Mediterranean cruises compared

With cruise lines bringing more ships to the Med every year, the number of tourists can only grow. There are two ways to cruise the region, you can sail from the UK or fly in to a Mediterranean port to embark, and there are two main cruise areas - the western Mediterranean, bordered by Spain and Italy, which includes Sardinia, Corsica and the Balearics, and the eastern Mediterranean, including Greece, Croatia and Turkey.

Most of us cruise the Mediterranean in the height of summer, when the sun and crowds are at their most fierce, but if you’d prefer more space and less crowds, you can try either Costa Cruises or MSC Cruises who have ships in the Mediterranean year-round, and this Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line are both home-porting a ship on this side of the Atlantic. It is worth remembering that you might end up seeing the sights in the cold and wet, although in the eastern Mediterranean and to North Africa, there is a good chance of better weather.