Coastal or river cruises in Europe

The itineraries of the Western Mediterranean cruises begin usually in Spain or Italy, and travel east or west on the Mediterranean Sea. The ports to be visited are Nice, Malaga and another ports in Italy. This type of cruise is considered to be a classical Mediterranean cruise. Eastern Mediterranean cruises begin in Italy or Athens and explore Turkey and the Greek Islands as well, visiting Santorini, Mykonos and Crete.

The Greek Isles are also cruised by small ships. Small ship can offer a more intimate experience, far away from the crowds that are hosted on huge ships.

The Baltic cruises are also called the Northern European cruises and the starting point is mainly in England, with stops in Norway, Denmark, Finland and Russia.

Central and Eastern European cruises include the most impressive river on the continent: the Danube. The Danube flows through many European capitals such as: Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava and Belgrade. The late communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu wanted to add another city to the list and link Romania’s capital Bucharest and the Danube through a canal, but this plan was never accomplished.

The Danube flows into the Black Sea and forms a unique place in Europe: The Danube Delta. The place has become a part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
Other parts of Europe that can be explored during a cruise are: the French Riviera with its glamorous ports and beaches, France’s canals and rivers, Germany’s rivers or the pretty Dutch canals. If your dream holiday is a cruise, than Europe is a good starting point. You can explore the shores around the continent or the cities situated right into its heart. The choice is yours.