{"id":17560,"date":"2013-10-22T02:27:31","date_gmt":"2013-10-22T02:27:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?p=17560"},"modified":"2021-10-28T16:42:19","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T16:42:19","slug":"cruising-the-mediterranean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/","title":{"rendered":"Cruising the Mediterranean"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you have never been to Europe (or even if you have), a great way to get an overview of it is to take a cruise. It makes traveling around Europe seamless, especially for first-timers. However, to get the full experience, once flying into the port city that you’ll be departing from, we highly recommend staying a couple of days before embarking on your journey at sea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We flew to Barcelona, Spain<\/a>, where we spent a fast 48 hours<\/a>\u00a0seeing as much as we could before getting on the ship. It was a whirlwind, but nothing like we were about to experience once we boarded the ship. After two days of eating and shopping<\/a> our way down La Rambla and navigating the city on the Barcelona<\/a> Bus Turistic, we were ready to call the Carnival Sunshine<\/a> home for the next week. O<\/span>ur stateroom was to become our home for the duration of the cruise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Below we give you a sampling of the European cities we experienced on our Mediterranean cruise.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Marseille<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Marseille, France is one of Europe\u2019s oldest cities, located on France\u2019s southeastern coast, and home to Palais du Pharo (Napoleon\u2019s Palace). It’s paradise for history buffs, with 24 museums spread around Marseille. If you\u2019re hungry (and we were), sidewalk caf\u00e9s line the main drag along the harbor, making it the perfect place to enjoy bouillabaisse (fish stew) and pastis (an adult libation), both very popular in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

Livorno<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out the infamous leaning tower of Pisa, or the picturesque villages of Cinque Terre here in Livorno (Pisa\/Florence), Italy. We chose to see Florence and wandered in awe through the main Square of the Duomo, the Santa Croce Square, and the Piazza della Signoria. It is in Piazza della Signoria where you will find the statue of Michelangelo\u2019s David. The lines are long, so we recommend that you get tickets and make arrangements in advance to see it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Civitavecchia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rome, Italy<\/a> wasn\u2019t built in a day, nor can you see it all in a day.\u00a0Rome<\/a> is about a 90-minute bus ride from the port, leaving you only hours to explore. We rode the on-off double-decker bus that takes you to every important landmark in Rome, such as the Trevi Fountain, Vatican, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, the Colosseum, and the Arch of Constantine. \u00a0We were on and off the bus often, shopping the farmers market at Piazza Campo di Fiori, tossing coins in the Trevi Fountain, and purchasing a \u2018popener\u201d (a bottle opener shaped like the pope’s head) at the Vatican.<\/span><\/p>\n

Viewfinder Tip: Women are required to have their shoulders covered when visiting many of the churches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Dubrovnik<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Dubrovnik, Croatia is truly a hidden paradise. You won\u2019t find any chain stores or restaurants here. The locals are friendly and welcoming and the scenery and vistas leave you breathless, literally. We climbed hundreds of steps taking us to the top of the walled city with spectacular views of the red-tiled rooftops in Dubrovnik\u2019s Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We dined al fresco, eating fresh local oysters that had been caught just hours prior, while washing them down with local wine that was surprisingly good. We also saw where they filmed Game of Thrones<\/em>, visited a local market, and listened to street performers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"undefined\"<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Salerno<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the port that gives you access to Pompeii, the ancient city whose ruins were preserved by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius volcano in 79 A.D. It is jaw dropping. If it is something lighter you are after, the Isle of Capri is a great place to spend an afternoon, located just an hour by ferry from the port. The Amalfi Coast is gorgeous, with winding coastal roads and breathtaking scenery through the picturesque towns of Sorrento, Positano, Praiano, and Ravello. This is where you sip limoncello or a refreshing, fresh squeezed lemon ice. The lemons are almost as big as your head!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Messina<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s here that you can get to Mount Etna, one the few remaining active volcanoes in the world that you can see lava flows from its base. We took a taxi from the port to Taormina, with its cobblestone streets and beautiful views. We thought this a bargain at just 30 euro per person for four of us. Our driver waited for us and even gave us a tour of Messina when we returned.<\/p>\n

Venice<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Venice, Italy is incredibly unique, surrounded by water, and unparalleled in its uniqueness. The best way to experience Venice is to walk – and walk we did. You can walk miles in Venice and hardly realize it because you’re stopping into so many of the shops, cafes, and galleries. Not to mention, there are tons of great photo opportunities. But don’t forget to taken an iconic gondola ride in Venice.<\/span><\/p>\n

What cruise route have you always wanted to take?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cruising is a great way to try several destinations on one vacation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1863,1784,1782,1775,1777,1875,1788,1845,1774,1824,1818,1776],"tags":[33],"authors":[2221],"class_list":["post-17560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-barcelona","category-cruise","category-destinations","category-fall","category-family","category-history","category-interests","category-italy","category-occasions-and-seasons","category-spain","category-summer","category-type-of-vacation","tag-couples","authors-rick-sandi-griffin-mckenna","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCruising the Mediterranean | Expedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cruising the Mediterranean | Expedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cruising is a great way to try several destinations on one vacation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Expedia Travel Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-10-22T02:27:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-28T16:42:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Dubrovnik.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1230\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jamie McNeely\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jamie McNeely\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/\",\"name\":\"Cruising the Mediterranean | Expedia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Dubrovnik.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-10-22T02:27:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-28T16:42:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Dubrovnik.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Dubrovnik.jpg\",\"width\":1230,\"height\":450},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Explore\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Destinations\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/destinations\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Barcelona\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/destinations\/barcelona\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Cruising the Mediterranean\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/\",\"name\":\"Expedia Travel Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e\",\"name\":\"Jamie McNeely\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jamie McNeely\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.waveinteractive.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/author\/jamie-mcneely\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cruising the Mediterranean | Expedia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cruising the Mediterranean | Expedia","og_description":"Cruising is a great way to try several destinations on one vacation","og_url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/","og_site_name":"Expedia Travel Blog","article_published_time":"2013-10-22T02:27:31+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-10-28T16:42:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1230,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Dubrovnik.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jamie McNeely","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jamie McNeely","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/","name":"Cruising the Mediterranean | Expedia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Dubrovnik.jpg","datePublished":"2013-10-22T02:27:31+00:00","dateModified":"2021-10-28T16:42:19+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Dubrovnik.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Dubrovnik.jpg","width":1230,"height":450},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-the-mediterranean\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Explore","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/destinations\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Barcelona","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/destinations\/barcelona\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Cruising the Mediterranean"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/","name":"Expedia Travel Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e","name":"Jamie McNeely","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jamie McNeely"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.waveinteractive.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/author\/jamie-mcneely\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17560"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17560"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55706,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17560\/revisions\/55706"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17560"},{"taxonomy":"authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/authors?post=17560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}