Shore excursions in the Mediterranean highlight must-see experiences such as fascinating UNESCO World Heritage Sites. However, some of the wonders you travel to see — the ruins of Pompeii, the Roman Colosseum and Michelangelo’s “David” in Florence — are nowhere near the pier where your cruise ship will dock. The easiest way to get to them is with tours sold by your cruise line, which typically include the services of tour guides who are destination experts.
Some Mediterranean cruise passengers choose to do an excursion in each port and see every major attraction, but it’s also fun to take time to explore on your own. If you go the independent route, do some research and pick a port where your preferences — beachfront, cafes, boutiques or other attractions — are close to the pier.
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While excursion offerings vary by cruise line, here are our picks for the best shore excursions in the Mediterranean.
Full-day tour of Athens, from Piraeus, Greece
The port of Piraeus, Greece, is about 7 miles from Athens, a fascinating city with both ancient and modern attractions. You can use taxis or public transport to get into the city, but you’re better off booking a tour with a licensed guide who will get you to the key sights and provide details about the city — the birthplace of democracy and Western thought. Half-day tours will take you to the famous Acropolis. However, we recommend a full-day excursion so you can see and experience more.
Europe’s oldest capital dates back to 3000 B.C. Grab a window seat on the bus to see the hilltop Acropolis dominating the skyline, as it has for thousands of years. On the tour, you’ll explore its sacred buildings, including the Parthenon, the beautiful, columned temple dedicated to the goddess Athena.
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Your tour will also show off other sites throughout the city, including the ruins of the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch, Greece’s impressive Parliament building and the Olympic Stadium. You’ll have the opportunity to dine on Greek cuisine (lunch is included in full-day tours) and shop for souvenirs on the narrow ancient streets of the lively Platka neighborhood.
Pick a tour that includes time at the Acropolis Museum, a modern museum full of ancient treasures, such as statues dating back to the 5th century B.C.
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Best of Olympia tour, from Katakolon, Greece
Katakolon, Greece, is a small town with a nice strip of beach — and a landmark attraction about an hour away. Cruise passengers make the trip to ancient Olympia to see the site where the Olympic Games debuted in 776 B.C. A tour of the ruins of the religious center and sports complex includes the Temple of Zeus, Roman baths, gymnasium and swimming pool, as well as the first Olympic stadium. Three thousand years ago, the games took place every four years, after the summer harvest, with competitors coming from as far away as Italy and Asia Minor.
The short foot races were the most prestigious of the events, and you can imagine the roar of the crowd as you stand in the field where the races took place. Your tour will likely include a stop at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia to see some amazing artifacts, including bronze and stone statues of well-toned athletes.
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Palace of Knossos tour, Crete
Wherever you dock in Crete, in the Greek islands, you’ll want to visit the ancient Minoan palace of Knossos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that dates to the Bronze Age.
First settled around 7000 B.C., the religious and administrative center was the domain of King Minos and home of Zeus and Europa, according to Greek mythology. Tour the ruins, some partially rebuilt, to learn about the labyrinth built to contain the Minotaur (half man and half bull) and how a queen had running water in her bathroom more than 3,000 years ago.
Your tour might also include a stop at the Archeological Museum of Heraklion, which houses Minoan artifacts removed from the palace site.
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‘Game of Thrones’ tour, Dubrovnik, Croatia
You can take a shuttle from the pier and tour Old Town Dubrovnik on your own, but if you are a fan of “Game of Thrones,” the must-do is a guided tour that highlights sites that appeared on the HBO TV show. As fans know, Dubrovnik doubled for King’s Landing, the fictional capital of the Seven Kingdoms.
The tour includes stops at the formidable 11th-century Lovrijenac Fortress, high on a rock overlooking the sea, just outside the medieval walls that surround the Old Town. The fort provides incredible views of Blackwater Bay, which is featured in novelist George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” books, the inspiration for “Game of Thrones.”
In Old Town, you’ll climb to and walk along the defensive walls that appeared on the show in the Battle of Blackwater Bay, as well as in other scenes. Other GOT sights in Old Town include the Jesuit Staircase, where Cersei began her Walk of Shame (Season 5) and an area near St. Dominic Street, where market scenes for the show were filmed. Elsewhere, the outside of the Ethnographic Museum Rupe might look familiar. It appeared on the show as Littlefinger’s brothel.
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Rome city tour, from Civitavecchia, Italy
The port closest to Rome is Civitavecchia, Italy. Getting into the city can take 1 1/2 hours (or less or more, depending on traffic). It’s a good idea to book a full-day excursion to make the most of your time in the city — especially if you are determined to see St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, along with the Roman Colosseum, Roman Forum, Circus Maximus, the Forum, the Pantheon and other sights. Tours might also stop at Trevi Fountain, where tossing a coin is said to ensure your return to Rome.
Some tours combine one marquee site and free time. If you are going this route, we recommend you go with the Colosseum, an amphitheater that once held as many as 50,000 spectators and where you can well imagine life in ancient Rome in all its (gory) glory.
Make sure to also climb Palatine Hill for views of the city, which has something fascinating — a flowing fountain, a gelato stand, a designer handbag shop — practically around every corner.
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Florence city tour, from Livorno, Italy
If you want to explore Florence, look for cruises calling in Livorno, Italy, or another port in Tuscany. From there, you’ll take a bus ride into the city, known for its Renaissance treasures. The city itself is a visual treat; a shore excursion will ensure that you see such key sights as Michelangelo’s “David,” in all his polished marble naked glory (at the tickets-required Accademia Gallery).
Art lovers will want to choose a tour that includes the Uffizi Gallery, with its works by Botticelli, Donatello, Raphael, da Vinci and other Renaissance artists. Your tour will also showcase the 15th-century Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (aka the Duomo) and other architectural treasures in the city. Some tours also visit the university town of Pisa, famous for its Leaning Tower.
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Ancient Pompeii, Capri and Sorrento tour, from Naples, Italy
It’s not difficult to imagine life in ancient times while exploring the remarkable ruins of Pompeii, the ancient Roman city buried by ash from Mount Vesuvius in the year 79. The ruins — the forum, baths, temples and decorated villas — appear frozen in time.
You can focus all your attention on Pompeii. However, we recommend a full-day tour from Naples that also showcases the stunning Amalfi Coast and the beautiful island of Capri — a typical combination would be Capri, the resort town of Sorrento and Pompeii.
You’ll take a jetfoil to Capri and a funicular ride up to Capri Town, a shopping haven (with residential side streets well worth exploring). Back on the mainland, drive to Sorrento, with time to people-watch at an outdoor cafe. On the way back to Naples, stop by Pompeii for a guided tour of the ruins.
Gaudí and the Sagrada Familia tour, Barcelona
In Barcelona, you dock right in the city. Las Ramblas, the city’s famous boulevard, is a long walk or quick shuttle bus ride away. For us, the must-do shore excursion is to see the extravagant creations of architect Antoni Gaudí, including his La Sagrada Familia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where construction has been ongoing since 1882. The cathedral is the most visited attraction in Spain.
Choose a tour that also takes you to the hillside, UNESCO-recognized Parc Guell, where Gaudí sought to combine nature with modernist architecture. You’ll also see two Gaudí residential buildings on the Paseo de Gracia — the La Pedrera apartment building and Casa Batllo, a private home with an especially eerie-looking facade.
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Some tours also stop at Museu Picasso, which features early works by Pablo Picasso, in the city’s Gothic Quarter (Barri Gotic).
Ancient Ephesus tour, from Kusadasi, Turkey
A favorite of those who love to explore ancient history, Ephesus is one of the most fascinating and best-preserved ancient cities in the world (and only a short drive from the Turkish resort town of Kusadasi).
In Ephesus, you walk the same marble streets as the ancients to sites that include a bathhouse, massive amphitheater and the jaw-dropping remains of a two-story library building facade, looking at columns, mosaics and monuments along the way. Greeks, Egyptians and Romans all ruled in Ephesus, but most of what you see today was built by the Romans. Outside the library, carved in stone, is early marketing asking whether you prefer to visit the library or a house of pleasure (an age-old question).
Longer excursions combine a tour of the ancient city with a visit to the House of the Virgin Mary, a modest chapel built on the spot where the Virgin Mary is believed to have spent her last days — a sanctioned pilgrimage site. There’s also a second pilgrimage site in the area, St. John’s Basilica, where St. John wrote the fourth book of the New Testament.
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