Sun Princess: 14-Night Mediterranean from Athens (Piraeus)

Athens cruise port is in Piraeus, a busy port city about 10 kilometers southwest of central Athens. Piraeus is its own city, not just a terminal, and it handles cruise ships, island ferries, and commercial traffic all at once.

Corfu cruise port is one of the most visited stops on Eastern Mediterranean and Greek Islands itineraries. The island sits off Greece's northwestern coast, just a short ferry ride from the southern tip of Albania, and has a distinct cultural identity shaped by centuries of Venetian, French, and British rule rather than the Ottoman history that dominates other Greek islands.

Messina cruise port sits at the northeastern tip of Sicily, directly across the narrow Strait of Messina from mainland Italy. Ships dock right at the city waterfront, making it one of the easiest Mediterranean ports to step off and explore.

Barcelona cruise port is the busiest in the Mediterranean, handling millions of passengers a year across multiple terminals. The city behind it earns that traffic.

Palma de Mallorca cruise port is one of the busiest in the Mediterranean and the main cruise gateway to the Balearic Islands. Palma sits on the south coast of Mallorca, the largest of the Balearics, about 250 kilometers south of Barcelona.

Marseille cruise port is France's busiest and one of the major stops on western Mediterranean itineraries. The city is France's second largest and its oldest, founded by Greek sailors over 2,600 years ago, and it has a rougher, more authentic edge than the polished Riviera towns further east.

Genoa cruise port is one of the main embarkation points for western Mediterranean itineraries, particularly for MSC and Costa Cruises, which both have roots here. The city is the capital of Liguria and the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, pesto, and focaccia, and it has a grittier, more working-class feel than the polished Italian cities most tourists flock to.

La Spezia is a working Italian naval and commercial city on the Ligurian coast, but cruise passengers know it primarily as the gateway to Cinque Terre, the five colorful fishing villages clinging to the cliffs along a rugged stretch of coastline just north of the city. The La Spezia cruise port sits at the edge of the city center, a short walk from the train station that connects directly to the Cinque Terre villages.

Rome's cruise port is in Civitavecchia, a working port town about 80 kilometers northwest of the city. That distance is the single most important thing to understand about this stop.