Why Take A Mediterranean Cruise?

Apr 22
07:21

2005

John Metcalfe

John Metcalfe

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A Mediterranean cruise is without doubt the mostvaried type of cruise available. There are more than120 seaports around the Mediterranean coastline,offering numerous combinations of cruise vacationsover one-week, two-week or longer trips.

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A huge clash of cultures await all who opt for aMediterranean cruise. You can visit no less than17 different countries,Why Take A Mediterranean Cruise? Articles including such nations asSpain, Italy, Greece and Egypt. Each nation has itsown unique attractions, all of which you can sampleas your cruise ship gracefully sails around the calmblue Mediterranean Sea.

More than 50 companies offer cruises along variedroutes in the Mediterranean. Some companies specializein providing Western Mediterranean cruises,concentrating on ports of call around Portugal,Spain, France, Italy and Morocco. Other companiesoffer Eastern Mediterranean cruises which take inCroatia, Greece, Turkey and countries in the MiddleEast. Popular specialist Mediterranean cruises includea tour of the North African nations, a Mediterraneanislands cruise that visits the island nations ofCyprus and Malta, as well as cruises around the GreekIslands. If you're after a longer vacation, it ispossible to arrange a cruise itinerary that takesyou around most if not all of the Mediterraneannations.

History, culture, grand cities, ancient monuments,romantic islands and breathtaking views are allwithin easy reach on a Mediterranean cruise. In theWestern Mediterranean you can discover the traditionalwhite Andalucian villages of Southern Spain, samplethe world-famous Manzanilla sherry in Cadiz and visitthe cultural hub of Europe in the shape of Barcelona,before travelling onwards to the French Riviera.

A cruise that takes in the wonderful coastline ofItaly yields such treasures as the dormant volcano ofMt Vesuvius, ancient Pompeii and the stunning city ofRome. The islands of Sicily and Sardinia hold manydelights too on a Western Mediterranean cruise.

In the Eastern Mediterranean, cruise passengers candiscover the spectacular Croatian coastline and itsbeautiful city - Dubrovnik, before divingsoutheastwards to sample classical Greece and itssultry islands. The island of Crete is always wortha visit, if only for the historic Palace of Knossos.

A visit to the holy city of Jerusalem is aworthwhile excursion from both Israeli ports -Haifa and Ashdod - on a Mediterranean cruise of theMiddle East. Egypt's Port Said is well worth a visittoo. Port Said provides access to the world famousSuez Canal, which takes vessels into the Red Sea andonwards in to the Arabian Sea.

The Mediterranean region has seen many a civilizationrise and fall. It is a crucible of human evolutionand is rich in relics left over by more than 6,000years of occupation. If you've ever wanted to discoverwhat it felt like to be an Egyptian pharaoh, Romanwarrior or a Greek philosopher, a Mediterranean cruisecan give you just that opportunity..

John Metcalfe http://www.azcruises.com