Malta Cruise from Valletta to Piraeus — 9 Days

8 nights · Malta · Departs Valletta (Malta) · Visiting Giardini Naxos-Taormina, Gallipoli, Parga, Paxos Island, Corinth Canal, Milos Island, Hydra Island, Piraeus-Athens · Aboard Ponant Cruises on the Le Laperouse

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Le Laperouse
Valletta Cruise Port: Shore Excursions & Expert Guide Giardini Naxos Cruise Port: Expert Guide to Taormina & Beyond Gallipoli Cruise Port Parga Cruise Port
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Image courtesy of Ponant Cruises ©

Cruise linePonant Cruises
ShipLe Laperouse
Duration8 nights
Port calls9
Departures1 sailings
From fare$6,810 per person
Year built2018
Guests264
Cabins92
Crew112
Length131 m
Beam18 m
Cruising speed15.0 kn
  1. Day 1

    Valletta, Malta

    Valletta makes a powerful first impression, its honey-coloured walls rising above Grand Harbour. Founded by the Knights of St John in 1566, Malta’s compact capital rewards exploration on foot. Enter St John’s Co-Cathedral for Caravaggio’s monumental paintings, then follow Republic Street to cafés, palaces and the Upper Barrakka Gardens. From the terraces, watch ferries cross the harbour and look towards the Three Cities. Allow time for steep lanes and quiet side streets.

  2. Day 2

    Giardini Naxos-Taormina, Italy

    Giardini Naxos sits on Sicily’s Ionian coast, beneath Mount Etna and a short drive from Taormina. Its waterfront pairs pebble beaches with cafés, gelaterie and views across the bay. Sicily’s first Greek colony was founded here in 734 BC. A nearby archaeological park preserves traces of its ancient streets and walls. Come for a seaside day, or use the port as a gateway to Taormina. There, the Greek Theatre commands sweeping views of Etna and the coast.

  3. Day 3

    Gallipoli, Italy

    Gallipoli lies on Salento’s Ionian coast. Its old town fills an island joined to the mainland by a seventeenth-century bridge. The harbor still serves fishing boats. Narrow lanes lead to the Baroque Cathedral of Sant’Agata and palazzi that recall centuries of trade. Beyond the walls, clear water and sandy beaches offer an easy change of pace. Stay for sunset, when the Ionian Sea turns the waterfront gold.

  4. Day 4

    Parga, Greece

    Parga makes an immediate impression: pastel houses climb the hills above a sheltered Ionian bay. At the water’s edge, cafés and tavernas face fishing boats, while the Venetian castle crowns the headland. Climb to its walls for broad views. Nearby Valtos Beach offers a broad sweep of sand, reached on foot or by water taxi in season. Choose Parga for an easy blend of history, swimming and unhurried evenings beside the sea.

  5. Day 5

    Paxos Island, Greece

    Paxos lies south of Corfu, a compact Ionian island best explored at an unhurried pace. In Gaios, Venetian buildings frame a sheltered harbour where fishing boats share the water with visiting yachts. Take a boat along the western coast to see sea caves and pale cliffs, then swim from a secluded cove. Inland, centuries-old olive groves lead to quiet villages and views across the Ionian Sea.

  6. Day 6

    Corinth Canal, Greece

    Few passages put engineering so close at hand. The 6.3-kilometre Corinth Canal cuts through the Isthmus, linking the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf. Limestone walls rise nearly 80 metres above a channel just 24 metres wide. Opened in 1893, it shortened the voyage around the Peloponnese. Beyond the canal, explore ancient Corinth, where temples, mosaics and the Acrocorinth fortress reveal Greece’s layered past.

  7. Day 7

    Milos Island, Greece

    Arrive at Adamas, Milos’s sheltered ferry port, and you step onto an island shaped by fire and sea. Its volcanic geology has carved pale cliffs, sea caves, and beaches across the coast. Visit Sarakiniko’s sculpted white rock, then climb to Plaka for island-wide views and a quiet evening. At Tripiti, visit the early Christian catacombs and ancient theater, near where the Venus de Milo was found in 1820.

  8. Day 8

    Hydra Island, Greece

    Hydra is a Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, reached by ferry from Piraeus. Its horseshoe harbor is framed by stone mansions, cafés and fishing boats, with hills rising sharply behind. Cars are forbidden, so the lanes belong to pedestrians, pack animals and water taxis. Walk uphill for quiet courtyards and broad sea views, then return to the waterfront as the harbor lights come on.

  9. Day 9

    Piraeus-Athens, Greece

    Piraeus is Athens’ working harbour, not a resort port—and that is its appeal. From here, the capital’s ancient landmarks are within reach, while the waterfront keeps its own busy, distinctly Greek character. Visit the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus, then linger over grilled fish in Mikrolimano, a small harbour lined with tavernas. Metro connections make central Athens straightforward. Or stay near the water and watch ferries depart for the islands.

Le Laperouse Cruises

Published August 19, 2026
Last updated October 3, 2026
Author: J. Richard

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