
Cruise · 19 nights · with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Nineteen days aboard Fred. Olsen’s Balmoral visiting lesser-known Mediterranean ports from Alicante through Corsica, Sicily and Malta to Athens, with close-ups of the Amalfi Coast and Stromboli’s smoking cone.
Highlights
Mahon on Menorca’s easygoing harbour
Pastel villages of Cinque Terre near La Spezia
Sailing past Amalfi Coast’s cliffside towns
Cruising by Stromboli’s smoking volcano
Two days in Piraeus, gateway to Athens
This nineteen-night cruise aboard Fred. Olsen's Balmoral sets off from Alicante and makes a deliberate sweep around the western Mediterranean’s quieter harbours and islands. After calling at Mahon on Menorca, the ship pauses at La Spezia to sample the pastel-hued villages above the Ligurian Sea. From there, the call at Villefranche puts the French Riviera within easy reach, while Toulon and Ajaccio offer different faces of southern France before heading back to Spain’s Ibiza.
The ship then angles south to Corsica’s Propriano, followed by Golfo Aranci on Sardinia and a scenic pass of the Amalfi Coast with its precipitous cliffs. Shortly after comes Stromboli, the volcano lit in full view, before a pair of calls in Sicily: Milazzo and then the port city of Valletta on Malta. The journey rounds off with Souda Bay on Crete before spending two days in the Greek capital area via Piraeus.
Balmoral is small enough to approach smaller harbours that larger ships avoid, making this a relaxed, autumn sailing. It has a steady rhythm of coastal stops and day-long passages, with time to look out at the often overlooked Mediterranean shores rather than race from one famous place to the next.
Itinerary
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
When to go
Lowest price each month, per person.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines confirms exact dates, availability and prices when you book.
Need to know
For full details of what’s included, check with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. See the full details on their site
The operator
Smaller-ship cruises, many from UK ports
A Norwegian family name in shipping since the nineteenth century, known for smaller ships that can reach the narrower fjords and harbours.
You book with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines directly. They confirm your place, take payment, and look after you from the moment you leave home; Atlas & Passage’s part ends when you click through.
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