Guide to taking a Mediterranean Cruise

October 04, 2026

Guide to taking a Mediterranean Cruise

We took Mediterranean cruise and had a wonderful time! I wanted to use this blog post to share what we learned and what we chose and chose not to do.

Things to Consider:

What route to take:

Most cruises either leave out of Rome or Venice. We chose to leave out of Rome because it was easier to get to by plane. We found for Venice we would have to pay extra to fly into Rome internationally and then take another flight or train to Venice.

Technically the Rome cruises leave out of a port town about an hour north of Rome called Civitavecchia. This is fairly easy to get to from downtown Rome or the Roman Airport.

When to go:

Most cruises are offered Spring-Fall with summer (June-August) being the busiest season. We went mid May and I think this was the best time to go. The towns were getting busy but it wasn't too crazy. The weather was a little cooler at times but it wasn't blazing hot. We also found that the cruise itself and the flights were cheaper during this time compared to summer.

Tips:

Bring light layers- I found the early mornings or evenings to be a bit brisk and it was nice to add or shed layers as needed.

We were too cheap to buy the internet package on the boat. We did purchase a European E-sim and I found that you can get cell service if you are near land. One of the cruising days we were cruising along the Italian coast and I was able to have service the majority of the day. It wasn't great but it worked for what we needed.

What to expect from Port Cities

Santorini, Greece

This is a popular Greek island. It is basically formed by a volcano and therefore all the civilization is at the top of this cliff. This means you have to figure out how to get from the water at the bottom to the towns at the top. There are steps- I wouldn't recommend them, they look super unsafe. You can pay donkeys to take you up the steps- would also not recommend. I would recommend either paying the 10 Euro for the cable car or booking a guided tour through the cruise line and they utilize the other port that you can get cars to. Be aware that the line for the cable car can be long depending on what time you are heading into port and how many other ships are also docked

There are two main towns in Santorini Oia and Fira- don't ask me how to pronounce it. I'm terrible at this. They are about 20 minutes apart by car- definitely not walkable. There is also a bus but with time being a factor and language being a factor I was slightly worried about navigating the Greek transit system. Be prepared for walking on all kinds of uneven surfaces and narrow alleyways. This island is not stroller friendly at all so I wouldn't even bother if you have kids with you.

If you are looking for the stereotypical picture of the blue roofed chruchs then you should plan to head to Fira- thats where the most are located. It's a fun little tourist town with narrow passageways. One thing that I was not prepared for was the line to take a picture in front of the blue churches. It's a bit ridiculous in my opinion. There were people there literally doing photoshoots- we waited in line for at least 20 minutes because people were being crazy with how many pictures they were taking. As a midwesterner I found it it a bit rude and disrespectful- but apparently thats just the new Europe because I also experienced this in Italy.

For sunset views head to Oia- the popular thing to do is to find a restaurant with a sunset view of the Caldera- this will cost you a pretty penny- so be prepared. We opted not to do this and just got gelato instead. The sunset was beautiful- not gonna lie.

Mykonos, Greece

We had so much fun exploring and wandering around Mykonos. It was our favorite stop of the whole cruise. Something to know is that the cruise terminal is about a 20 minute walk away from the main downtown area. They have a water taxi service for 5 Euro each way that picks you up at the cruise port and takes you to the main port. We found this was well worth it and you got beautiful views of the port city.

Mykonos downtown area is a great place to wander around and go shopping. We shopped for a bit, got gelato, and had a small lunch at a local restaurant. We had so much fun exploring. There is a small beach area in the downtown area- but I wouldn't recommend trying to make a beach day out of it. Like the rest of Europe there are lots of uneven surfaces and narrow passageways- it's not stroller friendly at all and make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes.

Ephasus/ Kudasi, Turkey

This was our least favorite stop on the cruise. I just didn't feel super safe. We ended up booking a tour from our cruise line that took us to the ancient city of Ephesus. This was very neat to see the old ruins but also very crowded. If you are history buff or practice christianity it is neat to see but it was also very overwhelming for us. The city itself is about 20-30 minutes away from the port city. I would highly recommend booking a guide, there may be a way to get there by yourself but I would be very wary about doing that.

In the port city of Kudasi just be aware that you will mostly stick out like a sore thumb and that you will be approached frequently. It reminded me a lot of port cities in Mexico. I really don't like being accosted while I look around. Because of this we didn't stay long and got back on the boat pretty quickly after our tour.

The other issue to be aware of in Kudasi is the Turkish Rugs sales. Our tour included a Turkish rug demonstration. This was very neat but then after they come after you like hyenas trying to buy extremely expensive rugs. Just be prepared- if you want to watch the demonstration on how they make it its neat but be prepared for a sales pitch.