Welcome to Part Three of our detailed Eastern Mediterranean itinerary! If you yet haven’t read Part One or Part 2, go back and discover how we spent the first half of our trip!
In this blog post, we’ll share our day-by-day itinerary, complete with our favorite activities, meals, excursions, and tips. Picking up where we left of … let’s dive into our next 5 days, spent in Malta, two ports in Greece, and two ports in Croatia!
DAY 9 – Port stop in Valletta, Malta
On our fourth port stop, we visited the stunning island of Malta, docking in the city of Valletta from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Due to the early all-aboard time of 3:30 PM, we decided to wake up early and enjoy as much of our time on Malta as possible! We decided to take the uphill stroll into city center, though we may suggest taking a cab to anyone who has difficulty walking long / steep distances. Our walk was beautiful, with absolutely iconic views around every corner! Once we reached city center, we stumbled across a very unique and high quality coffee bar, called Kir Royale Cafe, where we grabbed a few iced lattes (a difficult find in the Mediterranean) and pastries before continuing our exploration of the city. We were in absolute awe walking through the streets of Valletta, truly impressed by the architecture of every building, the cleanliness, and the crystal clear water views.
After exploring the sights of Valletta, we took a cab over to Sliema, as we had researched a few different pool clubs over in that area. We decided to grab a drink at MedAsia, a new pool club in Sliema, which was pretty quiet due to our visit being before the start of high season, though we still enjoyed the view of the ocean from our chairs. Around lunchtime, we stumbled upon an AMAZING sandwich shop owned by two friends from different parts of Europe, called La Baguette Bros. We would HIGHLY recommend a visit here if you ever find yourself in Malta! Our recommendation: the Hitman sandwich and the Wingman sandwich.
We ended our port day in Malta by walking the waterfront area of Sliema, first stopping at a coffee and fresh juice bar called LOT61. During our visit to Malta, we could not believe the beauty of everything, and we can’t wait to return one day! Once back on the ship, we had a few hours to relax out on the deck before heading back to our cabins to get ready for dinner. (A tip for the NCL Viva: though the main pool and sun decks are quite small on Deck 17, there are additional plunge pools and lounge chairs on either side of Deck 8!) We ended our evening with a fantastic dinner at Cagney’s Steakhouse, another specialty restaurant onboard. (Don’t skip the cheesecake!!)
Listen to our full review of Valletta HERE!
DAY 10 – Port stop in Argostoli, Kefalonia (Greece)
Our fifth port stop to the Greek island of Kefalonia was quite the surprise to us! Originally, our ship was scheduled to visit Messina, Sicily, but was changed to Argostoli ~2 weeks before sailing. We tried to do a little bit of research before the trip, having not heard much at all about this island, but did not find much on the web! However, this is truly a hidden gem – the beauty of the island, the kindness of the locals, and our activities for the day made for a wonderful port stop from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
Right off of the ship, there is a nice walkway along the waterfront of Argostoli, which leads to some quaint but very cute shops and restaurants. While walking, we stumbled upon a coffee shop called Coffee Break, where we stopped for a few cappuccinos. Having been undecided on our itinerary for the day, we inquired about renting a car and driving around the island. To rent a car, it was only 50 euros for the entire day plus whatever gas we would use, but here’s the kicker … all of the cars were manual transmission, which none of us felt comfortable driving (oops)! So, instead of renting a car for the day we moved onto Plan B, which ended up being amazing!
We took a cab ~15 minutes down the road to a beach called Costa Costa Beach, home to a beach club / restaurant, unsurprisingly called Costa Costa Beach Club. Here, we rented lounge chairs and umbrellas (30 euros for 2 nice loungers + an umbrella), and ordered some delicious Greek food, including a platter of kabobs and fries, pitas, and LOTS of tzatziki! We also drank some local Greek Alpha beers, sangria, and had a fresh fruit salad. Our time here was fantastic – we highly recommend a visit next time you find yourself in Kefalonia! Toward the end of our day, we cabbed back to the port area, took some photos on the Drapano Bridge (as there was a rainbow behind it), and made our way back to the ship.
Once back onboard, we took advantage of some of the complimentary ship amenities, including ping pong, beer pong (with water), and we watched other guests race on the racetrack (which does cost extra money). We decided to again visit the Indulge Food Hall for dinner this evening, ordering some of our favorites from our previous meal! We ended our evening by exploring the happenings of the ship, popping our heads into the production as well as into the live music venues before heading off to bed.
Listen to our full review of Argostoli HERE!
DAY 11 – Port stop in Corfu, Greece
Our sixth port stop from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Corfu, Greece was nothing short of amazing! We originally had the idea to visit another beach club on this day, but after discussions with taxi drivers, we learned that said beach club was not yet open for the season. Instead, Glyfada Beach was recommended, but after we mapped it out and realized that beach was a 35 minute drive to and from the port, we decided to stick around Old Town for the day, which was only ~10 minutes or less from the port. Since we were thrown for a loop this day, our cab driver was a wealth of information, recommending his favorite cafe as well as his favorite lunch spot, both of which we ended up visiting!
Our first stop in Old Town Corfu was to the recommended cafe, called Mikro Cafe, where we enjoyed some cappuccinos and fresh orange juice. From there, we did a little bit of shopping before continuing our tour of the town. A little hungry, we stopped for a quick takeaway gyro from Mythos and Grill and then made our way toward the waterfront area, catching views of the Old Fortress, surrounded by crystal clear water. Also in this area are a multitude of parks, including Durrell Park and Spianada Square. Eventually, we made our way over to our cab driver’s lunch recommendation, called Avli, for a delightful Greek lunch in the garden area. We had an AMAZING meal, consisting of traditional Greek salad, fresh sourdough bread, and meatballs, along with a rose wine.
After lunch, we again walked by the beautiful Old Town waterfront, stopping at NAOK Azur to grab a drink. Here, the boys actually made their way down to the dock to take a quick dip in the water while the girls relaxed in the bar area with spritzes. We passed through the parks once again before taking a cab back to the ship. Once back onboard, we relaxed on the sun deck, some of us took a quick nap, and we got ready for dinner at yet another specialty restaurant onboard the Viva, called Los Lobos, the Mexican concept. We really enjoyed our dinner at this restaurant, and were STUFFED by the time it ended, with the dining package including an appetizer, main course, and 2 sides per person, which we all shared family style. Ready for an early day in Croatia, we made our way to bed without any entertainment this night!
Listen to our full review of Corfu HERE!
DAY 12 – Port stop in Dubrovnik, Croatia
On our seventh port stop, we experienced an absolutely beautiful day in Dubrovnik, Croatia from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM! Being Game of Thrones fans, of course we had to visit the iconic Old Town of Dubrovnik, otherwise known as Kings Landing in the show. Our recommendation: If you’re exploring on your own, visit Old Town as early as possible – we visited around 8:00 AM, and by the time we left around 9:00 AM, dozens of tour groups had arrived!
For this port stop, we had pre-booked a private boat excursion, so we cabbed back to the ship to quickly change our outfits, then met our private transportation right outside of the ship. Our driver took us to a dock ~20 minutes from the ship, where we then boarded a boat with a skipper that we booked from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (though we ended up requesting drop-off a tad earlier due to all-aboard being at 6:30 PM). During our private boat excursion, our skipper took us to some amazing spots around Dubrovnik, including the Blue Grotto on Kolocep Island, the peaceful island of Sipan, where we got off of the boat and walked around for a bit, the island of Lopud, where we grabbed a delicious lunch at Restaurant Obala and some dessert at Ice Cream Palma, and back to Old Town, so we could catch views of the fortress by boat.
All in all, it was a beautiful day out on the boat, exploring the aqua waters of the Croatian coast. This area was phenomenal to explore, though we felt it was quaint, and if we returned, we may run out of things to do! Though, due to the time of year, some of the restaurants and beach clubs were not yet open (June begins high season), so the area may feel more energetic at a different time.
Instead of getting dropped back off at our initial dock, we requested to be dropped off closer to our ship, which our skipper graciously agreed to, leaving us with only ~15 minute walk to the port. Once back on the ship, we showered up and once again made our way to the Indulge Food Hall for a casual dinner before retiring to bed after a long and entertaining day in Dubrovnik!
Listen to our full review of Dubrovnik HERE!
DAY 13 – Port stop in Split, Croatia
Our eighth port stop was another day in stunning Croatia, visiting Split from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM! We again decided to spend our day on the water, so we pre-booked another private boat tour via Viator, which lasted from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This skipper picked us up from a marina right near the port of Split, so no transportation was necessary. Before arriving at this marina, we took a stroll around the waterfront area of Split, also stopping to view some beautiful architecture, such as the Cathedral of St Domnius. We, of course, grabbed a cappuccino at a nearby cafe, then made our way to the marina to begin our boat day!
During this excursion, our skipper took us to some more amazing spots around the area of Split, including the Blue Lagoon and Maslinica on the island of Solta, where we stopped for a drink at Beach Bar Punta, then had a delicious seafood meal at Turanj restaurant. After this, we made our way to the Necujam Bay off the island of Solta to sunbathe and swim in the icy cold water, and were pleasantly surprised when we were greeted by a man named Matteo, who made fresh *and strong* mojitos off of his boat in the bay! While spending time in this area, we also did a bit of snorkeling, catching views of the shipwreck submerged beneath the surface.
After our time in the bay, we made our way back to the marina, and walked back to the ship via the waterfront pathway. This evening, we trialed yet another speciality restaurant onboard the Viva, called Nama, which served sushi & sashimi. Though we felt the quality of this meal was great, we enjoyed the flavors and variety of sushi and other asian favorites at Food Republic more! Again exhausted from our day, we took a quick lap around the ship before making our way back to the cabins.
Listen to our full review of Split HERE!
What amazing days we had while visiting these incredible ports in Malta, Greece, and Croatia! The Greek islands and ports in Croatia mentioned definitely warrant beach and boat days upon your next visit – with crystal clear water all around, along with fantastic food and drinks, it’s easy to create unforgettable memories in these spots!
Just one more blog to go in our Eastern Mediterranean Itinerary series! If you’re interested in reading about the remainder of our trip, you can find the final blog HERE, including a port stop in Slovenia and a 2-day extended weekend stay in Venice!
