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Cruise to Italy, Greece, and Croatia

12 Days in Sep
Europe

Route DetailsMap

This trip was a 12-night cruise on Princess Cruises to Italy, Greece, and Croatia (beginning in Rome and ending in Venice). The cruise was a great way to see a lot of cities in a short period of time, without having to worry about transportation. We started the cruise with 3 extra days in Rome, and ended with an extra day in Venice.

Day 1
  • Hotel Smeraldo, Via dei Chiavari, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy

Arrived in Rome. Took a hop-on/hop-off bus tour to get they lay of the land. Our hotel was Hotel Smeraldo, which, while the rooms were tiny, was in a great locations and had nice restaurants right across the street (alley).

Day 2
  • Pantheon, Piazza della Rotonda, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy
  • Roman Forum, Via della Salara Vecchia, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy
  • Colosseum, Piazza del Colosseo, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy
  • Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Trevi, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy
  • Spanish Steps, Piazza di Spagna, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy

We fit a lot of site-seeing into day 1! We visited the Pantheon, walked around the Roman Forum, and took a tour of the Colosseum. In retrospect I wish we would have done a guided tour of the Roman Forum. The tour of the Colosseum is definitely worth the money. Really enjoyed the Trevi Fountain, but did not see the appeal of the Spanish Steps.

Day 3
  • Vatican City

Our guided tour of the Vatican was phenomenal. It was led by a nun who was knowledgeable and funny. Easy to spend an entire day here!

Next day was spent at sea, so there’s a day between Rome and Florence.

Day 4
  • Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pisa, Province of Pisa, Italy
  • Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Piazza del Duomo, Florence, Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy
  • Ponte Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy

Each day we did a group excursion from the cruise. The first day was Pisa and Florence. After a quick stop in Pisa to see the Leaning Tower we took a rather long bus ride to Florence. Once in Florence we didn’t have time to go to the Uffizi, so we went to the nearby courtyard that had replicas of some of the famous statues. We then went to the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio. There was also a nice international festival going on in Sante Croce square, so we enjoyed some German doughnuts!

Day 5
  • Pompeii, Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy
  • Sorrento, Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy
  • Capri, Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy
  • Gardens of Augustus, Via Matteotti, Capri, Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy

Our excursion on this day was to Pompeii, Sorrento, and Capri. Pompeii, while definitely ‘touristy’ was fascinating. We only had a couple of hours in Sorrento for lunch and some shopping, and then we took a boat ride to Capri, where we saw the Garden of Augustus and the famous rock formation.

Day 6
  • Santorini, Greece

This day of the cruise was my favorite – we went to Santorini! We visited a local winery for some wine and snacks, and then we were off to the town of Oia to see the beautiful white houses. I could have spent hours there. To get back to the boat you have an option of walking, taking a mule, or taking a cable car. We opted for the cable car.

Day 7
  • Panathenaic Stadium, Leoforos Vasileos Konstantinou, Athens, Greece
  • Acropolis of Athens, Athens, Greece

The day we were supposed to spend in Athens got cut short because of demonstrations happening in the city. We saw the Olympic Stadium and went to the top of the Acropolis.

Day 8
  • Delos, Greece
  • Mýkonos, Greece
  • Little Venice, Mykonos, Greece

Our day in Mykonos started with a tour of the Island of Delos. Not sure if I would do this part of the excursion again. Not much to see. Fascinating history, but mostly ruins where you have to picture what used to be there. We had a traditional Greek lunch in Mykonos, and then saw Little Venice and the famous Windmills. Could have used more time in Mykonos instead of Delos.

Day 9
  • Archaeological Museum of Olympia, Archaia Olympia, Greece
  • Archaeological Site of Olympia, Archaia Olympia, Greece
  • Museum of the History of the Olympic Games of antiquity, Πραξιτέλη Κονδύλη, Archaia Olympia, Greece

Our day in Olympia started at the Archaeological Museum. Not very memorable. The Olympic Ruins, however, were definitely worth visiting, as was the Olympic Museum. I enjoyed our stop in town to try some baklava.

Day 10
  • Corfu, Greece
  • Achilleion, Achilleio, Greece

Corfu is a small Greek island. The Achilleon Palace was gorgeous but in obvious disrepair because of the state of the Greek government. Visiting a monastery on Corfu was a great experience!

Day 11
  • Split, Croatia
  • Cathedral of St. Lawrence, Trg Ivana Pavla II, Trogir, Croatia

Our next stop was Croatia! We docked in the city of Split. First we went to the Town of Trogir and saw the cathedral. When we got back to Split it was raining a lot, so we did a bus tour of the city but nothing else.

Day 12
  • Murano, Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy
  • Burano, Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy
  • St. Mark's Square, Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy
  • Doge's Palace, Piazza San Marco, Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy
  • Rialto Bridge, Sestiere San Polo, Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy

Our final port of call was Venice. First we took an excursion of Murano and Burano to see the colorful houses and glass-blowing factories. These islands are a must-see if in Venice! Next we visited St. Mark’s Square, went through Doge’s Palace, and walked to the Rialto Bridge.

We had one more day after this in Venice. We wandered the streets and took a water taxi ride through the canals. A wonderful last day of the trip

Year Traveled: 2013

Route Map

Hotel Smeraldo, Via dei Chiavari, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy

Day: 1

Pantheon, Piazza della Rotonda, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy

Day: 2

Roman Forum, Via della Salara Vecchia, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy

Day: 2

Colosseum, Piazza del Colosseo, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy

Day: 2

Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Trevi, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy

Day: 2

Spanish Steps, Piazza di Spagna, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy

Day: 2

Vatican City

Day: 3

Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pisa, Province of Pisa, Italy

Day: 4

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Piazza del Duomo, Florence, Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy

Day: 4

Ponte Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy

Day: 4

Pompeii, Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy

Day: 5

Sorrento, Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy

Day: 5

Capri, Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy

Day: 5

Gardens of Augustus, Via Matteotti, Capri, Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy

Day: 5

Santorini, Greece

Day: 6

Panathenaic Stadium, Leoforos Vasileos Konstantinou, Athens, Greece

Day: 7

Acropolis of Athens, Athens, Greece

Day: 7

Delos, Greece

Day: 8

Mýkonos, Greece

Day: 8

Little Venice, Mykonos, Greece

Day: 8

Archaeological Museum of Olympia, Archaia Olympia, Greece

Day: 9

Archaeological Site of Olympia, Archaia Olympia, Greece

Day: 9

Museum of the History of the Olympic Games of antiquity, Πραξιτέλη Κονδύλη, Archaia Olympia, Greece

Day: 9

Corfu, Greece

Day: 10

Achilleion, Achilleio, Greece

Day: 10

Split, Croatia

Day: 11

Cathedral of St. Lawrence, Trg Ivana Pavla II, Trogir, Croatia

Day: 11

Murano, Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy

Day: 12

Burano, Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy

Day: 12

St. Mark's Square, Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy

Day: 12

Doge's Palace, Piazza San Marco, Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy

Day: 12

Rialto Bridge, Sestiere San Polo, Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy

Day: 12

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