Greece cruise guide: Greek island cruises by line, port and month

Greek island cruises come in two shapes. Round trips from Athens (Piraeus) spend most of the week in the Aegean, often with a stop in Turkey. Longer Eastern Mediterranean routes from Rome, Venice-area ports or Barcelona give you two or three Greek islands alongside Italy or Croatia. If Greece is the point of the trip, start in Athens. For the wider picture, see our Mediterranean cruise guide and our European cruises guide.

Best time to go

• April and May: mild, green and far less crowded. The sea is still cool, and a few island businesses open late in the spring.
• June: long days and warm sea, before the peak crowds. Our pick for a first Greek cruise. Our June 2027 cruise guide shows what else is at its best that month.
• July and August: the hottest and busiest weeks, with the late-July to early-August stretch the hottest of all. The meltemi, a strong northerly summer wind that peaks in July and August, keeps the islands cooler than Athens but can make tender ports choppy and occasionally cancels a call.
• September and October: warm sea, thinner crowds and often lower fares. Our pick for couples; see our best cruise lines for couples. Our September 2027 cruise guide compares it with the other regions in season.
• November to March: the rainy season. Very few ships sail the Greek islands, though Celestyal runs a longer season than most.

Lines compared for Greece

• Celebrity CruisesCelebrity Infinity spends summer 2027 on 7- to 12-night Greek Isles and Turkey routes from Athens, and Celebrity Ascent sails the eastern Mediterranean from Rome.
  From $900 per personChecked November 2026
• Royal CaribbeanFour ships on Greek routes in 2027 from Athens and Ravenna, and the only line with its own beach club on Santorini, which opened in summer 2026.
  From $590 per personChecked November 2026
• Virgin VoyagesAdults only. Scarlet Lady sails 7- to 11-night Greek Isles, Turkey and Adriatic trips from Athens in 2027, with late nights in port.
  From $1,750 per personChecked October 2026
• Norwegian Cruise LineNorwegian Viva sails 9- to 11-day Greek Isles routes from Istanbul, Rome and Ravenna in 2027, with late departures from Santorini.
  From $1,379 per personChecked November 2026
• Princess CruisesSun Princess and Enchanted Princess both start some 2027 sailings in Athens, and Enchanted Princess also sails from Trieste. Princess moved several 2027 departures out of Istanbul in May 2026.
  From $1,189 per personChecked November 2026
• Holland America LineOosterdam sails 7- to 11-day Mediterranean routes in 2027 with Athens as one of four homeports. Calmer and older-skewing.
  From $1,259 per personChecked November 2026
• MSC CruisesLow fares on 7-night eastern Mediterranean loops, often with Mykonos or Santorini on the route. A mostly European crowd.
  From $515 per personChecked November 2026
• Oceania CruisesSmaller ships that reach smaller islands, with overnights in Istanbul and long days in port.
  From $3,049 per personChecked November 2026
• Celestyal CruisesA Greece-based line with two mid-size ships based in Piraeus: 3- and 4-night island hops and 7-night Greece and Turkey loops, plus overnights in Mykonos and Santorini on some routes.

For luxury and small ships (Silversea, Seabourn, Windstar and others do many Aegean sailings), see the best luxury and small-ship cruises. Adults who want a quieter ship should read our adults-only cruise picks.

Typical length and price

• 3 to 4 nights: Celestyal’s short island hops from Piraeus. Good as an add-on to a land trip in Athens.
• 7 nights: the standard Greek Isles round trip from Athens, usually four or five islands plus a Turkish port. Norwegian Gem has one-way weeks between Athens and Ravenna on sale for summer 2027.
• 9 to 12 nights: Greece with Turkey, Croatia or Italy, common on Celebrity, Norwegian, Princess and Holland America.

Greek cruises cost more in July and August and less in April, May and October. Celestyal and MSC usually have the lowest fares; Virgin Voyages and Celebrity cost more but include more. Greece also charges cruise passengers a per-person fee at each island call, highest at Santorini and Mykonos from June to September (€20 per person, less in spring, autumn and winter), usually collected by the cruise line.

Departure ports

• Athens (Piraeus): the main Greek homeport, about 7 miles from central Athens. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Virgin Voyages, Princess, Holland America and Celestyal all start sailings here.
• Istanbul: Norwegian starts some Greek sailings here. Princess moved several of its 2027 Istanbul departures to Athens and Trieste.
• Ravenna, Trieste and Venice-Marghera: the Venice-area ports for Adriatic and Greek routes.
• Rome (Civitavecchia) and Barcelona: for longer trips that add Greece to Italy or Spain.

Cruise to Greece from the USA

There’s no direct cruise from the U.S. to Greece in regular service. Most Americans fly to Athens and spend a night before boarding. The alternative is a transatlantic crossing to Southampton on Queen Mary 2 from New York, then a flight; see our New York cruise port guide and transatlantic cruises.

Sailings snapshot

Sample Greek island cruises, 2027. From-prices per person, checked November 2026.

Departs	Line and ship	Nights	Itinerary	From	Link
Nov 7, 2026	Viking, Viking Star	7	7 Night Ancient Mediterranean Treasures (from Piraeus (Athens) Greece)	$5,799	Check price
Nov 9, 2026	MSC Cruises, MSC Orchestra	7	7 Night Mediterranean - Eastern Cruise (from Piraeus (Athens) Greece)	$567	Check price
Nov 10, 2026	Viking, Viking Vela	10	10 Night Greek Odyssey (from Piraeus (Athens) Greece)	$7,099	Check price
Nov 30, 2026	MSC Cruises, MSC Orchestra	7	7 Night Mediterranean - Eastern Cruise (from Piraeus (Athens) Greece)	$627	Check price
Dec 2, 2026	Viking, Viking Vesta	7	7 Night Ancient Mediterranean Treasures (from Piraeus (Athens) Greece)	$3,499	Check price
Dec 3, 2026	Viking, Viking Libra	10	10 Night Greek Odyssey (from Piraeus (Athens) Greece)	$4,349	Check price
Dec 14, 2026	MSC Cruises, MSC Orchestra	7	7 Night Mediterranean - Eastern Cruise (from Piraeus (Athens) Greece)	$661	Check price
Dec 28, 2026	MSC Cruises, MSC Orchestra	7	7 Night Mediterranean - Eastern Cruise (from Piraeus (Athens) Greece)	$1,399	Check price
Jan 6, 2027	Viking, Viking Mira	7	7 Night Ancient Mediterranean Treasures (from Piraeus (Athens) Greece)	$2,699	Check price
Jan 11, 2027	MSC Cruises, MSC Lirica	7	7 Night Mediterranean - Eastern Cruise (from Piraeus (Athens) Greece)	$515	Check price
Jan 13, 2027	Viking, Viking Vesta	7	7 Night Ancient Mediterranean Treasures (from Piraeus (Athens) Greece)	$2,799	Check price
Jan 29, 2027	Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seven Seas Navigator	14	14 Night Mediterranean - Western Cruise (from Piraeus (Athens) Greece)	$12,799	Check price

Ports of call

• Santorini: ships anchor below the caldera and tender guests ashore; the cable car queue is the bottleneck. The island manages daily cruise arrivals through a berth allocation system.
• Mykonos: ships use the port north of town or anchor offshore, so allow time for the shuttle or sea bus into the old town; lines that stay late or overnight get the evening.
• Crete (Heraklion or Chania): Knossos from Heraklion, the Venetian harbor in Chania.
• Rhodes: a walled medieval old town, a short walk from the pier.
• Corfu and Katakolon (Olympia): the Ionian side, common on routes from Italy.
• Kusadasi (Ephesus): the Turkish stop on many Greek Isles cruises.
• Athens: if your cruise starts or ends here, add a day for the Acropolis.

Greece cruise FAQ

What is the best Greek island cruise?

A 7-night round trip from Athens that includes Santorini, Mykonos, Crete and Rhodes with at least one late night in port. For adults, Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady or Celebrity Infinity; for families, Royal Caribbean; for a short, all-Greek trip, Celestyal.

What is Celestyal Cruises like?

A Greece-based line with two mid-size, older ships (one a former Holland America ship, the other a former AIDA ship) sailing mainly from Piraeus. Trips are short (3, 4 or 7 nights) and port-heavy. It’s simpler than the big American lines, and the ships have fewer venues.

Is a Santorini cruise worth it?

Yes, if you expect crowds and plan around the tender and cable car. Book a ship that arrives early or stays late, and go in spring or autumn if you can.

Can you do an Italy and Greece cruise?

Yes. Many 9- to 12-night eastern Mediterranean cruises from Rome, Trieste or Ravenna combine Italian ports, Croatia and two or three Greek islands. Norwegian, Princess, Holland America and Celebrity all run them. Our Italy cruise guide covers the Italian end, including where Venice sailings really leave from.

When is the best time for a Greece cruise?

June or September. May and October are cheaper and cooler; July and August are the hottest, busiest and windiest.