Greek Ionian Islands Cruises

Where the Adriatic Meets Greece

South of Albania, the Adriatic opens into the Ionian Sea. Its Greek islands are greener and softer than the Aegean’s white-and-blue Cyclades, shaped by centuries of Venetian and British rule. Many Adriatic cruises end, begin or turn around here.

Olympia and the Peloponnese

Katakolon is a small port with a big reason to stop: Ancient Olympia, the sanctuary where the Olympic Games were held for more than a thousand years, is a short drive inland. Its ruins, stadium and museum are among the most visited ancient sites in Greece. Many Adriatic itineraries that sail on to Athens include Katakolon as the last stop before the Greek islands.

Kefalonia and Zakynthos

Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian islands, a mountainous place of fir forests, steep beaches and small harbors. From Argostoli, tours visit the underground lake of Melissani, the Drogarati cave and the view down to Myrtos beach. Zakynthos, farther south, is known for its sea caves and the much-photographed Navagio beach, usually seen from a clifftop viewpoint or by boat. Both islands are better suited to smaller and mid-size ships, so they appear more on premium and small-ship itineraries than on the largest vessels.

Ionian Food and Culture

Centuries of Venetian rule left their mark on Ionian cooking and music. Look for Corfu’s slow-cooked pastitsada and sofrito, kumquat liqueur, and the choral singing tradition of the islands. Long lunches in a seaside taverna are as much a part of an Ionian port day as any monument.

Albania’s coast, between Montenegro and Corfu, is appearing on more itineraries too, with calls at Sarandë or Durrës on some voyages. For the wider Greek islands and the rest of the Mediterranean, see Cruising Europe.