You’ve done battle with the crowds in Santorini and you wonder how welcome you really are in Barcelona and Venice. Many itineraries focus on the big-hitting ports when there are dozens of gorgeous, authentic places that should be on the radar of every cruise fan. More to the point, this is the jumping-off point for the Meteora monasteries, some of them 600 years old, clinging precariously to the peaks of sheer granite outcrops. Get here on Silversea’s sumptuous Silver Muse on a cruise that also calls at Thessaloniki, Istanbul and Rhodes. Details Ten nights’ all-inclusive from £4,200pp, including shore excursions in most ports, departing from Athens on March 25, 2026 (silversea.com).
