Greek Islands, the Adriatic & the Eastern Med: the back story

About Greek Islands, the Adriatic & the Eastern Med: the back story

By the ULTIMATE the world’s cruise lines Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

The eastern half of the Mediterranean is the oldest cruising ground in Europe: island to island from Piraeus, town to walled town down the Adriatic, and on to the Bosphorus. Its great ports have each adapted to the ships in their own way.

From Piraeus to the Cyclades

Piraeus is the natural port of Athens and Greece’s main gateway, as its port authority puts it, and the starting point for most Greek Island voyages. Within a week you can reach the caldera of Santorini, where the cable car climbs from the old port to Fira, the white lanes of Mykonos, and Hydra, the car-free harbour town of stone mansions in the Saronic Gulf that suits the smallest ships best.

Greece charges a cruise-passenger fee, collected by the cruise lines. It is set by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy and varies by port and by season, with the highest rates at Santorini and Mykonos in summer.

Every great port here has found its own way to welcome the ships.

Down the Adriatic

Dubrovnik shows how a famous port manages its popularity. The Port of Dubrovnik, in the suburb of Gruž, is a 30- to 40-minute walk or a 10- to 15-minute bus ride from the Pile Gate; its port authority limits cruise passengers to around 8,000 a day on most days, booking two large ships at Gruž and one in front of the Old Town. The result is a calmer Stradun and a better day for everyone.

Further south, the Bay of Kotor is part of the day’s pleasure: sailing into it, between mountains that rise straight from the water, is in Kotor’s port’s words a unique attraction in itself, and the bay is on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. North of Dubrovnik, ships berth in Split’s city harbour beside the Riva and Diocletian’s Palace, and the smaller ships slip into Hvar Town and Korčula.

Venice and Istanbul

Venice has changed most of all. Since 2021, Italian law has barred ships of more than 25,000 gross tonnes from St Mark’s Basin, the St Mark’s Canal and the Giudecca Canal. Large ships now use berths at Marghera and Fusina, and only smaller ships still reach the Marittima and San Basilio terminals in the historic centre; Venezia Terminal Passeggeri runs check-in for them all. Your line’s documents name your terminal.

At the other end of the region, Galataport Istanbul has turned the Karaköy shore into a public promenade with an underground cruise terminal beneath it: a hatch system closes off the customs area only while a ship is alongside. It can take three ships and 15,000 passengers a day, and Istanbul Modern, Galata Tower and the Galata Bridge are all within a walk.

When to go

The season runs from spring well into autumn: Dubrovnik’s port reports ships from early March to the end of the year. May, June and September give the best balance of warm sea and lighter crowds; high summer brings the heat and the highest Greek port fees.

Our advice: if Santorini and Mykonos are your dream, choose a voyage that stays into the evening, when the day visitors have gone. For the Adriatic, a smaller ship that can reach Hvar and Korčula, and a night in Dubrovnik or Venice either side, makes the trip.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Greek Islands, the Adriatic & the Eastern Med: the back story before you go.