Viking Vela: 28-Night Mediterranean Explorer

Lisbon cruise port is one of the most atmospheric arrivals in Europe. Ships sail up the Tagus River past the 25 de Abril Bridge (a near-twin of San Francisco's Golden Gate) and the Christ the King statue, with the city rising up on seven hills to the north.

Cadiz is the actual cruise port marketed as "Seville (Cadiz)" by cruise lines because Seville, Spain's fourth-largest city, is the primary day-trip draw from this port. Cadiz itself is one of Europe's oldest continuously inhabited cities, perched on a narrow peninsula jutting into the Atlantic on Spain's southwestern coast.

Tangier sits at the northwestern tip of Africa, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic and Morocco looks across the Strait of Gibraltar at Spain, just 14 km away. The city has about 1.

Malaga cruise port is the main gateway to Spain's Costa del Sol and Andalusia. The city sits on Spain's southern coast, about 130 kilometers west of Granada and 50 kilometers east of Marbella.

Cartagena is a historic port city of about 215,000 people on Spain's southeastern Mediterranean coast, in the Murcia region. Founded by the Carthaginians in 227 BC (as Carthago Nova), the city has been contested by Carthaginians, Romans, Moors, and Spanish kingdoms, and its layered history shows in the archaeological sites scattered through the compact center.

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.

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.

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.

Nice is the capital of the French Riviera, a Mediterranean city of about 340,000 people wedged between the Maritime Alps and the Cote d'Azur coastline. Cruise ships anchor in the bay at Villefranche-sur-Mer, a small harbor town about 6 km east of Nice, or occasionally dock at Nice's own port.

Florence (Livorno) cruise port is the main Tuscan stop on Mediterranean itineraries, but it's worth being clear about what you're actually docking at. The port is Livorno, a working industrial city on the Ligurian coast, about 85 kilometers west of Florence.

Florence (Livorno) cruise port is the main Tuscan stop on Mediterranean itineraries, but it's worth being clear about what you're actually docking at. The port is Livorno, a working industrial city on the Ligurian coast, about 85 kilometers west of Florence.

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.

Naples cruise port is one of the most popular stops on Mediterranean itineraries, and it's easy to see why. The city sits on the Bay of Naples with Mount Vesuvius looming behind it, and it serves as the gateway to Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, Capri, and Sorrento.

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.

Bari cruise port is the principal port of Italy's Apulia (Puglia) region on the Adriatic coast, about 450 kilometers southeast of Rome. Ships dock at the New Port, a short walk from Bari's old town (Bari Vecchia), a tangle of white-walled medieval streets wrapped around the cathedral and the Basilica of San Nicola.

Marghera cruise port is the mainland industrial port serving Venice, located about 10 kilometers northwest of the historic center. Since 2021, large cruise ships (over 25,000 gross tons) have been banned from sailing into Venice via the Giudecca Canal due to environmental and structural concerns for the fragile historic city.

Marghera cruise port is the mainland industrial port serving Venice, located about 10 kilometers northwest of the historic center. Since 2021, large cruise ships (over 25,000 gross tons) have been banned from sailing into Venice via the Giudecca Canal due to environmental and structural concerns for the fragile historic city.

Marghera cruise port is the mainland industrial port serving Venice, located about 10 kilometers northwest of the historic center. Since 2021, large cruise ships (over 25,000 gross tons) have been banned from sailing into Venice via the Giudecca Canal due to environmental and structural concerns for the fragile historic city.

Split cruise port is the main gateway to central Dalmatia and one of the most remarkable cities in Croatia. The city is built around and inside Diocletian's Palace, a 1,700-year-old Roman fortress that the emperor built as his retirement residence around 300 AD.

Dubrovnik cruise port is the southern gateway to Croatia's Adriatic coast and one of the most visually striking stops in the Mediterranean. Ships dock at Port Gruž, about 3 kilometers northwest of the Old Town, with the walled medieval city perched on a rocky peninsula jutting into the sea.

Kotor cruise port is one of the most visually spectacular arrivals in the Adriatic. Ships sail through a deep fjord-like bay (Boka Kotorska) surrounded by limestone mountains that rise steeply from the water, with the walled medieval town of Kotor tucked at the base.

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.

Katakolon is a small fishing village on the western coast of the Peloponnese, with a permanent population of only about 700 people. It exists on cruise maps for one reason: ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, is 45 minutes inland.