No Flights Required
Sail directly from the UK - no airports, no transfers, just the open sea and Italy ahead.
Italy Cruises
From the Colosseum to Sicily's volcanic coast - experience Italy's greatest icons from the sea
Rome, Florence, Pompeii and More
Cruise to Italy's most celebrated destinations - arriving at the water's edge, not in an airport.
Smaller Ships, Better Experience
Fewer guests, more space on deck and a crew who genuinely know you
The Warmest Welcome at Sea
Full-board dining, British hospitality and West End style entertainment.
Find Your Italy Cruise
From a focused Italy and Mediterranean cruise itinerary to longer cruise holidays visiting Italy alongside the wider Med, there's a sailing to suit every kind of traveller. Choose your year below to explore what's on offer.
Discovering Italy By Sea
Italy does not do anything by halves. The history is vast. The art is everywhere. The coastline runs from the Ligurian Riviera to the toe of Sicily, and at every point something extraordinary is waiting.
What not everyone realises is that Italy - the real Italy, the one that stops you mid-sentence and stays with you - is best arrived at by sea. To visit Italy by cruise is to explore Italy at the pace it was meant to be seen: one remarkable coastline, one ancient city, one unforgettable morning at a time.
With Ambassador Cruise Line, your Mediterranean sailing puts you at the heart of Italy's greatest cities and landscapes: Rome's ancient skyline rising above Civitavecchia, the shadow of Vesuvius brooding over the Bay of Naples, the rolling Tuscan hills behind Livorno, the volcanic drama of Sicily. Each morning, a new chapter. Each port, a different face of the same extraordinary country.
Why Choose an Italy Cruise with Ambassador
There is a version of Italy that most visitors get: the crowds around the Colosseum, the queues at the Uffizi, the rush of a single day in Rome before the transfer to the next hotel. And there is the Italy that Ambassador passengers discover - arrived at from the water, with time to look, to walk, to sit with an espresso and let a piazza do its work.
Our ships are smaller than the industry norm. That is not a compromise - it is a deliberate choice. Fewer guests, more space on deck, a crew whose warmth is easier to deliver when the ship is the right size. In Italy, it means arriving at each port without the rush - with time to actually feel where you are.
On board, the character of the voyage is set from day one. Full-board dining, evening entertainment, a crew whose warmth has become something of a hallmark - and a ship reserved exclusively for adults, where the atmosphere is calm, convivial and designed around the way you actually want to spend a holiday.
A Mediterranean cruise from the UK doesn't need to begin at an airport. It begins at the gangway - and Italy, when you reach it, is worth every sea mile it took to get there.
Discover Italy's Most Iconic Ports
Civitavecchia - The Gateway to Rome
Seventy-five kilometres. That is what separates Ambassador's berth at Civitavecchia from the centre of Rome - and on an Italy cruise, those kilometres are covered in comfort, in the company of your fellow passengers, with a full day in the world's most layered city ahead of you.
Rome is where civilisation has been leaving its mark for two and a half thousand years, and it shows. On Ambassador destination experiences from Civitavecchia, you can take in some of the world's most extraordinary sights:
- The Colosseum - nearly 2,000 years old and still the most arresting structure in the city. Stand in front of it and the scale takes a moment to register.
- The Roman Forum - the ancient political heart of Rome, where the Republic debated and the Empire governed, still one of the most incredible sights to see
- The Pantheon - the best-preserved building from antiquity, its 2,000-year-old dome still holding its own against every architectural achievement since
- The Trevi Fountain - Rome's most exuberant landmark, as beautiful early in the morning as it is famous later in the day
- The Spanish Steps - 135 travertine steps, a belvedere over the rooftops, and one of the great gathering places of European city life
- St. Peter's Basilica - the centre piece of the Vatican, its dome visible from much of the city, its interior more magnificent than any photograph can prepare you for
Italy by cruise gives you Civitavecchia as a port of call, not a transit hub. The time is yours.
Naples - History, Colour and the Coast
Naples is not a city that tries to be liked. It is too busy being itself - loud, layered, deeply alive - and for the visitor with a day in port, that energy is part of the experience. Beneath the chaos is one of the most historically extraordinary cities in Italy, and around it lies some of the most celebrated coastline in the world.
From Naples, Ambassador destination experiences take you to:
- Pompeii - the Roman city frozen in 79 AD under the ash of Vesuvius, preserved in extraordinary detail across an entire city block. Walking its streets is one of the most affecting archaeological experiences in Europe.
- Herculaneum - smaller than Pompeii, and arguably better preserved. Wooden beams, painted walls, food still in the counters. Herculaneum is more intimate, more complete, and often more astonishing.
- The Isle of Capri - take a boat to this famous island, explore the legendary Blue Grotto by rowing boat, walk the Gardens of Augustus above the Faraglioni rocks and look out over the Tyrrhenian Sea from a viewpoint that earned Capri its reputation.
- The Amalfi Coast - the road that winds along one of the world's most dramatic pieces of coastline, passing Positano, Ravello and Amalfi itself - clifftop villages in pastel colours, each one prettier and more vertiginous than the last.
Livorno - Florence, Pisa and the Heart of Tuscany
Livorno is Tuscany's port, and Tuscany is the part of Italy that many visitors come back to, year after year, because they never quite run out of it. Two cities alone justify the stop:
Florence is the cradle of the Renaissance and one of the world's great art cities. The Duomo announces the city from a distance; the Uffizi holds Botticelli, Leonardo and Michelangelo in the same building; the Ponte Vecchio has been crossing the Arno since 1345. Florence is a city in which you will inevitably see something that makes you stop walking.
Pisa is often underestimated - reduced in the popular imagination to its famous Leaning Tower and nothing else. In reality, the Piazza dei Miracoli is one of the finest medieval squares in Italy, and Pisa itself is a working university city with a quieter, more local rhythm than most visitors expect.
Ambassador's Livorno destination experiences give you the maximum time on the ground in both.
Messina - Sicily and the Slopes of Mount Etna
Sicily is unlike anywhere else in Italy - which is exactly the point. Arab-Norman cathedrals, Greek temples, Baroque hill towns and black volcanic rock: the island has been shaped by every great Mediterranean civilisation, and it carries all of them simultaneously, in the architecture, the food, the language and the landscape.
From Messina, Ambassador destination experiences to explore:
- Mount Etna - Europe's largest active volcano, rising above the Sicilian coast to over 3,300 metres. Cable car rides take you to the higher slopes; guided walking tours bring you to the crater rim itself, where the landscape becomes genuinely lunar. Etna is unlike anything else in Italy.
- Taormina - Sicily's most celebrated clifftop town, perched above the Ionian Sea with Mount Etna as its backdrop. The ancient Greek theatre is still in use today, as it has been for more than 2,000 years. The views from the public gardens are among the finest in the Mediterranean.
Trieste - The Gateway to Venice
Trieste sits at the far north-eastern tip of Italy, where the Adriatic meets the Alps and the influence of the old Habsburg Empire is still written into every grand boulevard and coffee house. It is a city of quiet elegance - and on selected Italy cruise itineraries, it serves as the gateway to Venice.
From Trieste, Ambassador excursions venture into Venice: the Grand Canal by boat, the Rialto Bridge, the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Basilica and the intricate network of calles that wind between one of the world's most singular cities. There is no other place quite like it, and arriving by water - as you will - is the right way to arrive.
When to Cruise to Italy
The Mediterranean sailing season typically runs from spring into autumn, with Ambassador's Italy cruises operating during the warmer months. May and June offer a wonderful combination of settled weather and quieter ports; September brings golden light and a welcome return of calm after the summer peak.
Whichever month you choose, every Italy cruise itinerary is designed to make the most of your time ashore - and with affordable Italy cruises sailing direct from the UK, holidays to Italy have never been more straightforward. Keep an eye on our latest Italy cruise deals for the best value across the season.
For the full picture - including departure ports, voyage lengths and what each season looks like in Italian waters - browse our complete Italy cruise schedule below.
Terms and Conditions
The Ambassador Guarantee is available to guests that have not previously cruised with Ambassador Cruise Line, and are booking their first cruise aboard Ambience or Ambition. It is valid for new bookings only, made after 19th Jan 2024 for a duration of 4 nights or more. To take advantage of the Guarantee you must state your intention to leave the cruise, and the reason why, to the Hotel Director within 24 hours of your embarkation. Our onboard team will endeavour to resolve any issues within 24 hours from the time you notify them. If a solution cannot be agreed, Ambassador will cover the cost of transport to your point of embarkation at the next available port. The mode of repatriation will be at Ambassador’s discretion e.g. flights, rail, taxi plus one hotel night if needed. Ambassador is only responsible for the travel / hotel cost and nothing else, all other costs must be covered by you. Ambassador will refund the fare that you have paid for your cruise and pro-rated drinks package costs only. We will not refund any extra costs you have incurred on board of a personal nature i.e. drinks, gifts, shopping, laundry, spa, communications etc. We will not reimburse port parking or travel costs to the terminal or for items not purchased directly through Ambassador, such as overnight accommodation, travel insurance, visa’s or health certificates. Refunds will be made via the same channel that you used to book your cruise e.g. directly with Ambassador or via a travel agent. Refunds may take up to 14 working days to process. The Guarantee does not affect Ambassador’s standard booking conditions or pre-departure cancellation policy. Guarantee not available on Festive events, cruises under 4 nights or any cruise within our Caribbean Fly-Cruise Programme. Not applicable to employees of Ambassador and their friends and family, suppliers, journalists, or any prize winners or concession booking.
Extras not included: Travel insurance, travel costs to/ from the port of embarkation, however we do include transfers between the airport and ship in Barbados, port parking, onboard gratuities and service charges where a package has not been purchased (automatically billed to the onboard account), optional shore excursions, discretionary expenditure of a personal nature including hot and cold alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks, gifts, shopping, laundry, Wi-Fi and communication, and any visa & health certificate charges that may apply. Ambassador Cruise Line reserves the right to cancel, change or amend any theme cruise activities/speakers/acts at short notice. In the event of your cruise being cancelled, you will be guaranteed a full refund. Cruise holidays booked with Ambassador Cruise Holidays Limited, trading as Ambassador Cruise Line, are financially protected in accordance with the Package Travel and Linked Arrangements Regulations 2018. Copyright 2025. Ambassador Cruise Holidays Limited is a company registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 13299365.
