Cruise
Cyprus, Turkey and Egypt, sailing from Limassol
Limassol, on the south coast of Cyprus, sits in the far eastern corner of the Mediterranean, closer to Beirut than to Athens. Sailing from there puts Alexandria, the Turkish coast and Istanbul within a few days, and makes for a voyage through the old eastern Mediterranean world.
By Walter Pellow2 November 20264 min read
Most Mediterranean cruises from Britain begin in the west, in Spain or the south of France, and reach the eastern end of the sea only after many days. A voyage that starts in Cyprus turns the map around. Limassol lies in the far east of the Mediterranean, and from there the great cities of the eastern sea, Alexandria, Istanbul and Athens, are a few days' sailing away.
Cyprus itself has belonged to most of the empires of the region at one time or another: Mycenaean Greeks, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, crusaders, Venetians, Ottomans and the British. Its position at the meeting of Europe, Asia and Africa made it worth fighting over, and it makes it a natural starting point for a voyage through that world.
Limassol
Limassol is the second city of Cyprus and its main port, a lively town on a long seafront, with a medieval castle in its old quarter, where Richard the Lionheart is said to have married Berengaria of Navarre in 1191 on his way to the crusades. Nearby, the ancient city of Kourion stands on a clifftop above the sea, with a Greco-Roman theatre still used for performances, and the mosaics of its villas. Inland, the villages of the Troodos foothills make wine, including Commandaria, a sweet dessert wine said to be one of the oldest named wines in the world.
Alexandria
Alexandria, on the Egyptian coast, was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC and became the greatest city of the Hellenistic world, home of the Pharos lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders, and the Great Library. Little of the ancient city remains above ground, but modern Alexandria has its own fascination: a long, curving seafront, the Corniche, cafés and old hotels from the cosmopolitan city of the early twentieth century, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a striking modern library built near the site of the ancient one, and Qaitbay Citadel, a fifteenth-century fort built on the site of the lighthouse with some of its stones. From Alexandria, excursions sometimes go to Cairo and the pyramids of Giza, a long day's journey.
From there the great cities of the eastern sea are a few days' sailing away.
Marmaris, Istanbul and Athens
Marmaris lies on Turkey's south-west coast, on a deep bay surrounded by pine-covered mountains, a resort town with a small castle and a busy marina, and a good base for excursions along the coast, to the river at Dalyan and its rock tombs, or to the ancient ruins of the region.
Istanbul needs no introduction. Arriving by sea, through the Sea of Marmara and into the Bosphorus, with the domes and minarets of the old city on the skyline, is the classic way to reach it, and one of the great arrivals of the world. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace and the Grand Bazaar are all within walking distance of each other in the old city.
Piraeus is the port of Athens, and from it the Acropolis and the city centre are a short journey away. The Acropolis, with the Parthenon on its summit, and the museum at its foot, are the obvious sights, but the old districts of Plaka and Monastiraki beneath the hill are pleasant to wander.
The longer voyages continue west through the middle of the Mediterranean. Valletta, the capital of Malta, is a fortified city built by the Knights of St John after the Great Siege of 1565, its honey-coloured streets falling steeply to the Grand Harbour, and the whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Trapani, on the western tip of Sicily, is a port of salt pans and windmills, with the medieval hill town of Erice on the mountain above it.
The sailings
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines' Cyprus, Turkey & Egypt Escape, ten nights, sails from Limassol in November and calls at Alexandria, Marmaris, Istanbul and Piraeus.
Fred. Olsen's Wonders of the Mediterranean, twenty-one nights, and Mediterranean Icons, thirty-one nights, also sail from Limassol in November and begin with the same eastern ports, continuing west to Valletta, Trapani, Cartagena and Gibraltar, then into the Atlantic for Agadir and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and in the longer voyage Las Palmas.
November is a good month for the eastern Mediterranean: the summer heat has gone, the sea is still warm, and the sites are much quieter than in high season. The days are shorter, but the light, low and golden over the ruins, is often at its best.
By Walter Pellow, the name Atlas & Passage’s editorial team writes under. Prices and dates in the trips below come from the operators and can change.
