For decades, the Mediterranean has been a leading tourist destination. This comes as no surprise: it’s home to 3 out of the top 5 most visited countries in 2022—France, Spain, and Italy.
With how exciting these destinations are, many tend to forego comfort and immersion and simply choose the fastest way to get around.
However, an increasing number of travellers are discovering ways to better savour the journey: in particular, our article ‘Travelling the Balkans‘ notes that Greece is one country best explored through slower methods like backpacking.
Yet when it comes to immersing oneself in the Mediterranean as a whole, more tourists are finding that they can elevate their holidays by taking upscale sea trips instead.
Luxury cruises to the Mediterranean are on the rise because they offer unique experiences that can be found nowhere else—including regular cruise lines. Combining this with the beauty of the Mediterranean is sure to create special memories that will last a lifetime.
If you’re interested in going to the Mediterranean, here are a few reasons why you should consider a luxury sea trip as your mode of travel.
Exclusive Perks
The luxury cruise experience begins by ensuring that booking an itinerary is easy and stress-free from start to finish. You only have to pay once to access all-inclusive journeys—unlike on regular cruises, where you have to plan your entire trip alone
Explora Journeys exhibits this with their premier excursions. These include shuttle services to city centres wherever you dock, as well as inclusive, tailor-made destination experiences planned at Mediterranean destinations.
So whether you wish to explore the Iberian Peninsula or the remnants of Greece and Rome’s ancient empires, the cruise will plan all your activities for you, along with exclusive experiences at each destination.
While at sea, you will have access to an exclusive onboard luxury shopping experience for everything from skincare to homeware. Your suite will be among the most spacious in the industry at 35 to 42 sqm and optimised to let in natural light and sea views.
Fine Dining
Luxury cruise lines carefully curate their menus to provide guests with unforgettable dining experiences on board. They offer a variety of cuisine selections that feature ingredients from the ports of their destinations to highlight local tastes.
Since there’s a higher budget for food compared to regular cruise lines, many luxury cruises partner with world-renowned chefs to create more exclusive gourmet dining experiences at sea. Take Windstar Cruises and their collaboration with Michelin-star awardee Anthony Sasso, Cuadro 44.
As guests travel around the Mediterranean, they will be able to have luxury dining experiences that reflect the region. Sasso’s restaurant specialises in Mediterranean flavours and is renowned for its modern take on Spanish cuisine.
The menu features regional delicacies such as Catalonia lamb chops, Galician-style octopus, and other Spanish favourites like churros.
Leisure Activities
Many cruises provide wellness treatments to reinvigorate their guests. However, luxury cruises go a step beyond providing spas and saunas. Oceania Cruises has a dedicated Aquamar Spa and Vitality Center that promotes balance and vitality.
Apart from traditional massages and scrubs, they offer regular meditation and Pilates sessions where you can request for personal trainers. This wellness experience even includes discovery tours where tourists can visit and relax in historic Mediterranean locations such as traditional Roman mineral baths.
Ultimately, these immersive wellness experiences will help you explore the Mediterranean locations in an entirely new way.
Hospitality
Luxury cruises prioritise customer satisfaction over everything else. They promise quality service as soon as guests step on board. They achieve this with a highly-trained staff that will ensure that all your needs are met.
Silversea Cruises takes this to another level by providing dedicated butlers that shape personalised experiences. These butlers will answer all your requests, such as making restaurant reservations, unpacking your luggage, and organising an in-suite cocktail party for you and other cruise guests.
The butlers are attentive to your preferences and can suggest what to eat and what to do. If you’re new to Mediterranean culture, they’ll bring local dishes to your room that fits your tastes and suggest excursions that you can undergo when you dock at the next Mediterranean city.
Many luxury cruises go further with round-the-clock services for in-suite dining, laundry, and shoe-shining. They can even pack and unpack your luggage for you if you request it.
We hope the above article has convinced you to enjoy an elevated travelling experience across the Mediterranean with a luxury cruise line.
Check out my other articles about travelling around the Med:
About the author:
Steve Rohan is a writer from Essex, England. He has traveled to over 60 countries, lived in Armenia, China and Hong Kong, and is now living the digital nomad life on the road.
Steve prefers “slow travel” and has covered much of the world by train, bus and boat. He has been interviewed multiple times by the BBC and recently featured in the documentary Scariest Places in the World. See the About page for more info.
Where I am now: Yerevan, Armenia 🇦🇲