Greece is a major destination for cruises, including trips that cruise only the Greek Islands. Some of the main Greek cruises travel the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, Italy, Spain and France. The most commonly used ports in Greece are Piraeus and Athens.

Greek Cruises that Depart from Athens

Azmara offers cruises to Italy, the Black Sea, Greece and Turkey. All of the cruises are one-way trips that last from 10 to 12 days, and take place in June, July and August. The boat, the Azmara Quest, is fairly small, as it holds just under 700 passengers. The terminal destinations are Venice, Italy and Istanbul, Turkey.

Holland America also offers cruises that leave from Athens. Holland offers round-trip and one-way cruises departing in September and October. The shortest cruise is 12 days and the longest is 42 days.

Princess Cruise Line has two boats that depart from Athens: the Ocean Princess and the Pacific Princess. The Pacific Princess travels from Greece to Rome in July and August. The Ocean Princess cruises in September and offers one-way cruises. Both boats were completely remodeled in 2002.

Silversea Cruises offers one-way cruises to Italy, Greece and Turkey. They sail from June to August. The boats in the Silversea fleet are the newest, as they were built in 2009. The tow boats that sail from Greece are the Silver Wind and the Silver Spirit.

Visiting the Greek Islands

There are also cruises to the inhabited and uninhabited islands of Greece, and many cruises only travel through the Aegean. Five Continent cruises visit the islands of Santorini, Rhodes, Mykonoes, and then Turkey. This ship holds 1,880 passengers and offers a 7-day all-inclusive cruise.

If you want a smaller cruise ship, then look into Seabourn Yacht cruises. You can cruise on the Seabourn Odyssey, which holds merely 450 passengers, and stop at Mylos, Chios, Rhodes, Patmos, and Turkey.

Very small sailing yachts are available from Odyssey sailing cruises. The yachts stop at Delos, Kea, Peloponnese and Crete. You can also see the Cyclades Islands and explore the islands of Syros, Kythanos, and Folegandros. This cruise is very casual, and you can learn to speak Greek, eat traditional Greek cuisine, and stop frequently to take a dip in the ocean. Odyssey offers many different special cruises.

Day Cruising

If you would like to travel on a catamaran, then check out Faliraki Sea Lines. The catamaran, The Aphrodite , was added due to the popularity of weddings on Rhodes. This boat is perfect for special occasions, and you can hire it for a day or half a day.