subject: European Cruising Is A Great Alternative [print this page] So it is time to think about your annual vacation and a friend has suggested that Mediterranean cruising is a great idea. Maybe you have no idea which countries you would visit. Maybe you do not even know where the Mediterranean Sea is. Here we will hopefully clarify a few things for you.
Firstly the Med, as it is often known, is a very large almost totally inland sea as it is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar which is only 9 miles wide. It has a total area of around 965,000 square miles. It is bordered to the north by Europe, to the south by Africa and to the east by Asia.
It has always played a major part in the political, cultural and trading areas for the whole world as some of the oldest civilisations hail from its shores. It has been a very strategic area during many wars ever since boats were invented. For all these reasons, any holiday spent travelling around the region will provide a very wide range of experiences.
The major countries which you will visit when you go on a Western Mediterranean cruise might include Gibraltar, Spain, France, Italy, Sicily, Malta, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. There are also a number of islands in the area such as Ibiza, Majorca, Corsica and Sardinia.
One of the most popular starting points for a cruise is Barcelona in Spain on the Iberian peninsula and it is truly a global city. It was colonized by the Romans around 20 BC and there are still some remains like parts of the city walls on view today.
Just along the coast is the Rock of Gibraltar where the Med is at its narrowest point and connects to the Atlantic Ocean. Most people refer to it as an island although technically it is a peninsula connected to the mainland. It is probably true to say that, because of its strategic position at the mouth of the Mediterranean, it has been the most captured and recaptured place in the history of world conflict. Even in the 21st century the UK and Spain have little arguments about its ownership.
If your trip includes France it will be on the beautiful French Riviera, the playground of Europeans in the 1960s. You will visit Nice, Cannes, St Tropez or Monte Carlo / Monaco. In Italy you may visit the wonderful water city of Venice, Genoa, Rome and Naples which all conjure up a magical scene.
To the south of Italy is the large island of Sicily and the little island of Malta. Malta is probably the second most important fought after place and there is an enormous wealth of history to see when you move away from its capital of Valetta.
As you head further south you will arrive at Tripoli which is the capital of Libya. This is one of the best preserved Roman towns on the coast of the Mediterranean. It is fascinating to see the really old buildings mingling in with the mosques inside the roman walls.
Further along the coast of Africa you may visit Tangier in Morocco. Although not technically in the sea, Mediterranean cruises often include Marrakesh also in Morocco, Lisbon in Portugal and Cadiz in Spain before heading back to Barcelona.
