Bysantine Odyssey – Zadar, Athens & Istanbul

About this cruise

The kind of trip that's easy to say yes to and hard to regret. 10 nights from Ravenna on May 8, 2026, visiting Zadar, Bar and Piraeus (Athens), with additional stops along the Eastern Mediterranean. The sailing ends in Istanbul. Expect a run of consecutive ports, 8 stops total, with the busiest days packed close together. The sea days around them feel earned. The route threads through 4 countries along the Eastern Mediterranean coast: Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and Türkiye. People come back from this cruise talking about Kusadasi: Turkey's gateway to the ruins of Ephesus. Roughly 10 hours ashore per stop. No need to rush. Norwegian Viva (2023) is one of the newer ships out there, with current design and recent tech throughout. The shows alone are worth the extra nights. You'll catch comedy, music, theatre, and themed evenings you'd miss on a shorter trip. Ravenna itself is worth spending some time in. Don't just treat it as a departure point. And May is a good time to go. Mild weather, things starting to bloom, and fewer people than summer. 8 ports, 4 countries, one suitcase. That's the appeal.