Europe has a lot to supply by cruise ship that it may be a problem to determine the place to begin. Do you have to select a Baltic cruise versus a Mediterranean cruise to your crusing overseas? How do you determine?
A Mediterranean cruise is commonly the primary dip into European waters many vacationers take. It is a straightforward alternative as a result of there are a lot of choices, together with cruises to France, Spain and Italy on acquainted big-ship cruise strains with cheap costs and comparatively simple flights. Combine historical sightseeing and culinary sampling with a touch of seashore time, all whereas surrounded by beautiful blue seas, and you have got the essence of a summer season cruise within the Med.
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Baltic cruises are usually not about seashore time, and a lot of the historic sights are something however historical. What you will discover as a substitute is unbelievable structure, backyard excursions and deep dives into trendy European historical past, in addition to entry to every part provided in a few of Europe’s most vibrant cities in Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. As with the Mediterranean, the area is wealthy with meals and drinks to style. Suppose Danish pastries, German beer and Swedish meatballs.
Let us take a look at what every of those two distinct European cruise decisions affords that can assist you determine which one you want extra.
Mediterranean vs. Baltic on the map
The Mediterranean Sea lies south of Europe, and although it is related to the Atlantic Ocean, it’s nearly totally enclosed by the European, African and Asian continents. It contains 11 smaller seas, which might confuse issues while you store for cruises; itineraries are generally labeled based on the smaller sea. Usually, although, any ocean cruise with ports in Spain, France, Italy, Monaco, Greece or Turkey are Mediterranean cruises.
Eight northern European Union international locations and Russia encompass the Baltic Sea. It connects to the Atlantic through the North Sea at Denmark. Baltic cruises, significantly the longest itineraries, could start or finish outdoors the Baltic Sea itself, including bonus international locations to the itinerary. International locations most Baltic cruises go to embrace Denmark, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, plus Sweden and Finland. Longer cruises may also embrace Norway and United Kingdom international locations outdoors the Baltic Sea.
Cruise itineraries
Mediterranean cruise itineraries usually are seven nights or longer. Peak season is summer season, but it surely’s attainable to seek out Mediterranean cruises throughout each month of the 12 months. Summer season daytime temperatures common round 80 levels Fahrenheit however can spike effectively into the 90s in July and August in some areas. Spring and fall cruises within the Med have extra reasonable climate.
You will discover a variety of decisions of departure ports and international locations your ship will go to. Probably the most versatile departure ports when it comes to what course the cruise will take you might be Barcelona, Rome (Civitavecchia) and Athens (Piraeus) — all of which function departure or return ports for cruises in all instructions throughout the Mediterranean.
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Depart from Venice (Ravenna or Trieste) to sail to locations alongside the Adriatic; along with Italy, your itinerary could embrace Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Greece.
As a result of there are such a lot of ports within the Mediterranean, sea days are usually restricted to 1 per weeklong crusing, and plenty of itineraries lack sea days totally.
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One-way itineraries that depart from one port and finish in one other are widespread within the Mediterranean, permitting your cruise to go to extra ports in additional international locations than you would possibly on a round-trip route. This may, nonetheless, complicate flight plans and will make flights costlier than round-trip fares — one thing to concentrate to as you store to your cruise.
The bonus of those one-way routes is that they’re simply mixed into longer cruises. A cruise that begins in Barcelona and ends in Athens could be mixed with a second cruise from Athens to Istanbul or again to Barcelona. Some strains — corresponding to Viking, Holland America, Princess, Windstar and Oceania — pre-package a number of one-way cruises to make the planning simple. On different strains, like Azamara, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, you possibly can guide two (or extra) cruises back-to-back to create your individual prolonged voyage.
Strains that primarily provide round-trip cruises within the Mediterranean embrace Virgin Voyages, Movie star and Carnival. Disney Cruise Line additionally affords round-trip itineraries, together with a number of the shortest cruises within the Med, with four- and five-night sailings through the line’s transient season there every summer season.
Cruisers who depend continents can examine off three huge ones with a rigorously deliberate prolonged cruise within the area. A technique so as to add Asia to your listing is to spend time in Istanbul on each side of the Bosphorus River, as it is the dividing line between the continents. Alternatively, the Turkish ports of Kusadasi, Bodrum and Izmir are amongst these generally visited in Asia.
Discovering a Mediterranean itinerary that visits Africa is usually a bit tougher, however the ports to search for embrace Alexandria, Egypt; Casablanca, Morocco; and Tunis, Tunisia. If you wish to hit three continents in a single voyage, search for 10- to 14-night itineraries on strains corresponding to Norwegian, Movie star and Holland America.
Baltic cruise itineraries are additionally principally seven nights or longer. As a result of the Baltic international locations are farther north, chilly climate is feasible even in mid-summer within the Baltic. Common excessive temperatures in Copenhagen, for instance, are barely 70 levels Fahrenheit throughout June, July and August. Helsinki is a level or two cooler. Due to the local weather, cruise ships solely sail these waters from April via September.
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Departure ports could also be cities situated on the Baltic, like Copenhagen, Stockholm or Warnemunde, Germany, or outdoors the Baltic, as in Southampton, England, or Amsterdam and Rotterdam in The Netherlands. As with Mediterranean cruises, you will discover a mixture of round-trip cruises starting and ending in the identical port metropolis and one-way itineraries — lots of which start outdoors the Baltic Sea and finish at a Baltic port.
The chance to create longer journeys by connecting a number of cruises is accessible within the Baltic. These normally embrace Northern European or United Kingdom add-ons earlier than or after your Baltic cruise. Suppose Stockholm to Edinburgh, Scotland. After a radical cruise of the Baltic Sea, the itinerary would possibly embrace a number of stops within the fjords of Norway earlier than ending within the U.Ok. Baltic cruises that start or finish outdoors the confines of the Baltic Sea usually have no less than sooner or later at sea, generally extra.
Nation counters rejoice! A stable itinerary throughout the Baltic can add eight international locations to your listing; add-ons within the North Sea will get you one other handful should you plan rigorously.
Previous to March 2022, Baltic cruises usually included a cease within the Russian port of St. Petersburg. Presently, no cruise strains catering to Westerners name on Russian ports.
Ports of name
The listing of ports of name within the Mediterranean is prolonged, starting from European mainland ports like Dubrovnik, Zadar, Naples, Good and Istanbul to common ports on the islands of Sardinia, Corfu, Crete, Mykonos and Santorini, all of which might accommodate ships of all sizes.
Smaller cruise ships have a fair higher vary of choices. Ports chances are you’ll by no means have heard of — corresponding to Durres, Albania or Bonifacio, France, on the island of Corsica — are listed within the itineraries of small-ship strains like Emerald and Ponant. Ports you’ve got solely dreamt of visiting, like Capri, Amalfi or Jerusalem, are surprisingly accessible on a number of cruise strains crusing the Mediterranean, together with Windstar, Azamara and Movie star.
Ports of name within the Baltic embrace recognizable metropolis names like Copenhagen, Helsinki, Gdansk and Stockholm, together with cities chances are you’ll be much less aware of — Visby, Tallinn and Riga, in Sweden, Estonia and Latvia, respectively.
Copenhagen is wealthy in structure and seaside attraction. Warnemunde, Germany, is the gateway port to Berlin. Cruise strains usually schedule in a single day stays there to permit ample time to discover town, a prepare experience away from the port. Stockholm is one other Baltic port the place some ships in a single day, permitting passengers to benefit from the metropolis’s nightlife.
Shore excursions and actions
The vary of shore actions within the Mediterranean is huge. In Rome, Naples, Athens, Nafplion, Crete, Corinth, Olympia, Santorini and Kusadasi, you possibly can discover historical Greek and Roman historic websites. In Istanbul, Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Florence and Venice, excursions concentrate on newer artwork, structure and historical past.
You will discover winery and vineyard excursions from nearly each port in Italy and alongside the French Riviera (like Marseilles). Olive farm excursions are common from most ports of name in Greece however do not rule out Greek wineries in case your cruise itinerary takes you there.
Foodie excursions can be found in nearly each port within the Mediterranean. The very best embrace food-themed strolling excursions in Athens, truffle searching excursions from Livorno, Italy, and tapas excursions in Barcelona. Or, you are able to do what I do and make it some extent to pattern native fare like pizza and gelato in each port.
Lively excursions within the Mediterranean embrace ample decisions for climbing and biking. In case you’re itching to dip your toes into the blue Mediterranean waters, you will discover seashores on nearly all of the Greek islands. Not each ship affords beachy shore excursions, so chances are you’ll be by yourself attending to them.
The best seashore excursions are on Santorini, Crete and Mykonos. Probably the most beautiful seashore I’ve ever seen is Myrtos Seashore on the Greek island of Kefalonia. It is not close to the cruise port, however half-day excursions can be found to take you there.
And let’s not overlook the seashores of the French Riviera or Barcelona’s lovely stretches of sand.
Probably the most stunning seashores within the Mediterranean embrace these alongside the crystal-clear waters of the higher Adriatic. Trieste (the place some ships dock for Venice), Koper in Slovenia and Zadar in Croatia all have seashores (some pebble somewhat than sand) accessible from the cruise ports. If extra energetic water sports activities are your factor, boating, snorkeling and even scuba diving are simply organized on Santorini, Crete and Kefalonia and in Zadar.
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Baltic locations additionally provide seashores and watersports, however you are extra prone to discover a scenic boat experience than jetskiing, and seashores usually tend to be loved via windy walks alongside the shore than sunbathing and swimming. If the climate is appropriate, the perfect seashores are in Copenhagen, Warnemunde and Stockholm. Boat rides, each sluggish scenic cruises and thrilling velocity boat rides are common all through the Baltic. Boats are the best approach to expertise Copenhagen.
Land-based actions within the Baltic lean towards metropolis excursions, both through hop-on-hop-off buses or generally strolling excursions. Count on landmarks and museums of all types, many specializing in native occasions or areas of significance. Riga, Lithuania, and Tallinn, Estonia, each have museums targeted on the Soviet occupation of these international locations, for instance.
Lighthouses and castles are some landmarks you possibly can go to within the Baltic. Search for castles and fortresses in Gdansk, Copenhagen and Helsinki. Lighthouse excursions are attainable in Kiel and Warnemunde, Germany. You possibly can go to a medieval village in Outdated City in Tallinn and a Viking village close to Copenhagen.
Lively excursions on Baltic cruises embrace climbing and biking, accessible in nearly each port. Kayaking is commonly simple to rearrange if the climate seems good.
Vineyard visits are attainable from ports in Germany, Denmark, Latvia, Estonia and Poland however might not be provided by your cruise ship. You could have to hunt them out and organize your individual tour information or transportation. Brewery excursions are significantly simpler to rearrange all through the Baltic. Foodie excursions embrace these that concentrate on cheese, pastries, meats and seafood. Strolling meals excursions are attainable within the bigger cities, and farm visits with lunch are a well-liked approach to expertise the area’s delicacies.
Backside line: Baltic vs. Mediterranean cruises
What you wish to expertise on a European cruise will help decide whether or not you’d get pleasure from a Mediterranean or a Baltic cruise extra. Each areas are loaded with visits to beautiful European ports the place you possibly can expertise the meals, historical past and tradition via excursions and by merely strolling the streets mingling with locals.
On a Mediterranean cruise, you acquire the power so as to add one and even two continents to your listing of locations traveled to, however should you’re making an attempt to push your nation depend greater, a Baltic cruise will help you out based mostly on the sheer variety of international locations it is attainable to go to on a single cruise.
Climate within the Med is extra prone to be heat and sunny, permitting for extra time having fun with water sports activities or lounging on a seashore. But when escaping blistering summer season warmth at house is your chief goal, the crisp air within the Baltic could also be what it’s good to reset on trip.
Each areas have dozens of cruise strains to select from, beginning with mainstream strains chances are you’ll already know but in addition together with premium and luxurious strains chances are you’ll be longing to attempt. Transportation to and from Europe could be barely simpler and cheaper to Mediterranean departure ports when in comparison with some Baltic ports, however there are alternatives for round-trip Baltic cruises from London that function a workaround.
The underside line, then, is that it comes down to non-public preferences. Historical historical past or one thing newer? Seashore time or intensive sightseeing? Pattern a number of the world’s finest wines or the world’s finest beers? Both means you go, you possibly can count on the cruise journey of a lifetime.
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