We’ve travelled the section of coastline between Barcelona and Rome countless times. It’s always interesting, but much more so when you stumble into a village or port of call that you’ve never heard of. For those that have travelled a lot in the MED, that should be your goal.
WHY Seek Out Off-the-Beaten-Path Mediterranean?
- The Mediterranean is not somewhere you go once, and put the tick in the box.
- The Mediterranean has been the cradle of Western Civilization for millennia. The history and ruins of ancient civilizations is unparalleled (and you haven’t seen them all)!
- 22 different countries have some coastline on the Mediterranean. For example, you probably haven’t been to Slovenia, Malta, or Albania (to name a few).
- You’ve seen Greek Ruins in Athens, Roman ruins in Rome, but there’s still much more.
WHAT Makes the Mediterranean Worth the Visit for Repeat Travelers?
- Diversity of Coastal Scenery: The largely undiscovered Dalmatian Coast. Harbors in Amalfi. Charming Greek Isles. Deserts in North Africa.
- Food & Wine: The Mediterranean basin is a Mecca for those seeking culinary excellence.
- Architecture from both modern and ancient cultures.
- Markets and medinas from the North African and Eastern Mediterranean countries.
- Med cruises are “efficient”: See a different country every day: great diversity of ports.
- People, culture and communities. Those living on the Med are much like us, but also very different. There’s lots more to learn and discover.
WHERE You Might NOT Have Visited Yet. The Mediterranean’s Hidden Gems
- Malta: It’s like a Medieval movie set, but with better coffee and fewer sword fights. It’s compact, easy to explore, with both African and British Influences.
- Morocco: A few miles from Spain, this former French colony has Roman ruins, medinas, desert camps with camel rides, and a thriving movie industry (think Game of Thrones).
- Slovenia: Croatia’s been discovered. Slovenia’s next door, and every bit as interesting.
- Corsica (France) & Sardinia (Italy) are less frequented and more scenic.
- Albania: Wedged between Greece and Croatia with the same natural beauty.
- Tunis: Another former French colony in North Africa with lots to discover.
WHO Should Have the Undiscovered Mediterranean on Their Radar?
- If you’ve “been there, done that”. You’ve already visited marquis ports. What’s next?
- Small ship people. The mega-ships only go to mega-ports. Explore in smaller groups.
- People that WANT fewer crowds. If you could do without thousands of tourists.
When it comes to the Mediterranean, less familiar ports may equate with being more memorable for you. Barcelona and Rome are fantastic, but you’ve already been there. The Mediterranean is huge… where haven’t you been yet? Same sea… different story.
The PODCAST: Dream-Travel-Share UNPACKED
In this episode of UNPACKED, Bob and Kim look beyond the usual Mediterranean cruise ports and explore some of the region’s lesser-known destinations—the places that can turn a familiar part of the world into an entirely different trip.
In Case You Missed It:
CRYSTAL CRUISES will take you to both the big marquis ports, AND the smaller out of the way places. Here’s more information about CRYSTAL:
https://pamperedcruiser.com/inside-crystal-cruises-why-are-its-guests-so-loyal/
TRAVEL MISCONCEPTIONS. We all view the world through our own lens. Here’s some thoughts on what some of those biases may be:
https://pamperedcruiser.com/deprogramming-travel-misconceptions/
WHEN TRAVEL IS YOUR JOB. Our trips might look a bit different than yours. Here’s what we do when we’re away:
Featured YOUTUBE Video:
OCEANIA REGATTA Ship Tour. Join Bob for a walk around Regatta. One of Oceania’s four R-Class vessels. If you’re a lover of these cozy ships, you’ll want to get on board soon. Oceania is slowly phasing these small beauties out of their fleet:
Remember to SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel while you’re there. It really helps us, and we can produce more content for you!
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Today’s Travel Opportunities
CRYSTAL CRUISES MEDITERRANEAN
Here’s an example of how you can stitch together Crystal Cruises to custom build your own Mediterranean Itinerary
LEG 1: Las Palmas (Canary Islands) to Lisbon departing April 2 for 10 nights
- Start in Las Palmas and visit San Sebastian, Arrecife, Funchal, Agadir, Casablanca, Cadiz, Portimão, and finish in Lisbon.
- Fares from $6600
LEG 2: Lisbon to Barcelona departing April 12 for 7-nights
- Start in Lisbon and visit Gibraltar, Motril, Alicante, Valencia, Porto Mahon, and finish in Barcelona.
- Fares from $4400
LEG 3: Barcelona to Rome departing April 19 for 7-nights
- Start in Barcelona and visit Saint Tropez, Monte-Carlo, Ajaccio, Portofino, Livorno, and finish in Rome.
- Fares from $4700
LEG 4: Rome to Athens departing April 26 for 8-nights
- Start in Rome and visit Ponza, Salerno, Siracusa, Zakynthos, Crete, Spetses, and finish in Athens.
- Fares from $4700
LEG 5: Athens to Venice departing May 4 for 7-nights
- Start in Athens and visit Milos, Kalamata, Corfu, Kotor, Dubrovnik, and finish in Venice.
- Fares from $4700
Intrepid Premium Land Journeys Near the MEDITERRANEAN:
CROATIA & SLOVENIA: Venice to Split with departures April – October for 9-days
- Discover Europe’s best kept secret: SLOVENIA
- Start in Venice and visit Ljubljana, Lake Bohinj, Postojna Caves, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Zadar, and finish in Split.
- Fares from $6390
PORTUGAL: Lisbon to Porto with departures March through November for 8-days.
- Start in Lisbon and visit Praca do Municipio, Sintra, Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra’s National Palace, Coimbra, the Joanine Library, Douro Valley, and finish in Porto.
- Fares from $5765
WINDSTAR Yachting Experiences
With a maximum of 320 guests, the Windstar yachts can get into places in the Mediterranean others can’t go
AEGEAN: Athens to Istanbul via Corinth Canal departing October 2 or 7, 2027 for 11-days
- Full of History, Culture and Hidden Gems. Includes Cappadocia (where you do a hot air balloon ride!)
- Start in Athens and visit Corinth Canal, Delphi, Santorini, Bodrum, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Myrina, and finish in Istanbul.
- Fares from $ 7624
SPAIN, MOROCCO & CANARIES: Malaga (Seville) to Tenerife departing October 30, 2027 for 20-nights
- Start in Malaga and visit Cádiz, Tangier, Casablanca, Agadir, Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Los Cristianos, Funchal, Porto Santo, Santa Cruz de Palma, El Hierro, San Sebastian, and finish in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
- Fares from $12,642
OCEANIA CULINARY CRUISES
OCEANIA often does embarkation and disembarkation from marquis ports to make your air logistics easy. In between, some of their itineraries contain undiscovered ports.
ROME to TRIESTE departing June 11 for 7-days
- Start in Rome and visit Salerno, Messina, Valletta, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Split, and finish in Trieste.
- Fares from $3690
BARCELONA to VENICE departing June 21 for 9-days
- Start in Barcelona and visit Provence, La Spezia, Rome, Sorrento, Catania, Igoumenitsa, Montenegro, Zadar, and finish in Venice.
- Fares from $2380
RIVER CRUISES Near the MEDITERRANEAN
If River Cruises are more your speed, there are plenty of rivers NEAR the Med.
TAUCK PORTUGAL & SPAIN on the Douro River for one-week:
- Visit Porto, Douro valley, Peso da Regua, Pinhao, Vega de Terron, Mateus Palace, Guimaraes.
- See the vineyards and estate wineries, traverse the locks, take in spectacular scenery, visit castle ruins, see paleolithic art, and enjoy architectural treasures.
- 2027: Depart April – May or July – November from $5990
- Optional extensions to Madrid and/or Lisbon.
TAUCK OCEAN: ITALY & CROATIA for 10 days with departures in June & September
- Start with 2-nights in Venice to see Doge’s Palace, St. Marks, and to enjoy the city scene. Then visit Murano, Korcula (Marco Polo’s birthplace), Krka NP, Split, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Hvar, Rovinj.
- Visit 6 UNESCO sites across 3 countries.
- Departures in June & September from $10,590
UNIWORLD: ITALY’S VENICE LAGOON: Venice round-trip for 8-days
- Uniworld operates a river boat in Venice – the very best way to immerse yourself in that corner of Italy.
- Explore all around Venice (several spots), Mazzorbo, Burano, Chioggia, Bologna.
- 2027: Departures April through November from $2399
- Here’s a link to our video blog when we did this cruise: https://youtu.be/QRIHi6SED6g?si=IJvnYEJlqJt_iV4n
ATLAS YACHTS for Cultural and Epicurean Expeditions
These yachts carry less than 200 guests, and offer a cultural and epicurean expeditions:
ITALY, SICILY & MALTA Naples to Valletta departing May 9, 2027 for 7-nights
- Start in Naples and visit Capri, Positano, Lipari (Aeolian Islands), Trapani (Sicily), Porto Empedocle, Gozo, and finish in Valletta
- Fares from $5617
AFRICA: Mombassa (Kenya) to Capetown departing March 24, 2029 for 14-nights
- Start in Mombasa and visit Zanzibar, Mozambique Island, Madagascar, Maputo, Richards Bay, Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay, and finish in Cape Town.
- Fares from $14,499
AMERICAN CRUISE LINES: River Cruises in the United States
If you’d rather not fly overseas, here’s some options closer to home:
MISSISSIPPI RIVER: Memphis to New Orleans for 9-days
- Start in Memphis and visit Cleveland, Vicksburg, Natchez, Baton Rouge, Oak Alley and finish in New Orleans.
- Departures October through June from $4610 per person
COLUMBIA & SNAKE RIVERS: Portland OR to Spokane WA departing in November for 8-nights
- Start in Portland and visit Astoria, Kalama, The Dalles, Pendleton¸ Lewiston, and finish in Clarkston.
- Fares from $6390 with complimentary air.
ACL includes pre-cruise hotel night, gratuities, open bar, and shore experiences.
Do You Have an Upcoming Viking Cruise?
Viking’s BON VOYAGE incentive allows you to book your next Viking cruise in the 35 days BEFORE you board, and get some extra goodies for doing so:
- $100 per person on board credit
- 6-month final payment date
- $100 per person OFF one-week cruises, and bigger discounts for longer itineraries.
We made a short video about the Bon Voyage Program if you’d like more details:
https://youtu.be/gBM8IvjIb3U?si=Vy9UDiSqZQYHWR32
Contact us to book your NEXT VIKING CRUISE
If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
