Otranto Italy
Italy

34 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Atlas Ocean Voyages (2 Cruises)

CroisiEurope (2 Cruises)

Emerald Waterways (4 Cruises)

Ponant (8 Cruises)

SeaDream Yacht Club (2 Cruises)

Silversea Cruises (5 Cruises)

Star Clippers (4 Cruises)

Windstar Cruises (7 Cruises)


Frequently Asked Questions

Ships anchor in the bay and tender passengers ashore at the foot of the walled old town, about 1.5 km from the centre depending on the landing point. Like any tendered call, it can be cancelled if the sea picks up.
Completely. The walled town is small, dense and pedestrian: you enter through the Porta Alfonsina, climb between whitewashed lanes and always come back out at the sea. No transport is needed inside the walls.
The cathedral first, then the ramparts and the Aragonese castle, with a swim below the walls if the season allows. It all fits within a few hundred metres, which makes this one of the easiest calls to plan.
Its floor. The entire nave is covered by a 12th-century mosaic made by the monk Pantaleone: a vast tree of life where Adam and Eve, King Arthur, Alexander the Great, fabulous beasts and the months of the year all appear. You literally walk across a medieval picture book, on a scale unmatched in Europe.
Townspeople killed when the Ottomans took the city in 1480. Their bones are displayed behind large glass cases in a side chapel of the cathedral. It is a genuinely affecting memorial: warn sensitive children before going in.
Yes. A town beach and nearby coves lie at the foot of the walls, in remarkably clear water. Bring a swimsuit — this is one of the few ports where a swim is ten minutes' walk away.
A former pit that became a small emerald lake ringed by bright red cliffs, about 2 km from town, reached by taxi or tour. The contrast between green water and red earth is striking, but the site is raw and unimproved: closed shoes recommended.
The euro, and Italian. Cards work in old-town restaurants and shops, but keep cash for gelato and small vendors. English is spoken in tourist businesses, less so elsewhere.
May to June and September. The water is warm, the light is superb and the old town is easy to move through. July and August bring crowds of Italian holidaymakers into narrow lanes, and midday heat in the Salento is unforgiving.
Yes, remarkably so. Everything is within walking distance, the beach is right there, the round towers of the Aragonese castle appeal to children, and the lanes are traffic-free. Two caveats: uneven cobbles make strollers awkward, and the martyrs' chapel deserves a word of explanation first.