit and do something different.

 

And then there's Venice and Istanbul on my bucket list. . . .

 

(Do I get the prize for the least helpful reply? ;-) )

 

Stuart

[daisy-mae]

We took our first Med cruise in September, so we do not have as much experience as some of the other posters. However, we were delighted to have chosen Barcelona for our departure and return. It's a beautiful city, with an urban transit system that is easy to navigate. We were able to get a direct flight, and the airport transfer is a breeze thanks to the easy and affordable Aerobus. The port is one of the easiest in terms of access and organization.

 

Our second choice would probably be Rome since we would have loved an opportunity to spend more time there before or after a cruise. The distance from the port barely allowed us to scratch the surface in the short time that we were allotted.

[rua642]

With all there is to see in Rome, I'd recommend sailing from Civitavechia and spending around 4 days pre or post cruise in Rome to take in the sights. Other ports I enjoyed include Villefranche (French Riviera), Marseilles (towns of Provence), Naples (Sorrento, Pompeii, the amazing Amalfi Coast), Messina, and the Greek islands, including Santorini and Mykonos. And of course Venice. No matter which cruise you do, you'll have a wonderful time.