Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Turkey Cruise on Norwegian Viva from Ravenna (Italy)

Ravenna (Italy)

Ravenna is a pleasant inland city connected to the Adriatic Sea, by the Candiano Canal. Revenna is still retaining the splendor of his great past and today it is a cozy little town where you can have a nice walk along the main streets and have a look at its elegant boutiques. The indoor market, the People's Square cafes, restaurants, are ideal places to get a taste of the authentic local life.

Dubrovnik (Croatia)

Dubrovnik is situated on the Adriatic Sea coast in the extreme south of Croatia, at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik, Nerevta country. Places to visit: Lokrum is an island in front of Dubrovnik and because it takes only 15 minutes by ferry to get there from the Old Town it is a popular destination for both tourists and locals. Zaton, another place to find natural peace and beauty, it takes 20 minutes by bus to get from Dubrovnik to Zaton. Other tourist attractions are: Franciscan monastery, fortresses, Medieval walls encircling the city and Sponza palace.

Kotor (Montenegro)

Kotor is a coastal town in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor in Montenegro. The old Mediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period. It is located on the Bay of Kotor , one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. Some have called the southernmost fjord in Europe, but it is a ria, a submerged river canyon. Together with the nearly overhanging limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovcen, Kotor and its surrounding area form an impressive and picturesque Mediterranean landscape. In recent years, Kotor has seen a steady increase in tourists, many of them coming by cruise ship. Visitors are attracted both by the natural beauty of the Gulf of Kotor and by the old town of Kotor. Kotor is part of the World Heritage Site dubbed the Natural and Culture Historical Region of Kotor. Kotor has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic and is a UNESCO world heritage site. Narrow streets, contiguous houses, bulwarks, churches, cathedrals, squares, carnivals and feasts. It is home to numerous sights, such as the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in the old town (built in 1166), and the ancient walls which stretch for 3 miles directly above the city. Sveti Ðorde and Gospa od Skrpijela islets off the coast of Perast are also among the more popular destinations in the vicinity of Kotor.

Athens (Piraeus)

Athens, the capital city of Greece is an active cosmopolitan mix of different cultures and people, passionate about their art and history. The climate is one of the best in Europe, with mild winters and very hot summers, ideal for tourism. It is located just a few miles from the port of Piraeus, the central commercial port of the capital, and the shores of southern Attica. The main attractions of Athens are The Ancient Agora, Anafiotika, The Acropolis, Mount Lycabettus, Thiseion Cinema, Gazi, Monastiraki Flea Market, Pireaus seaside, Pireaus open air market, Kastella Hill, Veakio open air theatre and Piraeus Archaeological.

Santorini

Santorini is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from Greece´s mainland The island remains the home of a small, but flourishing, wine industry, based on the indigenous grape variety, Assyrtiko, with auxiliary cultivations of two other Aegean varietals, Athiri and Aidani. Wine Industry The vines are extremely old and resistant to phylloxera (attributed by local winemakers to the well-drained volcanic soil and its chemistry), so the vines needed no replacement during the great phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century. In their adaptation to their habitat, such vines are planted far apart, as their principal source of moisture is dew, and they often are trained in the shape of low-spiralling baskets, with the grapes hanging inside to protect them from the winds. Architecture The traditional architecture of Santorini is similar to that of the other Cyclades, with low-lying cubical houses, made of local stone and whitewashed or limewashed with various volcanic ashes used as colours. The unique characteristic is the common utilisation of the hypóskapha: extensions of houses dug sideways or downwards into the surrounding pumice

Rhodes

Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is located northeast of Crete, southeast of Athens and just off the Anatolian coast of Turkey. Historically, Rhodes was famous worldwide for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The medieval Old Town of the City of Rhodes has been declared a World Heritage Site. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. From there you can access Lindos and its famous Acropolis which can be accessed on foot or by donkey.

Kusadasi (Turkey)

With a mix of modern beach resorts alongside traditional bazaars, Kusadasi is a popular tourist destination on the Aegean coast in the Aydin Province of Turkey. Aside from its golden sandy beaches and warm clear waters, Kusadasi boasts a variety of attractions most famous of which is Ephesus, the Mediterranean’s best-preserved classical city. Marble pillars of the Library of Celsus support intricate friezes and sculptures, while the enormous theatre delivers superb views over the city. Visitors can also discover Kusadasi on horseback, swim with the horses at Pamucak Beach or take time to visit array of stalls and shops that comprise the local bazaar.

Thessaloniki (Greece)

Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia, as well as the capital of the Decentralised Administration of Macedonia and Thrace. The city is renowned for its festivals, events, and vibrant cultural life in general, it is also considered to be Greece´s cultural capital. Events such as the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival are held annually, while the city also hosts the largest bi-annual meeting of the Greek diaspora. Thessaloniki is home to numerous notable Byzantine monuments, including the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as several Roman, Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures. The city´s main university, Aristotle University, is the largest in Greece and the Balkans. The earliest known letter by Paul the Apostle was written to the early Christian church in Thessaloniki and is identified as First Thessalonians; it is among the books in the New Testament whose authorship by Paul is generally regarded by scholars as being undisputed. A later letter to the same church follows in the Christian Bible as Second Thessalonians. In addition to its historic roots, Thessaloniki is also a very popular tourist destination in Greece. In 2010, Lonely Planet ranked Thessaloniki as the world´s fifth-best party city worldwide, comparable to other cities such as Dubai and Montreal. For 2013, National Geographic Magazine included Thessaloniki in its top tourist destinations worldwide. If that’s not enough to tempt you, it was the second largest and wealthiest city of the Byzantine Empire.

Istanbul

Istanbul is Turkey's most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. It is also one of the largest cities in Europe and the world. Located on both sides of the Bosphorus, the narrow strait between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea, Istanbul bridges Asia and Europe both physically and culturally. Istanbul attracts visitors not only for its history and its monuments, but also for their way of life and its lovely people. It is the city of churches, synagogues and thousands of mosques Istanbul is the city of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Suleymaniye, Grand Bazaar and Topkapi and Dolmabahce palaces.

Istanbul

Istanbul is Turkey's most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. It is also one of the largest cities in Europe and the world. Located on both sides of the Bosphorus, the narrow strait between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea, Istanbul bridges Asia and Europe both physically and culturally. Istanbul attracts visitors not only for its history and its monuments, but also for their way of life and its lovely people. It is the city of churches, synagogues and thousands of mosques Istanbul is the city of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Suleymaniye, Grand Bazaar and Topkapi and Dolmabahce palaces.