Where to Sail: the 7 Best Shore Excursions Boat Trips Around the Mediterranean

1.From La Spezia: Round-Trip to Pisa Cruise Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 978 reviews · 5 hours · from $51Our pick

Travel from La Spezia cruise terminal to Pisa by comfortable coach, with an escort such as Martina, Giada, or Alessandro. You get roughly three hours in Pisa for the Piazza dei Miracoli, city walking route, lunch, or an optional Leaning Tower climb with priority entry. Maps, WiFi, and return timing are included.

“Well worth the money and convenience. Lumi and Marciamilano were courteous and helpful. Would highly recommend the leaning tower entry as it amazes you with its lean as soon as you enter the building.”

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2.Mykonos Shore Excursion with Pickup from Cruise Ship Terminal

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 766 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $83

This four-hour English tour begins at the Mykonos cruise port and combines an air-conditioned bus ride with a guided walk through Mykonos Town. You’ll see Armenistis Lighthouse, Kalafati Beach, Ano Mera, the windmills, Little Venice, and Panagia Paraportiani. Guides such as Christina, Dora, and Andrea are known for clear stories and a warm sense of humor.

“christina is an excellent guide who is knowledgeable and charming. She is a native new yorker who lived on mykonis for 30 years--easy to listen to for an extended time period. She talked about history and contemporary life on the island; many guides only talk about a location's history. itravelmykonos is a decent tour operator; they need to improve the directions they provide tourists regarding how to find the tour guide at the port...”

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3.From Milazzo: Panarea & Stromboli Cruise Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 597 reviews · 10 hours · from $91

Spend 10 hours at sea and ashore, sailing from Milazzo to Panarea and Stromboli. You get free time in both ports, views of Cala Junco and the Aeolian islets, then a sunset stop beneath Stromboli’s Sciara del Fuoco. Commentary is offered in Italian, English, and French.

“We enjoyed the trip very much. Google Maps had problems with the adress to the agency. Never heard before, but number 38 took you to 39. The agency was very aware of the problem and laughed. We found it🤔”

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4.Shore Excursion with Cruise Ship Terminal Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 332 reviews · 4 hours · from $81

Meet your English-speaking iTravel Mykonos guide at the cruise terminal, then tour Armenistis Lighthouse, Kalafatis Beach, Ano Mera, and Mykonos Town by air-conditioned bus and on foot. Guides such as Andrea, Dora, and Christina bring local history to life. The tour ends near the waterfront, not back at the ship.

“Christina was an amazing guide, we learnt so much about the island. It is very clear that Christina is exceptionally proud and passionate about her home and shared an absolute wealth of information with us. Christina was very accommodating of my father’s mobility challenges and adjusted wherever possible to accommodate him. Would definitely recommend this tour!”

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5.Shore Excursion to Oia for Cruise Ship Passengers

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 118 reviews · 4 hours · from $70

Travel by air-conditioned vehicle from Fira to Oia with a local English- or Spanish-speaking guide. See Imerovigli, the volcano, Oia’s Three Domes, windmills, Fort Londsa, and Ayia Ekaterina, then finish at Fira’s cable car. Guides such as Mary, Victor, Nikos, and Joanna are praised for local insight and photos.

“It was amazing! I fell in love with Santorini. Ceano was an amazing guide. She made our visit so much pleasant.”

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6.Malta: Sightseeing Shore Excursion for Cruise Passengers

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 43 reviews · 4 hours · from $117

Step off your cruise ship and visit Mdina, Valletta, the Upper Barrakka Gardens, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and more with an English-speaking guide. A professional driver handles the road time, and you can return to the ship or stay in Valletta after the tour. Site visits are mainly guided from outside, so this suits first-time island sightseeing more than museum visits.

“We all had a great time at Marta, very interesting place, worth visiting”

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7.Kotor: Shore Excursion for Cruise Passengers

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 36 reviews · 4 hours · from $94

Meet your English-speaking driver-guide outside Kotor’s port for a four-hour trip through Perast, the Bay of Kotor, Budva, and Kotor Old Town. You can add a €10 cash boat ride to Our Lady of the Rocks. Guides such as Petar and Andro are noted for friendly, flexible service, but the short schedule may limit time in Budva.

“We were fortunate to spend the day with Petar on our panoramic tour of Kotor! EXCELLENT communications via WhatsApp well before the tour and even after! He is extremely friendly, knowledgeable, flexible, and kind. We had a great day and were so happy to have a guide to ourselves for the day, rather than the usual herding around in a group. I would highly, highly recommend that you chose this tour -- with luck you might have Petar as your guide!”

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