Sailing the Mediterranean with Silversea

Our itinerary whilst sailing on the recently launched Silver Ray saw us sailing from Athens to Venice, with stops along the way in Greece, Croatia and Italy.

Our 11-night sailing only had one sea day, so Mr B and I balanced our itinerary with exploring and relaxation. We always do plenty of research so we knew ahead of time which ports we wanted to do an excursion, which ones we would explore ourselves and which ones we may choose to miss in lieu of having a relaxing day on Silver Ray (usually if we had visited the port previously on another holiday).

Athens

Whenever Mr B and I cruise, we always fly in the day before, admittedly this is mostly for peace of mind in case of flight delays, however, it also allows us time to explore the city we are departing from.

In this case we were sailing from Athens, and what a city to explore. We love Greece and Athens was no different. We made the most of our day and after dropping our bags at our accommodation, we first made our way to a local restaurant to enjoy a Gyros (I can highly recommend). Greek food is very tasty.

In the afternoon we had pre-booked tickets to the Acropolis – I would recommend booking ahead to save time and guaranteed entry. Allow at least two hours for your visit, we took our time exploring the historical site and were so glad to finally visit.

Santorini

Having never been before and hearing about the beauty of Santorini we had pre-booked a Silversea tour, ‘Oia and Winery’. It was a very well organised tour, we started off by visiting Pyrgos.

The streets were quiet so it was lovely to spend time wandering the picture-perfect village and popping into a few of the local souvenir shops at a nice gentle pace. Let’s just say this was the opposite of our experience visiting Oia.

Our next stop was a local winery where we were left at our leisure to sample three wines along with some snacks of local olives, cheese and bread sticks. The views at the winery were stunning and we got to look down at the cruise ships visiting Santorini that day. None, of course, were as beautiful as our Silver Ray.

Our last stop was to Oia and it really is as pretty as a picture postcard. The shades of blue and white make a truly stunning backdrop and I would say it is a must-visit when on the island just for the stunning views and landscape.

However, be prepared, it is very very busy, most definitely the busiest place we have ever been to in Greece and Mr B and I have visited many of the Greek islands. But was it worth battling the huge crowds for the beauty and the views? Absolutely!

Corfu

I have been lucky enough to have holidayed in Corfu three times in the past so on this visit Mr B and I agreed to spend our day enjoying Silver Ray. We felt like we had the pool to ourselves and most definitely spent the day feeling utterly spoiled, however, that is how we spent every day on the beautiful Silver Ray!

But if you are lucky enough to visit Corfu, I would encourage everyone to explore this beautiful Greek island, it is utterly charming.

Kotor

When visiting Kotor the scenic sail in is something worth getting up for. Simply ask your butler or pop to reception and find out what time you will be sailing in. It’s worth the early morning wake up call.

We found Kotor a wonderful town to walk around, the cobbled streets are lovely to explore and get lost in. Inside the stone walled gates, you will find many shops and restaurants, but we spent a few hours just exploring and taking in the sounds and sights.

The town has a love for cats, it was nice to see how well looked after they are. The shops and restaurants let them roam freely and we saw so many water and feeding stations for them. As big animal lovers, we loved seeing how well they all looked and how friendly they all were.

Bari

Having visited Bari on a previous cruise we decided to enjoy another full day on the ship being pampered!

We found Bari to have a traditional Italian feel. Exploring the city you will see nonnas sitting on their doorsteps making pasta by hand. At the fishing port you can see the locals bringing in their daily catch with the local bar selling 1 euro beers.

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is one destination we were very excited about visiting. We departed Silver Ray by tender which dropped passengers off at the entrance of the old town, the location could not have been any better.

We were booked on an afternoon kayak excursion, but before that we spent a few hours walking the streets, visiting the famous Game Of Thrones steps and enjoying our surroundings.

Our kayak excursion was a wonderful way for us to see the city from the water. After a quick safety brief, we were on the water in our double kayak and after a few ‘discussions’ Mr B and I soon mastered the art of paddling as a team.

We went around the city walls, making a stop at Lokrum Island where we could jump off our kayak for a refreshing swim in the sea.

Our second stop was at a beautiful Bettina cave where the water was crystal clear. Here we enjoyed another swim and time to relax before our scenic paddle back.

Split

Being the second largest city in Croatia, Split had a lot to offer. We enjoyed a full day on a ‘river rafting’ tour. Oh, we had a great time!

After a short drive we arrived at the Cetina River and after a quick safety briefing and tutorial on how to paddle, change direction and handle the rapids we were on our raft.

The experience had a mix of beautiful scenery, peaceful surroundings and the exhilaration of going through rapids.

We didn’t fall out and never got stuck so we considered ourselves skilled rafters by the end (not really!). It was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed doing something so different and exhilarating.

Hvar

For our time in Hvar we enjoyed a wander around independently.

A beautiful Croatian island lined with cobbled streets, independent shops and tempting restaurants.

The harbour was lovely to explore, although on the day we visited Hvar it was extremely hot so our pace of walking was very gentle.

Zadar

As we had been busy the past three days, we took the day we docked in Zadar as another day to enjoy our lovely Silver Ray.

It was a mix between us wanting adventure on this holiday and wanting us to relax. Additionally to that, we absolutely fell in love with Silver Ray and adored spending time relaxing on her.

Trieste

With our final full day we were docked in this Italian city which to be honest, I knew little about.

It had all the typical Italian charm, from the architecture and wonderful looking pizzerias. We found it quite built up, but that is to be expected from a city. We enjoyed strolling around the harbour.

Venice

Sadly, it was time to depart the incredible Silver Ray. I felt a mix of emotions, sadness for having to depart and that our adventure and time being spoiled by Silversea was over. But also so much joy and happiness that we got to experience some wonderful destinations, make beautiful memories and that our home for 11 nights was on this stunning new ship.