Turkey summer holidays guide: cruises

How to book the best cruise holiday to Turkey, with advice on luxury cruises, mainstream cruises, specialist cruises and no-fly cruises, by Sue Bryant.
Turkey’s vast southern coastline spans the eastern Mediterranean from the Syrian border to the Greek islands, while its western shore stretches the length of the Aegean as far north as the Sea of Marmaris. Turkey also accounts for the entire southern coast of the Black Sea, where ports like Sinop and Trabzon were once important staging posts of the ancient Silk Road.

While there’s no shortage of territory for cruise ships to explore, in reality most focus on the Aegean coast and Istanbul. Turkey’s Aegean shoreline offers one of the Mediterranean’s most alluring backdrops for cruising, particularly along the mountainous, forested Turquoise Coast named after the aquamarine hues of the body of water between Antalya and Dalaman.

Istanbul, an alluring city in itself, is at the heart of the country’s cruising scene.

AP

Istanbul, an alluring city in itself, is at the heart of the country’s cruising scene and is used by many cruise lines as an embarkation port. Its strategic position straddling the busy Bosphorus between Europe and Asia, guarding the approach to the Black Sea, coupled with an abundance of lavish palaces and mosques, makes this one of the most exciting and romantic ports of call on any European itinerary.

From Istanbul, ships either head north into the Black Sea or south towards the Mediterranean, where itineraries almost always combine ports such as Kusadasi, Bodrum or Izmir - all gateways to the antiquities at Ephesus - with the Greek islands, finishing either in Athens, or continuing north to Venice. Some of the more detailed itineraries take in both cruising areas. Several specialist cruise lines focus on history, which in Turkey stretches from Lycian rock tombs carved into the cliffs 2,500 years ago to the World War I battlefields of Gallipoli.
Others lean towards the more sybaritic activities, featuring popular holiday resorts like Gocek, Dalyan or Fethiye, where there's little to do but kick back and enjoy long fresh-fish lunches at waterside restaurants, browse the occasional market, bathe in hot mud springs and bask on sandy beaches.
For the below cruises, all prices are per person and where relevant include flights, unless stated otherwise.

Luxury cruises

Regent Seven Seas Cruises (02380 682 280; rssc.com) offers the unusual combination of the Black Sea and the eastern Mediterranean (a round-trip voyage from Athens taking 19 nights, departing on August 8. The benefit of travelling with Regent on such an intensive itinerary is that shore excursions are included in the price, making it possible to explore Ephesus (from Kusadasi), Istanbul, Sinop and Trabzon (the four Turkish ports included in the itinerary) at no extra cost. From £8,099, all-inclusive.
Cunard (0843 374 2224; cunard.co.uk) has introduced fly-cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean on Queen Elizabeth, departing from Rome, Athens or Venice on seven, 14 and 21-day holidays. The Rome itineraries call at Kusadasi, the Athens departures at Bodrum and the 14-night Venice voyages at Kusasadi with a further overnight in Istanbul, from £2,049.
Or venture into the Black Sea and explore some of the lesser-known Turkish ports there. Departing on August 20, Azamara Club Cruises  (0844 493 4016; azamaraclubcruises.com) visits Amazra, from where there’s a tour to Safranbolu, a perfectly preserved 17th century caravan station which still retains its wooden Ottoman buildings. Today, the whole town is a museum. Much further east, Trabzon was another important trading post on the Silk Road. An added advantage of this cruise is that it departs Istanbul late afternoon, sailing up the Bosphorus, one of the world’s most beautiful waterways, at sunset. From £3,482, cruise-only.

Mainstream cruises

MSC Cruises features Marmaris, a pretty port that’s grown from a modest fishing village to a thriving holiday resort.

MSC CRuises

The large cruise lines tend to restrict their port calls to just one or two Turkish ports on their wider Eastern Mediterranean cruises. On an 11-night Venice to Genoa voyage in November, MSC Cruises (0844 561 1955; msccruises.co.uk) features Marmaris, a very pretty port that’s grown from a modest fishing village to a thriving holiday resort. From here, it’s possible to visit the must-see Lycian rock tombs at Kaunos and to cruise up the Dalyan River by small boat, looking out for turtles and kingfishers. From £599, cruise-only.
Thomson Cruises (0871 231 4691; thomson.co.uk) actually bases a ship in Marmaris (the only line to do so) from May to October in 2014, offering seven-night Greece and Turkey itineraries that take in Kusadasi and Istanbul, as well as the Greek ports of Lesbos, Santorini and Athens, from £729. A longer itinerary includes the Black Sea, with calls at Sinop and Trabzon.
For those who prefer a larger contemporary and informal ship with plenty of different dining options, Norwegian Cruise Lines (0845 201 8900; ncl.co.uk) features Turkey on several of its Mediterranean cruises. A voyage from Venice to Barcelona departing on May 6 on Norwegian Spirit spends a day in Izmir (for Ephesus) and a day in Istanbul, also taking in ports in Greece, Italy and France. From £1,211.

Specialist cruises

Voyages to Antiquity's boat, the Aegean Odyssey, sails a a 26-day Athens-Istanbul voyage departing on September 23.

Voyages to Antiquity

For in-depth excursions and an insight into Turkey’s complex history, travel with a specialist. Voyages to Antiquity (0845 437 9737; voyagestoantiquity.com) offers a 26-day Athens-Istanbul voyage departing on September 23, featuring six Turkish ports: Antalya (for Perge and Aspendos); Fethiye (for the antiquities of Patara); Bodrum; Izmir (for Ephesus); Canakkale (for Troy and Gallipoli); and Istanbul, for a two-night stay. From £4,075 including flights and tours.
Or make the most of Turkey’s unspoilt beaches. Windstar (00 1 866 635 8815; windstarcruises.com), which has recently acquired three small ships from luxury line Seabourn, has a wonderful Istanbul to Athens itinerary in September 2014 on Star Pride, calling at Cesme, a pretty port on the Turquoise coast known for its thermal springs, as well as Kusadasi and Bodrum, before heading off into the Greek islands. From US$4,399 (£2,675), cruise only.

The Sunworld IX is one of the gulets used by Peter Sommer Travels on Turkey itineraries.

Peter Sommer Travels

Alternatively, opt for a much smaller, traditional vessel and take a cruise in a traditional Turkish gulet (wooden sailing boat). These range from the more basic to luxurious, fully catered and guided holidays on gulets sleeping up to 24. A week-long escorted gulet tour with Peter Sommer Travels  (01600 888 220; petersommer.com), visiting lesser-known ports such as the marble city of Knidos, Kaunos, famed for its rock-cut tombs, ancient Myndos and the pretty resort of Göcek costs £2,125, excluding flights, departing on June 7.

No-fly cruises

Its eastern Mediterranean location puts Turkey at the very edge of ex-UK cruise itineraries (world voyages excepted) but can nonetheless be accessed without boarding a flight. P&O Cruises (0843 374 0111; pocruises.com) offers an Istanbul, Black Sea and Greece voyage departing Southampton on September 1, from £2,499.
Fred Olsen Cruises (0845 485 3505; fredolsencruises.com) sails from Liverpool to the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea, with two Turkish calls on a 28-day voyage; Istanbul, for an overnight, and Izmir. From £2,159, departing on October 11.